Kyrgyzstan Trip Log: Day 1 - Bishkek

If you read my blog regularly, you know that I've just returned from Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan.  If you don't read my blog regularly, I've just returned from a trip to Lake Issyk-Kul in the mountainous country of Kyrgyzstan. 

Map of Kyrgyzstan

Lake Issyk-Kul lies directly south of Almaty (in a valley behind those mountains I am always showing you).  It is the second largest Alpine (high altitude) lake in the world (behind lake Titicaca in Peru/Bolivia).   Issyk-Kul sits at an altitude of 1,607m (5,272 ft) above sea level.  It is also slightly salty.

Day 1, Bishkek

The road to Bishkek

In order to reach Issyk-Kul, we first had to travel to the capital, Bishkek.  We drove west from Almaty, along the northern edge of the Tien-Shan Mountains before turning south, crossing the boarder from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan, and making the 20 minute drive into Bishkek.

The central park in Bishkek is called "Oak Park."  The park boasts some trees that are over 120 years old (others, of course, are much younger).  Because it is in the center of town, the park contains or boarders other major Bishkek sights. For example, on the northern edge of the park, across from the American University, you will find a statue of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels deep in conversation.  An interesting side note is that this statue replaces a statue of Stalin that was removed after 1991. 

Statue of Manas

On the western border of Oak Park you will find a large sculpture of Kyrgyzstan's epic hero "Manas" (for an introduction to this epic tale, click here) in front of the National History Museum (formerly the Lenin Museum). The tale of Manas is part of a living oral tradition with annual story telling contests and even group recitations of part of the story.  The story of Manas is protected by UNESCO.



The giant statue of Lenin that seems to be a staple of every Kyrgyz town (although Bishkek's is larger than most) is directly behind the museum.

 

 

my best Lenin pose

You will find Bishkek's other two attractions to the east of Oak park.  The Opera House (pictured left) was built around the same time and in the same style as the structure in Almaty.  While considerably larger than Almaty's Opera Theater, the Opera Theater in Bishkek is visibly in need of repair and renovation.

Victory square is home to the war memorial in Bishkek.  The memorial is impressive in both size and vision.  It features a yurt with a woman inside waiting for her husband and sons to return from war.  Like many of the famous sights in Almaty and other Central Asian towns, this landmark is a draw for wedding photos. 

The other monument that was striking and is worth seeing if you are in town is the monument to those killed in the uprising against a corrupt government in April of 2010.  I remember the news coverage of these events in the west, but for those who don't, our guide told the story this way:  People camped out in Oak park in the days leading up to the uprising.  When the demonstrations began, snipers positioned on the roofs of buildings around the "white house" (the presidential residence at the time), killed more than 80 people in the crowd.  The monument stands where the first protester died, and is striking with two large slabs of marble, one black and one white with a person between the two pushing the black slab over.

Accommodations (and food)

The best part of our day in Bishkek was the guest house where we stayed and the medeterranean resteraunt where we had dinner.  We stayed at a small, cozy guest house called "Hotel Asia Mountains" where the rooms were cute, clean and comfortable.  The walls were covered with art and artifacts from the region and the wood furnishings added charm.  As an added bonus there is a stunning garden and places to sit outside.

We had dinner at an amazing restaurant just across Ibraimov street from Victory Square called L'Azzurro Restaurant.  They serve a variety of food including (perhaps most impressively), Lebanese and Mediterranean food.  Their service was phenomenal and friendly and our little band of travelers had a wonderful evening thanks to this restaurant's hospitality.

 

Tomorrow's installment: Day 2 - ancient wonders and smoked fish.

Thursday Thoughts and recolections: A Hike to the Monastary in Aksai Gorge

Autumn is in full force in southern Kazakhstan.  The air is cool and crisp and the trees have turned bright yellow, orange, and red.  A couple of weeks ago, some colleagues and I went hiking to the monastery in the Aksai gorge just southwest of Almaty.

We climbed the trail leading up the western slope of the gorge.  The rises steeply through apple orchards and past trees with berries.  In the places where the trees dropped their fruit on the trail to be trampled and crushed into an autumn perfume, the air was thick with the smell of wonderfully ripe apples.

There are very few places along the trail to stop and rest until you cross over the brook and begin to climb into the spruce forest that crowns several of the taller hills and ridges in the Aksai Gorge.  As we climbed, the steep trail was gradually replaced by a well maintained set of steps that led upward for what felt like an eternity under the cool and somber shade of the spruce trees.

Eventually, we came to a gate that marked the entrance to the Monastic grounds, and then after climbing a while longer, we came to a grave that was beautifully marked and kept.  We continued along the trail until at last we came to the new church Which was built approximately a decade ago.  To enter, women must have their heads covered and be wearing a skirt.  Men should be in trousers (not jeans) and should remove their hats.  The interior is small but ornate and quiet. 

However holy and sacred the monastic buildings felt, it was nothing compared to the wonder that hit when we reached the top of the ridge just a few steps beyond the monastery.  Spruce covered hillsides leading up to the distant snow-clad peaks.  Nothing can describe the feeling you get when a scene like this emerges from behind a peak, or a hill or a cluster of trees.

This week I am off for a six day trip around Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyztan. As it is unlikely I will have internet for most of the trip, look for posts late next week.

Sunday Story: A Short Trip Down the Ili River

Yesterday some colleagues and I took a river trip along the Ili River, north of Almaty.  The Ili flows westward into Kazakhstan from China and pauses briefly at the Kapchagay Reservoir where there is a dam.  After Kapchagay the river turns northward eventually feeding into Lake Balqash. 

We arrived at the put in point around 9:30 am on what was looking to be a chilly, overcast Autumn day.  Our watercraft (which our outfitter alternately described to us as "canoes," "Kayaks," and "boats,") were 4 meter long  canvas kayak-type boats with aluminum paddles.  After a brief safety overview from the outfitters, we loaded our provisions for the day into the boat and set off down the river.

The Ili river flows swiftly northward through a canyon cut out of the steppe.  Steep rock walls define and guide the river. The current of the river carried us northward toward bluer skies.  Finally the sun emerged and the day transformed into a glorious warm late-summer day.

Our Route took us roughly 20km (14 miles) down the river.  Along the way, we passed fishermen and campers out for the weekend, an old barge that has been moored in the same spot for more than thirty years.  We also saw plenty of non-human wildlife including Steppe Eagles, ducks, river gulls, sheep, and horses.

Around 10km into the trip we came to one of Kazakhstan's Army training camps.  This camp trains soldiers in search and rescue among the wreckage of old soviet train cars and helicopters.  They also train in rock climbing.  Feeling like a stretch, we beached our boats and had a look around.  While the soldier we encountered wouldn't let us explore the training props (he was expecting his boss), he was happy to let us take pictures, and to ask as many questions as we wished.

Back on the river, a few more kilometers brought us to the set fortress used in the film "Nomad." We got out, paid the caretaker 200tg each for entrance and set about exploring this rather convincing construction (made almost entirely of wood and facade bricks).

The final stop  of our trip was at a Petroglyph site depicting Buddha.  Buddhist philosophies were introduced in Kazakhstan in the late 7th Century.  We stopped for pictures and a stretch before paddling the final 3 kilometers to our take-out point.  We capped off our day of leisure with chips, salsa, and Shashlik cooked on an open fire.  Food always tastes so much better out doors.

Friday Photo: Almaty Sunset From My Window

One of the advantages to living on the ninth floor of a building in a city with a fair amount of dust and pollution in the air is that almost every evening I enjoy spectacular sunsets over the old Soviet style apartment buildings across the street:

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Saturday Story: X-Ray-In-A-Box

Yesterday my colleagues and I underwent the annual government-mandated health screening process which involves giving a bit of blood, a series of questions put forth by a "therapist" (physician's assistant?) and a lung Fluoroscopy (basically a lung x-ray).  Last year I found the Portable Fluoroscope Van fascinating, so I made sure to get a picture of it this year:

Happy Saturday everyone!

Sunday Salutations: Hiking near Almaty

The mountains just outside Almaty

The mountains outside the city are riddled with hiking trails and many people go hiking on the weekends.  Some of the trails are very well traveled, others are obscure and remote and require a comprehensive knowledge of the terrain to hike without getting lost.

While easily accessible from the city, the mountains outside Almaty are also a powerful force - even for those who have lived at their feet for their entire lives.  Two of my colleagues have told me stories of hikes just outside the city that turned very dangerous this summer.  For one, it was a simple wrong turn off a well used trail that led to hours of bewildered meandering through the national forest before a ranger was able to point her in the right direction.  For another, a decision that "made sense" given the terrain let her and her hiking partner to the proverbial "place between a rock and a hard place" (though in this case it was a cliff and a waterfall).  With these cautionary tales fresh on my mind, last week and this week I went hiking with several of my colleagues. 

A Well-Traveled Path

The view of Almaty from the plateau

Last week we took the very well traveled path that leads to the mountains that overlook Medeo.  This is a very well traveled path as each weekend many people hike the trail from Medeo over the mountains.  In the winter, people hike up on the Medeo side and ski down the other side.  We went the opposite direction hiking up through the gorge that leads to big Almaty lake, over the ridges toward Medeo. We followed a logging road for the first half of the hike which, while occasionally steep, was never really challenging.  At the top (well, at our top) there was a plateau where several dozen hikers were enjoying a picnic lunch high above Almaty among grazing herds of horses and the fresh air.

Turgen Falls

Statue of The Golden Man

Looking back down the trail

Yesterday several of my colleagues and I went out to Turgen Falls.  The canyon is about three hours east of Almaty.  Just inside the park entrance there is a giant statue of "The Golden Man," a warrior from the 3rd or 4th century BC who was unearthed east of Almaty.  The statue overlooks a spring that is said to be a fountain of youth.

After a quick stop at the statue and spring, we continued driving up the gorge gorge until we came to the trail-head for Turgen falls.  The Turgen Falls trail is a popular tourist destination for people from Almaty and there were several bus loads of people there while we were there. It takes about thirty minutes to hike the trail along, and from time to time through, a bubbling creek before reaching the falls.  While the falls are small, they are beautiful and the views  along the trail are well worth the climb.

Movie Monday: A Few More Musical Moments

This weekend was the annual outdoor musical celebration known as the Parade of Orchestras (some translations say 'Bands') and I spent two late nights at the feet of Abay (beneath his statue, that is) enjoying some good old-fashioned outdoor musical entertainment.
Friday night's performance featured performances by MEZZO (a vocal quartet that was on Kazakhstan's X factor last year) and by the tenor Alessandro Safina who was both courageous (singing through feedback) and gracious (thanking the audience in multiple languages and even singing a song in Kazakh).  The orchestra also played popular classics like Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto and scenes from Khachaturian's Ballet 'Spartacus.'

So for movie Monday I would like to introduce you to two of the musical discoveries I made this weekend: the vocal quartet MEZZO,

and the Kazakh group Ulytau who weren't there but who my friend wished were (this is pretty cool - check out the dombra!)

Happy Monday everyone!

Tidbit Tuesday: The Pet Bazaar

My impression of those fortunate enough to call this fair city their home is that they love their pets.  People who keep dogs, for example, will have the paperwork stating pedigree, expensive looking leashes, and lush doggie beds.  These dog lovers haunt Gagarina park in the wee dark hours of the morning along with the odd jogger and the still-up love-birds.

More elusive, though no less numerous, are the cat owners who betray their existence only by the evidence that their numbers are large enough to make it worthwhile for our local grocery to stock kitty litter and cat food.  I find, however, that I digress.

The pet bazaar (as it is called by us English-speaking outsiders) is tucked in behind some shops across the street from the main bus station in the most elusive way.  It is possible to drive by that corner a hundred times and not know it was there unless someone were to point and say to you: "behind those little shops there is a pet Bazaar" and even then, you might not believe them.

For an Almaty bazaar, the pet bazaar is small.  A dozen or so rows of stalls under a tin roof covering carry birds, cages, kittens, aquariums, fish, squirrels, pupies in cages and play-pens, and numerous other critters whose names I never learned in Kindergarten.  Beyond the stalls are rows of cars with their trunks open to show litters of puppies or kittens (and sometimes both) inside.  Most vendors have pictures and signs stating what breed they are selling.  One can find several varieties of spaniel, German Shepherds, Pugs, Chihuahuas, Siberian Huskies, and miniature just-about-anything-you-want.

The pet bazaar is not for the faint of heart, or for any person recently exposed to Brian - "Master Sprawler Of The Bronx" who convinces all who lay eyes on his glorious sprawl that they must get a cat. It takes every ounce of will power to walk out of the labyrinth of cuddly temptation empty-handed and one cannot be distracted by previous experiences with lovable fluff.  For those of you concerned with whether I succumbed, have no fear: I employed the "I really should do some research before getting a pet" charm to ward off temptation.

Sunday Summer Wrap Up

"Horse Parking" in Lancaster County PA

I am back in Kazakhstan, but I feel like something more needs to be said about my summer travels before I can return to posting about my adventures in Kazakhstan.  After spending time in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington DC, I spent a wonderful week in the very aptly named Paradise, PA.  There I ate the freshest, most heavenly sweet corn I have ever tasted, ran into Santa Claus in the post office, and was formally introduced to Lord Peter who later joined me on my flight from Chicago to Abu Dhabi.


I ended my summer in Durango, CO where I visited Mesa Verde, found the "Butch Cassidy bridge", and walked the Animas River trail over and over again in an effort to relax while I waited for a visa to return to Kazakhstan.

Long House at Mesa Verde

At long last, I am back home in Almaty, and am ready to resume my weekly outings.  Stay tuned for a Tidbit Tuesday special about the Pet Bazaar.

To all of the wonderful friends who made my summer quite wonderful: THANKS! 

Animas river from the Butch Cassidy Bridge

Special: "No Sane Person" or "Summer Travels Pt. 1"

My summer holiday is half over and I realized that I have not updated my blog at all since leaving Kazakhstan.  So I give you a monster of a few of my favorite photos from the places I have been thus far.

First: an ominous warning from Philadelphia:

"Warning No [sane] person allowed beyond this point"

My trip began in Philadelphia where I took a week-long course at Villanova, saw some Independence Day festivities, and caught up with old friends.

The Independence Day Parade in front of Independence Hall

My next stop was two conversation filled nights with LB in New York which also featured trips to the Botanical Gardens, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and some wonderful Gelato.

A fountain (People of Mer-ville, BEWARE) in the Botanical Gardens

A magical back staircase in the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cloud City (unfortunatly sans Lando Calrissian) atop the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Finally, my travels took me to DC where I made the obligatory pilgrimage to the Lincoln Memorial and met up with my friend Ruth.

A boy reading the Gettysburg Address at the Lincoln Memorial

I feel as though I have not really done justice to the trip in this post.  Perhaps I will have to add a postscript later (don't feel obligated to laugh at the pun.  No pun-laughing required here).