Bishkek Favorites

Favorite thing: This country is amazing! There are farmers and farm workers that still live in yurts (animal hide huts), and the countryside is as beautiful as the city. I wouldn't fly on Uzbeki- or Kyrgyz- air, simply because I got to see how they maintain their aircraft. (Their spare parts are taken off aircraft that are in a sort-of bone-yard behind the airport!) The American Pub was a wonderful place to go, and their cooking is mouth watering!! Their beer is something to try as well. There are color-coded / numbered beers (3, 5, 7, 9, etc). A "3" is the average, while a "9" is similar to a "lite" Guinness with the alcohol content to match. For example: a 200 lb man would need about 4 to 6 "3" beers to be drunk, while he would need only 2 or less "9" beers to be pretty well toasted! The architecture is also beautiful. Antique looking and styled in the 70's and 80's.

Fondest memory: Traveling in and out of the city is funny in one sense: the random "cow." Out of the blue you see, house... house... field... house... playground... cow... house... junkyard... house... cow! I got to see the last statue of Stalin before they demolished it. Also there are still aircraft, gates, and buildings that bear worn emblems of a hammer and sickle. The country is very poor and the south border is NOT advisable to go since there are still mine fields! Traveling around the city is easy even in a rental. Many wares in stores are cheap, so haggling is barely necessary. $20 could feed a family there for at least a week. I helped a local charity build a playground for a children’s tuberculosis hosp. We shared skittles with the children - and they showed us some of their games.