Today we head back to Bishkek for our last day in Kyrgyzstan. We drive through a mountainous region and pass a very large reservoir. A group of horses gallop through a downtown Bishkek plaza. It rains for about 5 minutes, then all is clear once more. We enter the Tsum Department Store, a creation of …
Today we leave our homestay and the feisty little boy who has captured our hearts. I say goodbye to the beautiful blossoming apple trees. And the grandmother who has welcomed us into her home. We drive along Lake Issyk Kul on a road under construction. A resort across the road from the lake. Stones prevent …
The view from my hotel room includes the metal roofs pervasive in the area. We visit a women’s cooperative where we are shown their felting process to make rugs. They beat the wool prior to cleaning to get out the dust. They lay out a design They sprinkle boiling water on it, spread a soap …
We leave the alpine setting of Barskoon Gorge and drive to a place with a very different terrain, a place called Skazka Canyon. This area was discovered by happenstance sometime during the last few decades when a taxi driver took a turn off the main road. The earth formations range from blobby to angular. Some …
On the way out of Bishkek, we pass another monument to Victory in World War II and those lost in the fighting. The monument is shaped like a yurt. A statue of a mother stands on the middle. This morning we embark on a five-hour drive to Bokonbaev, a village where felt is made for …
This morning we took a plane to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. This mother and her child, with curls popping out of her cap, caught my attention in the airport. We fly over the Tien-Shan Mountains, an impressive mountain range on the border of Kyrgyzstan and China. It is the largest mountain range in Central …
This morning we leave the beautiful Grand Fergana Hotel and the bunnies and peacocks that roam its pleasant gardens. On the way to the Uzbekistan/Kyrgyzstan border, we pass vast agricultural fields. Plastic covers each row, apparently to preserve moisture? It’s tough to see this massive use of plastic. But the ride is pleasant, the scenery …
Today we took a brief walk from the main road to the Jewish cemetery in Margilan, passing this woman working in her garden on the way. People in the lush and verdant Fergana Valley garden in any little space outside their homes. The Jewish cemetery was founded in the 17th century. At that time grave …
A LONG journey to get to Tashkent with seemingly interminable layovers. This little child amused herself and me as she weighed in at the airport in Seattle. In Istanbul, garments change but devices remain the same. Istanbul’s new airport is an amazingly modern city unto itself. I was told by a proud employee that it …
This morning we went shopping at the Kumtepa Bazaar, one of the largest markets in Uzbekistan. It opens on Thursdays and Sundays when locals come from all over to purchase their necessities. The ikat shops pop with color. Our guide assured me that these coats are very popular with the locals. The market sells all …