Thursday, 31 July 2003
This makes two straight days of writing, which I must admit is something of an anomaly. It seems, however, that because of ample amount of sleep I had earlier this week, due to a fairly severe head and chest cold, I am again up and wired. I have been told that Bishkek is called the greenest city in Central Asia, and if the abundant overgrowth throughout the city is not enough to convince you, then my allergies will. I have been sneezing crazy since I arrived, and combined with two weeks of breaking in the local pubs, stresses of adapting to a new culture, and immunizing my body to local microorganisms, my body final had enough and laid me out for two straight days. No worry, though, as Sudafed and Tylenol PM have helped me through the trauma, and it seems that now, everything is A-O-K.
I thought I would take this entry to explain a little about what Bishkek looks like, to a foreigner (pronounced ‘ee-no-STRAN-its’, as goes our joke around the group of simply yelling ‘Eenostranits’ every time we do something stupid). When I first arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the scene reminded me much of typical Hollywood produced Russian/Communist film, like the 80’s Clint Eastwood flick, Firefox, which made the region out to be cold, gray and uninviting (probably not far from the truth at that time). Of course, the whole setting was surreal when I arrived, and the memory vague, probably from the jetlag, a few in-flight gin and tonics, and the fact that we had arrived around 12:00am. We deplaned on the tarmac, where we were greeting by several men and women dressed in the dark green military attire and armed with serious looking frowns. Since I was bumped to business class in Frankfurt because of a seat complication (yeah, life is pretty rough), I was one of the first off the plane. I waited around for the other volunteers instead of boarding the first transfer bus, which seemed to garner attention from the personnel. Once we were in the terminal, we waited in line to report our valuables to customs. The room, which glowed yellow from old, dirty, flickering fluorescent lights that at one time far in the past were probably white, was cold, gray and uninviting … just like in the movies. The room was void of any kind of colorful welcome signs, and the only relief was a single Citibank advertisement, which broke the monotony of directional signage on the walls.
After adhering to advice from our colleagues in the states, I handed over my passport and claim sheets without a sign of animation and continued to the baggage claim areas. Unfortunately, I lost one of my bags en-route from Amsterdam to Frankfurt (which is probably karma for exploiting the business class attendees), so I spent several minutes with an airline representative reporting the loss. We then proceeded with our luggage, what I had, to the x-ray machine, where they check bags for guns, drugs, explosives, and smuggled Barbi dolls. Yeah, we couldn’t exactly figure out why they x-rayed after the flight either, but at that point, we were tired, slightly scared, and anxious to get to the hotel, so we asked no questions.
And for those of you who are concerned, I did actually get my bag back, though I did manage to loose all of my dress slacks in the process. Evidently, the ever-sensitive baggage checkers somewhere along the lines broke the zipper holding my slacks in and neglected to remedy the situation. Well, somewhere in Europe is a helluva well-dressed baggage handler.
Although I have not yet had the opportunity to take in Almaty or any other part of Kazakhstan, I have been pleasantly surprised with Bishkek. As the capital and industrial center of Kyrgyzstan, the move to develop the area is evident. There are over 800,000 people currently residing in and around Bishkek, almost 50% of whom are Russian. Less than one third of the inhabitants are actually Kyrgyz. Although mostly rough and bumpy, the roads are wide and always busy with traffic. Unlike its other Asian neighbors who rely heavily on bicycles for transportation, pedestrians here rely mostly on their feet and machukas to commute from place to place. With the exception that most people here don’t smile and many of the locals will stare aggressively (to be discussed later) at foreigners as they walk by, the overall feeling is quite safe, welcoming and relaxed.
There is very little that is old here. Most of the buildings, monuments and other structures all postdate WWII, and the communist feel is quite prevalent. Almost all residential and commercial properties consist of mundane and square architectural styles, bland lifeless colors, inadequate building materials and worse building techniques. Most buildings are run down, and signs of aging are palpable. Rust from exposed rebar and old metal frames runs down the deteriorating walls, and fading signs give cautions and directions that most probably disregard anyway. Many of the buildings that have been kept up have several coats of cheap gunnite or stucco that seems to always be flaking off. Paint is also several layers thick, and for the most part, it runs onto things like windows and doors due to the lack of qualified contractors … or simply the lack of care.
Small residential dwellings compose the rest of the buildings beyond the city center. These dwellings are extremely small, and with the exception of a few prominent communities where the affluent and politically connected live, the overall ambiance is one of poor, dilapidated neighborhoods. Many of the homes are nothing more than shacks that have been thrown together with miscellaneous building materials such as large, metal advertisement signs and old, rotted wood. Some nice homes exist in the middle of the poverty, such as the family home where I take my laundry, but for the most part, the feeling is remarkably sad.
Large public building, parks, and squares are abundant, and there is no shortage of places to sit, relax and watch the day pass. Carved sculptures are strewn throughout the city in the numerous public areas, some left over from the Soviet era and some ancient, some no bigger than a man’s bust and some taking up entire sides of buildings. With the exception of expensive restaurants, hotels, local universities, and the most popular parks, there is a serious lack of upkeep of the grass, trees and shrubbery. Bushes and trees are largely overgrown and have not been manicured for some time, and weeds grow wildly through widening cracks in the sidewalks. Most sidewalks are old and deteriorated, which makes simultaneous walking and sightseeing somewhat of a challenge.
Although the tone of the city still suggests the Soviet influence, the residents have made great strides to bring Bishkek into the ranks of other developing cities. Newer and nicer cafes and pubs are on almost every street, and new businesses seem to be immigrating to the area. The Kyrgyz Alatau mountains, an arm of the Tian Shan mountain range, also make for a breathtaking city backdrop from many of city’s public sites. All means of shopping are available, and the prices are quite cheap compared to western standards (you can actually purchase a Coke for under US$0.50). Streets are always bustling with young couples and groups of friends, regardless of the time of day, and families and children seem to flock to the parks and play areas. The public buildings and numerous open areas create a welcoming feel. It is making strides, and it is exciting to see the change firsthand.
This makes two straight days of writing, which I must admit is something of an anomaly. It seems, however, that because of ample amount of sleep I had earlier this week, due to a fairly severe head and chest cold, I am again up and wired. I have been told that Bishkek is called the greenest city in Central Asia, and if the abundant overgrowth throughout the city is not enough to convince you, then my allergies will. I have been sneezing crazy since I arrived, and combined with two weeks of breaking in the local pubs, stresses of adapting to a new culture, and immunizing my body to local microorganisms, my body final had enough and laid me out for two straight days. No worry, though, as Sudafed and Tylenol PM have helped me through the trauma, and it seems that now, everything is A-O-K.I thought I would take this entry to explain a little about what Bishkek looks like, to a foreigner (pronounced ‘ee-no-STRAN-its’, as goes our joke around the group of simply yelling ‘Eenostranits’ every time we do something stupid). When I first arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the scene reminded me much of typical Hollywood produced Russian/Communist film, like the 80’s Clint Eastwood flick, Firefox, which made the region out to be cold, gray and uninviting (probably not far from the truth at that time). Of course, the whole setting was surreal when I arrived, and the memory vague, probably from the jetlag, a few in-flight gin and tonics, and the fact that we had arrived around 12:00am. We deplaned on the tarmac, where we were greeting by several men and women dressed in the dark green military attire and armed with serious looking frowns. Since I was bumped to business class in Frankfurt because of a seat complication (yeah, life is pretty rough), I was one of the first off the plane. I waited around for the other volunteers instead of boarding the first transfer bus, which seemed to garner attention from the personnel. Once we were in the terminal, we waited in line to report our valuables to customs. The room, which glowed yellow from old, dirty, flickering fluorescent lights that at one time far in the past were probably white, was cold, gray and uninviting … just like in the movies. The room was void of any kind of colorful welcome signs, and the only relief was a single Citibank advertisement, which broke the monotony of directional signage on the walls.
After adhering to advice from our colleagues in the states, I handed over my passport and claim sheets without a sign of animation and continued to the baggage claim areas. Unfortunately, I lost one of my bags en-route from Amsterdam to Frankfurt (which is probably karma for exploiting the business class attendees), so I spent several minutes with an airline representative reporting the loss. We then proceeded with our luggage, what I had, to the x-ray machine, where they check bags for guns, drugs, explosives, and smuggled Barbi dolls. Yeah, we couldn’t exactly figure out why they x-rayed after the flight either, but at that point, we were tired, slightly scared, and anxious to get to the hotel, so we asked no questions.
And for those of you who are concerned, I did actually get my bag back, though I did manage to loose all of my dress slacks in the process. Evidently, the ever-sensitive baggage checkers somewhere along the lines broke the zipper holding my slacks in and neglected to remedy the situation. Well, somewhere in Europe is a helluva well-dressed baggage handler.
Although I have not yet had the opportunity to take in Almaty or any other part of Kazakhstan, I have been pleasantly surprised with Bishkek. As the capital and industrial center of Kyrgyzstan, the move to develop the area is evident. There are over 800,000 people currently residing in and around Bishkek, almost 50% of whom are Russian. Less than one third of the inhabitants are actually Kyrgyz. Although mostly rough and bumpy, the roads are wide and always busy with traffic. Unlike its other Asian neighbors who rely heavily on bicycles for transportation, pedestrians here rely mostly on their feet and machukas to commute from place to place. With the exception that most people here don’t smile and many of the locals will stare aggressively (to be discussed later) at foreigners as they walk by, the overall feeling is quite safe, welcoming and relaxed.
There is very little that is old here. Most of the buildings, monuments and other structures all postdate WWII, and the communist feel is quite prevalent. Almost all residential and commercial properties consist of mundane and square architectural styles, bland lifeless colors, inadequate building materials and worse building techniques. Most buildings are run down, and signs of aging are palpable. Rust from exposed rebar and old metal frames runs down the deteriorating walls, and fading signs give cautions and directions that most probably disregard anyway. Many of the buildings that have been kept up have several coats of cheap gunnite or stucco that seems to always be flaking off. Paint is also several layers thick, and for the most part, it runs onto things like windows and doors due to the lack of qualified contractors … or simply the lack of care.
Small residential dwellings compose the rest of the buildings beyond the city center. These dwellings are extremely small, and with the exception of a few prominent communities where the affluent and politically connected live, the overall ambiance is one of poor, dilapidated neighborhoods. Many of the homes are nothing more than shacks that have been thrown together with miscellaneous building materials such as large, metal advertisement signs and old, rotted wood. Some nice homes exist in the middle of the poverty, such as the family home where I take my laundry, but for the most part, the feeling is remarkably sad.
Large public building, parks, and squares are abundant, and there is no shortage of places to sit, relax and watch the day pass. Carved sculptures are strewn throughout the city in the numerous public areas, some left over from the Soviet era and some ancient, some no bigger than a man’s bust and some taking up entire sides of buildings. With the exception of expensive restaurants, hotels, local universities, and the most popular parks, there is a serious lack of upkeep of the grass, trees and shrubbery. Bushes and trees are largely overgrown and have not been manicured for some time, and weeds grow wildly through widening cracks in the sidewalks. Most sidewalks are old and deteriorated, which makes simultaneous walking and sightseeing somewhat of a challenge.
Although the tone of the city still suggests the Soviet influence, the residents have made great strides to bring Bishkek into the ranks of other developing cities. Newer and nicer cafes and pubs are on almost every street, and new businesses seem to be immigrating to the area. The Kyrgyz Alatau mountains, an arm of the Tian Shan mountain range, also make for a breathtaking city backdrop from many of city’s public sites. All means of shopping are available, and the prices are quite cheap compared to western standards (you can actually purchase a Coke for under US$0.50). Streets are always bustling with young couples and groups of friends, regardless of the time of day, and families and children seem to flock to the parks and play areas. The public buildings and numerous open areas create a welcoming feel. It is making strides, and it is exciting to see the change firsthand.
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| Soviet Government Building |
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| City center is lively and well developed. |
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| Office buildings outside of the city center are overgrown and neglected. |
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| Typical Soviet apartment building. |
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| Typical Bishkek sidewalk and streetscape. |
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| Kyrgyz man sweeps on the sidewalk. |
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| Kyrgyz man cuts grass by hand. |
