Kyrgyzstan?

Oct. 27, 2023- Kyrgyzstan? The van goes over the mountains and what do you think it finds. Another van to go over other mountains. We navigated the border crossing from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan faster than estimated. Yura hired porters to carry our bags, which certainly facilitated everything. For some reason understandable only to bureaucrats, luggage on dollies pulled by porters don’t have to be x-rayed. The crossing was muddy, congested, dirty, but new pavement covered the path we took. Border control on both sides examined us as closely as they did our passports. I’ve never seen officials turn documents sideways and upside down to be sure they’re genuine. Some dilemma was caused by women whose passports photos were pre-Covid and had recently let their hair go gray. Our new local guide, Sayeed, met us with a lovely Mercedes van. He took us to a money exchange then launched into history. Kyrgyz people were nomads. They didn’t wander hither and yon. They had fixed summer and winter camps. Today many are semi-nomadic. They work in cities in winter, but yurts dot the hillsides as they tend flocks in summer. They were first mentioned as an ethnic group in China, migrated to Siberia and showed up in this area in the 14th century. The official language is Kyrgysh with Russian being the second. English is compulsory starting in 5th grade and is mostly used by younger people. The country is secular by Constitution. The largest religious group is Suni Muslim, then Russian Orthodox, then Jewish. There are two synagogues in the capital, Bishkek, but I doubt we’ll see either one. Writing is predominantly in Kyrgysh using Cyrillic letters, then Russian. Sayeed thinks it will be a long time before the Latin alphabet is adopted There were so many horses grazing in the fields that I wondered what they do with them all. Sorry I asked. They’re used as meat for special festivities and kept as we do money in the bank. If a family needs to cover a large expense, a horse is sold. Cattle is also valuable, but not as much as horses. Sayeed is a Uyghur. There are also Dungan Chinese Muslims who live here. He’s adamant about the world not only seeing Uyghurs as oppressed and in concentration camps in China. He wants people to know there are 25 million in the world and they’re very successful. The Uyghur capital of the US is Chicago. Central Asia politically does not recognize their persecution in China. I guess trade is more important. We’re back in the land of good food. Lunch was at a resort/party center that adopted a Hawaiian theme and decor. I’m certain none of the designers had been there, as they feature statues of tigers and crocodiles, oh my. We were served lagman, a Uyghur dish of thick homemade noodles with beef and veggies. We ate with chopsticks. Cuisine is definitely moving in the right direction. The woman who was late to the bus by 20 minutes the first day has been a trial, She misplaces things (Yura now holds her money), broke her camera (Yura loaned her one of his and she broke that), and is particular about what she eats and always requests substitutions (which have been provided). This morning she came late to breakfast and said she just woke up. She hadn’t set an alarm and told Yura not to leave a wake-up call, because she always wakes early. She got a big eye roll from me and I left the table. Yura went out of his way and found her a Pepsi Zero (Coke wouldn’t do). She then stated she’d only drink it with ice. Ice is rare and has to be made from purified water. Everyone has been solicitous and polite and I know we can hang on a few more days, but I’d hate to be on another trip with her. We’re staying at the mile high Kapriz Issyk-Kul Resort on a lake the size of Erie in Cholpin Alta. The views are stunning, The town population quadruples in summer. Lest you think we’re at Canyon Ranch, think more Grossingers. Rooms are adequate although there’s no A/C and heat is controlled by plugging and unplugging electric wall heaters. Our windows are open now. Luckily, it’s in the 50’s. I spoke too soon. Dinner here was lame and we eat here tomorrow night too. The only thing I ate was greasy, soggy fries. Hoping for a decent breakfast. Tomorrow, we fly with eagles and lunch with Uyghurs.