Kyrgyzstan is probably my favorite country so far, but is it ever getting cold!
So far our time here has been divided into two places, the capital city of Bishkek and the mountain get-away of Altan Aryshan.
Bishkek is a pleasant enough city. Lots of trees lining the streets, a fairly diverse mix of Russian and Kyrgyz inhabitans, and more Shwarma stands than you can shake a stick at. Shwarma helps to keep our budget down and averages at about $1.15. When not in the mood for Shwarma, I have a 'hamburger', which is basically Shwarma in a bun. Bishkek is not overly exciting but i've already experienced my first every Pro-Soccer game and Opera here. The soccer game was played between Kyrgyzstan and Jordan. We bought tickets ($2.80 for 2 people) from a police man running security outside the stadium. I'm still trying to figure out how official that was. Doesn't matter really as seats are not assigned and we sat on the stairs with a bunch of excited locals. Team Kyrgyzstan played horribly but somehow still managed to win 2-0. The Kyrgyz are great fans of soccer and also great fans of doing 'the wave', which was performed almost every 30 seconds. Cries of 'Ole! Ole! Ole! Kyrgyzstan! Champion!' also rang out constantly.
The Opera was also great fun. Cultural experiences such as these are always a little mind blowing. You can't help but be amused at the idea of Carmen, a French Opera about Spanish Gypsies being performed in Kyrgyzstan and sung in Russian. Then again I think this part of the world is just full of those cultural overlaps. You can buy traditional felt items made of wool, usually hats and carpets, but it's also easy to find felt Christmas ornaments. Matt called the little Angel and Christmas Tree cut outs 'Traditional Former Soviet, Muslim Christmas ornaments'. Quite fitting.
The whole region of Central Asia has such a mixed and complicated history of one invasion after another of different foreign intruders. The Chinese, the Turks, the Mongols, and the Russians all washed into these countries and now it's hard to tell who was really here first.
Altan-Aryshan was our first opportunity to get away from Kyrgyzstans 'big' city. It's tucked into the mountains just south of the countries largest lake (Lake Issy-Kol). We hiked 4 hours up into the gorgeous valley in the company of another tourist, Gail from France, and found a cozy little guest house with a warm hearth and other friendly backpackers. The next day nature dumped about a foot of snow onto us as we were hiking up to a distant mountain pass. I never thought i'd be trudging through calf-high piles of snow when I left for Asia, but took it all in stride and had an excellent day out in the storm with Gail, Hal (a new American friend) and Matthew. Altan Aryshan is also known for its natural hot springs, which we dipped into on more than one occasion. We took Hal's advice and made sure to run our naked selves into the freezing river and then back into the stinging hot water. Thrilling!
We spent 4 nights up in the snowy valley, hiking everyday between the looming giants that make up the country. Even though we didn't expect the snow, it was AMAZING!
Pictures will come soon. So far we have been unlucky with uploading them.
We are now back in Bishkek, taking care of anything we might not have a chance to take care of during our next escapade through the Kyrgyz countryside. About next week this time we will be in China. I think I will be sad to go as there is just so much more to see of this small but wonderous country. However the weather is not getting better and we are eager to cross into Pakistan before the pass closes, or worse yet, my visa expires.
M.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Remaining Updates
Time Flies.
Out from Kazakhstan and into Kyrgyzstan. Finally we are in a country that we can spend more than one week in, which was the case for our time in both Russia and Kazakhstan.
Russia is beautiful. We spent most of our time camping on the shores of Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world. Russians take pride in the fact that the water is clean enough to drink, however the garbage that lines the shores is not pretty. We still haven't figured out why it is that Russian Tourists leave every concievable piece of trash behind from their lunch picnics out on Baikal-tin cans, bottles, maxi pads, bones. It's a shame because it's such a beautiful place.
The rest of my time spent in the Mother Ship of Communism was learning how to read Cyrillic and riding the Trans-Siberian Railway with Vodka loving locals. So much of the country seems untapped by tourists because of how difficult the government makes it to see the place. People stay on the trains, stop in a few well know tourist hubs and then exit. I can see myself returning to Siberia for longer, in the summer of course.
When I think Kazakhstan I no longer think BORAT. I now think EXPENSIVE.
Maybe not as expensive as Paris or London, but on an Asian scale it's up there.
In the former capital Almaty, we stayed at the cheapest place we could fine.
10$ each. 50 cents to take a shower. 50 cents to borrow the hot water kettle for an hour. Also the cleaning lady hated us, possibly because I kept borrowing her supplies to clean our room, but more likely because of how little we were impressed with her cleaning abilities. A small cup of coffee and two small croissants cost us 5 dollars which felt like a lot seeing as that's half of my sleeping rent.
BMW's and Mercedes are the order of the day when it comes to cars there, or rather SUV'S as the bigger seems to be the better. They are quite civilized drivers which was a welcoming change from Mongolia. Although we spent all our time in Almaty, we were able to get out of the city for a couple day trips.
Trip A was spent hiking up to the ever-expanding Ski Resort just out of town which was a real eye opener. The last thing I ever thought I'd find in Central Asia was a modern Ski Haven, but it's there and the people of Almaty have the money to use it.
Trip B was spent hitching up a mountain range with a Japanese Tourist who invited us for tea at a remote Radio Station he was residing in. Random Russian holiday seekers gave us rides to and from our location and we learned as much as we could from them about the current financial state of the country.
New oil-driven projects are making people rich and they are quite happy to spend their new wealth on as many fun toys as possible. I wouldn't say that the whole country is benefiting equally from the oil drilling and mining. Simply taking a bus to the edge of town reveals people of a more working class level rather than the haute couture types in the city center. I'm sure that living conditions only get harder the further out you go. However, of the five countries that make up Central Asia, Kazakhstan seems to be the Promised Land where everyone wants to live and work. Wages are higher and there are more opportunities, or so we've been told.
And so finally, here we are here in Kyrgyzstan.
m.
Out from Kazakhstan and into Kyrgyzstan. Finally we are in a country that we can spend more than one week in, which was the case for our time in both Russia and Kazakhstan.
Russia is beautiful. We spent most of our time camping on the shores of Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world. Russians take pride in the fact that the water is clean enough to drink, however the garbage that lines the shores is not pretty. We still haven't figured out why it is that Russian Tourists leave every concievable piece of trash behind from their lunch picnics out on Baikal-tin cans, bottles, maxi pads, bones. It's a shame because it's such a beautiful place.
The rest of my time spent in the Mother Ship of Communism was learning how to read Cyrillic and riding the Trans-Siberian Railway with Vodka loving locals. So much of the country seems untapped by tourists because of how difficult the government makes it to see the place. People stay on the trains, stop in a few well know tourist hubs and then exit. I can see myself returning to Siberia for longer, in the summer of course.
When I think Kazakhstan I no longer think BORAT. I now think EXPENSIVE.
Maybe not as expensive as Paris or London, but on an Asian scale it's up there.
In the former capital Almaty, we stayed at the cheapest place we could fine.
10$ each. 50 cents to take a shower. 50 cents to borrow the hot water kettle for an hour. Also the cleaning lady hated us, possibly because I kept borrowing her supplies to clean our room, but more likely because of how little we were impressed with her cleaning abilities. A small cup of coffee and two small croissants cost us 5 dollars which felt like a lot seeing as that's half of my sleeping rent.
BMW's and Mercedes are the order of the day when it comes to cars there, or rather SUV'S as the bigger seems to be the better. They are quite civilized drivers which was a welcoming change from Mongolia. Although we spent all our time in Almaty, we were able to get out of the city for a couple day trips.
Trip A was spent hiking up to the ever-expanding Ski Resort just out of town which was a real eye opener. The last thing I ever thought I'd find in Central Asia was a modern Ski Haven, but it's there and the people of Almaty have the money to use it.
Trip B was spent hitching up a mountain range with a Japanese Tourist who invited us for tea at a remote Radio Station he was residing in. Random Russian holiday seekers gave us rides to and from our location and we learned as much as we could from them about the current financial state of the country.
New oil-driven projects are making people rich and they are quite happy to spend their new wealth on as many fun toys as possible. I wouldn't say that the whole country is benefiting equally from the oil drilling and mining. Simply taking a bus to the edge of town reveals people of a more working class level rather than the haute couture types in the city center. I'm sure that living conditions only get harder the further out you go. However, of the five countries that make up Central Asia, Kazakhstan seems to be the Promised Land where everyone wants to live and work. Wages are higher and there are more opportunities, or so we've been told.
And so finally, here we are here in Kyrgyzstan.
m.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Updates, Part 1
Wow.
So we are once again behind on the blog.
What to say on where we are at right now? Things move quickly. One moment you are in Mongolia, rolling over rocky terrain for hours on end, and the next you are in the middle of Kazakhstan.
I don't want to skim over things too quickly, so here's my best.
Mongolia was an interesting country. We did not know what to expect. More than anything else I think that Mongolia was a learning experience. I personally have never travelled in a country that has so little infrastructure (ie. Paved roads, permanent bridges, etc.) We had great times camping and trekking out at Mongolia's reknowned Khovsgol Lake, but to get there it took at least 2 days, part of which included a 14+ hours ride in a Russian Jeep that should seat 12, but somehow carried at least 18 of us...the other part was a 12 hour night train. The terrain can be very harsh. Roads are dirt paths cut into rocky soil by jeeps and other large vehicles.
The harsh land and weather is also at the root of their limited fresh produce. A short summer season means no fruit trees of any kind, and vegetables are limited to anything that grows under the earth...oninons, garlic, beets, potatoes. There were lots of tomatoes and cucumbers at the market, but an expat I met said she was convinced that those were all imported from China. Importing is key in Mongolia. Just about everything at the supermarkets are brought in from elsewhere. Chocolate from the US, soup mixes from Russia, beer from Korea. They do however make their own Vodka...and they love their Vodka. This is most obvious by the hundreds of bottles that litter the streets and countryside. They also love their meat...obvious by the immense herds of sheep and yaks found all across the countryside, as well as the amount of BONES that litter every few feet of land. Femurs, skulls, you name it, we probably found it.
In all we had a good time in Mongolia, but I think the harsh traveling really took it out of us. If you want to travel comfortably, or the closest thing to comfortable, it will cost you as the best option is renting your own jeep and driver. Local transport is just plain painful. Thinking back, it could possibly be worth that cost. Also, the people can be quite hard, possibly because their land and weather is just that. They are somewhere in between hospitable and every-man-for-himself, which makes sense if you think that the Nomads probably need to balance looking out for their own families, but also relying on the help of their closest neighbors in times of need.
I don't even know if I should touch on how Communism affected the country because I probably won't do it justice. Matt is much better at that. What I can say is that Mongolia is a country that has changed very quickly in the last 10 to 15 years...almost too quickly...and it is pushing forward. The problem is they might be pushing in the wrong direction. Their lack of infrastructure seems to indicate that government money might not be ending up where it should (ie. proper health care for everyone, proper highways, bridges, agricultural advancments). One tourist we met argued that perhaps there was a bit too much Jingiz Khan worship going on with all the foreign cash that was flowing in. Mongolians love Jingiz Khan and they extol him with monuments, statues, vodka brand and hotel names. Just outside the capital his face is imortalized into the side of a mountain with large white rocks. This structure, which one can see for miles, cost the country 2 million dollars! And on top of that, they plan on building a new monument soon made of steel, standing 40 feet tall on top of another nearby mountain. One must wonder how much this sort of Mania is costing the country in other areas.
But I digress.
Mongolia was definately an eye opener. I was glad to experience it, but also in truth, i'm glad that it's done.
Internet time is almost up.
Russia will have to wait until next time.
Martine.
So we are once again behind on the blog.
What to say on where we are at right now? Things move quickly. One moment you are in Mongolia, rolling over rocky terrain for hours on end, and the next you are in the middle of Kazakhstan.
I don't want to skim over things too quickly, so here's my best.
Mongolia was an interesting country. We did not know what to expect. More than anything else I think that Mongolia was a learning experience. I personally have never travelled in a country that has so little infrastructure (ie. Paved roads, permanent bridges, etc.) We had great times camping and trekking out at Mongolia's reknowned Khovsgol Lake, but to get there it took at least 2 days, part of which included a 14+ hours ride in a Russian Jeep that should seat 12, but somehow carried at least 18 of us...the other part was a 12 hour night train. The terrain can be very harsh. Roads are dirt paths cut into rocky soil by jeeps and other large vehicles.
The harsh land and weather is also at the root of their limited fresh produce. A short summer season means no fruit trees of any kind, and vegetables are limited to anything that grows under the earth...oninons, garlic, beets, potatoes. There were lots of tomatoes and cucumbers at the market, but an expat I met said she was convinced that those were all imported from China. Importing is key in Mongolia. Just about everything at the supermarkets are brought in from elsewhere. Chocolate from the US, soup mixes from Russia, beer from Korea. They do however make their own Vodka...and they love their Vodka. This is most obvious by the hundreds of bottles that litter the streets and countryside. They also love their meat...obvious by the immense herds of sheep and yaks found all across the countryside, as well as the amount of BONES that litter every few feet of land. Femurs, skulls, you name it, we probably found it.
In all we had a good time in Mongolia, but I think the harsh traveling really took it out of us. If you want to travel comfortably, or the closest thing to comfortable, it will cost you as the best option is renting your own jeep and driver. Local transport is just plain painful. Thinking back, it could possibly be worth that cost. Also, the people can be quite hard, possibly because their land and weather is just that. They are somewhere in between hospitable and every-man-for-himself, which makes sense if you think that the Nomads probably need to balance looking out for their own families, but also relying on the help of their closest neighbors in times of need.
I don't even know if I should touch on how Communism affected the country because I probably won't do it justice. Matt is much better at that. What I can say is that Mongolia is a country that has changed very quickly in the last 10 to 15 years...almost too quickly...and it is pushing forward. The problem is they might be pushing in the wrong direction. Their lack of infrastructure seems to indicate that government money might not be ending up where it should (ie. proper health care for everyone, proper highways, bridges, agricultural advancments). One tourist we met argued that perhaps there was a bit too much Jingiz Khan worship going on with all the foreign cash that was flowing in. Mongolians love Jingiz Khan and they extol him with monuments, statues, vodka brand and hotel names. Just outside the capital his face is imortalized into the side of a mountain with large white rocks. This structure, which one can see for miles, cost the country 2 million dollars! And on top of that, they plan on building a new monument soon made of steel, standing 40 feet tall on top of another nearby mountain. One must wonder how much this sort of Mania is costing the country in other areas.
But I digress.
Mongolia was definately an eye opener. I was glad to experience it, but also in truth, i'm glad that it's done.
Internet time is almost up.
Russia will have to wait until next time.
Martine.
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