Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Morning in Bishkek
The name ‘Bishkek’ refers to the stick used to stir mare’s milk. The population of the city is growing by 100K per year, adding a million people every decade. The city is densely populated. There are about 1,000 schools and 3,000 mosques for the country. Classrooms contain about 60 children each. Private schools are new, and becoming popular. The students get more attention, better teachers. Costs about $400/child. Nine years of schooling is compulsory. Under Soviet rule illiteracy was essentially eliminated.
Families have an average of three children. Divorce rates are about 40% in cities, 30% rural. A home typically costs $1800 per square meter as a shell, $2300 per square meter if resale, already containing kitchen and bathrooms.
This was my breakfast selection:
Started the morning with a drive to the silk workshop. Our local guide played the Australian pop hit Jukebox in Siberia by Skyhooks as a little humor during our ride (turn up the volume):
No shade to this gentleman. Only respect for his QR codes.
Silk Workshop
Masters at this women’s cooperative helped us to create our very own silk scarves with felt design. We got to learn how they are created, then take them home as souvenirs. Definitely appreciated the scarves we saw for sale later in the trip.
Felt Doll Making
These ladies are the MASTERS of felt doll making. What you find for sale in regular markets is nowhere near the quality produced here. Whoever is commissioning their products is extremely lucky. Of course there are many awards lining their walls. A highlight among all the artisans we visited.
Osh Bazaar
Perhaps a low-light of my trip…I got lost! We went as a group for a bit, then were told to meet back up by the horse saddles in a few minutes. I got turned around and decided to follow the sound of a loudspeaker, since I heard one on the way in, only to find it was a different loudspeaker. Luckily our tour leader’s son is very adept. Found me and returned me to the group like a lost lamb. Didn’t dare stray in large bazaars after that!
A moment to appreciate: Labubu and Cheburashka!
Lunch and Ala-Too Square
The light for photos was not our friend this day. The statue is of Manas the Blessed. Our local guide explained that the soldiers guarding the large flag are symbolically guarding the country.
National History Museum
What treasures! Discussed craft techniques, symbolism, nomadic life… An absolute dream come true.
*my ceramics teacher hung a picture on the studio wall from a work she saw in a museum. In Arabic calligraphy around the rim it has a wonderful phrase about intention. In our case, we were thinking of it as applies to creating pottery. This white bowl reminded me of the masterwork on our studio wall. I don’t know if it also has an intention hadith.
Lenin moved behind
Second Revolution
A little history. In 2005 a popular uprising forced the resignation of President Askar Akayev, who had been in power since 1990, and was suspected to be corrupt. This is referred to as the First Revolution or Tulip Revolution. According to our local guide, the new (second) president of Kyrgyzstan was even more corrupt. There was a high crime rate, persecution of journalists, electricity shortage because the reservoirs were emptied (resulting in rolling blackouts), and businesses were forced to pay protection money. Personally, our local guide said some days his electricity was expected between 6pm and 6am. So, as a student, those were the hours available to him to study.
In April 2010 the people took to the streets in a second uprising. The government hired mercenaries to scare the people. But things escalated. Snipers on the roof of parliament killed 86 people. Putin did not accept disgraced President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Kazakhstan said he could go there, but he chose to go to Belarus.
A temporary (woman) president stabilized the situation in 2011. We were told President Roza Otunbayeva is now a UN Ambassador working on education of girls in Afghanistan.
Anyhow, this is the Parliament building and a memorial to the Second Revolution.
