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GROUP
JOURNAL FOR |
| 30 August 2002 – Friday
– Nancy Shickler
Bishkek to Almaty International Day on the Melitour – Most of us headed down to breakfast in
our Turkish-owned hotel and enjoyed a wonderful buffet along with scores
of Indian businessmen visiting Bishkek.
After boarding our bus and while we traveled to the central plaza
in Bishkek, Meli told us of her late night encounters with
Afganistan’s ambassador to Kyrgyxstan and two fellow Turks, soldiers
visiting Bishkek. Our visit to the National History Museum was delayed by the expected appearance of the President of Kyrgystan, who was to speak in honor of refugees welcomed into his country. Because of security reasons it was not disclosed when he would arrive and speak, so after taking some photos of visitors in ethnic dress from some of the more that 40 ethnic groups who reside in Kyrgyzstan, most of us headed to a large department store near the World War II memorial to buy mementos and sample some street life. (Three of our number were at the Chinese Embassy in search of visas for an additional entry into China for later in the trip.) Back to the museum, where the President
had come and gone and we had the place to ourselves to enjoy.
Archeological relics, a fully outfitted yurt, handicrafts,
murals, revolutionary history – there was something for everyone.
On to lunch, where our three colleagues joined us, for Urghur
cuisine – a little reprise of Western China.
We said goodbye to our guide, Asel, and, on the trip out to the
border of Kazakhstan, learned about our new guide, Amina.
She is Chinese Dungan by background – her ancestors fled
western china in the 17th century and her parents now live in
Issyk-Kul. They have
remained very traditional, even during Communist rule, and her
independent life, as a guide and teacher in adult education, has made
her somewhat of a rebel. Our border crossing was smooth – less than a half an hour, and we stopped to change money shortly thereafter- another exchange rate to learn. The bus carried us through a slight mountain pass (it was nothing compared to our adventures earlier in the week) and down to the Steppe – the great grassland that stretches from Mongolia to Hungary (Thank you, Lonely Planet, Central Asia). At times , it looked like the Great Plains in the US. Into Almaty, the old capital, past two large Eastern Orthodox Churches and a huge mosque, to our hotel. A last big group dinner (5 of us leave tomorrow – 1 earlier today) at a Czech restaurant behind the hotel, on the national independence day of Kazakhstan – an international ending to an international day. Back
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