KathleenOur 29-day tour of “The Five Stans of the Silk Road” begins in Bishkek, Kyrgystan. We arrive one day early to get our bearings and have a nice walk around the city. It is a friendly, well-organized, safe-feeling city and you can definately see and sense the soviet influence on its development. Like the caucascus countries, they seem to have quite a late night culture and there are loads of 24-hour groceries and many people, families, couples, singles, out and about in the late evening. We learn about the flag, the circular center representing the top of the yurt structure. It is interesting that the national symbol of this young nation is the symbol of a nomadic existence. The Kyrgs have been the unfortunate victims of some corrupt leaders in the 30-some years that they have been a country and you feel that they are understandibly jaded. The economic situation has not been as strong as in some of the other former soviet nations but it seems like all they need is a progressive, honest government to give them a leap forward. There seems to be quite a bit of national pride and also a complicated comradery/competition between themselves and their neighboring former soviet nations.
Outside the city, we are continuously stunned by the natural beauty of this land. Snow-capped mountains seem to tower everywhere you look and as we head out into the countryside, we marvel at our luck that we have come in spring which gives us views of vibrant spring greens, fruit trees in full blossom and wildflowers everywhere.
We enjoy the opportunity to take some lovely mountain hikes and even spend one night in a yurt camp. In addition, we see much infrastructure that is left over from the soviet era. Some is active, some is abandoned, but it is clear that they left the country more advanced than they found it.
