I don’t know how Magda does it. What is it about her that makes people fall ill on a flight, not just on one flight, but two? I have flown with many doctors over the years but it only happens to Mags. First, on the flight from Birmingham to Istanbul one of the flight attendants was taken ill and an appeal went out for a doctor on board to make themselves known. It was a genuine case and the poor girl had to be met by an ambulance and medics to be evacuated before we could disembark.
Sunrise en route to Bishkek
Then, after a few relaxing hours in a spacious restaurant/bar, we flew on to Bishkek , where Mags was called for again to help a woman who was probably nothing more than overcome by the heat on the plane. It was uncomfortably hot. Remarkably, the woman was married to the man sitting next to her, a doctor, but she did not want to disturb him.
Arriving in Bishkek, a little bleary eyed at dawn we passed through the airport efficiently into pleasantly warm sunshine, to be met by our guide, Ramil. The forty five minute drive into town took us along a tree lined road, behind which stood half built houses in scrubland. As we neared town the density of the trees increased and I was struck by just how green Bishkek is. There are lots of shady avenues, tree filled parks and colourful flowerbeds well tended and irrigated.
Arriving at the hotel we were made most welcome and, despite it being only a few minutes after 7.00am, our rooms were ready. We could also enjoy a good breakfast before resting for a couple of hours.
While the rest of the group enjoyed some rest, I went to the Asia Mountains office in the basement to meet Natalie, my Kyrgyz contact and pay her the money for the wide range of items we had bought for the two orphanages in Naryn and the children’s cancer ward in Bishkek. Our US$5267 had bought a ball pit and balls, child massage mats, furniture, carpets, kitchen equipment, 2 televisions, a projector, bed pans, various picnic outings and 10 air conditioning units for the children’s cancer ward. We achieved so much with our money, and it will make a difference to the lives of so many children.
At 10.00 a money changer came to the hotel and then we went on a tour of the city with Ramil, our guide.
The sun shone and the temperature was rising rapidly.
Parliament Building
Bishkek is s city with very little history attached to it. It was first established in 1825 as Khokand Fortress to protect and oversee trade routes. In 1860 Russian forces helped destroy the fortress and so began Russian involvement in Kyrgyzstan, although the capital at that time was known as Pishkek. Russian control continued to increase over the next decades and in 1926 Pishkek was renamed Frunze, after a Bolshevik military leader that was born there.
When the Russians finally left Kyrgyzstan with the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the Kyrgyz renamed their capital Bishkek.
To the south jagged white mountains, the Kyrgyz Ala-Too range, rise steeply from the plain to heights of nearly 5000m. They create a stunning backdrop to Bishkek.
Victory Arch
We visited first the Victory Arch, a design based on a yurt, which commemorates the end of the Second World War. 500,000 Kyrgyz fought alongside Russian troops. 200,000 died, which is quite a high proportion considering the modern day population of the country is six million. To one corner of the arch is a statue of men in conflict, to another the joy of their return, while in the middle burns a perpetual flame. Today, it is a place that wedding parties go to for photographs.
Moving on we walked through wooded parks and avenues to a variety of solid looking buildings, the opera house, art gallery, government building etc. Walking round highlighted the fact that Bishkek is a very green city with many flower beds, fountains and statues. All this greenery hides ugly Russian tenement blocks. These are gradually being replaced by more modern, architecturally more pleasing developments. There is certainly more development here than when I last visited four years ago. What I struggled to get used to was the way the traffic stopped as soon as I stepped on to a crossing.
Philharmonic Square
I don’t know whether it is because it is summer but the people seem much more affluent; the women dress elegantly and with style, the men less so. Cars appear to be bigger, newer and cleaner. There are more people about, in shops and restaurants. It has a much better feel about it, although it would be fair to say, from my limited experience, it is a city with no heart, there is no high street, no thriving street with illuminated and enticing shop windows. Everything is hidden behind unattractive facades that are shopping malls with little more than upmarket market stalls inside. I guess, that it needs to be all under cover to keep people out of the extremes of winter and summer.
Having had our tour, lunched and shopped we returned to the hotel, struggling to keep going with the combination of a lack of sleep and temperatures we were not acclimatised to. A restful evening and an early night was needed by all.
