Sunday Stands for Sun

A colleague staying at the same hotel who has been here all week said he hasn't seen sun since last Sunday.  But today we were treated to sunshine which made the views even more spectacular.  Today was spent visiting with said colleague over breakfast and lunch, catching up with the country director who stopped by and dinner with another colleague who I will be going to the field with this week.  The hotel, despite its prestige and location is rather dilapidated. Apparently it's in the process of being revamped but you can't really tell if it's coming or going.  Still, with the plethora of expats in the restaurant it is a popular venue.  It also had a decent pool, but I only saw one person in it all day.  The reason?  It is currently considered "winter".

Day 1 in Sierra Leone

My flights may have been uneventful, but I was sitting so far back on the flight to Paris, that I could hear dog(s) barking in the cargo hold.  When I arrived in Freetown, it was raining and I fear that will be the theme for most of this trip.  The quickest way to get to the main part of the city, is by boat.  Due to the rain, the water was very choppy.  We walked to end of a very long pier and were helped by about five guys to cross over to the bobbing boat.  Place in the hold with luggage and life vests, I feared for my stomach but being a speed boat with crashed through the white capped waves and thus sea-sickness was avoided.   Arriving after dark, I didn't see much as the driver and I drove up to the hotel but once off the main drag, the road quickly deteriorated into a muddy, potholed, bumpy mess.  And I'm under the impression that wealthier people live up here considering one of the President's residencies is on the same hill.

Ala Archa Gorge Hike

Today was spent hiking in the Tian Shen mountains south of Bishkek.  There is a hiking group called the Trekking Union which although a membership organization, for very little you can join their outings.  On Sunday morning my colleague and I boarded one of two vans and drove to the Ala Archa Gorge National Park.  It was snowy, icy hike at that altitude but the views were beautiful.  Unfortunately I was in running shoes so it also made for a very slippery and wet decent.  Our group was made up of Russians, Kyrgyz, French, Swiss, Germans and us as the Americans.

(That's a hair tie on my finger)

Panorama fun

Safely down off the slip 'n slide trail

Back in Bishkek

Friday night I departed Osh and could not wait to spend the weekend in Bishkek.  I had exhausted all the sight-seeing that Osh had to offer and really couldn't take anymore Russian dubbed TV and radio Sputnik (though the latter was interestingly progressive).  A couple of my coworkers are also in Bishkek helping with the same project.  We met up for dinner Friday night and Saturday two of us enjoying the Spring like weather and went souvenir shopping.  We met up at the big square (not sure of what) with 24 hour guards who change on the hour.

Holiday Wanderings

Tuesday was a national holiday so I had the entire day to fill.  After a run in the park and some midday work on the computer.  I ventured out with two destination goals.  The first was the history museum which a colleague had recommended and the second was the bazaar which guide books say has been in the same location for 2,000 years (Osh has apparently been inhabited for 3,000 years and was a major stop on the Silk Road).  It was a lot of walking.  I found the museum which is a the base of Sulaiman Too mountain.  I paid the "foreigner" entrance fee and then discovered that 90% of the exhibit lacked English explanation.  Only Russian and Kyrgyz.  So that made for a quick tour.  Interestingly, there was a newer photo exhibit that was apparently highlighting the violence of 1990 between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.

Then it was on to the bazaar.  Being a holiday, it was fairly crowded. I don't think I discovered the heart of it, but did walk through an area that sold clothes, shoes, phone cases, toys etc, and then moved on to an area that sold produce, meat and bread - lots and lots of bread.  After that, it was the long, long walk back to the hotel.  I think now I have seen everything there is to see in Osh.

Sulaiman Too from the northeast

Part of the coal fueled city heating system that runs everywhere

All the cow innards and hooves you could want

Kyrgyz bread

My temporary home - Sun Rise Hotel

Men's Day

Since around 1920, countries that were formerly part of the USSR celebrate a national holiday that is now called Men's Day.  Originally it was to honor men in the navy, and then men in all military service.  Now it's simply Men's Day.  Two weeks later is Women's Day.  So at least there is equity.  My first day in the office, the staff held a luncheon to celebrate the men.  It was the traditional plov, side salads and bread along with some fried dough goodies.  Tuesday is the actual day off...and so after one day of work, I have a whole day flying solo.

Back to Osh

Exactly one year later I am back in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. Blame global warming but it is about 20-30 degrees warmer then last time.  Since I arrived pre-dawn on a Sunday, I had most of the day to play tourist before I passed out from travel sleep deprivation.  The main thing to see here is Sulaiman Too - steep hill jutting out from the middle of the city.  I have still not figured out all the symbolic history of the site but it is considered Little Mecca by some of the faithful.

I climbed the steep path straight up through an old graveyard.  To one side of the mountain is a view point and old "house" which is now a place of worship.  To the other side are caves and a soviet-era museum that was blasted/built into one of the caves.  I skipped the museum.  At the base of this hill is a large mosque.  I then made my way back to the hotel, passing a huge statue of Lenin along the way.

Sulaiman-Too: historic house and view point upper right

Cave to right and museum to the left (graveyard in foreground)

Great mosque

Ever present Lenin