Bishkek and the colder climes beyond

Another long day ahead but we have slightly more civilised start time. First up is a brief tour of Bishkek city centre.

We stop at Victory Square then wander around the old square.

Victory Square commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, particularly the Kyrgyz contribution to the Soviet war effort.
The centrepiece is a striking three-part granite arch/monument, representing three women holding a wreath over an eternal flame. The women are traditionally interpreted as representing wives and mothers waiting for men who had gone to war.
Built in 1985 it is still used for Victory Day ceremonies on 9 May.

Next we go to Old Square, one of Bishkek's historic civic spaces, with government buildings and Soviet-era architecture.

Also in the square there's a large bronze Lenin statue - we've noticed that unlike the other stans KG has not got rid of all of the Soviet icons. Although this has been repositioned here in 2003 it's slightly surreal. That feeling is reinforced further when we walk a few yards into the adjoining park and find another statue, this time of Marx and Engels!

We go a bit further through the park and come to the front of the state museum and find a magnificent statue of Manas, the legendary Kyrgyz hero, on horseback. It occupies the position where Lenin originally stood.

Then we are off for a two hour drive to Burana Tower - one of Kyrgyzstan's most important surviving Silk Road monuments - about 80 km east of Bishkek, near the town of Tokmok.
It was built around the 11th century, probably as the minaret of a mosque, part of Balasagun, a major medieval city of the Karakhanid Khanate. The original tower was probably around 45 m high but earthquakes reduced it to about 25 m today.

Earthquakes are definitely not what you want to be thinking about as you climb the easy metal external steps to get to the entrance. Then it's a narrow, dark (we were rightly advised to wear head torches) and very steep staircase winding it's way to the top. Not for the claustrophobic! The views at the top are great though, although I suspect most people are more thinking about how they are going to get down!

Nevertheless we made it successfully and then wandered around the nearby ancient balbals — carved stone figures used as grave stones associated with Turkic nomadic cultures — plus petroglyphs and other archaeological remains.

Continuing our journey we encountered something we haven't experienced for ages - rain!

We have a brief stop at Orto-Tokoy reservoir and the cold really hits us. Summer is over ☹️.

Not much further on we reach our accommodation for the night - mountain view guest house. Not 5⭐ but much better than a yurt!

The fun is not yet over as we then go to a felt making demonstration. A lady, head of the local cooperative, explained that they get sheeps wool from spring and autumn and mix them. They then beat it for 20 minutes to get all the dust and dirt out. To make the felt they carefully arrange the wool on a reed mat which is then rolled up and boiling water poured over it and stepped on for 40 minutes. She also showed the stitching and handiwork they do to turn the felt pieces into carpets and other items. She also explained the symbolism about the different motives but that took much to remember.

Actually more interesting than I expected, we're certainly seeing an unusual variety of things here.Read more