Day by Day

• Felix catus - The regular weekly postcard looking at events here in Kyrgyzstan during the previous week  - 01/03/14
• Just another hotel? - When there’s plenty of choice … it’s important not to be “just another hotel” – 02/03/14
• Just another hotel? - When there’s plenty of choice, it’s important not to be “just another hotel” - 02/03/14
• Konstantin Petrovich Kaufman - The Governor General of Turkestan … which included modern Kyrgyzstan: - 03/03/14
• Prospect Manas - A stroll along one of Bishkek’s main streets: - 04/03/14
• Cooksie - To mark what would have been the 104th birthday of Momofuki Ando: creator of the Cooksie – or pot noodle – a staple here in Kyrgyzstan. - 05/03/14
• Uhhh … who are you? - A visit from the authorities – 06/03/14
•  New build - There’s an awful lot of construction going on in Bishkek - 07/03/14
•  Then again, there’s always John of God. - The regular weekly postcard looking at events here in Kyrgyzstan during the previous week  - 08/03/14
• The Best …  - Kyrgyzstan offers some of “the best” experiences here in in Central Asia – 09/03/14
• Swastikas … and all that - A strange sight to the east of Naryn, a copse of trees planted in the shape of a swastika – 10/03/14
• A Pony of Prime Ministers - A recent news report highlighted the fact that in 23 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, independent Kyrgyzstan has had some 25 Prime Ministers … but is this a fair representation of the situation – 11/03/14
• Solyanka - A traditional soup dish which is on the menu at many cafés and restaurants in Bishkek and around the country- 12/03/14
• The price of gas … - Kyrgyzstan is not rich in Natural Gas resources although it is rich in the number of ways you can pat … and soon, some people think, you may have to be rich in order to pay the bill … as the price inexorably rises – 13/03/14
• Cotton Club - An important and useful textile, but sometimes a controversial crop …  - 14/03/14
• Its not cricket - The regular weekly postcard looking at events here in Kyrgyzstan during the previous week  - 15/03/14
• Something old … something new …  – Difficult decisions about what to include and waht to leave out when writing a book about Kyrgyzstan – 16/03/14
• Esengul Ibraev - The Kyrgyz are fond of their poets – such as Esengul Ibraev - 17/03/14
• See you in court - Taking someone to court is often a last resort - 18/03/14
• Kyrgyz Patent - 540 years ago in Venice – a new revolutionary lay was enacted … and led to a government agency here in modern Kyrgyzstan  - 19/03/14
• Hanami – Cherry Blossom time …  – “Lovliest of trees …” – and laden with fruit - 20/03/14
• Alykul Osmonov - Fancy a good read – try a 200 som note - 21/03/14
• WWD – World Water Day - The regular weekly postcard looking at events here in Kyrgyzstan during the previous week  - 22/03/14
• First impressions can make an ‘el of a difference - They say you only get one chance to make a good first impression, but a single letter can upset the best laid plans – 23/03/14
• Banking on it. - On the anniversary of the foundation of Bishkek’s first local bank – a look at the history of Banking in Kyrgyzstan – 24/03/14
• Djalal Abad - Lying on a branch of the old Silk Road, Djalal Abad is a regional center in the Ferghana Valley - 25/03/14
• Spinach … Toot Toot! - To marh the anniversary of Popeye becoming the first, (and only?) cartoon character to have a public statue dedicated to him, what of his favourite food … shpinat is good gor you even if it is not to everyone’s taste –  26/03/14
• All the world’s a stage … - Some thoughts to commemorate World Theater day – 27/03/14
• The Chui Chamber Orchestra - On the anniversary of its foundation, a look at what has become a cultural institution in Bishkek – 28/03/14
• I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing in Perfect Harmony - The regular weekly postcard looking at events here in Kyrgyzstan during the previous week  - 29/03/14
• The best form of advert - Satisfied customers are the best form of advert there is – 30/03/14
• A useful website … but not yet in Kyrgyzstan - and interseting and useful (British based) website – but will there ever be one here in Kyrgyzstan? – 31/03/14

Day by Day

• A year of anniversaries – 2014 - It’s going to be a busy year here in Kyrgyzstan … with lots of anniversaries to commemorate – 01/01/14
• An initial foray into Issyk Kul - Semyenov’s first trip to Issyk Kul … to mark his birthday in 1827 – 02/01/14
• Signs of progress … -My recent trip to Naryn provided some surprises – 03/01/14
• Shaken, not stirred - The regular weekly postcard looking at events here in Kyrgyzstan during the previous week – - 04/01/14
• Why not? … Why not Kyrgyzstan?? - Why? is a powerful question … but so is Why Not? … so Why Not come and visit Kyrgyzstan? - 05/01/14
• A Merry Little Christmas  - Christmas may have come and gone in the West … but it’s not too late to wish people a Merry Little Christmas … January 6th is known – especially in Ireland – as “Little Christmas” – 06/01/14
• Make it Snappy - 7th January may well be Christmas Day for the Orthodox … but it is also an important anniversary in the history and development of photography – 07/01/14
• Jumash Dudusaliev – Happy Birthday! - Jumash Dudusaliev is a young violinist busy making a name and reputation for himself … and not just here in Kyrgyzstan – 08/01/14
• Alternative anniversaries …  - It may not be have been a “birthday” but for me Thursday was a personal milestone of sorts – the 32,000,000th … – 09/01/14
• Going to pot- Colorado has passed a law legalizing Cannabis (under certain conditions) … and so has Uruguay … should Kyrgyzstan follow suit, after all we grow the stuff here!  - 10/01/14
• Winter Wonderlands - The regular weekly postcard looking at events here in Kyrgyzstan during the previous week – 11/01/14
• Soviet Tourism - Tours exploring Kyrgyzstan’s Soviet heritage – 12/01/14
• Off your trolley ??? - The trolleybus, one of the mainstays of Bishkek’s public transport system, was introduced on 13th January, 1951 - 13/01/14
• Unwelcome guests - Maybe a hotelier shouldn’t say this … but there are some “guests” that are particularly unwelcome – 14/01/14
• Elebaev – Founder of Kyrgyz Literature - Birthday to Mukai Elebaev – probably! – the “founder of Kyrgyz Literature” – 15/01/14
• “I apologize profusely to all Beatles fans everywhere” - The Beatles crop up everywhere – even here in Bishkek – 16/01/14
• The Kyrgyz Khanate - A new set of collectible coins for numismatics focus on a moment of Kyrgyz history – the Great Kyrgyz Khanate – 17/01/14
• A Bear of Very Little Brain - The regular weekly postcard looking at events here in Kyrgyzstan during the previous week – 18/01/14
• Because Kyrgyzstan - The Oxford University Dictionary may have declared “selfie” as the word of the Year for 2013, but some Americans have decided that a better candidate for the title is “because” … which led me to suggest a possible new marketing strategy for Kyrgyz Tourism – 19/01/14
• Artnapped - Some more information about the picture that got stolen from the Museum of Fine Arts last week … and the artist who painted it – 20/01/14
• Time to get close - National Hug Day … and the question of “personal space” – 21/01/14
• What do you do when you’re at the end of your tether? - statistics about the number of suicides led to this postcard … which the kids advised me not to post … but as it’s a matter of “life and death”, (literally), I decided to go ahead anyway – 22/01/14
• Write it down - To commemorate National Handwriting Day, I decided to look at the role played by writing as far as the ancient Kyrgyz were concerned … it wasn’t just a culture of “oral tradition” – 23/01/14
• Count your blessings – name them one by one - It’s easy to be critical … in a negative way … but one journalist asked us to be positive and consider what there is about Bishkek to love – 24/01/14
• The best laid plans … - The regular weekly postcard looking at events here in Kyrgyzstan during the previous week – 25/01/14
•  Double or nothing – well almost - A recent survey found that the average person in the UK has visited seven countries in their life … a trip to Central Asia could more or less double that – 26/01/14
•  The Siege of Leningrad - Seventy years ago saw the end of the worst siege in human history … – 27/01/14
•  Jenishbek Rayimbaev - Who is Jenishbek Rayimbaev? – the sad story of Kyrgyzstan’s tallest man – 28/01/14
•  Those annoying little emails – Spams and Scams. - I think the title says it all – 29/01/14
• Ferghana Valley - Cities in the Uzbek part of the Ferghana Valley – 30/01/14
• Could This Be Kyrgyzstan’s Year – The Year Of The Horse? - Chinese New Year is here again … it’s the Year of the Horse – and the Kyrgyz have a particular affinity with the horse – 31/01/14

• Some Inspiration for New Year’s Resolutions - it’s the time when we look back over the past year and make resolutions about what we might do differently in the one to come … so I look at some of the inspirational things that have come my way recently - 01/01/13
• Relics – Peter and Fevronia - After some delay, the relics of two more saints are delivered to Bishkek … but, just who were Peter and Fevronia – 02/01/13
• Kemin Earthquake – 1911 - On January 3rd, 1911 – Kemin experienced what was probably one of the strongest to ever strike at the center of a continent – 03/01/13
• Saying “Hello” - It’s not easy getting acquainted in Kyrgyzstan – 04/01/13
• The Prague Spring - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan: - 05/01/13
• Spherical Panoramas of the Naryn Guesthouse - Some views of our gouesthouse in Naryn .. with a little history in the commentary – 06/01/13
• Seasonal films - On the occasion of Orthodox Christmas, I took a look at the films on offer on local TV over the holiday period – 07/01/13
• A Tax Minefield - trying to navigate a course through the Kyrgyz tax system – 08/01/13
• Bomsh - a “sarky” comment about my needing a shave got me thinking about the homeless in Kyrgyzstan – 09/01/13
• Kyrgyzstan’s Railway Network - On the 150th anniversary of the opening of the London Underground I took a look at Kyrgyzstan’s somewhat limited rail network … we don’t have a Metro – although, at one time, one was mooted for Bishkek. – 10/01/13
• Spasibo – Rahkmat - It’s more than just a courtesy – saying Thank You on International Thank You Day – 11/01/13
• The National Trust -  the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan: - 12/01/13
• Rooms at the Naryn Guesthouse - The rooms are obviously an important aspect of running a guesthouse … but life is never simple - 13/01/12
• New Year, New Week … New Start  – It’s Stariy Noviy God, (Old New Year), and I take the opportunity the it is also Clear Your Desk Day to make a Old New Year’s Resolution  - 14/01/12
• Wikipedia - to commemorate the anniversary of the launch of the internet encyclopedia, I took a look at its influence here in Kyrgyzstan – 15/01/12
• Getting down to work - a couple of articles in Britain’s Daily Telegraph sparked these thoughts on the “work ethic” – 16/01/12
• Wow spelt backwards is … - Customer Service Day is all about giving the Wow experience – 17/01/12
• School museums - A report in a local newspaper described an interesting aspect of the Soviet Heritage in Kyrgyzstan – 18/01/12
• Virus - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan: - 19/01/13
• Festivals - describing some festivals in Kyrgyzstan in 2013 that are well worth a visit – 20/01/13
• KSE – The Kyrgyz Stock Exchange - on the anniversary of Black Monday in 2008, I take a brief look at the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange – 21/01/13
• Crosses and Icons - a new museum and exhibition at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral – 22/01/13
• Russian Cursive script makes me want to cry - if Doctor’s handwriting is supposed to be indecipherable … you should try reading one in Russian – 23/01/13
• Mailuu Suu - A town with a chequered legacy in Southern Kyrgyzstan – 24/01/13
• Mercury and Antimony - Most people have heard of the liquid metal, Mercury, … but Antimony? – 25/01/13
• Down Under - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 26/01/13
• Cuisine Tour - A tour itinerary giving a taste of Kyrgyzstan – 27/01/13
• Toru Aigyr - A village on the Northern Shore of Lake Issyk Kul with a sense of history and its own place in legend- 28/01/13
• A warning from the MChS - following a warning issued by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, I try to answer the questions who are they? and what they do? – 29/01/13
• School reports - One of the aspects of the Kyrgyz education system that took a lot of getting used to – 30/01/13
• The daughter of Soviet Kyrgyzstan - to commemorate Inspire your heart with Art Day, I took a look at one of the most important paintings in Kyrgyz history – 31/01/13

February 2013

•  Langston Hughes - although he may not have actually made it to Kyrgyzstan, the American poet’s interesting and informative, (if somewhat rose-tinted), account of his visit to Central Asia in the early days of the Soviet Union is still a good read – 01/02/13
• Groundhog Day - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 02/02/13
• Crossing Torugart - At the moment, those people wanting to travel the Silk Road overland, they basically have to travel through Kyrgyzstan and the most frequent route takes them across the Torugart Pass - 03/02/13
• Facebook - On February 4th, 2004, a new social networking site was launched that connects people, to keep up with friends, upload photos, share links and videos : Facebook, which has become the leading social networking platform here in Kyrgyzstan – 4/02/13
• The Family Frunze - to mark the anniversary of the change of name to Bishkek from Frunze, I took a look at the members of the relatives of the General – 05/02/13
• Samsa - an example of typical “Street Food” here in Kyrgyzstan – 06/02/13
• Kambar – the first Komuzist - the legend of Kambar, who is supposed to have invented the archetypal Kyrgyz musical instrument: The Komuz – 07/02/13
•  Locked in - a description of how I found myself locked in the office when the key broke off in the lock – and how I eventually released myself … just another day – 08/02/13
• A name to watch for … - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 09/02/13
• Snakes - To commemorate Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake, I took a look at the snakes that can be encountered here in Kyrgyzstan – 10/02/13
• Jigsaws, timetables and planning an itinerary - putting together a tour can be a complex, time consuming and  difficult task – like doing a jigsaw puzzle or compiling a school timetable – 11/02/13
• Darwin Day - commemorating the birth of Charles Darwin on 12th February, 1809, which is intended to give an opportunity to highlight his contribution to science and to promote science in general, it seemed an opportune moment to consider the biological sciences in Kyrgyzstan – 12/02/13
• Chatyr Kul – the Celestial Lake - the third largest – and one of the highest at 3530 meters above sea level, in Kyrgyzstan – 13/02/13
• MiG - One of the most striking of Bishkek’s monuments is a MiG fighter rising over Kievskaya in the city center – 14/02/13
• The other D-Day - on December 15th, 1971, Britain experienced D-Day – abandoning the time honoured system of pounds, shillings and pence and adopting a decimal currency so I took the opportunity to explore some monetary facts – 15/02/13
• An Aladdin’s cave of treasures - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 16/02/13
• From Seven Bulls to Golden Springs - One of the most popular destinations in Kyrgyzstan – but its never crowded – 17/02/13
• Catholicism in Kyrgyzstan - The Pope, (Rimskiy Papa), shocked the world last week … and what of his flock in Kyrgyzstan?: - 18/02/13
• The Kokand Khanate - On February 19th, 1876, Tsar Alexander II annexed the Kokand Khanate and thus completing the process of the Kyrgyz becoming subjects of the Russian Empire - 19/02/13
• Domkom - An important portmanteau word, describing an important “person”; chairman of the House Committee – 20/02/13
• International Mother Language Day - another one of those special, United Nations designated days which has been celebrated every year since 2000 and gave me a chance to consider the place and growing importance of the Kyrgyz language – 21/02/13
• Kyrgyzstan’s Cats - It’s not an official holiday, but in Japan 22nd February is commemorated as Cat Day., and so it seemed an appropriate occasion to look at felis Kyrgyzstanus - Kyrgyzstan’s native cats – 22/02/13
• Two sides of the coin … - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 23/02/13
• On the back of a man’s wings - Horse riding is a popular activity on tours to Kyrgyzstan – 24/02/13
• Red and Black - Here in Kyrgyzstan, these are not just colours but also refer to the two sides in law enforcement – 25/02/13
• Occupancy - Why I think that a newly proposed tax for resorts in Issyk Kul is based on a misconception – 26/02/13
• Friendly Steppes - A newly published book describes a journey in the footsteps of Marco Polo along the Great Silk Road … including Kyrgyzstan – 27/08/13
• Scrap Merchants - Kyrgyzstan’s reputation as the Steptoe of Cebtral Asia – 28/28/13

March 2013

• Fassol - A staple of the British diet, which may have been grown here in Kyrgyzstan – 01/03/13
• Membership has its benefits - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 02/03/13
• Boat trips on Lake Issyk Kul - A popular excursion on many tours – 03/03/13
• Mini Sagas - It’s not always easy to be concise – 04/03/13
• Coronet Peak - One of the peaks near Bishkek – 05/03/13
• Tien Shan Brown Bear - One of the residents of the mountains of Kyrgyzstan – 06/03/13
• The Naryn River - Kyrgyzstan’s longest river, the source of the Syr Darya – 07/03/13
• Men altymysh zhashtamyn - to mark a personal jubilee – my 60th birthday – I take a look at age in Kyrgyz traditional culture – 08/03/13
• Exterminate! Exterminate! - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 09/03/13
• Wider horizons - One of the problems with trying yo attract tourists to Kyrgyzstan is that it is a small country, (that few people know much about), so many of our visitors actually visit two or three countries – for example, along the Silk Road – and so I looked at what sort of experiences are possible in the wider region of Central Asia –  10/03/13
• Deer - I was tempted to call this one something like Bambi which was inspired by a report on the internet that “there are now more deer in the UK than at any time since the last Ice Age. The population is currently estimated at around 1.5 million.” – 11/03/13
• Day against Cyber Censorship - a “unique” commemorative day in that it was once officially sanctioned by the United Nations, but had that recognition withdrawn by UNESCO – 12/03/13.
• Friendship Monument. - One of my favourite monuments in Bishkek – 13/03/13
• Questions, questions - Pi day - commemorating the irrational mathematical constant, Einstein’s Birthday and International Ask a Question Day - 14/03/13
• Airan, Kefir and Chalap - refreshing traditional beverages – 15/03/13
• The Oval - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 16/03/13
• Getting around - Transport options for travelling around Kyrgyzstan – 17/03/13
• BishkekPark - Bishkek’s newest shopping center was supposed to open its doors on March 16th … with two towers it is destined to become Bishkek’s tallest building  - 18/03/13
• Carry on Doctor … - It’s not easy to become a doctor in Kyrgyzstan – 19/03/13
• Atake Baatyr – The first Kyrgyz Ambassador - On the anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Russia and the Kyrgyz Republic, I took a look at the first Kyrgy Ambassador to the Tsar’s court in St. Petersburg  - 20/03/13
• Playing truant -  The kids are not in school today … but it’s OK, it’s all official and above board – they are not playing truant. Today is a public holiday – Norus.  If, however, they had been in Poland, then they could well have been playing truant … it’s a tradition there to do a Ferris Bueller and take a day off on March 21st – 21/03/13
• Murza Gaparov - The Kyrgyz writer Murza Gaparov was born into a farming family on 22nd March, 1936, in the village of Noygut in the Nookat district of the Osh oblast. - 22/03/13
• Changeable Weather - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 23/03/13
• A place to lay your head … - Accommodation options in Kyrgyzstan – 24/03/13
• Lady Day - Happy New Year! … Again??? … what’s going on? – 25/03/13
• Semyenovka and Grigorievka -  Two mountain valleys in Kyrgyzstan – 26/03/13
• Photographing the Pyramids - Some thoughts about the ethics of taking photographs – 27/03/13
• Potholes - The state of Bishkek’s roads – 28/03/13
• The use of coins in traditional jewelry - They are not just for decoration … they had practical and mystical value as well – 29/03/13
• Vincent  - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 30/03/13
• Guides  - finding your way round when visiting a strange country isn’t always easy – 31/03/13

 April 2013

•  The Prezhervalsk Monument, Karakol - Nikolai Prezhervalk, the famous Russian Explorer was born on 31st March 1839, and died in Issyk Kul in October 1888 … and a monument to him was erected in 1893  - 01/04/13
• State – v – Official Languages - I confess to a certain amount of confusion.  Just what is a State Language and what is an Official Language? - 02/04/13
• The postman … or postwoman - In 1860, the Pony Express was launched on April 3rd – but today’s post office involves a lot more than just mail delivery 03/04/13
• Garlic – the “stinking rose” - An April Fool’s joke and an announcement of a newly discovered strain of Garlic inspired this look at an important ingredient in Kyrgyz cuisine – 04/04/13
• Apricots - There’s a festival in Batken to celebrate the Apricot blossom … the fruit is one of the symbols of this southern province – 05/04/13
• The Declaration of Arbroath - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 06/04/13
• Something for just about everyone … - Just what is there to do in Kyrgyzstan? …  - 07/04/13
• Tzingani - On International Romani Day – a look at the “gypsies” of Kyrgyzstan – 08/04/13
• A Lesson in Market Research - An important difference between two similar brands – 09/04/13
• Absanat Masalievish Masaliev - the man who led the Kyrgyz Socialist Soviet Republic just before the disolution of the Soviet Union – 10/04/13
• The most boring day in history ?  – Some days it seems as is nothing much happens – 11/04/13
• Some photos from a bygone age - Some photographs unveil a relatively unknown expedition to the Tien Shan in 1900 – 12/04/13
• That’s the wonder of … - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 13/04/13
• Shopping - Some people love it – others hate it, but shopping in Kyrgyzstan can be quite a varied experience – 14/04/13
• Accommodating figures - A “figure of the day” seemed to reveal some interesting statistics about the hotel industry in Bishkek – but how useful were they … really? – 15/04/13
• All that glistens … - it may well be true that “there’s gold in them there hills” – but the industry in Kyrgyzstan is going through difficult times – 16/04/13
• The Besh Aral State Reserve - one of Kyrgyzstan’s National Parks – 17/04/13
• Disappearing Glaciers - There are a lot of glaciers in Kyrgyzstan’s mountains – but less than when I first came here nearly 18 years ago … why’s that? – 18/04/13
• Kurmanbek Baatyr - one of the Kyrgyz “minor” epics – 19/04/13
• Kaputt: the end of the Red Baron - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 20/04/13
• Souvenirs - What to buy as a momento of Kyrgyzstan – 21/04/13
• Better late than never … - With an impeccable sense of timing, on April 9th the Kyrgyz Government issued a Rasporyazheniye, (an order), approving a list of some 19 anniversaries to be officially commemorated in 2013: the birthdays of eighteen famous people and one institution.  - 22/04/13
• A puzzling time - Helping Maxim with his homework, I discovered a discovered a simple piece of software for creating simple Crosswords … and here’s an example – 23/04/13
• Borsh : Where’s the beetroot? … Wheres the Meat? - My efforts to cook the standard soup always seems to create problems – 24/04/13
• Summertime – and the living is easy … - I always have trouble with the calendar, and the designation of April 25th as the first Day of Summer, (in Iceland), seems a little optimistic – 25/04/13
• Archa - One of the most common trees in Kyrgyzstan is the Archa, (or Juniper) – 26/04/13
• It’s a long way to … - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal re
• view of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 27/04/13
• Eating out … dining in Kyrgyzstan - Food is one of the most important things to concern visitors when they are traveling abroad … – 28/04/13
• Prezhervalskiy Museum, Karakol - April 29th, 1957, saw the opening of the Prezhervalskiy Museum on the headland between the Karakol and Kara Suu Rivers, at the eastern end of Lake Issyk Kul – some 12 km from the regional center of Karakol – 29/04/13
• The Month ahead - People often ask me about how I keep track of all the special days and anniversaries that feature in my postcards … and the answer is that I try to keep a diary of them. – 30/04/13

Thanks to each and every visitor

We’ve just passed 50,000 visitors since 15th September 2010 … I know it’s not that many … but, it’s still somewhat of a milestone.

• Calendar
  • Women, entrepreneurs, business development and handicrafts - The Day of Culture in Kyrgyzstan – 05/11/13
  •  Fateful Day – “Never again!”  -  - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 09/11/13
  • Victims - Commemorating the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Repression - 08/11/13
  • Andreeva Noch – Andrew’s Night - On the eve of St. Andrew’s Day … what can Scotland learn from Kyrgyzstan as it prepares for the referendum on Independence – 29/11/13
• Crafts
  • Women, entrepreneurs, business development and handicrafts - The Day of Culture in Kyrgyzstan – 05/11/13
• Cuisine
  • Surprise ingredients -   Another “gold medal” success for Kyrgyzstan – 04/11/13
• Education
  • Studying abroad - A few weeks ago, a local newspapers ran an interesting article based on a couple of interviews with foreign students studying at Kyrgyz Universities; one from Korea and the other from Syria … - 18/11/13 
• Fauna and Flora
  • Feline Relatives and Ancestors - The snow leopard has always been considered one of the special “big cats” – now there may be more one more reason to treasure it – 15/11/13
  • Voron - The Ravens of Bishkek –  26/11/13
• History
  • Victims - Commemorating the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Repression - 08/11/13
  • Frederick Engels - He never made it to Kyrgyzstan but he has still had an influence on the history of the country – 28/11/13
• In the News
  • Surprise ingredients -   Another “gold medal” success for Kyrgyzstan – 04/11/13
  • Why did they do it? - The sad news of the destruction of a monument at San Tash – 12/11/13
  • Supporting disabled children in Kyrgyzstan - News of a new project to help children with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan – 14/11/13
  • Feline Relatives and Ancestors - The snow leopard has always been considered one of the special “big cats” – now there may be more one more reason to treasure it – 15/11/13
  • Studying abroad - A few weeks ago, a local newspapers ran an interesting article based on a couple of interviews with foreign students studying at Kyrgyz Universities; one from Korea and the other from Syria … - 18/11/13
  • Missing - Universal Children’s Day … but, unfortunately, not all the news is good as a spate of missing children hits Bishkek – 20/11/13
  • Andreeva Noch – Andrew’s Night - On the eve of St. Andrew’s Day … what can Scotland learn from Kyrgyzstan as it prepares for the referendum on Independence – 29/11/13
• Internet
  • Unnatural Links - I’ve been accused of poting unnatural links (whatever they are) … I plead “Not guilty!”  - 27/11/13
• Organizations
  • Supporting disabled children in Kyrgyzstan - News of a new project to help children with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan – 14/11/13
  • Hugh’s Bear Cubs  - An update from the Karakol Orphanage and Microcredit schemes – 22/11/13.
• People
  • Aaly Tokombaev -  a poet and one of the pioneers of Kyrgyz literature. – 07/11/13
  • Musa Baetov - A singer, poet, composer and bard … and his hometown – 11/11/13
  • Kanibek Osmonalievich Osmonoliev - the Kyrgyz Olympic Gold medalist - 19/11/13
  • Konstantin Scriabin - One of the pioneers of Kyrgyzstan’s Science – 25/11/13
  • Frederick Engels - He never made it to Kyrgyzstan but he has still had an influence on the history of the country – 28/11/13
• Places
  • The other White House - There’s more than one White House in the world – This one’s in Bishkek – 01/11/13
  • So, what exactly is an oblast? - A question I sometimes get asked – 13/11/13
  • The Mosaics of Bishkek - a different sort of Street Art – 21/11/13
  • Going South – Osh oblast - On the anniversary of the founding of the Osh oblast … what is there to see and do in the region? – 24/11/13
• Science
  • To boldly go …  - Is it lift off for a Kyrgyz entry into the Space Race? – 06/11/13
• Tourism
  • Choices, choices  - As the days to draw in and the nights get longer, (at least, in the northern hemisphere), people often turn their minds to thinking about their next holiday … – 03/11/13
  • Youth Travel  - I took the opportunity of World Youth Day to take a look at one of the biggest sectors of the the tourism industry: catering for young travelers – 10/11/13
  • Gap years - It’s a growing trend … taking a year off – 17/11/13
  • Going South – Osh oblast - On the anniversary of the founding of the Osh oblast … what is there to see and do in the region? – 24/11/13

… and not forgetting the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan:

• The Day of Culture - 02/11/13
•  Fateful Day – “Never again!”  – 09/11/13
• Diplomatic relations - 16/11/13
• Tardis – it’s bigger on the inside! - 23/11/13
• Out of the wilderness … and into the flames -  30/11/13

Day by Day

• The other White House - There’s more than one White House in the world – This one’s in Bishkek – 01/11/13
• The Day of Culture - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 02/11/13
• Choices, choices  - As the days to draw in and the nights get longer, (at least, in the northern hemisphere), people often turn their minds to thinking about their next holiday … – 03/11/13
• Surprise ingredients -   Another “gold medal” success for Kyrgyzstan – 04/11/13
• Women, entrepreneurs, business development and handicrafts - The Day of Culture in Kyrgyzstan – 05/11/13
• To boldly go …  - Is it lift off for a Kyrgyz entry into the Space Race? – 06/11/13
• Aaly Tokombaev -  a poet and one of the pioneers of Kyrgyz literature. – 07/11/13
• Victims - Commemorating the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Repression - 08/11/13
•  Fateful Day – “Never again!”  -  - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 09/11/13
• Youth Travel  - I took the opportunity of World Youth Day to take a look at one of the biggest sectors of the the tourism industry: catering for young travelers – 10/11/13
• Musa Baetov - A singer, poet, composer and bard … and his hometown – 11/11/13
• Why did they do it? - The sad news of the destruction of a monument at San Tash – 12/11/13
• So, what exactly is an oblast? - A question I sometimes get asked – 13/11/13
• Supporting disabled children in Kyrgyzstan - News of a new project to help children with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan – 14/11/13
• Feline Relatives and Ancestors - The snow leopard has always been considered one of the special “big cats” – now there may be more one more reason to treasure it – 15/11/13
• Diplomatic relations - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 16/11/13
• Gap years - It’s a growing trend … taking a year off – 17/11/13
• Studying abroad - A few weeks ago, a local newspapers ran an interesting article based on a couple of interviews with foreign students studying at Kyrgyz Universities; one from Korea and the other from Syria … - 18/11/13
• Kanibek Osmonalievich Osmonoliev - the Kyrgyz Olympic Gold medalist - 19/11/13
• Missing - Universal Children’s Day … but, unfortunately, not all the news is good as a spate of missing children hits Bishkek – 20/11/13
• The Mosaics of Bishkek - a different sort of Street Art – 21/11/13
• Hugh’s Bear Cubs  - An update from the Karakol Orphanage and Microcredit schemes – 22/11/13.
• Tardis – it’s bigger on the inside! - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 23/11/13
• Going South – Osh oblast - On the anniversary of the founding of the Osh oblast … what is there to see and do in the region? – 24/11/13
• Konstantin Scriabin - One of the pioneers of Kyrgyzstan’s Science – 25/11/13
• Voron - The Ravens of Bishkek –  26/11/13
• Unnatural Links - I’ve been accused of poting unnatural links (whatever they are) … I plead “Not guilty!”  - 27/11/13
• Frederick Engels - He never made it to Kyrgyzstan but he has still had an influence on the history of the country – 28/11/13
• Andreeva Noch – Andrew’s Night - On the eve of St. Andrew’s Day … what can Scotland learn from Kyrgyzstan as it prepares for the referendum on Independence – 29/11/13
• Out of the wilderness … and into the flames - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 30/11/13

The Google search engine warning email creates “a sequence of emotions … panic, fear, confusion, relief, irritation, then back to confusion.”

I was surprised the other day to receive an email from a firm based in the UK offering professional translation services … it said:

We had a message from Google about unnatural links pointing to our site, and we are currently in the process of cleaning our link profile. We believe the link from your site may be potentially harming our website rankings as we believe it appears unnatural. You may have been requested to put it there by our old SEO company.

Our website domain is www.xxx.xx.xx

As we will be sending Google a list of web addresses we believe to be adversely affecting our site, I wanted to give you the opportunity to remove our link so I can remove you from our list. I don’t want Google to look at your site negatively because it was on our list, so I wanted to give you a chance to remove the link.

Please let me know when you have done it so I can remove you from the list.

Many thanks for your time, it’s really appreciated.

It certainly created in me “a sequence of emotions” which went something like: “panic, fear, confusion, relief, irritation, then back to confusion.”

• “What on earth,” I thought to myself, “is an ‘unnatural link’”?
• “Who on earth are xxx.xx.xx? – I don’t remember linking to their site?”
• What’s in this implied threat of submitting a list to Google which might cause them “to look at my site negatively”?

In answer to the first question, apparently the phrase “unnatural links” refers to:

artificial links mainly intended to manipulate a page’s ranking. These can include purchased links or links created by scrapers and spammers that attach themselves to your site under the radar and potentially link your site to another in a bad neighborhood of the internet.” … whatever “scrapers” and “bad neighborhood of the internet” means.

And also, For the record, a “scraper” is “a spam website that copies all of its content from other websites using web scraping. The purpose of creating such a site can be to collect advertising revenue or to manipulate search engine rankings by linking to other sites to improve their search engine ranking.”

This surprised me somewhat because I don’t include links, and I have certainly never been paid to provide a link – even though I have received some such offers by email.  I tend to include a link either to show my source or to a site where there is a lot of additional information (and I want to save myself a lot of typing).

So, having done a quick Google search and discovered this … I turned my attention to the second question.  As I said, I didn’t remember creating any link to this site so I had to go looking through all 1500 or so posts to see if I could find it.  Fortunately my blogging software found it fairly quickly.

The offending link was in a postcard from 2011 about making toasts at a dinner party, or other similar event.  It opened with a reference to The Loyal Toast and went on to consider other traditional forms.  I went onto to consider ways of saying “Cheers!” in different languages and provided links to five websites which had lists of such phrases – the ‘offending’ link being one of them.

Obviously, at the time, I thought this was appropriate … and I still do.  So, why is it considered “unnatural”.  It seems to me that the accusation comes from someone (at Google or the translation service) who hasn’t looked at the link in context.

Still, when I clicked on the link in the postcard … it didn’t work but took me to the front page of the translation service’s website – maybe the page I was referring to has since been removed … so that made the decision about how to react to the request easier … I deleted the link … after all, it was superfluous as it no loner did what I had intended it to do.

Turning to the third question … I admit that spammers and scrapers are an annoying nuisance … but is this the right way to deal with them?

More or less everyday ianbek receives between 20 and 30 comments on posts … many with links back to other sites that have little or nothing to do with the content of the post – and they get dumped. The system I use is set up so that I have to approve comments before they get published and so I look at all of them in turn and just occasionally I find one that is relevant and so is published – but most of them are simply deleted as SPAM.

Occasionally, however, there is something in the comment and I find a useful link to another site, which I think might be interesting to visitors to ianbek … so it gets approved and posted.  Everything else is ignored or trashed.  It takes time and effort but it seems to “go with the territory” … it’s all “part and parcel” of running a ‘blog’.

Actually, it is actually quite pleasant to get receive a link back from someone who has found a postcard interesting and wants to share it with others.

The fact that it is supposed to help my page ranking in Search Engines such as Google is a bonus … but I suspect it the effect it has in my particular case is marginal. I do appreciate, however, that for some people it is “big business” … HOWEVER … It seems odd for sites, (such as that of the translation service) to be penalized – or even be “threatened” of being penalized – by Google based on the “quality” of individual links … after all, owners of websites have virtually no control over who links back to them.

By all means, search out the “scrapers” and “spammers” and do what is possible to limit their effect … but the efforts should surely be to limit their activities rather than this “blunderbuss” approach.

To add insult to injury, the daily “alerts” that I receive from Google – based on terms such as Kyrgyzstan or Tourism will still, sometimes, include links to such sites.

Oblasts in Kyrgyzstan

A few weeks ago I was sitting in one of Bishkek’s newest “venues” – a coffee shop, they seem to be sprouting up all over the city like dandelions on a lawn – having chat over a hot drink with a visitor to Kyrgyzstan, (I was actually drinking Hot Chocolate – but at least he was drinking Coffee).

He told me that he had come across the postcards and had been “dipping in” to them.  He commented on the fact that there seems to be a postcard for everyday and wondered how I kept finding things to write about … He asked me, (like a lot of other people have, over the years), if I was planning to turn them into a book … to which I replied, “not really”.

The idea of the of the postcards was originally to provide a short update on what I was doing here, so far from home, and every now and again I had to add some background material to explain to people who had no idea where Kyrgyzstan is or what has happened here or why I seem to think something has some specific significance.

Take for example a couple of words that keep cropping up: oblast and rayon.  What on earth are they?

It’s not that I have no interest in writing a book.  It’s just that the nature of the postcards and a book are quite different.

I aim to keep most postcards to about 1000 words (2000 on Saturdays when I write a review of the week’s news), and although I sometimes find myself struggling to get near that limit, often I exceed it – by far!

Each is written at a particular time, prompted by something, (such as an event, anniversary or something in the news), and, more or less, self contained … and so there’s a fair amount of repetition involved.  A book, on the other hand requires a more cohesive approach and needs to be written in quite a different manner.  Individual postcards might provide material for a book, but it would require a lot of time and effort to rework them into a suitable format.

The title speaks for itself – I hope!

I have actually used them to write several short books over the years, (the latest of which has just been published: 100 Experiences of Kyrgyzstan).

Each one has a original concept and based on that I have written short sections for which the postcards have been a useful source.

Some years ago, for example, I was asked to write a text for a short booklet about Kyrgyzstan.  It was before the Tulip Revolution in 2005, so few people in the West had heard of the country and even fewer really knew much about it and what it had to offer tourists.

I was given a brief – some general information about the history and geography and then something about the various “attractions” that could be found in different parts of the country, followed by a description of the activities that visitors could undertake.

I did as I was told, and it was only later, (some time after it had been published), when a Marketing specialist took a look at it and made a number of suggestions as to how it could have been improved upon, that one particular point stuck home.  One of his comments was phrased in the form of a question: “Why have you organized the content by oblast?”

He went on to point out that to most people in the west, this is not just a foreign word … it is meaningless … and even if they knew the word they probably wouldn’t have any image of how they fit together as a “jigsaw” puzzle to give a complete whole.

Both of the words oblast and rayon are taken from the original Russian for administrative divisions – like County, Shire, Parish or Province.  

The Rayons of Kyrgyzstan

The Russian word oblast was the name given to an administrative region in several Slavic countries and in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union.

It is often translated as “area”, “zone”, “province”, or “region”.  The last, however, can lead to confusion, because the subdivision of “oblast” is called “rayon” which is also translated as “region”, (or sometimes “district”, depending on the context).

The word “region”, (as in the Central Asian region), can also refer to a wider, more informally defined area.

These aren’t the only words that have been used over the course of time.

For example, when the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Kyrgyz ASSR) was established in 1928, it was divided into 7 cantons, 52 volosts, 6 gorods , (city or town… the Russian word can mean either), 2 sluts, (urban type developments), and 416 rural councils.  

Later, During the Soviet period the administration was altered and the land was divided in regional oblasts (administrative regions – although most of the territory belonged to an oblast, some areas were placed under direct Republican control), rayon (district) and selsoviets, rural communities known as suts or gorod.

Following independence the selsoviet was replaced by the ayil-kenesh, or ayıl okmotu, which may encompass a number of small villages, up to about twenty, each having their own elected mayors and councils.

Today, Kyrgyzstan is divided into seven oblasts, (usually translated as provinces) that administered by governors appointed by the President. The capital, Bishkek, and the second large city Osh are administratively independent cities (called shaar) with a status equal to that of an oblast.

The provinces, and independent cities, are as follows:

• Bishkek (city)
• Batken - located in the southwest of the Kyrgyz Republic, and consists of four mountainous regions, with altitudes ranging from 400 to 5621m asl. It borders the Ferghana oblast of Uzbekistan to the north, the Sogd oblast of Tajikistan to the southwest and Osh oblast of Kyrgyzstan to the east. Until 1999 it was part of the Osh oblast. There are seven enclaves – parts of other republics contained in the territory.The oblast was created in 1999 after incursions by armed militants of the Islamic Movement for Uzbekistan seeking to cross Kyrgyz territory between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

• Chui - lies in the northern part of the country and borders Kazakhstan, and the Issyk Kul, Naryn and Talas oblasts.

• Djalal Abad - lies in the South West of the Kyrgyz Republic, bordering Uzbekistan, and the Kyrgyz oblasts of Talas, Osh, Naryn and Chui.
• Naryn - lies in Central Kyrgyzstan and borders with China and the Kyrgyz oblasts of Chui, Issyk Kul, Djalal Abad and Osh. 
• Osh (oblast) - lies in the South of the country, bordering China, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as well as the Kyrgyz oblasts of Batken, Djalal Abad and Naryn,
• Talas - occupies the north-western part of the Kyrgyz Republic on the border with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It also shares borders with the Kyrgyz oblasts of Chui and Djalal Abad. It is an area of Kyrgyzstan not often frequented by Western tourists – but has much to offer. Known as the motherland of the legendary Kyrgyz hero, Manas, there are many places associated with him. In the east of the oblast is the “road” said to have been traveled by Genghis Khan and where one of his wives is said to be buried.
• Issyk Kul - lies in the North of the country and shares borders with Kazakhstan and China, as well as the Kyrgyz oblasts of Chui and Naryn.
• Osh (city) -

Each province comprises a number of districts (raions – or rayons), administered by government-appointed officials (akim).

• Calendar
  • The Turkic Council - October 3rd, 2009 saw the foundation of the Turkic Council – or, to give it its full title, the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, and as a result, the day has been designated the Day of Turkic Unity each year. – 03/10/13
  • Traditional Jewelry - To mark National Crafts Day here in Kyrgyzstan I took a look at traditional Kyrgyz jewelery – 13/10/13
  • One in the eye - to mark the anniversary of the battle of Hastings, where King Harold got an arrow in the eye, I took a look at some traditional Kyrgyz Horse games … including Jumby Atmai - archery from horseback – 14/10/13
  • Mosques - To commemorate the Kurman Ait holiday, I took a look at the Mosque here in Kyrgyzstan – 15/10/13
  • It may look easy … but … - Wednesday was also a special day … even if it wasn’t really marked here in Kyrgyzstan … Boss’ Day … so I took a look at what it means to be a “boss” – 16/10/13
  • ATC - A look at some of the people who make travel in the modern world possible : Air Traffic Controllers – 20/10/13
  • Paperwork - To commemorate Paper Free Day, I took a look at bureaucracy and its love of paperwork – 24/10/13
  • Keremet Koch – A Magic Journey - On World Animation Day, I look at a the first Cartoon TV series produced in Kyrgyzstan in the last twenty years – 28/10/13
• Cuisine
  • Potatoes - On my recent trip to Naryn I bought some potatoes … they are not native to Kyrgyzstan, but play an important part in it’s cuisine, agriculture and economy – 02/10/13
  • Draniki - A tasty snack or garnish  - 10/10/13
  • Kvass - Summer is over which means that one of the traditional refreshing summer drinks … this one, Kvass, from Russia … is also about to disappear for the Winter – 15/10/13
  • Compote - Now that Summer is over, one of the refreshing summer drinks will be less prominent in Bishkek  - 31/10/13
• Doing Business
  • It may look easy … but … - Wednesday was also a special day … even if it wasn’t really marked here in Kyrgyzstan … Boss’ Day … so I took a look at what it means to be a “boss” – 16/10/13 
• Fauna and Flora
  • Aesculus hippocastanum - A reminder of my youth … Conker trees in a Bishkek park – 07/10/13
  • Forel - Last week, I saw an interesting news item … announcing the establishment of a new fish farm in the Naryn Region where they are “growing” Rainbow Trout (Forel) which aims to produce between five and six tons a year.- 22/10/13

• History
  • Baitik Baatyr and the fall of Pishpek - The leader of the Solto tribe who invited the Russians to help him take the fortress of Pishpek – 23/10/13
  • Komsomol - the Communist Party’s Youth movement in the Soviet Union-  29/10/13
• In the news
  • A new Benjamin - The introduction of a new banknote by the Federal Reserve  - 09/10/13
  • Kyrgyzstan and the World Trade Organization - On the anniversary of the signing of the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade, I took a look at Kyrgyzstan’s relationship with the World Trade Organization – 30/10/13
• Life in Kyrgyzstan
• • Baitik Baatyr and the fall of Pishpek - The leader of the Solto tribe who invited the Russians to help him take the fortress of Pishpek – 23/10/13
  • Toktogul Satylganov - To commemorate his birthday, I looked at the life of one of Kyrgyzstan’s favourite akyns - 25/10/13
• Places
  • Some places to see over the border – China -  On China’s National Day, I took at look at some of the places just over the border that are worth a visit – 01/10/13
  • Osh – the Southern capital of Kyrgyzstan - as today is the Dehn Goroda of Osh, yesterday I wrote a postcard about the city – 04/10/13
  • Wish list - Some places in Kyrgyzstan that I still haven’t visited but would like to  - 06/10/13
  • Batken Oblast  – A look at the remote Southwestern corner of Kyrgyzstan to mark the creation of the Batken oblast in 1999  - 11/10/13
  • The Road to Osh - to commemorate the completion of the main Bishkek-Osh highway in 1965, I took a look at the road – 16/10/13
  • Unfinished business - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 19/10/13 
• People
  • Bakken Kydykeeva - Every now and again when preparing these postcards, I come across a “little gem” … an interesting story which works on several levels, such as: human interest; containing a mystery and  inspirational – even a touch of tragedy.  The story of Bakken Kydykeeva is one of those. – 21/10/13
  • Baitik Baatyr and the fall of Pishpek - The leader of the Solto tribe who invited the Russians to help him take the fortress of Pishpek – 23/10/13
  • Toktogul Satylganov - To commemorate his birthday, I looked at the life of one of Kyrgyzstan’s favourite akyns - 25/10/13
• Religion
  • Mosques - To commemorate the Kurman Ait holiday, I took a look at the Mosque here in Kyrgyzstan – 15/10/13 
• Traditional culture
  • Traditional Jewelry - To mark National Crafts Day here in Kyrgyzstan I took a look at traditional Kyrgyz jewelery – 13/10/13
  • One in the eye - to mark the anniversary of the battle of Hastings, where King Harold got an arrow in the eye, I took a look at some traditional Kyrgyz Horse games … including Jumby Atmai - archery from horseback – 14/10/13
• Tourism
  • Wish list - Some places in Kyrgyzstan that I still haven’t visited but would like to  - 06/10/13
  • ATC - A look at some of the people who make travel in the modern world possible : Air Traffic Controllers – 20/10/13
  • Driving force - Some people think it’s easy to be a professional driver … but … – 27/10/13

… and not forgetting

• the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan:
  • Dehn Goroda Osh -  05/10/13
  • Did he … or didn’t he? - 12/10/13
  • Unfinished business - 19/10/13 
  • Alfred the Great - 26/10/13

Day by Day

• Some places to see over the border – China -  On China’s National Day, I took at look at some of the places just over the border that are worth a visit – 01/10/13
• Potatoes - On my recent trip to Naryn I bought some potatoes … they are not native to Kyrgyzstan, but play an important poart in it’s cuisine, agriculture and economy – 02/10/13
• The Turkic Council - October 3rd, 2009 saw the foundation of the Turkic Council – or, to give it its full title, the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, and as a result, the day has been designated the Day of Turkic Unity each year. – 03/10/13
• Osh – the Southern capital of Kyrgyzstan - as today is the Dehn Goroda of Osh, yesterday I wrote a postcard about the city – 04/10/13
• Dehn Goroda Osh -  the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 05/10/13
• Wish list - Some places in Kyrgyzstan that I still haven’t visited but would like to  - 06/10/13
• Aesculus hippocastanum - A reminder of my youth … Conker trees in a Bishkek park – 07/10/13
• Breathe into this … - on the anniversary of the introduction of the breathalyzer onto Britain’s roads, I took a look at ‘Drink Driving’ in Kyrgyzstan  - 08/10/13
• A new Benjamin - The introduction of a new banknote by the Federal Reserve  - 09/10/13
• Draniki - A tasty snack or garnish  - 10/10/13
• Batken Oblast  – A look at the remote Southwestern corner of Kyrgyzstan to mark the creation of the Batken oblast in 1999  - 11/10/13
• Did he … or didn’t he? - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 12/10/13
• Traditional Jewelry - To mark National Crafts Day here in Kyrgyzstan I took a look at traditional Kyrgyz jewelery – 13/10/13
• One in the eye - to mark the anniversary of the battle of Hastings, where King Harold got an arrow in the eye, I took a look at some traditional Kyrgyz Horse games … including Jumby Atmai - archery from horseback – 14/10/13
• Mosques - To commemorate the Kurman Ait holiday, I took a look at the Mosque here in Kyrgyzstan – 15/10/13
• It may look easy … but … - Wednesday was also a special day … even if it wasn’t really marked here in Kyrgyzstan … Boss’ Day … so I took a look at what it means to be a “boss” – 16/10/13
• Kvass - Summer is over which means that one of the traditional refreshing summer drinks … this one, Kvass, from Russia … is also about to disappear for the Winter – 15/10/13
• The Road to Osh - to commemorate the completion of the main Bishkek-Osh highway in 1965, I took a look at the road – 17/10/13
• Kvass - Summer is over which means that one of the traditional refreshing summer drinks … this one, Kvass, from Russia … is also about to disappear for the Winter – 15/10/13
• The Road to Osh - to commemorate the completion of the main Bishkek-Osh highway in 1965, I took a look at the road – 18/10/13
• Unfinished business - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 19/10/13
• ATC - A look at some of the people who make travel in the modern world possible : Air Traffic Controllers – 20/10/13
• Bakken Kydykeeva - Every now and again when preparing these postcards, I come across a “little gem” … an interesting story which works on several levels, such as: human interest; containing a mystery and  inspirational – even a touch of tragedy.  The story of Bakken Kydykeeva is one of those. – 21/10/13
• Forel - Last week, I saw an interesting news item … announcing the establishment of a new fish farm in the Naryn Region where they are “growing” Rainbow Trout (Forel) which aims to produce between five and six tons a year.- 22/10/13
• Baitik Baatyr and the fall of Pishpek - The leader of the Solto tribe who invited the Russians to help him take the fortress of Pishpek – 23/10/13
• Paperwork - To commemorate Paper Free Day, I took a look at bureaucracy and its love of paperwork – 24/10/13
• Toktogul Satylganov - To commemorate his birthday, I looked at the life of one of Kyrgyzstan’s favourite akyns - 25/10/13
• Alfred the Great - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan – 26/10/13
• Driving force - Some people think it’s easy to be a professional driver … but … – 27/10/13
• Keremet Koch – A Magic Journey - On World Animation Day, I look at a the first Cartoon TV series produced in Kyrgyzstan in the last twenty years – 28/10/13
• Komsomol - the Communist Party’s Youth movement in the Soviet Union-  29/10/13
• Kyrgyzstan and the World Trade Organization - On the anniversary of the signing of the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade, I took a look at Kyrgyzstan’s relationship with the World Trade Organization – 30/10/13
• Compote - Now that Summer is over, one of the refreshing summer drinks will be less prominent in Bishkek  - 31/10/13

• Calendar
  • The last new year of 2013 - Wednesday was “New Year” for what is, perhaps, Kyrgyzstan’s smallest ethnic minority - 11/09/13
  • Have a byte of chocolate cake … - It might well have been Friday 13th, but it was a day of celebrations for some people – 13/09/13
  • Kyrgyzstandyn mamlekettik koozoot kyzmatynyn kyzmatkerinin koonoo - The State Security Service had a busy last week with eight Heads of State in town … so they probably deserved their “professional holiday” on Monday – 16/09/13
  • What was that you said? - Some thoughts on the Day of the State Language - 23/09/13
  • The Silk Road through the Chui Valley - On Mezhdunarodniy dehn karavanshika – The International Day of the Caravan, a look at, perhaps the most famous caravan route, the Great Silk Road that passed through Kyrgyzstan - 24/09/13
  • Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future - 27/09/13
  • Translations - Some words of admiration for interpreters and Translators on International Translation Day  – 30/09/13

• Celestial Mountains
  • Traditional musical instruments - Last week we organized a concert by the musical group Jetigen for a group of tourists who were interested to see and hear a variety of musical instruments, here are some of them. - 22/09/13
• Crafts
  • Saima - The intensive and disappearing art of embroidery – 09/09/13
  • Itchy hands - a look at the traditional crafts of Kyrgyzstan  - 15/09/13
• Cuisine
  • Pelmeni - a standard Russian dish …  - 18/19/13
• Cultural Differences
  • Moving away from home - A couple of surveys from America caught my eye – 05/09/13 
• Education
  • Perviye zvonok - Although a little later than usual because of the extended weekend but, it’s back to school – 03/09/13
• Fauna and Flora
  • Bird Watching - Maybe there are more species of birds to be found in other countries – but Kyrgyzstan has a more than its fair share of endangered species - 08/09/13
  • Belka - a look at one of the examples of “urban wildlife” of Kyrgyzstan – 17/09/13
• Health
  • A Code of Ethics … for nurses - In June, the Ministry of Health approved a code of ethics for medsestry - nurses. - 04/09/13
  • Bekem Tish – Healthy Teeth - In Bishkek there is currently a dental health  campaign – 06/09/13 
• History
  • Genghis Khan didn’t have it all his own way - Although this happened over the border in Kazakhstan, this story shows that even “God’s punishment for your sins” didn’t always have an easy time imposing his will – 19/09/13
  • From Tractor driver to Prime Minister – Sultan Ibraimovich Ibraimov - a look at one of the Prime Ministers of the Kyrgyz SSR – 20/09/13
  • The Silk Road through the Chui Valley - On Mezhdunarodniy dehn karavanshika – The International Day of the Caravan, a look at, perhaps the most famous caravan route, the Great Silk Road that passed through Kyrgyzstan - 24/09/13
  • Mysterious deaths - A newspaper article opens a can of worms – 25/09/13
• In the news
  • ShOS – Shankhayskaya Organizatsiya Sotrudnichestva - Why the citizens of Bishkek were in for a couple of difficult days - 12/09/13
• Language
  • The three K’s - Three words you often meet in Kyrgyzstan which sound familiar but mean very different things – 02/09/03
  • What was that you said? - Some thoughts on the Day of the State Language - 23/09/13
  • Translations - Some words of admiration for interpreters and Translators on International Translation Day  – 30/09/13
• Life in Kyrgyzstan
  • Perviye zvonok - Although a little later than usual because of the extended weekend but, it’s back to school – 03/09/13
  • A Code of Ethics … for nurses - In June, the Ministry of Health approved a code of ethics for medsestry - nurses. - 04/09/13 
  • Moving away from home - A couple of surveys from America caught my eye – 05/09/13
  • Bekem Tish – Healthy Teeth - In Bishkek there is currently a dental health  campaign – 06/09/13
  • Changing Street names - Is it any wonder we get confused? -10/09/13
  • The last new year of 2013 - Wednesday was “New Year” for what is, perhaps, Kyrgyzstan’s smallest ethnic minority - 11/09/13
  • ShOS – Shankhayskaya Organizatsiya Sotrudnichestva - Why the citizens of Bishkek were in for a couple of difficult days - 12/09/13
  • Bazaar shopping - There are some people who love to go shopping … and there are others, like me, for whom it is a necessary evil … still, even I have to admit that there is something fascinating about wandering through a bazaar. - 29/09/13
• People
  • The last new year of 2013 - Wednesday was “New Year” for what is, perhaps, Kyrgyzstan’s smallest ethnic minority - 11/09/13
  • From Tractor driver to Prime Minister – Sultan Ibraimovich Ibraimov - a look at one of the Prime Ministers of the Kyrgyz SSR – 20/09/13 
• Places
  • Karkara - The Eastern approach to the Issyk Kul basin - 26/09/13
• Tourism
  • So much to discover - Kyrgyzstan is a country full of fascinating  - 01/09/13
  • Bird Watching - Maybe there are more species of birds to be found in other countries – but Kyrgyzstan has a more than its fair share of endangered species - 08/09/13 
  • Traditional musical instruments - Last week we organized a concert by the musical group Jetigen for a group of tourists who were interested to see and hear a variety of musical instruments, here are some of them. - 22/09/13
  • Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future - 27/09/13
  • Bazaar shopping - There are some people who love to go shopping … and there are others, like me, for whom it is a necessary evil … still, even I have to admit that there is something fascinating about wandering through a bazaar. - 29/09/13

… and not forgetting

• the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan:
  •  The Last Night …  - 07/09/13
  • First aid - 14/09/13
  • IDP – International Day of Peace - The regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 21/09/13
  • Asking stupid questions - The regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 28/09/13

Day by Day

• So much to discover - Kyrgyzstan is a country full of fascinating  - 01/09/13
• The three K’s - Three words you often meet in Kyrgyzstan which sound familiar but mean very different things – 02/09/03
• Perviye zvonok - Although a little later than usual because of the extended weekend but, it’s back to school – 03/09/13
• A Code of Ethics … for nurses - In June, the Ministry of Health approved a code of ethics for medsestry - nurses. - 04/09/13
• Moving away from home - A couple of surveys from America caught my eye – 05/09/13
• Bekem Tish – Healthy Teeth - In Bishkek there is currently a dental health  campaign – 06/09/13
• The Last Night … - The regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 07/09/13
• Bird Watching - Maybe there are more species of birds to be found in other countries – but Kyrgyzstan has a more than its fair share of endangered species - 08/09/13
• Saima - The intensive and disappearing art of embroidery – 09/09/13
• Changing Street names - Is it any wonder we get confused? -10/09/13
• The last new year of 2013 - Wednesday was “New Year” for what is, perhaps, Kyrgyzstan’s smallest ethnic minority - 11/09/13
• ShOS – Shankhayskaya Organizatsiya Sotrudnichestva - Why the citizens of Bishkek were in for a couple of difficult days - 12/09/13
• Have a byte of chocolate cake … - It might well have been Friday 13th, but it was a day of celebrations for some people – 13/09/13
• First aid - The regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 14/09/13
• Itchy hands - a look at the traditional crafts of Kyrgyzstan  - 15/09/13
• Kyrgyzstandyn mamlekettik koozoot kyzmatynyn kyzmatkerinin koonoo - The State Security Service had a busy last week with eight Heads of State in town … so they probnably deserved their “professional holiday” on Monday – 16/09/13
• Belka - a look at one of the examples of “urban wildlife” of Kyrgyzstan – 17/09/13
• Pelmeni - a standard Russian dish …  - 18/19/13
• Genghis Khan didn’t have it all his own way - Although this happened over the border in Kazakhstan, this story shows that even “God’s punishment for your sins” didn’t always have an easy time imposing his will – 19/09/13
• From Tractor driver to Prime Minister – Sultan Ibraimovich Ibraimov - a look at one of the Prime Ministers of the Kyrgyz SSR – 20/09/13
• IDP – International Day of Peace - The regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 21/09/13
• Traditional musical instruments - Last week we organized a concert by the musical group Jetigen for a group of tourists who were interested to see and hear a variety of musical instruments, here are some of them. - 22/09/13
• What was that you said? - Some thoughts on the Day of the State Language - 23/09/13
• The Silk Road through the Chui Valley - On Mezhdunarodniy dehn karavanshika – The International Day of the Caravan, a look at, perhaps the most famous caravan route, the Great Silk Road that passed through Kyrgyzstan - 24/09/13
• Mysterious deaths - A newspaper article opens a can of worms – 25/09/13
• Karkara - The Eastern approach to the Issyk Kul basin - 26/09/13
• Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future - 27/09/13
• Asking stupid questions - The regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 28/09/13
• Bazaar shopping - There are some people who love to go shopping … and there are others, like me, for whom it is a necessary evil … still, even I have to admit that there is something fascinating about wandering through a bazaar. - 29/09/13
• Translations - Some words of admiration for interpreters and Translators on International Translation Day  – 30/09/13

• Calendar
• A double holiday - Thursday happened to be Orozo Ait – a public holiday to mark the end of Ramadan … but it was also International Mountaineers Day – 08/08/13
• International Youth Day - Monday was International Youth Day, so I took a look at the commemoration and it’s theme this about Migration  - 12/0813
• Sinister Southpaw - It was followed on Tuesday by Left-Handers’ Day, with an invitation and a warning to enter the “Lefty Zone” – 13/08/13
• The Red Headed League - Kyrgyzstan doesn’t mark Redhead’s … but maybe it should … here’s why – 29/08/13
• Celestial Mountains
• The Silk Road Lodge becomes a teenager - Thirteen years ago, our hotel in Bishkek opened its doors to guests for the first time …  - 07/08/13
• Cuisine
• Shorpo - A standard Central Asian Fayre – 28/08/13
• Cultural Differences
• We don’t really say that - “Please” is one of the first words you learn in any language … but not in Kyrgyz … it’s not that simple – 02/08/13
• Fauna and Flora
• What a hoot! – the owls of Kyrgyzstan - to commemorate Harry Potter’s Birthday, (actually, that was 31st July), it seemed appropriate to pay tribute to one of the characters in the stories – Hedwig, Harry’s pet owl – 01/08/31
• Health
• Difficult and worrying times  – Having to make trips to visit someone in hospital can be a stressful business … as I recently found out – 09/08/13
• Plague - A case from Bubonic Plague puts Kyrgyzstan back in the headlines – but what does it actually mean? – 26/08/13
• 80 – a sad statistic - 80 people have drowned in Kyrgyzstan since the start of the year – so how do you have fun but stay safe on, in and around water – 27/08/13
• History
• Cholponbayev Tuleberdiev – Hero of the Soviet Union - Remembering a hero and his act of self sacrifice … I suggest you watch the video even if you don’t understand the Russian – 06/08/13
• Archaeology - In Russia, Thursday was Archaeology Day.  To my surprise, I discovered that we don’t have an equivalent … but I am sure it will soon be instituted … anyway, I took the opportunity to have a brief look at Archaeology in Kyrgyzstan  - 15/08/13
• Steps towards Independence - As Kyrgyzstan prepared for it’s big day – Independence Day – I took a look a look at how it all unfolded – 30/08/13
• Language
• We don’t really say that - “Please” is one of the first words you learn in any language … but not in Kyrgyz … it’s not that simple – 02/08/13
• Philosopher, Advocate, Theologian, Student - a chance remark over dinner led me to consider how others saw me … and how I saw myself – 05/08/13
• Legends
• The Red Headed League - Kyrgyzstan doesn’t mark Redhead’s … but maybe it should … here’s why – 29/08/13
• Life in Kyrgyzstan
• Difficult and worrying times  – Having to make trips to visit someone in hospital can be a stressful business … as I recently found out – 09/08/13
• 80 – a sad statistic - 80 people have drowned in Kyrgyzstan since the start of the year – so how do you have fun but stay safe on, in and around water – 27/08/13
• Mountains
• A double holiday - Thursday happened to be Orozo Ait – a public holiday to mark the end of Ramadan … but it was also International Mountaineers Day – 08/08/13
• People
• Cholponbayev Tuleberdiev – Hero of the Soviet Union - Remembering a hero and his act of self sacrifice … I suggest you watch the video even if you don’t understand the Russian – 06/08/13
• Eles -  I came across clip of a series of photographs of old Bishkek (or Frunze as it was then) – featuring a song which led to lots of reminiscences of what seems to be a different world … long, long ago - 16+/08/13
• Tourism
• To tip, or not to Tip … That is the question - one of the hardest questions we ever face from clients is whether they should give a tip … and if so, how much? – 04/08/13
• To snap … or not to snap … and what to snap -   – 11/08/13
• Where am I? - A request for GPS coordinates for our hotels caused a bit of a problem … for a while, but GPS systems are being more common … even here. – 14/08/13
• “Your best price …” - I know we are all looking for a bargain, but what exactly is “your best price”? – 27/08/13
• 80 – a sad statistic - 80 people have drowned in Kyrgyzstan since the start of the year – so how do you have fun but stay safe on, in and around water – 27/08/13

… and not forgetting

• the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan:
• It’s all a mistake - 03/08/13
• Where’s the camera? - 10/08/13
• Klondike - 17/08/13
• A Big Day -  31/08/13

Day by Day

• What a hoot! – the owls of Kyrgyzstan - to commemorate Harry Potter’s Birthday, (actually, that was 31st July), it seemed appropriate to pay tribute to one of the characters in the stories – Hedwig, Harry’s pet owl – 01/08/31
• We don’t really say that - “Please” is one of the first words you learn in any language … but not in Kyrgyz … it’s not that simple – 02/08/13
• It’s all a mistake - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 03/08/13
• To tip, or not to Tip … That is the question - one of the hardest questions we ever face from clients is whether they should give a tip … and if so, how much? – 04/08/13
• Philosopher, Advocate, Theologian, Student - a chance remark over dinner led me to consider how others saw me … and how I saw myself – 05/08/13
• Cholponbayev Tuleberdiev – Hero of the Soviet Union - Remembering a hero and his act of self sacrifice … I suggest you watch the video even if you don’t understand the Russian – 06/08/13
• The Silk Road Lodge becomes a teenager - Thirteen years ago, our hotel in Bishkek opened its doors to guests for the first time …  - 07/08/13
• A double holiday - Thursday happened to be Orozo Ait – a public holiday to mark the end of Ramadan … but it was also International Mountaineers Day – 08/08/13
• Difficult and worrying times  – Having to make trips to visit someone in hospital can be a stressful business … as I recently found out – 09/08/13
• Where’s the camera? - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 10/08/13
• To snap … or not to snap … and what to snap -   – 11/08/13
• International Youth Day - Monday was International Youth Day, so I took a look at the commemoration and it’s theme this about Migration  - 12/0813
• Sinister Southpaw - It was followed on Tuesday by Left-Handers’ Day, with an invitation and a warning to enter the “Lefty Zone” – 13/08/13
• Where am I? - A request for GPS coordinates for our hotels caused a bit of a problem … for a while, but GPS systems are being more common … even here. – 14/08/13
• Archaeology - In Russia, Thursday was Archaeology Day.  To my surprise, I discovered that we don’t have an equivalent … but I am sure it will soon be instituted … anyway, I took the opportunity to have a brief look at Archaeology in Kyrgyzstan  - 15/08/13
• Eles -  I came across clip of a series of photographs of old Bishkek (or Frunze as it was then) – featuring a song which led to lots of reminiscences of what seems to be a different world … long, long ago - 16/08/13
• Klondike - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 17/08/13
• “Your best price …” - I know we are all looking for a bargain, but what exactly is “your best price”? – 27/08/13
• Plague - A case from Bubonic Plague puts Kyrgyzstan back in the headlines – but what does it actually mean? – 26/08/13
• 80 – a sad statistic - 80 people have drowned in Kyrgyzstan since the start of the year – so how do you have fun but stay safe on, in and around water – 27/08/13
• Shorpo - A standard Central Asian Fayre – 28/08/13
• The Red Headed League - Kyrgyzstan doesn’t mark Redhead’s … but maybe it should … here’s why – 29/08/13
• Steps towards Independence - As Kyrgyzstan prepared for it’s big day – Independence Day – I took a look a look at how it all unfolded – 30/08/13
• A Big Day - the regular weekly postcards giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 31/08/13