Postcard from Bishkek

At dinner the other day, I was sitting with a group of ex-pats and an interesting topic cropped up in the conversation … swimming pools.

One of the diners has a young family and was interested in places which catered for children whilst another seemed to be a serious swimmer and interested in a pool with lanes.

I must admit that as the conversation developed I felt myself at a bit of a loss especially when people started naming venues that I had never heard of.

When I got back home, I thought that I had better look into this. Now, to be perfectly honest, I am not a great fan of swimming.

When I child, growing up in Malvern, the town boasted an open air swimming pool that was always crowded during the hot sunny days of the school holidays – well we were a long way from the sea and a convenient beach.  My brother is older than me and he regularly bought a season ticket and seemed to spend most of his free time there – lying on a towel or cavorting around in the water, as young boys are prone to do.  I, on the other hand, never really took to it.

I have always said that this was due to an incident when I was seven or eight years old.  My mother, even though she couldn’t swim herself, decided that it was a vital skill and both of her children was going to learn.  So she would take us up to the pool, (which was pretty spartan in those days), and fitted us out with rubber rings and walked up and down the side of the pool egging us on, ”No, Ian, not like that … like this” … and demonstrating the stokes …  even though she couldn’t do it herself … she knew the theory and was happy to coax us and coach us.

My brother took to it well … and, at first, I think I was also coping although I never strayed far from the edge where I could reach out and hold on to the pipe that wast attached to the wall at the side of the pool.  One day we went to the pool … and it was quite crowded … and I was forced to leave my preferred route next to the pipe because a couple of bigger boys were resting and holding on to the pipe.  I had already passed the four foot mark and the pool was now deeper than I was tall … and for some reason I lost my stroke and put my legs down … but there was no reassuring floor underneath them and I was too far out from the pipe to reach it … I began to panic and thrash about in the water … I am sure that was about to go under when I felt a pair of hands grab me from behind, around the waist, and propelling me forward to the safety of the side.

From that moment on, I was not really keen on swimming … I as happy to go to the pool or into the sea – but I rarely ever strayed out of my depth, so that I could confident with my feet safe and secure on the ground.

Incidentally - when my mother was finally retired she decided to take the plunge and enrolled at swimming lessons … eventually becoming reasonably proficient, at least going up and down the pool a few times – and she really looked looked forward to those weekly sessions.

Anyway, that’s more or less how the matter stayed, (me: not exactly scared, but definitely not happy in the water),  until I came to Bishkek.

That’s when I was introduced to Alex who had basically taught himself English – but had never really had any practical experience because there weren’t that many native English speakers in Bishkek at that time.

Now, Alex was a keen swimmer – he definitely took it seriously and was astounded when he heard that I couldn’t swim.  He was so shocked that, one day, he told me, “Ian, I have decided.  I will teach you to swim and in return, you will give me conversation lessons.”

Now that was typical … he had decided and that was what was going to happen … no discussion.  In fact, that’s what did happen.  Three times a week he would appear n the office at five and “That’s it – Let’s go.”  Once again – no discussion, no delaying tactics.  He was a bit of a task master as well … walking up and down the side of the pool,  egging me on, ”No, Ian, not like that … like this” … and demonstrating the stokes … but at least he knew what he was doing.  He actually got me swimming more than four or five strokes at a time, before I would try putting my feet down reaching for the bottom … which was just as well because the Delphin pool, where we trained, was several meters deep – and I was well out of my depth.

He even had me jumping off the 10 meter diving board. He also took me to a couple of other pools around the city – including the open air pool at the back of the Sports Palace on Togolok Moldo, which used to be open twenty fours a day, all year round.

On one occasion I had group of tourists – a family of four and one of the things we had to guarantee them was plenty of swimming.  I took them to the open air pool and whilst the kids swam and rode the water slide, Mum, Dad and I sat under the gaze of the statue of Lenin and soaked up the sun.   Unfortunately, I think the pool is closed now.

So as the conversation progressed over shashlik and pivo, (beer), I racked my brains to think of the other pools around town …

As it happens, we’ve got a small eight meter indoor pool at the Silk Road Lodge but, at that size, it is not really meant for serious swimmers.

When I started looking into it, I was surprised at the number of swimming pools in the city.  I can’t vouch for them all because, as I said, I am not really a keen and have only been to a few of them … but here are the results of my research:

• Ak Keme Hotel - on Prospect Mira: there is an open air pool and a Children’s pool 
• Barhan Recreation Center - in the Fourth Microdistrict: open seven days a week all year round with special “family days” with a special programme,
• Bassein 69 - on Fatyanova Street, (off Gorky Street): a small three lane  indoor pool  
• Comfort – on Ibraimova Street – a large covered pool 
• Delphin (Dolphin) – at the top of Molodaya Gvardia: a complex with indoor pools including a separate children’s pool.  Recently been closed for renovations.  (One source suggested that it was closed at weekends).
• Eldorado – on Dzhunusalieva Street – an open air pool which is part of a leisure complex, there is also a children’s pool, 
• Family Sports Club – on Ahunbaeva – open seven days a week, all year round.  Facilities include: Summer and winter tennis courts, gym and fitness facilities, swimming pool, rhythmic and artistic gymnastics, physical therapy.
• Hyatt Regency – on Abdrachmanova (Sovietskaya) – an open pool, open every day, includng a children’s pool.
• Kalipso Aqua Club – on Prospect Mira: An open air pool with a children pool complete with water slides. 
• Karven Club – on Gogol Street: a 25m open air pool with six lanes and heating (for the winter time – it is open all year round).  The club also runs a swimming school – which might have saved my mother a lot of hassle. 
• Maximum Sports and Recreation Center - on Turusbekova: Open every day all year round, the complex is located in the basement of the building and consists of: a coffee shop, Billiard room, Internet cafe, Swimming Pool, Saunas, Gym and Beauty salon.  There’s a swimming instructor to look after the children – and another for “water aerobics”. 
• Monte Carlo - on Tokombaeva Street, in the Asanbai district: open all day, everyday, the open air pool attached to the Monte Carlo Restaurant.
• Prado – in Vostok Pyat, (Vostok 5): Open seven days a week, all year round, the complex includes two Gyms for fitness and aerobics, a 25m covered pool with five lanes, a Children’s “splash pool” and outside Jaccuzi, Billiard room, restaurant, Beauty Parlour and saunas … and even a small hotel.  Swimming lessons are available.
• Sports Palace -actually at the back of the complex with the entrance on Koenkozova Street: An open air pool but, I think it is closed at the moment,
• Saggitarius – on Bayalinova Street : an outdoor pool open in the summer
• St. Tropez Recreation Club - on the Eastern edge of town, off the Almaty Road past Ledebinovka:  An out pool with a covered end, open every day.  As well as the pool, the club offers a Disco, Bar, Café, complete with a Show Program.
• Sun City Sports and Recreation Center – At the very end of Prospect Chui: There are two large outdoor pools suitable for sports.  In addition to the pool there is an Ice Rink, and fitness centers. (A word of warning – one source suggested that it was closed at weekends, although another said it was open every day.)
• Tartuga – on Molabaeva : I couldn’t really find out any details of this, although by the one photograph I found it looks like quite a sizable open air pool, (one source suggests that it is closed at weekends).
• UDP Sports Complex – in the Seventh Microdistrict, near the Orto Sai Market – indoor with a separate children’s pool,
• White Sail – As far as I can tell, this has actually become Sun City 
• Zhastyk – On Maldabaeva Street

Tags: Bishkek, Expat, For_the_Record, Places