So much to discover
Kyrgyzstan is sometimes described as an “Unknown Land”, as in “Discover the unknown land of Kyrgyzstan”.
That’s always struck me as odd …
Although, in one way, to some people, (many people?, most people?), it may well be “unknown”, but others have long been familiar with it, its attractions and charms: the beauty and diversity of the landscape – sometimes dramatic and at other times exuding pastoral serenity; the contrasts between the simple nomadic lifestyle of the herders high in the mountains and the hustle and bustle of city life – the people, at one moment traditional shepherds and at another sophisticated citizens of the twenty first century; the wildlife, much of it secretive and shy compared to the abundance of foliage which announces its presence to all and sundry with bright and colourful displays; the sense of history with ancient burial mounds, scattered ruins, a feel for the trials and tribulations that faced the travelers along the Great Silk Road, or the remnants of empires – ancient and modern, from the Mongols to the Russian and, of course, the Soviet Union.
I much prefer the latest slogan adopted for Kyrgyzstan: “So Much to Discover”.
When people hear that I have been here for eighteen years, the usual reactions include: “… so you are almost a local,” and “you must know all there is to know about Kyrgyzstan” … but even those of us who are familiar with Kyrgyzstan find that there are still many surprises in store for us – things to discover.
Of course, when it is the first time you do something, go somewhere, meet someone, there is the excitement of newness. The kids, for example, the first time they went to Naryn, sat and watched intently, eagerly pointing things out to one another with a running commentary – just in case they missed something. Now, familiarity has had its effect, breeding not exactly “contempt” but indifference and, although … having been inspired on a previous trip, they catch up on forty winks.
Even on my regular trips to Naryn, however, I often find that something grabs my attention … maybe something I hadn’t noticed before … perhaps a new building has gone up … or the changing colours of the vegetation according to season … seeing something in a different light because I am travelling at a different time of the day … maybe an eagle flies low over the crest of the mountain or a marmot appears on the hillsides, stops and stares as he watches us drive by … and so on.
It was on one of my first trips to Naryn, that I remember sitting watching the landscape go by, trying to take everything in … and I was reminded of the poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, “From a Railway Carriage”:
Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And charging along like troops in a battle
All through the meadows the horses and cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.
Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;
And here is the green for stringing the daisies!
Here is a cart runaway in the road
Lumping along with man and load;
And here is a mill, and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone forever!
How true and so sad is that final line: “Each a glimpse and gone forever” Although I often sit with my camera on my lap, by the time I have raised it and pressed the button releasing the shutter … it’s too late, the moment has passed … the glimpse doomed to be no more than a memory.
If I tend to sit with my camera on my lap waiting for a suitable photo opportunity, Maxim has a different approach … he has usually decided where he wants us to stop so that he can take photographs having been inspired by such a fleeting glimpses in one of his waking moments on a previous trip
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Winston Churchill is supposed to have described Russia as “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”, like the traditional Matryoshka nesting dolls – each one opening out to reveal another residing inside … you are never sure if the next one will be the final one or not … the implication being that you never really know which is the real Russia.
In many ways, it seems to me, Kyrgyzstan is just like that … maybe not one image contained in another, like the Matryoshka but more like a complex painting by Bruegel … with fantastic minute details hiding waiting to be discovered by the viewer who has the patience, desire and time to simply stand and stare, observe and admire. Look at one part of the painting and you are rewarded with fascinating details of children playing a game, scan a different part of the picture and there are farm labourers taking their lunch.
In the same way, it is possible to visit one part of Kyrgyzstan and discover an alpine valley, verdant with a myriad of plants from the small mosses and herbs underfoot to the fir trees towering over one on the mountain slopes … whilst in another place there are rolling hills and mountain meadows, often ablaze with colour from wild flowers … and in another striking sandstone rock formations reminiscent of a badlands desert landscape.
The remote mountain scenery contrasts starkly with the man-made landscape of the sprawling towns and settlements, with their modest dwellings and the practical architecture of apartment blocks mingled with grandiose buildings – either classical or modernistic – and monuments designed to impress in inspire.
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Even though I have been here for eighteen years, there still a lot to learn about Kyrgyzstan, places to go, sites to see, people to meet and things to do.
There’s so much to discover.
One of the really nice things about my job, is that when I discover something, I get the chance to share it with others and introduce them to the attractions and charms of a beautiful place with a fascinating history and a friendly and hospitable people with their sense of tradition and culture.
Bishkek