Postcard from Bishkek

One week later:

No sooner had I sent the last postcard, the following news items attracted my attention:

Police injured in march trouble
BBC – 17/06/05

Water cannon were deployed by police during clashes Eighteen police officers and a number of marchers and their supporters have been injured during trouble at an Orange Order parade in north Belfast.

Stones were thrown at marchers by nationalists on the return leg of the Tour of the North parade as they passed a flashpoint area at Ardoyne. …

and:

Now happy hour ends with ‘martial law’
By David Bamber
(Daily Telegraph – Filed: 19/06/2005)

Ministers have ordered the Army on to the streets to join an all-out summer campaign against anti-social drunken and violent behaviour by yobs.

Military police and ordinary uniformed soldiers will help keep youths under control in up to 20 towns and cities near military barracks. …

So, it seems that Bishkek is not the only place suffering a “little local difficulty”.

After pressing the ‘send’ button I went down to the hotel and (despite the advice from the American Embassy) went via the main square and by the White House … there were people walking with their families and that only thing that marked it out as unusual was the number of police sitting or lying under the trees, many with open shirts, eating ploff, salad and lepioshki.
Inside the fence troops were lining up – much as I had seen on the Friday morning … but not in riot gear, just ordinary fatigues.

Everything was quiet and subdued … I could imagine reporters describing the atmosphere as being like “a powder keg waiting to blow” … but that was not my impression … I felt that people were more bewildered than anything.

It felt more like a case of “How did we get into this position?”  (Then again, maybe I don’t move in the right circles …).

The worst thing I noticed was the amount of rubbish that the amassed forces of law and order managed to leave behind – but to be fair, it was piled up in heaps that could be easily cleared up rather than simply littering the ground.

I’ve repeated the walk a number of times since … and so far there is little sign of change – or trouble.  Twice during the week, however, there have been rumours of potential demonstrations – one of them resulting in a warning from the American Embassy to avoid the area around the main Ala Too square – but fortunately they turned out to be just that – rumours.

The authorities have started “naming the guilty” and issued arrest warrants for the arrest of several high profile people who, it is claimed, were apparently behind the unrest.  These include the “Presidential Hopeful”, and a former speaker of the Parliament.  The government say that they have captured some documentary evidence – and they intend to pursue the matter.

There are other theories … this is the official version …

Life, however, goes on …

Personally, one of the worst things for me of all these events has been the sense of “pustaya truda” – empty work, or wasted efforts.  So much effort has gone into trying to develop the business generally, and minimize the effects of the events in March in particular, only to be faced with the events in Andijan, and then the assassination of a deputy and an violent protest, just as we had guests to whom we were trying to reassure that all was normal and quiet.

How can we convince people that life continues as normal?  Is it worth the effort when we are rewarded so?  Despite the problems we have to keep going …

As another example of “pustaya rabota”, there are the problems with the Border authorities on the Chinese border.  Every year they think of some new “wheeze” to create problems which they then solve, presumably, I suppose, given the right encouragement (although we, ourselves, never give in, I can understand why a driver and guide faced with such difficulties might be tempted).  We had a series of meetings with them last year trying to sort out the problems – and thought we had succeeded … but we hadn’t counted on the ingenuity of some of the individuals concerned … and as the season started we were faced with a number of “little problems”.  I hope we’ve sorted them out, this season, (especially), we could do without “little problems” – but only time will tell.

It’s so frustrating – and can be so demoralising!

But it is not all negative … One of the nice things about being a tour operator is being able to show people around this little known country.
It’s amazing how many visitors are really taken with the place, the nature, the people and the culture.  A few months ago I was asked to write an editorial for an English language magazine about Kyrgyzstan and I commented how people were drawn to the place … wanted to extend their stay, or vowed to return – and quite a few actually do.   Sometimes there is an even greater feeling of satisfaction … let me give an example …  The other day I had to go a meeting at a restaurant up one of the mountain valleys just to the South of Bishkek – about 35 kilometres away.  I was running a bit late – and had to grab a taxi.  The driver said he had never heard of the place … so I said: “Don’t worry, I know where it is – I’ll show you.”

As we drove further and further up the valley – he told me … “I’ve never been here before, I’s so beautiful!” … I got a bit worried because he slowed down to appreciate the scenery and I thought, “Will I get there in time?” – I needn’t have worried because, as usual, everyone was running late and we made it with plenty of time to spare.  As I said goodbye to the driver he said, “Thank you for showing me a part of my country I have never seen … I’ll bring my family up here at the weekend.”

As it happens, I once met a Babushka – a “grandmother”, she must have been about 65 or 70 – and she told me that she had never (NEVER) been outside Bishkek.  I found that amazing because in the Soviet time, especially, travel was so cheap many people travelled to Moscow and elsewhere in the USSR … but she assured me it was true.

Another example … we have just organized an Inspection Tour for local Tour Operators to visit a new Yurt Camp, up at Son Kul Lake.  The owner claims he has set up a generator, showers, toilets, and even a TV with a video – there won’t be any signal for proper TV – and he wants Tour Operators to use his facilities.  Not surprisingly the trip was oversubscribed, (it’s a “freebie” – the owner of the camp is paying for everything) … but one of the major tour operators in the country told me: “I must go … I’ve never been to Son Kul … “.  She even promised to take her own vehicle to make sure she got a place.

I didn’t go on that particular trip – too much to do in the office – but I do manage to get out and about a bit – though not as much as I would like … there is still a lot of the country I haven’t seen.  A couple of weeks ago, however, I went to visit a “holy place” on the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul.  It was quite interesting … barren hillsides coupled with green oases where springs erupted from the dry earth and graves littering the hillsides.  As we left the group was approached by the Mullah who asked who I was.  Apparently the KGB had been there a couple of days earlier and asked him to be careful of anyone who might be a Islamic militant … I wondered if I looked like one.  It was an interesting place … but not a highlight for tours.

As I have said several times: “Everyday life continues as normal” … even with all the uncertainty …

Those of you who have been receiving these postcards over the years will know that one of my ‘bete noirs’ is my dealings with the tax authorities.

As it happens, everything has been very quiet on this front for some time, both in Naryn and Bishkek. Of course, having written that, I am probably tempting fate.  We were due for an Inspection in Naryn last December – but everyone seemed to be too involved with the Parliamentary elections, and then came the ‘revolution’.  Here in Bishkek, the inspection was due in April … but I think they have been too busy to bother with us.  There are all sorts of re-organisation of the tax service, checks on businesses which are thought to have connections with “the family” – of the former president … but, no doubt, they will soon get around to asking if they can conduct their annual inspections – and, knowing my luck, they will probably want to do both of ours at the same time.

We’ve had an earthquake – nothing serious … it was only 4 on the Richter scale and there were no reported casualties or damage.  The epicentre was about 20kms southwest of the city near the Ala Archa National Park.  I felt something, but wasn’t sure what it was.   The hotel is built to withstand an earthquake of 8 on the Richter scale … there is no sign of any damage.

We’ve also been experiencing something of a heat wave … its been 41C – that’s 97.6F – recently … and we have been sweltering in the office.  Usually my office is very temperate – never too hot in the summer, nor cold in the winter … but this year it has been almost unbearable.

A funny thing happened to me the other day.  I was walking from the office down to the hotel.  My usual route takes me across Gorky Park – which is not like its Moscow namesake … which is a huge complex … but is really just a large square, grassed over with a number of trees and criss-crossed by paths which look like the pattern on a Union Jack.  The park gets its name from a large statue of the author which stands in the centre.  Anyway, as I emerged from the square, a black Mercedes screams to a halt in the middle of the carriageway just in front of me, the driver pumping the horn … Beep Beep.  As a diminutive Russian in a bright floral shirt, sporting a large golden necklace gets out of the car I look around, thinking: “What’s going on, … it’s broad daylight … there are lots of people around,” (there were council workmen cutting the grass and generally tidying the park up).

I quickly note the number of the car, and look around for where to run, if necessary.  Would it be better to run into an open space or seek cover between the various vehicles?  (Not that there would be much of a chance in either direction.)  The driver is alone in the car, however, and he’s got out … so probably there is nothing to worry about.  He walks round the front of the vehicle and greets me like a long lost brother.  He grabs and starts pumping my hand.  “Hello, Ian.  How are you?, How’s business?”  I am thinking to myself, “Who are you?” but answer: “I’m fine, thank you.
Business could be better – but it could be worse …” and things like that.

Then he says, pointing to the Silk Road Lodge in the distance: “A fine hotel.  We had visitors from Moscow and they stayed there.  They liked it.  They liked it very much.  Thank you for building such a hotel in Bishkek.  Please build another.”  Then he turned around, got back in the car and drove off, leaving me standing, dumfounded, in the centre of the road as he sped away.  He left my life just as quickly as he had entered it.  It was just another incident in another day in Bishkek!

For those who have enquired about the cats … they are fine, somewhat slimmer, but I think that’s a response to the summer heat.

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Note:

As an ex-pat living in Bishkek during the “Tulip Revolution” and witnessing the events of 24th March, 2005, Iwrote a series of messages to friends and relatives to reassure them that he was safe … and describe some of his experiences and reactions.

This is one of them.

I haven’t edited them … they are “as sent”.  They are not a comprehensive or accurate historical account of the events – but a series of observations of one person who witnessed the events unfolding and tell part of his story.   As such, they reflect the ambiguity and lack of certainty of the times, as well as the mass of rumours which circulated and the changing opinions as more and more information became available.

Tags: History, Interesting_Times, Tulip_Revolution