Postcard from Bishkek

This might seem like an odd topic to choose for a postcard, but as Benjamin Franklin observed: “There are only things certain in life, Death and Taxes.”  There is no denying the fact that death, (and having to come to terms with loss of a loved one), is a fact of life, (no pun intended), […]

I am aware that there has been a somewhat depressing turn to the postcards recently, in that there have been quite few references to deaths and funerals. I have mentioned several times that last year was the year of the “black tie”.  It wasn’t just a case of the number of people that died in […]

One aspect of Kyrgyz Culture which has come to the attention of the West is the practice of Ala Kachuu – or “Bride Stealing”. It appears that this tradition stems from the times of nomadic culture and lifestyle of the past where people were constantly on the move from one pasture (jailoo) to another. (It […]

Zamira, who runs the tour department, got married on Saturday. After the official registration ceremony, the “molodyosh” – “young people” – went on the traditional walkabout to several different spots around the city, parks, war memorial, etc., to promenade and be seen. In the meantime the parents and other guests rushed to the restaurant where […]

There is an English saying that “Rules are made to be broken, but traditions are to be kept”. This could easily be a Kyrgyz motto – especially when it comes to traditions associated with age. Toi : There are several occasions when it is traditional to hold a party to mark some milestone in the […]

On Saturday, I was invited to a birthday party … not just any old birthday party, a Tushoo Kyrgkuu, a party to celebrate a child’s first birthday. Amongst the Kyrgyz this is a an important rite of passage for a child growing up, and I felt very honoured and privileged to have been invited to […]

My black tie has been getting an awful lot of use this year. I suppose that my particular annus horribilis, (the Brits, and anyone with a Classical education, will get the reference and understand), started in January when a close friend, Roma, died suddenly.  I was sitting at my computer in my office when I […]

The Ala Archa National Park contains several places of interest. Perhaps the most poignant is to be found on the path which leads to the right of the gate of the base camp.  After climbing up a fairly steep slope the path leads though a wooded area where there is a cemetery with nine graves and memorials to […]

Shortly after we opened our hotel in Bishkek we held a “review meeting”, to see how things were going, what needed attention, and so on.  One of the staff expressed the view that things were going well, that we had been through all of the situations we could expect to meet, had dealt with them […]

Askar was a really lovely man.  He was a fairly short, stocky man with a quiet temperament and a friendly character.  A family man, he raised five children – one of them was Tony’s Kyrgyz wife, Damira.  That’s how I came to meet him. He loved his children and they loved in return.  He also […]