Postcard from Bishkek

I have to admit that, although I understand why they were developed and people use them, I hate spam filters. Please, don’t misunderstand me – I hate Spam!, but I probably hate spam filters even more!  They are like computers and technology in general … they offer so much and when they work they appear […]

Earlier this week I came across an interesting post on the kloop internet portal …  although the site has a blog in English, this particular post was in Russian – which makes sense because it was really aimed at a local audience.  Even so, I thought it was particularly interesting and well worth sharing with a wider […]

As I mentioned in a previous postcard the Oxford English Dictionary declared selfie as the Word of the Year for 2013, citing its rapid increase in usage as the reason for their choice.  Well, the selection of the guardians of the English language has a competitor … in the choice of the American Dialect Society: because. Now, […]

The other day I had the occasion to write a letter of complaint … the following is a slightly redacted version of it.  I think that it speaks for itself … so I won’t spend time “setting the scene” except to say that those people who know me well, will vouch for the fact that […]

There were a couple of very sad items in the news last week … and one of them led me to a shock discovery and a “moral dilemma”. It concerned the death of a fifteen year old boy.  Tragically sad in itself, the article was even more poignant because it went on to report that […]

From my regular scanning of the news sites on line, I came across an item reporting the results of a survey conducted in Britain … with the headlilne declaring that “Cold calls and spam emails top the list of ‘bugbears of modern life’“. Although the list of the top 50 irritants did contain some interesting […]

Last year, Kyrgyzstan adopted a new tourism brand – the winning entry in a competition depicting a multicoloured circle with swirling patterns resembling traditional Kyrgyz ozori, (pattern), portraying the sun, mountains, lakes and a swimmer with the slogan “So much to discover”. Although it was selected from about 40 different entries by a commission representing many […]

Last week I came across an interesting post by a Canadian travel writer and photographer, Brendan van Son: Why I’ve Never Been to… on his blog Brendan’s Adventures: The World is my Jungle Gym.  It caught my attention because of the unusual and seemingly negative approach … and I wondered if there was something we could learn […]

So, it’s now official … or is it? As I keep reminding myself: This is, after  all, Kyrgyzstan – Central Asia – where nothing is as simple as it seems at first … or as an acquaintance once put it: “where anything can happen … and usually does.” Anyway, according to the posts on various […]

When it comes to promoting Kyrgyzstan, whether as a tourist destination or a suitable place to invest and do business, it is generally agreed that we need some sort of brand or image.  However, it is not so easy to agree on one which embodies all aspects of the country and what it has to […]