Postcard from Bishkek

As regular readers of my postcards will be aware. I have a number of cats – the number varies from time to time – it’s been down to one and as high as eleven. The original, (Synock – sonny), was a gift from a friend and got on with everyone … but one day whilst […]

  Although holidays are usually thought to be for rest and relaxation - travel can be somewhat stressful. It is sometimes surprising how tiring a journey can be – even just sitting on a plane flying from A to B.  A journey is never a simple thing – there are the pressures of packing, (what to include, what […]

A couple of weeks ago there was an interesting news report which said that an project established with the aim of helping the development of tourism in Kyrgyzstan had identified the ten most popular sites in the Chui oblast here in Northern Kyrgyzstan. The results were based on requests for information that they had received […]

The other day I came across some new research … well, it was new to me, although the paper is dated April 2011. What attracted my attention in the first place was the “teaser”: “Living at a high altitude can protect you from certain diseases“, which was accompanied by a link to a short article with […]

To those of working in Tourism, today is an important day … it’s the International Day of the Guide. It’s not recognized as a Professional Holiday here in Kyrgyzstan, even though Tourism is considered to be a priority area for the Country Development Strategy.  Here the International Day of Tourism, (September 27th every year, as […]

Adventure tourism is big business these days … it’s evolved from a small niche market into one of the largest sectors of the industry with its specialist magazines, exhibitions and companies. It has seen rapid growth over the years and seems to be overtaking other forms of tourism in terms of the number of clients […]

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, […]

A short time ago I saw an article about the attractions of Central Asia and the traveling along the Great Silk Road.  One of the options it highlighted was Soviet Tourism. I have long felt that here in Kyrgyzstan we don’t make enough of Soviet Heritage when pointing out the attractions of the country  In […]

A few years ago I was in a meeting where one speaker stood up to make a point and once having been granted the floor would not release to podium until, basically, the microphone was turned off.  Actually, I felt that the point he was making was a perfectly valid one … that the document […]

  Christmas is over … at least, in the West … and Boxing Day traditionally marks the opening of “Holiday advertising season” as people’s minds turn to the question of where to go for their next major break.      Going away on holiday is supposed to be a pleasurable experience … and in most […]