Postcard from Bishkek

I wrote a postcard the other day, (Visa free … finally!), about the long and drawn out process of trying to get a visa free regime adopted here in Kyrgyzstan … and I said that I had two press releases waiting on my computer, but I was reluctant to issue them until the new law […]

For some time I have had a draft press release sitting on my computer … actually, two press releases … to welcome the fact that Kyrgyzstan has, unilaterally, declared a “visa free regime” for citizens of some 44 different countries.  “Visa Free Regime – What it means and what it doesn’t!”

I was intrigued to see a report from Kazakhstan that they are going to run an experiment from May to the end of September whereby citizens of some 48 “economically stable” countries will be able to enter Kazakhstan without needing a visa. According to a spokesman, the idea is to show their “foreign partners … our […]

Some people seem to have the opinion that I am an argumentative sort of person.  Although I can understand why they might come to this conclusion, personally, I don’t think it is so, (but I would say that, wouldn’t I?). The trouble is that although I don’t like arguments and will try to seek a […]

Although I have seen several different suggestions, I am not sure where the practice of crossing one’s fingers originated, but it is often used as a sign that people make when they are hoping for good luck. Now, I don’t consider consider that I am particularly superstitious, but a news item yesterday, (it’s in Russian), […]

The working day in the office, technically, runs from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., but it rarely works out like that.  In fact, my working day usually starts at six a.m. when I come downstairs to the office from my apartment which is literally “just over the office”.  I rarely finish work early, however, and […]

Monday was one of Kyrgyzstan’s “Professional Holidays” – the International Day of Tourism. This year, however, there weren’t any celebrations.  Usually there is a banquet, or some other gathering of those of us working in tourism, to commemorate the day – but the season has been little to celebrate. The day didn’t go unmarked – […]

One of the most important aspects of our job as a tour operator is to think ahead and try to foresee what could possibly go wrong, and then to plan to avoid that situation or, at least, to plan a course of action to minimize the problems that are caused as a result.

I had a visit the other from yet another journalist who wanted to take an interview about the state of tourism in the country. This time it’s for an article to appear in a new journal which is being planned to be published here in Bishkek by a European publishing house.  It will be in […]

Once a month I travel from Bishkek to Naryn.  I usually look forward to the journey because, although it is a working trip, (the purpose being to inspect our guesthouse, receive reports, meet with officials, etc.), it also provides me with a break from my usual routine … and as the old cliché puts it: […]