Bishkek

Hi everyone

I find it quite strange to be standing in a city of over a million people and in a country that we in Australia (for the majority) have never heard of.

Bishkek - where is it?

If you go north from Dehli. You will go through Kashmir. Kabul will be only 300 kilometres to your west and Islamabad will be only 100. You enter China after about 600 kilometres and enter Kyrgyzstan after about a thousand. The country is small, about 800 wide and 200 high with a 4000m+ snow capped mountain range through the middle.

 

What is Bishkek like?

Think Turkey ( but not Istanbul CBD)

It is busy with cars and buses (quality models but oldish)

Mostly tarred roads

Two storey buildings in brick and concrete. 

The people are from many races with turk, chinese, mongolian, tibetan and russian predominating.

In general they do not meet your eyes but once you contact them they are friendly. The written language is Cyrillic and so unintelligible. The Kyrgys have their own spoken language. Russian is the second language so no help there.

The photos are the view of mountains looking north from town and an older appartment building on Sovietstra the main street.