From the Kyrgyzstan-China border to the city of Osh, I shared a rather expensive taxi with two Chinese tourists. The road follows a wide valley adjacent to the border with Tajikistan, with picturesque views of nomads tending their flocks in green pastures. Jagged, snow-capped peaks form the backdrop for this picture of traditional life.
A young boy by the roadside sells kumis, a traditional drink made from fermented mare’s milk.
Another traditional Kyrgyz drink is Shoro, which is made from animal fat and wheat. It’s incredibly salty, and must be an acquired taste. I couldn’t drink more than a glass.
A few hours driving through the mountains brought me to Osh, the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan. The land of Mao was behind me. Here, an enormous statue of Lenin looks out over the city.
Osh is a pleasant city of 350,000 whose main attraction is a rocky crag called Suleiman Too (Solomon’s Throne) that rises right out of the middle of the city and provides spectacular panoramic views.
At the foot of Suleiman Too is a park with museums, including a three-story yurt, remarkable just for its existence.
An old diesel Mercedes took me over the mountains along yet another scenic highway, and I arrived in Bishkek, the nation’s capital, later that evening.
Despite being the capital and largest city, there is little to do in Bishkek. The National Museum was even closed for renovation. I had never even planned to come here in the first place, but it was necessary to get the visas I needed for subsequent countries. After a few days of waiting, I was successful. A 90 minute flight to Tajikistan would save me three days in a car, so I hopped on a bus ride for the short ride over the Kazakhstan border to Almaty and caught a plane to Dushanbe.
