February 10, 2012 Friday Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
We had a little earthquake this afternoon in Bishkek. It shook the lamp on the table next to the chair I sit in while watching television and where I write. I understand from news reports that it was a minor quake and that it was about 3.2 in magnitude. News reports I saw said the center was about 10 km northwest of us.
Earthquakes are a fact of life in this mountainous country, so far the ones I have experienced in Bishkek in the last two years have been light, and have caused little reported damage. But that is not the case in other areas to our East and in the Southern part of the country. Last summer an earthquake in the area along the borders with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan killed 13, injured at least 86 and caused significant damage. A report of that quake is at the U.S. Geological Survey site, Quake Reports.
Weather has been cold but not punishingly cold recently. Looking for more snow tonight.
February 11, 2012 Saturday Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Last night's snow was not too heavy and did not leave a really heavy new layer on the ground. Had a great Turkish meal at Yusa, a Turkish restaurant on Logveninko near the intersection with Bokonbaeva. Went with Marat Zhaparkulov and with Vibeka and Lars, who recently arrived in Bishkek from Norway. Vibeka works with a statistical company based in Norway that is assisting the Kyrgyzstan government begin to gather and analyze data from around the country. It is one of the major issues facing the government that the gathering, reporting, and analysis of data has been pretty inefficient.
This morning to meet with a group at FatBoys, a restaurant in central Bishkek that is one of those places where English-speaking ex-pats and foreign tourists gather thanks to a listing in the Lonely Planet Guide to Central Asia, for a Saturday morning brunch. The group I meet with was organized sometime ago by my friends Songbae Lee, a Korean-American who works with Kompanion, a micro-finance operation that targets agricultural improvement, and by Seth Farley, who is the director of the Peace Corps in Kyrgyzstan. Participants include a wide cross section of those who are working in Kyrgyzstan including some of the Fulbright Scholars who are here currently. FatBoys is a great place for a Saturday morning brunch in Bishkek. The breakfast menu includes a big breakfast with baked beans, sausage, back bacon, eggs, toast called The Full Monte for those who need it. But on the lighter side there is Muesli with yogurt or milk, Russian style pancakes called blini, or my favorite the Breakwich, a sandwich on toast that includes sausage, egg, tomato, and sometimes lettuce. Deconstructed, the Breakwich makes a nice mid-morning snack.
After breakfast I grabbed a taxi and headed to the barber who is located on the second floor of the Beta Store on Chuy Prospect. The barber I got this time was Turkish. I am able to communicate with them by just telling them I want it cut all over with a number 2 clipper. The most fascinating thing about the barber is their use of fire to reduce the hair that grows on my ears. The barber takes a piece of cotton, puts it on a stem, soaks it with alcohol, lights it with a lighter, then runs the flame over my ears. It is a cultural experience and so far has done no permanent damage to my ears.
Following the barber, I picked up a few items at the grocery, then retuned to the apartment by taxi.
Forecasters indicated more snow would fall today or tonight.
February 12, 2012 Sunday Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Today, I joined my friends Vibeka and Lars to attend Doctor Aibolit, a children’s ballet in two acts by I. Morozov at the State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Bishkek at 11 am. Forecasters said it would be sunny, but as I headed out the door it was 21 degrees Fahrenheit, and a little snow was falling. Skies have remained quite gray and cloudy.
The Opera and Ballet theater is a true wonder. Vibeke and Lars managed to get some free tickets and we were joined by a large crowd of young people and their parents for a wonderful show and some strong dancing. Doctor Aibolit is Morozov's reworking of the Dr. Doolittle story. So, many of the dancers had wonderful animal costumes, my favorite was the fox, a lovely vixen, and the crocodile.
At the intermission, we followed the crowd to the tea shop. Watched children devour French-style pastries, and met a physician with his youngest son. The doctor is a professor at the Medical Academy who spoke English and we had a pleasant exchange with him and Iskander, his son. As the second act begins the scene has shifted to the jungle and the animals appear to be from Africa. There are pirates and evil animal trappers, a lot of conflict. The five year old next to me really came alive when the pirates hit the stage and kept up a running dialogue with me in Russian about them. When the chase scene left the stage to come among the audience we were both truly excited. Of course, all's well that ends well, and it was soon over.
Vibeka and Lars joined me for coffee, and then we headed off separately to take on new tasks. I decided that it was time to get a pedicure and manicure. I have not had one done since I was in Houston. Because I am diabetic, I try to have a full pedicure once a month. I headed to my favorite nail salon near my apartment. I was surprised to find that Julia was no longer the pedicurist, but the young Kyrgyz woman took me in right away. The chair is raised above a sink and you have climb up by way of a small stair. I settled in wishing I had brought a book, or the Kindle. But we got started.
One of the surprises when I first had a pedicure here was that they use a double-edged safety razor to scrape away the dead skin on the heels and sides of my feet. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my left foot and realized that I had been cut. I didn't think much about it, but realized quickly that I was producing a stream of blood that was causing real concern from the pedicurist. After some time we managed to get control of the problem. She applied some sort of liquid to the area, we bandaged up the area and shifted to the right foot. Now, I know many of you will think I should have put my shoes back on and headed out the door. But I am a great believer in the Garp principle, described by John Irving's character in The World According to Garp. That principle is based on the lightening never strikes twice in the same place. So if something bad happens, chances of it happening again in the same place is very low. So we finished the pedicure, did the manicure and I left limping slightly to the left.
At home, I redressed the cut, put some triple anti-biotic on it, and covered my feet with socks. That was enough excitement for one day.
February 13, 2012 Monday Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
I received news from Houston this morning that the Kyrgyz items I took back and donated for the Annual Havens Center Auction went well. Havens Center is one of my favorite things that St. Stephen's Episcopal Church does in its Houston neighborhood. A number of years ago the church acquired the building at 1827 West Alabama and after reconditioning the space open a community center that serves the neighborhood, the area, and provides space for non-profits and community groups to meet and gather. This year I donated some Kyrgyz head-gear known as a Kal-pak, and some stamps that featured Kyrgyzstan's flora and fauna. I am pleased to know that they brought a little financial support to the center.
February 14, 2012 Tuesday Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
It's Valentines day in Bishkek. The weather is dreadful, but outside there are vendors selling flowers and Russian language heart-shaped cards for those who wait to the last minute. It is really not a holiday in Kyrgyzstan, but young people have adopted the custom of exchanging small gifts and promises of love. I am marking the day by sending some email greetings and text messages on my phone to women who are significant in my life.
February 15, 2012 Wednesday Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
There was an interesting news story today that the Minister of Sport wants to revive the traditional sports of the Kyrgyz people to aid in attracting tourists to the country. I am not sure whether some of the traditional sports will attract tourists who will spend big money or not.
One of the traditional sports, for example, is Kok-boru or as it is also known as, Buzkashi. This is a game played by two teams on horseback in which riders grab a stuffed sheep's skin, ride like madmen towards a goal, and try to toss the skin into the round hole. Meanwhile, the riders on the opposing team try to block the progress and steal the skin away. All of this is done at relatively high speed. Men and horses often go flying and PETA would not approve. But it is exciting.
Another traditional sport is hunting with falcons, hawks and eagles. That, I think has great potential for attracting tourists. I learned a good deal about the state of hunting with birds in the country thanks to my friend Dennis Keen, a Fulbright Scholar who came to research the phenomenon in the country. His blog, KeenonKyrgyzstan, in includes a number of reports about his activities while he was here. One of my favorites was this one from last May describing a hunting festival. Keen on A Hunting Festival.
The minister suggested that such festivals would be a real draw for tourists, but again, in the age of animal protection in the USA and Europe, some of those activities might not go down well.
February 16, 2012 Thursday Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
The weather has begun to warm up today. We are promised a few days in a row of warmer temperatures. The snow will melt in the daytime, then after dark it refreeze as ice patches, which will melt again tomorrow and create slush and running rivulets that will cascade down the walkways and streets. That flow will actually be more slippery than the standing snow and ice we have been dealing with for five months. One still needs boots, but more waterproof boots than snow boots. Sometimes, I am happy to see the snow again, because it helps to hide the muddy, gray color of the city under a mantle of white.
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