The blog, revisited

[For the short version - click here.]

It's been a while since I wrote anything here. The reason was fairly simple - lack of travels (I still maintain that it's difficult to "travel" in Europe). But since the original idea for this blog was to let family and friends back at home  know what I'm up to, I'll see if I can post here every now and then something - hopefully - interesting.

For a goodbye with Poland, I made a short trip to Puszcza Bialowieska, pictured below (purists will argue that it looks suspciously similar to Zalew Wislany, as seen from Frombork).

The fact that I can confuse a forest with a lagoon notwithstanding, I (barely) packed almost 25kg of stuff into my backpack and flew to Portugal. A camera, a computer, some clothes. After initial difficulties with getting to Lisbon and following difficulties with my place to stay there, I settled in Universtity's student dorm - for now, at least.

So, here I am. And while the view from my balcony could've been better, I can't really complain.

Tien-Shan

...or the Celestial Mountains (in Chinese) offer a bit of cool air in sun-scorched Central Asia.

Most of Kyrgyzstan is mountainous, so, apart from Bishkek and Kyrgyz part of the Fergana valley, the summer temperatures are surprisingly bearable.

Scenery of the 4000m range just south of Issyk lake features stunning red rocks, most prominent of which is the Broken Heart. Unsuprisingly, the nice view and easy access has prompted the locals to open a small chaihana just next to it. Cafe of broken dreams heart, they call it. Fallout anyone?

A kilometer or so up the valley from the Broken Heart is the once-famous Jeti-Oghuz sanitarium sanatorium. Just as most of the country, it's lacking basic caretaking and, as a result, it is largely decayed. Few remaining statues in the surrounding park contribute to the eerie atmosphere, blocked hallways make it seem almost scary. Best of all, there are tubs which haven't seen any cleaning substance in quite a while - and yet, for 40 som, you can still have a hot, 'curative' bath. The red sign says 'no trespassing', the white one - 'shower 15 som'. Once a place visited by various Soiuz officials, Yuri Gagarin, and even Boris Yeltsin himself, now it has an atmosphere which makes the term 'post-apocalyptic' seem nice and cozy. Fallout anyone?

Kyrgyzstan - Jeti Oguz

Even further up the valley you can finally meet some tourists. Mostly Russian, with tents, stoves and all the necessary equipment, they spend quite some time up here drinking - get this - not vodka, but 'nuclear milk'. 'Gives us energy' - they say. It sure does.

We walk by a small yurt camp, complete with not-so-small hotel, and, confident in my map reading skills, continue towards a 2800m pass leading to the next valley.

The next valley is inhabited by few families living in old buses and trailers, 20km from anything. That's all there's left of a 3000-cow kolhoz - at least that's what a local claims. Few remaining poles prove that there was electricity here once - until the wires have been stolen.

The transportation here is non-existent (as is everything else), but we manage to catch the single passing car just before the storm. Guess how many people you can fit into a moskvich.

On the way west we visit some Kyrgyz cemeteries. They all look completely forgotten, as if people didn't want to think about the ones they have buried. The graves themselves however are very imaginative: some look like yurts, others like miniature mausoleums - but almost all, in addition to muslim symbols, bear some communist stars. Sort of sums up the whole country...

Finally

I've finally finished some picture series. Click the thumbnail for a picasa album.

Kyrgyz cemeteries

(former) Aral Sea: Muynaq

Boctok-5, come in

Well, I guess it's time to wrap things up, at least as far as Kyrgyzstan is concerned. First things first: in Bishkek, you're sure not to find yourself out of kvas. This ungodly liquid replaces kymys (which, made of sour horse milk, is not any better and is popular everywhere outside the capital).The capital itself however is much more than you might imagine - and yet much less than it could be. Cafes and restaurants are plenty, absurd amount of parks (excuses for yet another communism monument) contribute to the relaxed and easy-going (if these words can be applied to any city east of Istanbul) feel and the nightlife definitely doesn't bring the word 'islam' to mind. But in the very centre, post and telecom bunkers offices dominate the Chuy and Soviet crossing just as the Russian language dominates Kyrgyz. It seems as if not much, save marshrutkas, has really moved forward here in the last 20 years. And even if mineral water (or spirits) sold per glass on the street are a nice change from bottled cola, they hardly mean progress.

And in the countryside things get worse.

Infrastructure, previously cared for by the Soiuz, is falling apart. Deteriorating roads and electric lines gradually cut off once prosperous regions, living conditions in rural areas are decreasing. And the appaling public education level makes sure things stay that >way.

The money brought in by the tourism, spent on audis as old as the local 'democratic' system here is as far as possible from answering these problems. I can't quite put my finger on it yet, but it's not about money (well, sure, it is, but there's something more).

Current president has just been reelected, which is no wonderconsidering he controls all the media and his rivals had campaign budgets similar to the one I have for the trip. Which frankly isn't much - nor does it suggest a very optimistic nearby future.

I have some more assorted notes, so these should be one more

Kyrgyzstan post. FOTO placeholders will be filled when I get home. With camera phone pictures (never again! - argh).

Uzbek country

Szybki update (i zadzwiajaco szybki internet toze) tuz zza uzbeckiej granicy. Jak pozbieram notatki bedzie wiekszy wpis, na razie tylko na szybko: czegos takiego jak Fergana jeszcze nie widzalem (co moze nie znaczy jakos szczegolnie duzo, ale trudno wyczuc czy ten kraj taki pokrecony, czy mnie juz pokrecilo od upalow).

Lokalny pogranicznik niezwylke zainteresowany "1984" Orwella - zdaje sie ze ksiazki w plecaku stoja w sprzecznosci z punktem regulaminu "zadeklarowac do oclenia wszystkie dokumenty drukowane"... watpliwosci wyrazal spisujac dane wszystkich chetnych do przekroczenia granicy (milion dzikich Kirgizow) do zeszytu a5 siedzac na kozle... im dalej tym lepiej.

Abrazja i Chuy

Przepraszamy za usterki-niezwykle udana artystyczna instalacja w Rydze podsumowuje nasza dotychczasowa droge (no, przesadzam, poszlo calkiem sprawnie) i - co wazniejsze - mowi czego spodziewac sie dalej.

Ale po kolei, dotychczas bylo tak: lot z Rygi przez Moskwe do Biszkeku za 3 dni, jedziemy wiec stopem. Droga przez Mazury ladna, deszczu ma nie byc (bo nie wzielismy kurtek), komu w D temu C. Niewiele wyszlo z planow spania nad Baltykiem pod Ryga, ale to wina GPSa kierowcy. Tak czy siak, ladujemy w stolycy, czyli w juz wspomnianych Usterkach. Troche opoznienia, ni-krab-ni-ryba na obiad, i zgubiony bagaz to bilans podrozy Rusflotem. Na pokladzie kapitan osobiscie oglasza ze passengers are allowed to drink spirits, o zalodze nie wspomina. Brak miekkiego ladowania sugeruje, ze pilot pic bedzie dopiero w drodze powrotnej. Kirgizi podniesli cene wiz zupelnie nam o tym wczesniej nie mowiac. Ha, moze trzeba sie bylo lepiej dopytac. Biorac jednak pod uwage ze nas wpuscili kiedy ja zupelnie nic nie powiedzialem w kwestii zaproszenia wizowego, co to zdaje sie innostrancy musza je miec-chyba poszlo niezle. W dodatku nie wiedzieć czemu wpisali ze jestem tutaj jako 'busnes'. Dosc jednak narzekan, teraz plusy: ogolnie nie jest drogo (blizsze rozpoznanie w toku), zarcie do wyboru- przekroj calej Azji od ruskich pierozkow po chinskie kurczaki, no i ogolnie zrelaksowana atmosfera. A, i jeszcze geograficzna knajpa o wdziecznej nazwie Abrazja (no, prawie) przy ulicy o rownie wdziecznej nazwie Chuy (czyt. 'czuj').

Dla szczegolnie zainteresowanych sa tez cogodzinne parady przed ministerstwem glupich krokow.

Sa tez akcenty wskazujące na porozumienie ponad podziałami: -a od kuda wy? -z polszy -z polszy? Czityry czolgisty i sabaka?

Central Asia after all

So, let's get this thing started. Riga-Bishkek flight is in two days. Tickets and visas are taken care of... sort of. Next stop: Kyrgyzstan.