walking on ice

Narnian table

The making of a snow angel

In the middle of the road there was a horse...

Ala Archa

On Sat, I went to Ala Archa with a couple of girlfriends. It's a national park that's only about half an hour south of Bishkek. We were blessed with a lovely day and beautiful scenery. It was so good to be out of the city for a bit - the air was noticeably fresher and cleaner, and it was a marvel to see snow that was deep and white. Snow in Bishkek doesn't stay white or snowy very long before it becomes slush, mud, or ice, but the snow on the slopes of Ala Archa was the kind of snow that you put up with cold winters for.

My first lone marshrutka ride

Marshrutkas are interesting things. I have not yet been on a full marshrutka; marshrutkas which I have thought were crowded were apparently relatively empty. Crowded, apparently, means you are absolutely so sardine-squashed in that not only is your nose in someone else's elbow, but you are also only able to make your way to the door to get out by dint of making a large amount of noise and doing a fair bit of shoving.

The other day, I got on a marshrutka by myself (that is, O2 saw me onto the right marshrutka to get to my destination) and managed to get off at the right spot. I didn't actually get to use my getting off phrase, though, as a helpful fellow passenger, having heard me talking about Beta Stores on my mobile (I was running late), said to me "Beta Stores" and the driver heard and therefore let me off at the street corner without my having to say anything.

But remember, it's one small step as marshrutka rides go, but one large step towards independence in taking public transport! Next time I go on a marshrutka, maybe I'll get to practise my getting off phrase. (Which is not, contrary to some public opinion, 'hasta la vista, baby!' It's actually more like 'astanavitier'. But you can hear from whence the confusion arises.)

My first ornament

[disclaimer: Due to technical difficulties, Sandy is posting on VT's behalf.]

Witness the first and so far only ornament I have bought in Bishkek. Walking along in the 99som (A$4 shop), my bag bumped into a bucket full of similar ornaments. The bucket fell over and the security guard informed me that it was broken and that I would have to pay for it (it's incredible how much you can communicate without speaking the same language, simply through pointing, gesturing and accusatory looks). So I had to buy this plum branch for 20som (luckily, it was 5 for 99som and not 99som per branch). Yes, it is hideous. It is currently living on top of my washing machine, because I don't know what else to do with it. Any suggestions?