Foto: The White House of Bishkek (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Kyrgyzstan - In the evening, I take a walk through Bishkek. Bishkek is a spacious city with large squares, wide boulevards, and expansive parks. It is often called the greenest capital in the world—and I immediately understand why. I pass by crumbling Soviet apartment blocks. It must be depressing to live there. I arrive at Ala-Too Square. The sun is shining directly onto the square. Music by Celine Dion blasts from the speakers. The fountain jets water in sync (almost) with the rhythm of the music. In front of the national museum stands a giant flagpole, flying the Kyrgyz flag high above. Two soldiers stand guard beside it. I feel sorry for them in the evening sun. Through the park, I walk toward the White House, a massive building that houses the government. Because of its shape, it might be the city’s most distinctive structure. Behind the museum stands a large statue of Lenin. Apparently, it's considered too expensive to remove the Russian statue, so they just leave it in place. Lenin looks out from his pedestal toward the parliament building.
Lake IssykKul
Kyrgyzstan - The center of Karakol feels much more like a village. Yet the city has 75,000 inhabitants. The sights are all concentrated around the main road running through the town. I walk to the Chinese mosque. The entirely wooden mosque strongly resembles a Buddhist ...
Overnight stay in a yurt
Kyrgyzstan - On the western side of the lake, the road turns off. In the small village, we are already expected. A car drives ahead of us into the mountains. Just outside the village, I pass a landfill and a cemetery. Then the dirt road leads deeper into the valley. ...
Solomons Throne in Osh
Kyrgyzstan - We use the afternoon to explore Osh. First, we visit the Lenin Monument. Osh is home to the largest Lenin statue in Kyrgyzstan. Then we drive on to the Suleiman-Too Rocks, also known as the Throne of Solomon. It is said that the Prophet Mohammed once ...