Prologue
USA | Friday, 27 April 2007 | Views [698]
Olga
and I are going to be in a town called Uch-Kurgon (google maps will
bring it up under "uch kurgon kyrgyzstan" search) where her Mom, Dad,
and two younger sisters are. We haven't been back since 2005 and every
day, it seems, I am consumed with thoughts of Kyrgyzstan. I'm
completely enamored with this place. Many things make it this way, but
mainly, there is no water source that runs into Kyrgyzstan from any
other region. All water flows out of Kyrgyzstan thus making it one of
the most environmentally pristine places on earth. While you may not
want to drink from the lowland streams and rivers, but a short 25
minute drive will yield fresh pure mineral water. The mountains are
pretty young in that they are very sharp still. The 1985 World Rock
Climbing Championship was held about 25 miles from where we're staying,
and since then, beaurocracy has changed so that it is harder to access
the spot where it occurred. The valley is controlled militarily and to
get through, you have to have all credentials on hand, as well as a
sense of humor as you are expected to bribe your way into this
territory. The Taliban has frequented this path en route to who knows
where from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. There is not much in
the way of terrorists in Kyrgyzstan, atleast that I've been told and
experienced, but the Kyrgyz military has to do something while they're
fulfilling their 4 year involuntary obligation. Everyone here is of a
pretty solid mind, the terrorist organizations are probably consistent
with gangs here, only operating to allow dropouts to congregate, so
there's not large scale crackdown on them, per se.
Only when they put their neck out, are they quashed, which happens
infrequently and does not erupt in a martyr style retribution from the
organization such as al Qaeda.
Her mom is a hospital
administrator and on call doctor for appr. 10,000 villagers, while also
working full time at an orphanage that is only a few blocks away from
their home. Her dad is a pensioner, previously working as chief safety
inspector at a local coal mine after being ousted as CEO because of
his non-religious views. The muslim workforce undermined his integrity
to the point where he felt it was better safe then sorry and accepted
his position as inspector. He fortunately retired at 50 and has since
been an avid farmer with about 5 acres of apple, cherry, currant,
apricot, peach, raspberry, and strawberry plots that yield great
amounts of fruit every year. He has some cows, pigs, chickens, and
other small animals that they both subsist with and sell. He is a
skilled meat smoker and makes some of the best smoked pork imaginable.
With it as a chaser for some good ol fashion Russian vodka- we're
regularly damaging our livers=) Well, not really, but it's still good
when we get around to it.
Olga's sisters, Tanya and Jenya, are both attending
university in the capital, Bishkek. Jenya is 16 and Tanya is 19,
making them both exciting and outgoing. When we arrive, we are staying
with Tanya in Bishkek for a couple days to adjust and do some
shopping. The currency exchange is phenomenally in favor of the USD. 1
USD = 38 Kyrgyz Soms. While this is so, the daily necessities are not
so easily bought, for instance, a pound of apricots is about 12 soms...
Her mom makes about 50 soms a day. Another reason their children are
so diligent and hard working is so that they may take care of their
parents' needs and allow for them to escape this economic atrocity.
Tanya is finishing her junior year and Jenya is fresh into university.
Olga and I have saved and scraped all of our money so that while we are
there, we can take the entire family for a two week vacation at the
Issyk-Kul lake... Google it. WOW!
Well, as far as my goals while I'm there.. I am first of
all helping her dad build onto their summer house, secondly, intern at
the hospital where her mom works. Third, take every possible chance I
can and climb something, and lastly, get this spring fever off of my
back!
Well, I hope you've enjoyed learning about her family and
a little more about the Kyrgyz experience. I will keep photos on my
photobucket site under the username "dhdphd" my myspace page will not
be as frequently updated, but my myspace page is.. search for and add "guyinaporsche"
Tags: Philosophy of travel