In from the Cold (Kyrgyzstan)

By Helen Matthews

In what seemed like a scene from a spy novel of the Cold War era, we waited at the border for our contact. And we waited. Although it was late July, and we had left Kashgar in brilliant sunshine and searing heat, up here on the Torugart Pass through the Tien Shan mountains, it was snowing.

Eventually, our Kyrgyz transport arrived, and we jumped out of the 4WD into ankle-deep snow, said farewell to our driver from Kashgar, and trudged over to the other (very dirty) 4WD vehicle. Here the world of Le Carré gave way to the new realities of post-Soviet Central Asia. Our new guide, Alex, was a Korean Christian from Kyrgyzstan. His father was born in Uzbekistan and his mother in Tajikistan, but he had ended up a Kyrgyz national. The driver, also called Alex, was an ethnic Russian, but also a Kyrgyz national, heavily-built with brown hair and blue eyes. Driver Alex bore an ironic resemblance to the classic Russian mafia "heavy" as seen in many films. We drove to the Kyrgyz customs post (much shabbier than the Chinese one), where the vehicle was driven over a scary-looking inspection pit whilst we got out and completed customs declarations. There was then another long drive to the final Kyrgyz checkpoint.

Driving through the snow we could not see anything - the rear and side windows were caked with dirt, and all that could be seen through the windscreen was an expanse of white. The road surface was very poor and we were jolted around in the back of the 4WD. After passing the last checkpoint, as we descended from the pass the weather improved and the landscape gradually changed to grassland, which contrasted with the desert on the Chinese side. Peering through the windscreen, I spotted my first marmot.

The first place of any size on the Krygyz side of the border is Naryn, a small town by our standards, though I read later that it is to be the site of one of the campuses of a new University of Central Asia. The Celestial Mountains Guesthouse is English/New Zealand owned and is said to be the best accommodation in Naryn. Hardy souls keen for the authentic Kyrgyz experience can opt to stay in a yurt (circular tent) in the garden, but inside, it seemed a bit run down, like a British seaside boarding house of thirty or more years ago, with peeling wallpaper and shared facilities. But after the long journey it was a relief to get there, and a surprisingly tasty dinner of Russian salad, mutton soup and chicken did much to revive my spirits.

Naryn has relatively few amenities, but there was a new mosque with domes covered in silver polyhedrons. It had a strangely futuristic look, and made me think of alien spaceships. I later noticed many more mosques of this design in other towns and villages we passed through. Our guide Alex explained that these were funded by Arab donors, and made it clear that as a Christian, he strongly disapproved of this form of foreign investment.

Leaving Naryn the next morning, in a freshly-cleaned vehicle, we passed a sign by the side of the road saying (in English) "Have a good trip! We hope to see you again." There was also a statue of a deer. We were to see many such statues of deer or eagles in other towns and villages we passed through. As we drove north through the mountains, now able to see through the windows, I noticed groups of yurts, where Kyrgyz had returned to their traditional summer pastures or jailoos following the break up of the Soviet Union. There were also stalls beside the road offering kumiss (a traditional alcoholic drink made from fermented mare's milk) for sale. But this was not simply a return to the ways of old. The yurts on the jailoos are now an important part of the tourist economy, offering an authentic Kyrgyz experience to adventurous tourists.

The mountain scenery and outdoor pursuits are Kyrgyzstan's main attraction for foreign tourists. There are few historic sites or monuments, though those that do exist are not without interest. The Burana Tower is an eleventh-century minaret that is all that remains of the old Silk Road town of Balasagun. The tower itself was restored in Soviet times, but the city is merely a grassed-over heap of rubble. There is a small museum containing finds from the locality, including Buddhist and Nestorian carved stones and Chinese coins. Guide Alex took pains to point out the Christian artefacts. The most interesting and unusual feature of the site is the number of strange, head-shaped grave markers.

The capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, is a modern Soviet-style city. There are wide streets, parks, and politically significant statues. As with many former communist capitals there is an ex-Lenin museum, now a historical museum. The President lives in the White House - a huge building with massive fountains. It could be anywhere in Eastern Europe - if it were not for the yurt in the airport departure lounge.


First published in VISA issue 80 (August 2008)