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Seb's Big Adventure
It was just over a week since I returned from my trip around China that I received a phone call informing me that I'd successfully gotten a job as an Exploration Geologist, in Kyrgyzstan. The six week placement departed just 2 days later and here I am, in Bishkek - the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
I am destined for the city of Osh, the second largest city in the country. However, due to an unfortunate accident in London Heathrow, involving a passenger falling down the stairs and subsequently being unable to fly, our departure was delayed by more than 4 hours and so I missed my connecting flight. On the upside, it means that I had a few hours to explore the city.
Bishkek is a city of around 1 million. It's very green, the dusty streets are lined with trees. Every road feels more like you are in the middle of the countryside rather than in the heart of a capital city. That said, 'road' is a term I use loosely here. The capital's roads are more like dirt tracks in most places, traffic laws seem non-existent, traffic lights only tempt drivers to go through red, and the cars themselves make me feel like I've landed in 1970's Russia. However, it's like the whole city was abandoned 20 years ago, which, in a way, it was. Many of the buildings are now abandoned, the roads are beyond repair and there are weeds growing everywhere, even in the capital's equivalent of Tian'anmen Square - the small but prominent Lenin Square - and the city's single landmark.
That said, the city is unique in that it is overshadowed by the collossal mountains of the Tien Shan mountain range - stretching up to more than 4,000 metres, snow-capped peaks can be seen from just about everywhere in the city.
So, come late afternoon I was dropped back at the airport to catch a flight onward to Osh. This involved boarding a worryingly old and rusty Russian plane. Passengers were allowed to smoke, there didn't seem to be any regard for seatbelts, and the guy sitting next to me had brought a sheep's head, wrapped in a bag, as hand luggage. You can imagine that in the non air-conditioned compartment as temperatures touched perhaps 40 degrees, it started to smell very nasty. I focused therefore on the scenery outside. The plane flew over the Tien Shan, at reasonably low altitude, just about making it over the dramatic peaks that I'd seen earlier from Bishkek. For one hour I had a view of rocky mountains and glaciers, before landing in Osh's tiny regional airport. Departing the plane involved getting out, and walking away. Baggage is picked up from the side like getting off a coach. I'm officially in the middle of nowhere.
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