In relay style, a new author has taken over. So there we were, washing our teeth next to a stream, next to a stadium. In Tortogul (spelling?). It was like a scene out of Hitchcock's The Birds, with Biblical numbers of crows circling overhead, making industrial volume squawks, only it was based in Tortogul. Which wouldn't really have worked for the film script, given most inhabitants of Tortogul probably spend most of their time secretly begging to be hacked t...

STILL no photos! Eventful 24 hours though. Yesterday morning we had a date with the 9th May end-of-WWII celebrations where current Communist Party members held Stalin's photo aloft and sang partiotic songs to the motherland. The leader of this group looked like a force to be reckoned with (perhaps the estimed party leader's relative?) and the rest of the gang sang with rather less vigour but an element of fear. The celebrations themselves consisted of a march wh...

Not strictly Kyrgyzstan-related, but the news that Didier Drogba, "Honest" John Terry, Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack, and John Obi Mikel and co got knocked out of the European Cup with seconds left on Wednesday night, and then ranted like children at it all....has made the Kyrgyz sun shine a little brighter, and my smile a little wider.

(Still unable to upload photos) Well, we are now back from a whistle-stop tour of Issyk-Kul Lake, to the East, where apparently the Kazakhs and Russians head in droves in the summer. Being May and there still being a nip in the air, we had the place to ourselves and the drive down was stunning, showcasing some incredible Kyrgyz backdrops and charming villages. But the trip was not without a few lessons. For instance, when you order Lemon from the dessert menu, ...

We have learnt a few new things today, in no particular order: It is safe to say that Bishkek is not an attractive city. Bishkek food has not left an impression on us (yet). I (Laura) have even more of a capacity for sleep than hitherto realised. Our collective Russian leaves a lot to be desired. The Kyrgyz love the Marco Polo sheep (not to be confused with its Irish counterpart, the Marc O'Polo sheep) and stones (non-size specific). Tonight we are off to s...