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This day was dedicated exclusively to travel. We started by driving from Almaty to Bishkek, which was scenic. As we bounced towards Bishkek, we saw vast open plains with little villages and cemeteries here and there. The cemeteries were actually like little villages, with little white houses and mosques grouped together to form a small town. We had our first experience with border crossings. It was uneventful, but the friendliness of the guards left something to be desired. We arrived in Bishkek and met our translator Julia and the Embassy Cultural Assistant Kamila Kojokmatova. Then we had to go to the airport and fly to Osh. There seemed to be a lot of military activity there, and we saw a lot of American cargo planes and F-16s on the tarmac. Around dusk we made it into Osh and saw a bit of the ethnic dress of the people as we drove to our lodging. The people seemed more Asian in style of dress, since it is southern Kyrgyzstan. The place that we stayed at this night was a guesthouse run by an American from Texas. It was a very nice place, and we had a great dinner there before sleeping.
- Joe
(A local Uzbek group in Osh, Kyrgyzstan)
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