"Bishkek - Home to Horse Meat and the... " a Bishkek Travel Page by Greatwalk0

Getting to Bishkek in December proved to be a real pain in the ass. With the airport in Yerevan, Armenia closed due to fog, our small BMed flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Baku, where, confined to the Business Class lounge in the airport, my travel companian and I spent most of the night drinking vodka and playing Russian Fool with three young Russian men.

Upon arriving in Bishkek the next day, I knew that this trip was going to be like none other. Bishkek is like stepping back into the Stalanist era in the Soviet Union - large streets, stoic architecture, and some very strange social systems make this part of the world both facinating and difficult to visit.

One of the unfortunate (yet inevitable) functions of Krygyzstan's new found "democracy" is poverty. While there was poverty under the Soviet system, many Krygyz in Bishkek claim the levels have dramatically increased since independence.

Anyone visiting Bishkek should take some time to take a day-trip to Allah Baatar Canyon, which is situated about 30 minutes outside of the city. Since we were there in December, the cold and the snow prevented us from traveling too far into the canyon, but it is obvious that given more favorable weather, Allah Baatar would be an inspiring place to spend an afternoon.