Bishkek, Kyrgystan

It was great to be on the bikes again and we had a pleasant ride to Bishkek. The mountains were in the distance with sweeping plains along the roadside. We felt like we were in the wind west with horseman herding goats, sheep and horses to day pastures. Meals were easily found in cafes along the way. We met a couple of young French men who were firemen at home and carried an enormous amount of equipment which they used to teach first aid in schools along the way. The weather was still mild, but we did have rain one night. We are camping again so the good weather is a bonus. We travelled along the main highway and there was a lot of traffic but the drivers gave us room. There was a pass to climb over before we reached the border, about 8 kilometers of climbing with a gradient between 5% and 12%, we have not yet found riding form so we huffed and puffed a bit but the ride on the other side was a long gradual descent and we had about 20 kilometers of no effort at all. The border crossing was smooth and we eventually reached Bishkek and our couch surfing hosts, a group of five young men who are travelers themselves who have rented an apartment for a while to rest. These young men have been great hosts and the highlight of Bishkek has been staying with them. There have been other travelers coming and going, the apartment is full, one night there were fifteen of us. It has been like the United Nations with travelers from England, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, France, USA ,Israel, Germany, Ireland and Holland. Bishkek is not a pretty city, lots of broken footpaths and parks that do not get mowed, the shops are not exciting but there are lots of beautiful trees lining the streets. The people are friendly and helpful if we need directions. One day we were approached on the street by a university lecturer and asked to address a class of about fifteen students at Manas university who were learning English which we enjoyed and hope the students benefited from. While we are in Bishkek we will be getting the last of our visas, after Azerbaijan it will be visa free, hooray. Some of the young men in the apartment have had incidents with the police, who look for reasons the arrest people then demand bribes, it is the same in Kazakhstan. but we do not go out at night and have not had any concerns. Vodka drinking is a national pastime and can be bought cheaply, about $1,50 a bottle, anywhere including every corner store. We have managed to steer clear of vodka downing