Kyrgyzstan

I went to Kyrgyzstan as part of the EU SENSUM team investigating using remote sensing to map hazards and monitor disaster recovery. We ran a scenario planning game in Bishkek with Emergency personnel from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Our host takes us to a night club. It's in a vast concert bunker. We toast each other unmercifully with vodka shots until encouraged onto the dance floor where we dance with a group of attractive young girls they call the 'jet-set'. We went for a walk in the snow covered Tien Shan and walked up the Ala Acha gorge. We wanted to see snow leopard, but all we saw were the inquisitive marmots and circling eagles. Having forgotten my trainers I had only sandals to keep my feet warm. Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan is a fascinating city, with its tree-lined boulevards, Soviet 'brave new world' architecture and a huge statue of Lenin pointing towards a future long gone. Bishkek is a city on the ancient 'silk-road' and there is a relaxed human feel to the place.