THE Spektator №9 March 2010

Your monthly guide to what’s happening in and around Bishkek

To Catch a
Leopard
Plus:
The Bishkek
Beer Guide
Steam up in
The Banya
The Talent of
Taklamakan
. .
Tourist Map What’s On Restaurant Guide
 Focus

ContentsThe Spektator Magazine

China’s Lost Europeans
Where did they come from? Who were
they? The striking mummies of the
Tarim Basin have caused a political and
archaeological stir.
14

Editor-in-Chief: Tom Wellings To Catch a Leopard

Ratsek guide Patrick Barrow is chal-
18
lenged by a set of ‘big cat’ pawprints in
Managing Editor: Chris Rickleton this issue’s psychological thriller.
(editor@thespektator.co.uk)

Staff writers: Alex Ward (alexward@

On the Brink
Continuing our theme, we talk to snow
21
thespektator.co.uk), Robert Marks leopard conservation organizations
(robertmarks@thespektator.co.uk), about this magnificent beast’s future.
Andreas Hedfors, Natalya Wells,
Patrick Barrow, Pavel Kropotkin This Month
Anthony Butts (anthonybutts@
thespektator.co.uk) News and Views
Anti-government rallies, anti-terror talk, 4
Guest Contributer: Elena Skochilo polygamy and other points of interest.

Design: Alena Krivyh Memories of Revolution

March 24 is the fifth anniversary of the Tulip 6
Revolution. Elena Skochilo remembers the
Advertising Manager: Irina Kasymova 48 hours that felled the Akayev dynasty.
(email: advertise@thespektator.co.uk)

Out & About

Banya Magic
Discover the essentials of the Slavic
8
cultural institution that is the banya.

The Bishkek Beer Guide

The Spektator got merry last month, enlist-
10
ing the help of a total stranger to bring you
the verdict on regionally brewed beer.

The Guide
Restaurants, Bars, Clubs
All the best bars and clubs in town.
22
City Map
Don’t get lost. 25
www.thespektator.co.uk
Want to contribute as a freelance
What’s On
The pick of the entertainment listings.
26
writer? Please contact:
editor@thespektator.co.uk Adverts
Make your product growl like a snow
27
leopard from our glossy back pages.

ON THE COVER: Snow leopard in the Tajik Pamirs

The Spektator Magazine is available at locations throughout Bishkek, including: (Travel Agencies) Adventure Seller, Ak-Sai Travel, Carlson Wagonlit, Celestial Mountains, Ecotour, Glavtour,Kyrgyz Concept,
Kyrgyz Travel, Muza, NoviNomad (Bars & Restaurants) Cowboy, Hollywood, Metro, New York Pizza, No1, 2x2, Boulevard, Coffeehouse, Doka, Fatboy’s, Four Seasons, Live Bar, Lounge Bar,
Meri, Navigator, Stary Edgar’s Veranda, Adriatico, Cyclone, Dolce Vita, Santa Maria, Golden Bull (Casinos) Europa, Golden Dragon, XO (Hotels) Dostuk, Hyatt, Golden Dragon, Holiday,

Spektator
Alpinist (Embassies and Organisations) The UN building, The American base, The German Embassy, The Dutch Consulate, CAMP Ala-too, NCCR, The Bishkek Opera & Ballet Society.
THE

.co.uk
The Spektator is now online at www.thespektator.co.uk
 4 This Month
Increasing popularity of polygamy
taking its toll on women
VENERA DJUMATAEVA
BISHKEK, Mar 8 (RFE/RL) - Ainagul is fifty-eight
years old. A native of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek,
she has been married for thirty-four years and
has four children and several grandchildren. Her
husband, an ambitious manager during the So-
viet era, went on to start his own business and
became a devout Muslim.
But Ainagul’s family life changed dramati-
cally two years ago. Her husband began to dis-
appear regularly, often for as long as a week or
10 days at a time. When she asked where he had
gone, he would be silent. But later, he admitted
that he had taken a second wife.
“My husband is a religious man. He prays five
times a day, follows Shari’a law. He even went on
the hajj,” Ainagul says. “But then he took a second
wife, the same age as one of his own children,
without telling or asking me. He says their mar-
riage was blessed by a mullah, that he conducted
a nikah ceremony. Would you expect such a thing
from a religious man?”
Nikah, or Islamic marriage, has grown more
commonplace in Central Asia as traditional Is-
lam has moved to fill the void left by the Soviet
collapse. But it has had a devastating impact on
women who feel betrayed and left without the
protections of civil marriage.
The news that her husband had taken a sec-
ond wife came as a profound shock to Ainagul,
who even now keeps the news hidden from her
children, friends and relatives. The past two years
have taken their toll on Ainagul, who suffers from
insomnia and nervous anxiety.
Finally, when her hands began to tremble
uncontrollably, her sister -- the only person to
whom Ainagul confessed her secret -- took her
to Sezim (Feeling), a women’s crisis center in
Bishkek. Sezim’s director, Bubusara Ryskulova,
is one of Kygyzstan’s leading women’s rights ac-
tivists. Her center offers women psychological
counseling, judicial consultation, and even tem-
porary shelter. Ryskulova says more and more
women like Ainagul are coming to her center,
desperate for help.
“In such a situation, we can’t say you have to
do this or that. We just talk to them, help them
analyze their life, and look for light at the end of
the tunnel,” Ryskulova says. “Ainagul was in a ter-
rible state when she came to us. She told us she
wanted to pour boiling water on her husband
while he was sleeping. She was poisoned with
hatred. Her hands were shaking, and she kept
saying, ‘I don’t want to live like this. It’s better to
die.’ “
It’s been several months since Ainagul first
came to the Sezim center, and on the emotional
front at least, there are signs of improvement. But
her husband’s actions have forced other changes
in Ainagul’s life. Although he still spends half of
every month at the home he has always shared
with Ainagul, he has stopped giving her money.
Ainagul, who spent much of her married life rais-
ing her children and caring for the family home,
has been forced to start earning money when
she is nearly 60 years old.
March 2010 The Spektator
Kyrgyzstan’s secular laws officially prohibit
polygamy. But as Islam has moved to fill the
void left behind following the Soviet collapse,
Ryskulova says some Kyrgyz men are using their
newfound religious beliefs as an opportunity to
take multiple wives. She says the trend is having
a damaging effect on family life.
“Islamization is going on, as one can see. It’s
changing not only the role of women in our so-
ciety, but the whole institution of family. Family
relations are changing,” she says. “If one part of
this process is rooted in Islam, then the second
part is rooted in the socioeconomic situation. If
we live in a secular country, as our constitution
says, then men with more than one wife must
be sued. That’s not happening. So what kind of
country do we live in?”
It is not only men who are embracing the
change. Ryskulova says some young women
prefer to marry an older, financially established
man and see entering into a polygamous mar-
riage as the best opportunity to do so. Economic
hardship in recent years has also sent thousands
of young Kyrgyz men abroad in search of job
opportunities, leaving women with even fewer
marital options.
One such woman is Gulnara. Now 27, she grew
up in Bishkek with a good education and went on
Above Is one wife ever enough? (Photo by
to work with a large firm in the capital. In a nikah
Duncan Ferguson)
ceremony three years ago, Gulnara became the
second wife of her former boss, a well-to-do man
in his late 40s. She now has a two-year-old son. Mullah Abdyshukur Narmatov is a leading
Gulnara’s mother, Kaiyrgul, has begun going Muslim cleric in Kyrgyzstan who studied in Egypt.
to a Sezim center to seek help for her daughter. He says that while Islam does permit a man to
Gulnara is reluctant to speak to outsiders, fear- take a second or third wife, there must be a com-
pelling reason for him to do so. “In Islam, there is
“A Muslim man can bring home no obligation to have two, three, or four wives.
A Muslim man can bring home another woman
another woman only if there is a se- only if there is a serious reason - like if his wife is
sick, or infertile, or something like this,” Narmatov
rious reason - like if his wife is sick, says. “But a man doesn’t have to ask his wife’s per-
mission. What kind of a woman would give her
or infertile, or something like this” consent?”
Sezim and other family crisis centers in Kyr-
ing punishment from her husband. But Kaiyrgul gyzstan reported on March 5 that the number of
says her daughter is depressed and vulnerable. women seeking urgent help has seen a 40 percent
“Their marriage is not officially registered. rise in the past year - more than 8,000 women in
If she leaves him, she’ll have nothing,” Kaiyrgul total. More than half of these women are victims
says. “My daughter and the baby live in a small of polygamy, unregistered nikah marriages, and
apartment her husband bought for them. He even forced marriages. (Bridenapping remains
comes to visit whenever he wants. It’s like she’s a significant problem in Kyrgyzstan, where men
in a prison in that apartment. She doesn’t go will literally ‘steal’ a woman whose parents refuse
out in the evenings, she’s stopped seeing her to consent to the marriage, or to avoid paying for
friends. Every evening she’s at home with the a wedding.)
baby. When I call her on holidays, she says, ‘Of Ryskulova is hopeful that some Muslim or-
course I’m at home, watching TV. What else can I ganizations in Kyrgyzstan will show a greater in-
do?’ It breaks my heart every time.” terest in focusing on the aspects of Islam that are
Nikah ceremonies allow Muslim men to take beneficial for women. “Faith is a very good thing,”
up to four wives -- but usually only with the con- she says. “It’s unfortunate that women are being
sent of existing wives and only if the husband is negatively affected because of it, due to the fact
financially capable of providing equally and fairly that our mullahs are poorly educated.”
for all his wives and their children. But because Mullah Narmatov also admits this. “Unfortu-
nikah has no legal weight in Kyrgyzstan, divorce nately, some mullahs without a proper education
or the death of a husband can leave a woman and don’t realize their responsibility before the family
her children completely bereft. they’re blessing,” Narmatov says.
www.thespektator.co.uk

BBC unable to broadcast its scheduled
programming
BISHKEK, Mar 17 (AP) - BBC broadcasts on Kyr-
gyzstan state radio are sporadically failing to air, a
BBC reporter claimed on Tuesday.
Most of the BBC’s Kyrgyz-language news
program on Monday was devoted to protests
over soaring electricity and utility bills, but the
bulk of the half-hour program was replaced by
music, Nazgul Konorbayeva said. One program
was broadcast on Tuesday, but a second failed
to air.
State radio said the interruptions were due
to unspecified technical problems. But govern-
ment opponents suspect authorities are trying
to impose an information blockade.
Americans to help establish counter
terrorism base in Batken oblast
BISHKEK, Mar 18 (AP) - The Kyrgyz Defense
Ministry on Thursday released plans for the
joint construction of an anti-terrorism train-
ing center with the United States. The facility
scheduled to be built in Batken in southern Kyr-
gyzstan will be used to train special forces for
Kyrgyzstan.
“The construction of this facility is a project
within the sphere of bilateral Kyrgyz-American
relations in the fight against international ter-
rorism and religious extremism,” the ministry
said.
The Kyrgyz Defense Ministry confirmed
news about the facility earlier this month.
Sources said the center may be small because
construction would begin a short time after a
joint military office is established, with a start-
up fund of five million dollars from the U.S.
Rally against rising utility bills held
in Bishkek
BISHKEK, Mar 18 (AP) - Thousands of demon-
strators rallied in Kyrgyzstan’s capital on Wednes-
day 17th to protest recent sharp increase in heat-
ing and electricity tariffs and alleged oppression
of government opponents.
Addressing a crowd of around 3,000 people,
Ata-Meken party leader Omurbek Tekebayev
said the opposition “should take power into its
own hands” if the government does not heed its
demands.
Public dissatisfaction with President Kur-
manbek Bakiyev’s government is running high.
Since coming to power on a wave of street pro-
tests in 2005, Bakiyev has ensured a measure of
stability, but many observers say he has done so
at the expense of democratic standards.
The rally in Bishkek was held outside the
headquarters of the opposition Social Demo-
cratic party after city authorities denied permis-
sion to gather in a square near the presidential
administration.
Aida Abdykadyrova, 17, said she travelled
to Wednesday’s demonstration with her family
from their village to protest a fourfold increase
in their electricity bills.
“After paying the bills, we had to go hungry
and we cannot afford to buy anything for the
children,” Abdykadyrova said.
www.thespektator.co.uk
This Month 5
Memoirs of a
radio apparatchik
ANDREAS HEDFORS
This past fall I spent five weeks working
as acting news manager at the Kyrgyz
state radio NTRK. If this seems bizarre to
you, that’s because it probably is.
On my first day in the NTRK palace, a for-
bidding concrete fortress on Molodaya
Gvardia, it was announced to the staff
that I was their new editor and that my
word was law. As my charges eyed me
with suspicion, I glanced at the original
planning for that Monday: President fin-
ishes trip to Jalalabad and a rayon 70th
anniversary; President prepares for trip
to Naryn and oblast 90th anniversary;
China stealing credit for Kyrgyz national
hero Manas; parliamentary deliberations;
and of course a litany of official decrees.
My strategy was to pretend we were
in my native Sweden: decide what’s re-
ally important and report it. This, I soon
learned, was radical and naive. Working
manic thirteen-hour days, I found myself
slipping into the chasm between Scandi-
navian standards of journalism (choose
an angle, research the topic, ask the vic-
tim for feelings, the experts for facts and
the politicians for views, in that order...) Above Andreas Hedfors ordering a Chinese
and the practice at NTRK (go unprepared take-away in between shifts (photograph by
to the allotted press-conference, record Carolina Bosdroti/Radio Gotland)
what is said by those who say it, go home
and stich it together). went through hell. My instructions com-
However, in the first week we some- pletely contradicted their authoritarian
how managed to cover the anniversary of schooling and experience, and at the
journalist Alisher Saipov’s murder as well end of the day they were always held re-
as top Bakiev critic sponsible by other
Omurbek Teke-
“Our headphones were bosses.
bayev’s trip abroad All too often,
and his accusations patched up with sticky tape, our I succumbed to
of constitutional
mischief in the top
company car drivers were usu- broadcasting from
the flood of never-
level state reform. ally AWOL or asleep, and the er- ending official cer-
The greatest shift
I was able to engi-
ratic security guard had a habit emonies, and once
I even obediently
neer was to allow of stopping our own employees aired a full evening
more time for social from entering the studios” of justifications for
issues, running sto- the energy price
ries on topics such hike. I left out the
as domestic violence, human trafficking Petrovka opposition court case after
and women in the police. In this coun- being chastised by top brass for even
try, the moment you ask an open-ended suggesting it. But to my bewilderment,
question, dreadful and touching stories a piece on the stolen elections this sum-
fill your microphone (try it!). mer was given a green light, as was an-
Changing attitudes wasn’t the only other on the consitutional coup d’etat
challenge. We had only one phone with this very fall - after discussion and care-
a working zero digit, microphones were ful wrapping, yes, but still...
scarce, our headphones were patched So I was my five week stay worth it?
up with sticky tape, our company car Could I have done more? Should the op-
drivers were usually AWOL or asleep, position have me severely beaten for
and the erratic security guard had a hab- wasting an opportunity? Are the invi-
it of stopping our own employees from tations to return sincere? Did I make a
entering the studios. The dozen report- lasting change? All questions I am left to
ers and lone office manager - many of ponder. But for now, I can only recom-
whom were underpaid young mothers mend tuning in to 104.1FM or listening
with unforgiving or absent husbands - online at www.radio.kg.
March 2010 The Spektator
 6 This Month
Five years on:
Memories of revolution
Journalist and blogger Elena Skochilo casts
her mind back five years, remembering the
two hot March days that shook Bishkek.
ELENA SKOCHILO
Five years ago my life was settled and calm. There
was my photography hobby, a blog I kept about
events in Kyrgyzstan, my not particularly interest-
ing job at an IT company, gatherings with friends…
and no politics. I had no interest in politics until
spring, 2005. The arrival of that spring was ac-
companied by news and articles about opposition
activity and the deteriorating political situation in
Kyrgyzstan. Caught up in the atmosphere, I began
to keep track of the news, trying to understand
what was really going on in my country.
I am still unsure why I decided to go to the op-
position rally on March 23, on what turned out to
be the day before the ‘Tulip Revolution’. Conflict-
ing reports from newspapers and the internet?
Maybe. The acrid comments about the opposi-
tion and government on a popular local internet-
forum? Maybe. My own curiosity? Perhaps. I do not
know.
The rally culminated in mob depression and
the arrest of several young opposition activists
from the “Birge” and “Kel-kel” movements. Were
there scuffles between protestors? Yes, there were.
Were the police trying to restrict video and pho-
tography? Yes, they were. But I saw no assault and
battery from the police. However, almost all the
Kyrgyz media reported violence. This ‘news mess’
led me to attend the opposition rally the follow-
ing day. I wanted to see everything by myself and
form my own ideas about what was happening.
Did I feel that this day would change my life
once and for all? No, I did not. March 24 was a
hot and sunny day. I arrived at the Ala-Too central
square with a small camera. Special police forces
were lying on the grass around the nearby gov-
ernment White House, blinking in the sun. People
were wandering around the square. Soon thou-
sands of the protestors appeared with colorful
banners. The leaders of the opposition were walk-
ing ahead of the column, holding hands: Roza
Otunbaeva, Kurmanbek Bakiev, Ismail Iskakov and
Azimbek Beknazarov.
At first, the rally was peaceful. Speeches were
made and the crowd gradually moved towards
the White House. Suddenly a group of people
armed with shields and sticks appeared from a
nearby park. They wore dark blue ribbons. I can-
not say why they began a scuffle, but the fact is
that the protestors began to throw sticks and
stones and these blue ribbon guys were hitting
them with their sticks. It was a scary moment. I was
running with the crowd, somebody was beating a
man right near me…stones…screams. It probably
sounds strange, but I had only one thought at that
moment - how to keep hold of my camera.
A moment later the furious crowd came back,
managing to capture the sticks from the blue rib-
March 2010 The Spektator
bon guys. Young “Kel-kel” activists snatched hold shots, and saw fires. I felt a keen responsibility for
of the sticks and began to destroy the pavement the information I was publishing on my blog. I really
near the Freedom Statue, to take the stones. Later wanted the Kyrgyz people not to panic. It was the
more scuffles broke out with the special police most important thing for me that night – no panic,
forces near the White House. These short scuffles, please, no panic. I received hundreds of e-mails
stones, cries, threats and aggression were mixed from Kyrgyz people from all over the world with
with endless speeches by the orators and a slow warm words and helpful suggestions that night. I
progression closer and closer towards the White appreciated it so much. My thanks go out to every-
House. After a fracas between protestors and the one who supported me during those difficult days.
special police forces in front of the gates of the The nightmare continued into the morning.
White House, mounted police arrived on the scene. Many people had accused me of being too
The fighting continued for a while…and then the emotional when I had said in my blog that: “My
central gates were open. The crowd flooded into city is dead”. Perhaps. But when you awake and
see smoldering ruins and broken shop windows
“The protestors threw books, instead of what you are used to seeing, would
you be able to post without emotion: “There are
computers and furniture through five broken shop windows, four looted shops and
one burned down house in my street”? My morn-
the windows, each defenestra- ing walk around the centre of town turned into a
tion greeted with a savage roar ‘mourning march’. I saw the crying owner of a burnt
shop, an awful mess of food lying around one of the
by the crowds outside­” supermarkets. People were like zombies around
me. We didn’t understand what was going on. Our
the grounds of the building and wild violence stable world had crashed down around us.
started inside. The protestors threw books, com- I passed the next two days after March 25 with-
puters and furniture through the windows, each out sleep. People called to tell me what they had
defenestration greeted with a savage roar by the seen, what else had been robbed and destroyed. I
crowd outside­. People were taking pictures near understood that I could not stop the madness. But I
an armored vehicle while the special police forces could tell the world about it, and I reported as best
began to slink away from the chaos. I could.
The real nightmare began as dusk fell. Somehow, everything calmed down. My life as
I came back home, posted my pictures and re- an IT manager had been swept away by the Tulip
ported what I had seen in my blog. At first I did notRevolution, but this I do not regret.
believe the rumors of looting in downtown Bishkek. I do not want a revolution of any colour again,
I made a short post stating that I didn’t believe this
but if it happens, I know that I won’t be alone and
nonsense. But my friends called me again and again helpless. The Kyrgyz blogging community is ever
with the same news: the crowd is looting a super- expanding and we won’t shut up.
market near the central square. I was really scared. It is said that many people were holding flowers
I felt so helpless and alone. I began to call all my on March 24. But I remember only sticks, stones and
friends asking them to describe what they were broken bottles in their hands. I remember dilated
seeing around them. I asked my friends to call their pupils, aggression, the smell of alcohol and blood.
friends and relatives to figure out what was hap- Now I think that those flowers visible in the hands
pening in their parts of town. Yes, the nightmare of the opposition leaders were for the funeral cer-
had started. emony of the Akaev epoch, which was destroyed
Night passed with a stream of phone calls, up- five years ago on March 24, 2005.
dates to my blog and comments flowing thick and
fast beneath. Sometimes, from my apartment near Elena Skochilo is an award winning blogger and a
the centre of town, I heard wild cries, single gun former regional editor of News Briefing Central Asia.
www.thespektator.co.uk
 This Month

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novinomad@elcat.kg
www.novinomad.com
 8 This Month
Banya Magic!
The Russian banya is a quasi-religious
experience that no visitor to Kyrgyzstan
should miss out on. This month we shed
investigative kilos and and layers of skin
to bring the heat to Spektator readers.
Go Public
BANYA JERGAL (Toktogula / Pravda )
Located in the Turkish-style domed building
that looks like a network of half-buried soccer
balls. Inside, the banya is divided into male
and female sections. The male half is newly
renovated with secure lockers, a Finnish wet
steam room and a Russian dry steam room.
An ice pool is also on hand to shock you back
into your senses after a session of heat. Entry
is 200 som for men and 130 som for women,
although the female side has yet to be reno-
vated. Both sides work 7.30am -11pm Mon-
Fri, and 7am-11pm weekends. Tel: 48-60-31
VTORAYA BANYA (Zhibek Zholu/Shopokava)
Behind the circus and beside a café called
‘Shashlik Mashlik’, ‘Second Banya’ costs 70
som and you get what you pay for. Scungy,
social and overcrowded, it’s a Soviet relic in
action, and the polar opposite of Jergal. Hair-
cuts can be had on the ground floor while
veniks and washing paraphernalia are con-
veniently sold on the street outside. Second
Banya works from 6am-7pm every day of
the week except Wednesday. The phone has
long been disconnected, just rock up and
sweat on.
Patrick Barrow
March 2010 The Spektator
A
CHRIS RICKLETON
RE YOU GOING to the banya?” asks Viki,
the toddling grandchild of the family
where I am having supper as a guest.
“Mama says I can’t go today because my
skin is poorly.” She lifts her jumper up to
reveal the incandescent belly button rash that has
thrown her young world into disrepair. Just three
years old and it is immediately apparent; the banya
is in her blood. Already her budding vocabulary is
peppered with references to the self-fashioned
washhouse stirring in the yard outside - the coarse
cloth machalka that rubs away old skin, the birch
venik which beats dirt from the pores, the kovshik or
ladle which washes away the trials of the week. In
many children, these words are long ingrained be-
fore any grasp of the interminable native grammar
has chance to emerge. Usually she washes with her
grandma, her mother Mary tells me, and she has al-
ready been doing so for six months. Even Viki’s great
grandfather - a ninety-two year old World War Two
veteran - bathes, she continues, but only briefly as
he has recently suffered a stroke.
While we eat, Mary’s husband Vassya heats the
banya, hacking chunks off a fallen tree before load-
ing them into its infernal pit or podduvalo with coal
and old issues of Vecherny Bishkek. Soon the time-
less, weekly procession of four generations of Slavs
to and from this hallowed den of cleanliness will
begin, adjusting seamlessly to accommodate a for-
eign guest. Across centuries of tumult and turmoil,
the Russian washhouse has expanded its sphere of
influence, remaining where empires have ebbed
away, sustaining far-flung diasporas and charming
native populations from Eastern Europe to Kam-
chatka. Even in times of war and famine, banyas
have smoked stoically across the snow covered
steppes of Eurasia, in regions rich with wood, coal
and little else.
Today I am bathing with Vassya, and I feel a
slight trepidation as I undress down to my boxers in
the predbanyik, a cold, narrow room with a bench
and shelves piled high with fresh towels. At our feet
the podduvalo roars expectantly. Heating a banya
isn’t an exact science, and if Vassya has overdone
the load we are in for a scorcher. He isn’t concerned
though. Instead he tells me of a Russian superstition
that if you lose your cat, you can call its name into
the ash pit three times and the animal will return
shortly after, summoned by the magic of the banya.
Importantly, the predbanyik offers a seat out of the
action and a saucepan full of cold tea if the temper-
ature in the multi-shelved parelka or steam room
rises beyond the limits of comfort. Between these
two rooms, in terms of both location and tempera-
ture is the moika or washroom. The whole homely
edifice was built from scratch by Vassya’s late father,
five years before his death in 1996.
I’m concerned that my inclusion into proceed-
ings has denied Vassya a rare moment of privacy
with Mary. I imagined that amongst other things, a
banya offers an occasion for intimacy that a house
full of small children and elderly relatives doesn’t.
Immediately my Anglo Saxon tendency towards
bumbling euphemism is scythed down by a dis-
gusted “Ti cho?!?!” (literally “You what?”) “You don’t
have sex in the banya! It’s a sacred place!” Minutes
later in the parelka and I am confronted by the
sweaty impracticality of such an idea. Vassya has
indeed overdone the load and the thermometer
reads 110 degrees Celsius, a true baptism of fire for
a banya novice like myself.
Sweat pours out of me in hurried torrents, tak-
ing with it thick undercurrents of diluted dirt before
dripping off my body in murky conclusion. On the
level above, Vassya is no longer a genial host but a
beetroot demon, only breaking from his rigour to
stoke the fire and increase our suffering. Prior to
omoveniya or ‘cleansing’, it would seem, there must
first be ruthless exorcism. “These temperatures
aren’t for children,” he confides hoarsely, “or grand-
parents.” I wonder then, why he has subjected me to
them. “Because you are a man,” he answers, pointing
www.thespektator.co.uk
 This Month 9
Left This Siberian banya madness isn’t with-
out method. Scientists claim that introducing
the body to extreme temperatures over the
course of a bathing session strengthens the
human heart in the long run and wakes up
dormant cells (archive)

Far Left Artificial products have no place in the

Russian banya. Nearly everything found in the
average private washhouse is natural and lo-
cally sourced (archive)

Venik Variations
at my pale skin, streaked with filthy tides of secre- The time has come to thrash ourselves with the
tion, “who has never washed once in his life.” venik. This roughshod expulsion of surface dirt is
The banya’s emergence from antiquity was the crux of a three stage washing process and the
paralleled by that of the Finnish sauna, and there last action in the parelka before we descend to the Birch Venik (Beryozovi)
is no real evidence to suggest that one superseded moika to soap up and rinse off. The venik, a system This classic banya companion is both gentle
the other. Certainly the banya remained a northern of branches and leaves tied together tightly in a and profound in its treatment of the skin - soft
tradition for hundreds of years, and only pegged broom like structure, usually lasts for about three enough in its role as a masseur, but effective
back the Turkish style steam rooms prevalent in the washes before a fresh replacement is needed. This at taking away scum from the pores while you
Caucasus and Volga regions during the last two cen- primitive instrument divides Russian families ac- whack. Birch tree leaves are replete with leuco-
turies. Nevertheless, several travelogues and chroni- cording to skin type, aroma and beating preference, plast, enabling them to suck out dirt and skin
cles suggested that the early inhabitants of north- although the most common forms are the birch mites, a revelation for sufferers of asthma.
ern Russia took to bathing and oak veniks. For the pros
with a greater sense of “Sweat pours out of me in and cons of different veniks Oak Venik (Dubovni)
mania than their Finnish check out our ‘Venik Varia- The oak venik absorbs relatively little sweat as it
neighbours. The Russian hurried torrents, taking with it tions’ textbox on the right pounds, preventing the sort of water loss that
Primary Chronicle of 1113 thick undercurrents of diluted hand side of this spread. can lead to dehydration in the banya. As a re-
for instance, contained an dirt before dripping off my The family washroom sult, this is the venik of choice for thick-skinned
account attributed to the teems with half used jars of folk or people with dermatological conditions
apostle Andreas: “Won- body in murky conclusion” honey and khren - a vegeta- like eczema. Regular use sees skin acquire a
drous to relate,” he said, “I ble paste similar to horse- tough, elastic quality as its wide, dense leaves
saw the land of the Slavs, and while I was among radish. These are useful exfoliates, Vassya informs are packed with tanning agents.
them, I noticed their wooden bath-houses. They me. Yet even this banya fanatic draws a line at sme-
warm them to extreme heat, then undress, and after tana or sour cream. “Mary is always trying to slap it Bird Cherry Tree Venik (Cheremuhovni)
anointing themselves with tallow, take young reeds on my face,” he complains, “but I have won my bat- Harder to find in Kyrgyzstan than the others
and lash their bodies. They actually lash themselves tle. I only put sour cream on my pancakes.” He wears listed here, the bird cherry tree venik’s soft, mal-
so violently that they barely escape alive. Then they the browbeaten expression of a man unconvinced leable exterior betrays an unrivalled antibacte-
drench themselves with cold water, and thus are in his victory. rial quality which makes it a microbe’s worst en-
revived. They make of the act not a mere washing I suspect that this battle will rage on. emy in the steam room. Less durable than other
but a veritable torment.”Travelling through Russia in After the machalka has lent our skin an immacu- sorts, it is often used sparingly in tandem with
1634, German librarian and traveller Adamus Olear- late, virgin sheen and we have rinsed thoroughly, a birch or oak staple. Emits an almond aroma
ius returned with a similar report, and by 1649 the we troop back to the house for cake and tea, which when struck.
construction of banyas, public and private, in which tastes like redemption in a cup. In the event of irrita-
women and men could wash together had been tion, it is important not to scratch, as after a session in Nettle Venik (Krapivni)
endorsed by tsarist decree. Having already banned the banya, skin can be tender and vulnerable. This, I Another niche venik, nettle becomes popular in
religion, Lenin and the Bolsheviks dared not tamper learn later, is what undid Viki last time round and she banya households during the summer when the
with yet another institution bound so tightly to the greets me at the door with a doleful ‘S lyorkim parem’, plant begins sprouting in the wild. Whipping
Russian soul. In 1920 they published a pamphlet the obligatory post-banya greeting bluntly rendered yourself with a nettle venik is found to improve
‘Why banyas are necessary both in the city and in as ‘with easy steam.’Yet this blip in her fledgling bath- circulation and combat diseases like rheuma-
the country, and how to build one.’ The modest ing career is only temporary, I am assured. “Next tism and arthritis, although the weeds must first
washhouse was an inviolable godsend, sacrosanct week I am going to the banya,” she affirms, “and then be washed in both hot and cold water in order
and politics-proof. the week after, and the week after that....” to remove their sting.

www.thespektator.co.uk March 2010 The Spektator

 10 Out & About
Beer Guide
Earlier last February, during ‘Defender’s
Day’, the Spektator found a recently ar-
rived Spanish expat drinking in the Metro
bar and challenged him to be the sole
judge at a Kyrgyz-Kazakh beer festival
taking place in its fifth floor city apart-
ment. Full of Iberian pride and already a
couple of Heinekens to the good, the af-
fable Senor Juan De Mendes Hernando
accepted without hesitation. What fol-
lows is our expletive ridden, semi-coher-
ent guide to regional pivo. Cheers!
Top Spring has arrived and its time to sepa-
rate the barley from the chaffe ahead of a
long, beer swilling summer (H. Firouzeh)
Top Right Arpa is the undisputed face of Kyr-
gyz beer, although trying to get a tour of the
brewery is a little tricky (Bektour Iskender)
March 2010 The Spektator
The Bishkek
A
THE SPEKTATOR WITH JUAN HERNANDO
NY ARTICLE ABOUT beer in Kyrgyzstan languages, was adopted towards the end of the
begins with Arpa. While the Russian Soviet era. Before that it went under ‘Zhigulovskaya’
bilge Baltika rules Bishkek’s bars, Arpa is and a series of other more Russian sounding aliases.
pre-eminent in the capital’s kafeisi and
Juan: Is the blindfold really necessary?
is the undisputed beer of the regions.
Spektator: Absolutely. We don’t want to bias the
From the villages that snake across the jailoos of the
results, do we?
north to the chaikhanas of Osh and Jalalabad in the
J: But on the bottles there are no labels.
south, the native nectar maintains its grip over the
S: You might be able to tell by the colour.
domestic market like a jealous mother, engraved on
J: Man, I only been here for a week! (drinks) This one
the national palette as are bozo and besh barmak.
tastes cool, fresh, bitter but sweet. Awesome.
At a depot adjoining the factory where it is brewed
S: The Mother-in-law and Ferrari scenario.
and bottled, a man in a scuffed leather cap and
J: How much was it? Its got a rich taste.
muddy overalls buys a beer and starts to drink. Set
S: Less than San Miguel.
against the rusty metal vats and steaming funnels
J: Bang for your buck, as you Americans say.
of the brewery on one side, and the lively squalor of
S: I’m not American Juan.
Osh Bazaar on the other, he is the serene eye at the
J: Punch for your pound.
centre of a storm, in his dirty hands the taste of all
S: We don’t say that either.
seasons. One of the factory heavies, who looks and
J: I love this. I’m drinking it all.
smells like the hangover from Arpa’s recent cente-
S: Prime for your peseta.
nary, rebuffs our inane questions about the history
J: We use a Euro now.
of draught beer in Kyrgyzstan and directs us to the
nearest ‘Pinta’, at the crossing of streets Toktogula Juan’s Beerometer: 94%
and Timirazova. These well-supplied, politely at-
tended stores act as refilling stations for ale lovers Jewel
in these parts, and our wholesale purchase of their (Pinta price: 75 soms/litre)
stocks marked the beginning of Juan’s adventure. Jewel is a relative debutant, and one of a range of
beers produced by local microbreweries that are
Арпа benefiting from contact with Pinta and other new
(Pinta price: 62 soms/litre) draught beer outlets. Brewed in a village just out-
Kyrgyzstan’s market leader produces only one ale side Bishkek, Pinta’s leadership informs us it has al-
- officially named ‘Arpa light classic’- but their addi- ready attracted its own small, but resolute customer
tive free ‘live’ formula seems to be working. Beer has base. So what will our salubrious senor make of it?
been produced at their site near Osh Bazaar for 102
years - back when Bishkek was still called Pishpek. J: It tastes sweet, like apple. Like apple champagne
The name ‘Arpa’, meaning ‘barley’ in several Turkic beer. Its for girls man. A girl’s birthday party.
www.thespektator.co.uk

S: And the aroma?
J: It smells like apple. There is not sugar in it but I
think they have added something sweet. This is
fruit. Not good for a culture beer or a beer culture.
If someone offers me this beer I say “You ****ing
****!” For sure I drink it for free, but I don’t pay for
it. It is ****ing juice. I would rather drink Pepsi than
this ****.
S: Senor, you’re already inebriated!
J: Si, how many beers we have left?
S: Six! Good luck!
Juan’s Beerometer: 48%
Карагандинское
(Pinta price: 74 soms/litre)
From the bleak town of Karaganda in Kazakhstan,
this full-bodied hop-packed beer is a real Spekta-
tor favourite. Despite qualifying for our festival as
a result of its brewing location, Karagandinskoye is
no longer Kazakh owned, having been bought by
Turkish giant Efe’s four years ago. Nevertheless, the
flavour has remained the same and in our seasoned J: This is the ****! This can’t be local.
opinion, is more wholesome than that of its national S: Every beer here is brewed in either the Kyrgyz Re-
competitor Shimkentskoye.
J: Can I make an omelette?
S: I don’t know, can you make an omelette?
J: I’ll make you a tasty Spanish omelette.
S: We don’t have any eggs.
J: I’m hungry, I could eat a horse with pleasure.
S: Horse is a delicacy here.
J: Of course, horse a delicacy. Why you don’t eat
horse, because you race a horse? You can race a pig.
I’ve seen Marilyn Manson race a pig in his video.
You can race a pig, you can race a horse. You can eat Juan’s Beerometer: 97%
www.thespektator.co.uk
Out & About 11
both animals also.
S: We’re rambling, what do you think of the beer?
J: Almost as tasty as the first. I think it is more like
bull though. A bull beer, to enjoy and get drunk in.
Beeronomics
S: But not a horse beer? Kyrgyzstan is home to 12 registered brewer-
J: Not a horse beer, no. Can I make an omelette? ies employing a total of 1500 people across
the Republic. Eight reside in the country’s
Juan’s Beerometer: 86% north and the output of the southern plants is
minimal - over 99.7% of local beer is brewed
Keller’s in Bishkek and the surrounding Chui region.
(Pinta price: 110 soms/litre)
The Former Soviet nation holds its own in the
Although its restaurant has unfortunately disap-
consumption stakes, necking over 5,000,000
peared, this Bishkek brewed ale has made its pres-
gallons of beer every year. Of these, roughly
ence known in the city for over fifteen years with a
3,200,000 gallons are imported, mainly in
series of outlets where you can buy the stuff on tap.
the form of beers from Russia, Kazakhstan
Of German heritage, the brewing company claims
and Europe.
the original, unfiltered recipe has survived several
Market conditions are competitive in the Kyr-
migrations east since the middle of the 16th cen-
gyz Republic - tax runs at 5 soms a litre for
tury. Comes in light, dark and classic guises with all
external and domestic beer producers alike
three available at the restaurant and the classic ver-
- and major indigenous breweries complain
sion sold at Pinta.
of a lack of government protection from for-
eign competition. Conversely, ales made in
Kyrgyzstan stay in Kyrgyzstan. Conspiring
against export potential are the protection-
public or the Republic of Kazakhstan.
ist tariffs of neighbours Uzbekistan and Ka-
J: I never guess this. I think its excellent. Expansive.
zakhstan, the rising cost of shipping in raw
You keep drinking and taste something different
materials such as barley and hops and the
every time. A beer of mystery, man. I’d like it with a
sheer infeasibility of transporting truckloads
ham and cheese omelette.
of beer over some of the planet’s most daunt-
S: I agree. At once fresh and earthy.....
ing mountain passes en route to China and
J: This is the beer that tastes great even with these
Tajikistan. Nevertheless, domestic produc-
****y fish snacks. The final word on beer. A daddy
tion has grown by 6% a year for the last 3
wants to drink it in the evening beer. And especially
years, with Arpa predicted to hit 1,000,000
in the spring. Bravo!
gallons per year in 2012.
March 2010 The Spektator
 12 Out & About
Top Pinta stores can be found at the crossings RICHARD
of streets Moskovskaya/Shopokova, Manas/ (Pinta price: 88 soms/litre)
Akhunbaeva, Toktogula/Timirazova, Donet- Billed as ‘the taste of England’ in its television and
skaya/Karl Marx (Orto Sai) Lenin/Auezova billboard commercials, the Spektator can confirm
and in Asanbai and Alamedin microregions that it has nothing to do with that country. Nev-
(H. Firouzeh) ertheless, their microbrewery based on Prospect
Lenin produces a sweet, light beer, which lends
Top Right Steinbrau (5, Gerzena st, tel. 0312- itself to warmer weather and perhaps, a day at
432 144) is still one of the best places to catch Wimbledon watching the tennis.
a beer in the city. See ‘The Steinbrau Expe-
J: Good beer mate, cheers! Its sweet, but not ap-
rience’ textbox for our recommendations ple. Much better than the second one.
(H. Firouzeh)
S: I don’t know, I don’t know that I like how it tan-
dems with the dried fish snacks.
Bottom Right A go to logo for the thirsty: J: Stop eating the fish man, then.
Pinta Draught Beer Shop S: (minutes later) Yes, its much better without the
fish snacks.
J: This is good when you don’t want to get drunk.
You’re dating someone or something a bit ro-
mantic, you have to be a bit gentle…
S: What sort of impression does it leave on the
palate?
J: Por favor?
S: The top of your mouth.
J: Summer man, and parties. This is all. You can
get drunk on this beer.
S: In the summer?
J: But not in the winter. I am confused with this
beer. A very pleasant confusion.
Juan’s Beerometer: 78%
Cвежак
(Pinta price: 70 soms/litre)
Pinta partner Shukrad says that regular customers
normally make a decision that takes account of Juan’s Beerometer: 20%
March 2010 The Spektator
both quality and price when they buy their beer.
That explains why 67.7% buy Arpa. Yet sitting
in second place, ahead of better known names
like Shimkentskoye and Baltika, is Svezhak. This
unfiltered local wheat beer, similar in style to
Hoegarden, has really hit it off with those that
like a slightly, er, wheatier taste and is one of the
success stories of their na razliv revolution. But
will Juan feel the vibes?
S: Tasty, fresh, like the name suggests…
J: What the **** is this ****?
S: It’s a wheat beer, its made from…
J: It ****ing tastes like wheat. A field of ****ing
wheat. Maybe this is popular in northern Eu-
rope somewhere but in my country it tastes
like ****.
S: Perhaps too subtle for your coarse Mediter-
ranean tastes?
J: What you say? You **...(undoes blindfold,
lurches, attempts to punch and misses, latching
onto the sofa in a drunken hug before sliding
onto the floor) I have to go to the toilet. Is it ok
to make a mess? I don’t make a mess I just want
to know if its ok to make a mess.
S: (through the toilet door) Juan? Are you ok?
What’s the rating?
J: Juan
S: Yes, Juan, that’s your name, what’s the rating?
J: One out of five.
S: Juan out of five it is.
www.thespektator.co.uk

Шымкентское
(Pinta price: 76 soms/litre)
Shimkentskoye takes its name from Shimkent,
the cotton city in southern Kazakhstan where
it is brewed. Like Arpa, Shimkent is an old So-
viet favourite and is Kazakhstan’s most popu-
lar nationally produced beer. Despite having
more artificial additives than most of the
other beers here, it has a fairly refreshing taste
and is similar in finish to agreeable European
lagers like Heineken and Corona.
J: (emerges from the bathroom, pale with blood-
shot eyes) I’m sorry for that.
S: No worries. All forgotten. I shouldn’t have
said what I said about your....
J: I have to defend my taste and my country’s
taste. You have no idea what it is, patriotism,
in your country...
S: I had to defend Svezhak. It was alright.
J: We both defended. How many more is it?
S: Only two left now. We did it alphabetically,
and we’re close to ‘Z’ now.
J: I can manage only one more.
S: We’ll pour yours in a baby cup.
J: Ok. (drinks and looks slightly revived) This is
what I call a beer man, excellent taste.
S: Too fizzy, I’d call it a lager.
J: Its furvy, furbie, how do you say it? This is
really nice beer I have no doubt.
S: Furry?
J: Anybody comes to this country and wants a
.
good, normal beer, I recommend this as the one.
www.thespektator.co.uk
S: As good as San Miguel?
J: Nothing is as good as the San Miguel, but
this is a solid, excellent beer.
Juan’s Beerometer: 90%
Живое
(Pinta price: 72 soms/litre)
Brewed in Kant by Abdysh Ata, the same com-
pany that makes the frankly undrinkable but in-
geniously titled ‘Наше Пиво’ (our beer), Zhivoi is
a recent, but very ambitious entrant into the Kyr-
gyz beer market. Posters promoting its ‘live’, non-
pasteurized taste cling doggedly to kiosk doors
across the capital, gimmicky bags of fried corn
come with the beer when sold in supermarkets,
while the Abdysh Ata leadership talk grandly of
a strategy for export. After initially overvaluing
their stock, the company brought prices down in
January 2010, meaning that Zhivoi (plus corn) is
now available in stores for around the same price
as Arpa.
S: (drips beer into Juan’s open mouth) Just a few
words and a rating mate, you can do it.
J: (gargles, coughs, Zhivoi fizzing from his nose)
Smooth and creamy, forty out of..... thirty.
S: Thirty out of forty surely? Convert that to a per-
centage, please.
J: I meant forty out of thirty, I really like this beer -
I just drunk too much of it in the generals.
S: Ok, lets wrap up. Taxi for Juan! Anyone got Al-
fa’s number? Thanks for your help amigo!
Juan’s Beerometer: 75%
Out & About 13
The Steinbrau
EXPERIENCE
For any pivnoi gourman, brewery-cum-
restaurant Steinbrau offers the quintes-
sential location to combine ale tasting and
gastronomic overindulgence. A byword
for elite beer in Bishkek, the fourteen years
it has been operating from its secluded
yet central location have seen Steinbrau
evolve into a magnet for birthday parties
and business meetings, as well as stam-
mtische for the city’s resident German
population. The place is impressive inside
- a high, pine-panelled ceiling and south
facing windows create a light, spacious
setting, while a copper plated tankard full
of freshly brewed beer beams out from
behind the bar, reminding visitors that the
distance from production to presentation
is not a long one.
First we ordered chechel; stringy,
smoked cylinders of cheese viewed as es-
sential companions to a pint all over the
Former USSR, followed by a round of ‘Sal-
vator ale’. At 131 soms a glass, this sweet,
frothy stout is unlikely to endear itself to
budget travellers passing through Kyr-
gyzstan, but is the undoubted standout of
the Steinbrau collection. Next we enjoyed
‘Amber beer’ with lively cabanassi sau-
sages that spat volleys of fat at our semi-
clean evening wear. By the time our cheese
fondue arrived, a soft sunset had mingled
in through the windows and Steinbrau
had crowded with strange, moustached
faces and aristocratic laughs, a throng that
seemed to belong more to Bismarckian
Germany than the capital of a Central Asian
republic. The Cologne Pilsner and Munich
lager are hardly extraordinary, but never
leave this spot without trying a ‘Marshal
Zhukov‘. Named after the brilliant Soviet
military commander of World War II fame,
it is a Pilsner with a shot of vodka dropped
in, a relative steal at 90 soms a glass.
March 2010 The Spektator
 14 Focus
China’s lost
Europeans
T
SAMUEL BERNSTEIN
In 1988 American Sinologist Victor Mair WENTY-TWO YEARS ago Vic-
chanced upon a captivating new exhibit tor Mair was leading a group of
American travelers through a
in a Chinese museum. His discovery would
small museum in Ürümchi, the
touch a nerve in both the East and the capital of China’s remote north-
West, raising troubling questions about westernmost province, Xinjiang. Mair
race, racism and the nature of history itself. had visited the museum several times
before, but on this occasion he spot-
ted a new sign pointing to a back room.
There, in a glass display case so poorly lit
that visitors needed to use flashlights to
look at its contents, Mair spied a bizarre
sight. It was the outstretched body of a
man just under six feet tall, dressed in an
elegantly tailored wool tunic and match-
ing pants, the colour of red wine. Cover-
ing the man’s legs were striped leggings
in riotous shades of yellow, red, and blue
- attire so outrageous it could have come
straight from the pages of Dr. Seuss. But
it was not so much the man’s clothing
that first riveted Mair’s attention. It was
the face. It was narrow and pale ivory in
colour, with high cheekbones, full lips,
and a long nose. Locks of ginger-col-
oured hair and a greying beard framed
the parchment-like skin. This was not
the sort of face one would associate with
an inhabitant of China, and to Mair, he
would later joke, all the more unsettling
for its resemblance to his brother, Dave.
Local archaeologists had come across
the body a few years earlier while exca-
vating in the Tarim Basin, an immense,
barren land of sand and rock in southern
Xinjiang. At the height of summer, tem-
peratures in the basin soar to a scorching
fifty degrees Celsius, without so much as
a whisper of humidity, and in winter, they
frequently plunge far below freezing. The
desert at the basin’s heart was one of the
March 2010 The Spektator
most parched places on Earth, and its very
name, Taklamakan, was popularly said to
mean “go in and you won’t come out.”
The Taklamakan’s merciless climate
has one advantage, however. It tends to
preserve human bodies. The archaeolo-
gists who discovered the stranger in the
striped leggings marvelled at the state
of his cadaver. He looked almost alive.
They named him Cherchen Man, after
the county in which he was found, and
when they set about carbon dating his
body, they discovered that he was very,
very old. Indeed, the tests showed that
he had probably roamed the Tarim Basin
as early as the eleventh century BC. When
Mair learned this, he was astonished. If
the mummy was indeed European in ori-
gin, this would undermine one of the key-
stones of Chinese history.
Ginger Monkeys or Europeans?
Scholars had long believed that the first
contacts between China and Europe oc-
curred relatively late in world history -
sometime shortly after the mid-second
century BC, when the Chinese emperor
Wudi sent one of his attendants, Zhang
Qian, on the long trek across Asia to
sound out military alliances with far off
empires in the West. Nationalists in Chi-
na were very fond of this version of his-
tory. It strongly suggested that Chinese
civilization, which had flowered long
before Zhang Qian headed west, must
have blossomed in isolation, free of Euro-
pean influence, and it cast early Chinese
achievements in a particularly glorious
light.
Mair, a professor of Chinese in the
department of Asian and Middle Eastern
www.thespektator.co.uk
 15

Studies at the University of Pennsylva- almost too perfectly preserved to be Above Photo from an early 20th century dig
nia, had long doubted this version of true. by Aurel Stein. The unusual finds were re-
history, suspecting that Sino-European Mair began asking his Chinese col- garded as little more than oddities.
encounters had taken place much ear- leagues about Cherchen Man. He
lier than the days of Zhang Qian. Sev- learned that European scholars had Above left The Beauty of Xiaohe, one of
eral ancient Chinese books, for example, unearthed several similar bodies in the the mummies that will be on show in North
described tall men with green eyes and Tarim Basin almost a century earlier American museums this year.
red hair that resembled the fur of rhe- but had regarded them as little more
sus monkeys. Most scholars dismissed than oddities and failed to investigate Far left The Beauty of Loulan
these accounts as legendary, but Mair further. Early Chinese archaeologists
wasn’t so sure. in the region also Below An artist’s impression of how the Beau-
He thought they came across some ty of Loulan may have looked in her prime.
were descriptions “According to radiocarbon- of the bodies, but
of Caucasian men. dating tests, the oldest mummies they were no more
During his studies
of Chinese mythol-
had roamed the northwestern interested Europeans.
than the
They
ogy, he had found corner of China in the twenty- thought it likely
stories strikingly first century BC ” that a few ancient
similar to those in foreigners had
early Greek and strayed into this
Roman tales. The parallels were too fre- outlying territory of China by chance.
quent to be mere coincidences. And he But in the 1970s, while surveying along
kept stumbling across words in early proposed routes for pipe and rail lines
Chinese texts that seemed to have been in Xinjiang, Chinese archaeologists
borrowed from ancient languages far to happened upon scores of the parched
the west. Among these were the words cadavers, so many that they couldn’t
for dog, cow, goose, grape and wheel. excavate them all. Most of the bodies
But though Mair repeatedly argued the were very Caucasian-looking - a major
case for early trade and contact between discovery that went unreported out-
China and the West, he had no hard ar- side a small circle of archaeologists in
chaeological evidence of contact, and China. According to radiocarbon-dating
no one took him very seriously. tests, the oldest mummies had roamed
Never for a moment did Mair expect the northwestern corner of China in the
to find the kind of flesh-and-blood vin- twenty-first century BC, the height of
dication that Cherchen Man promised. the Bronze Age, just as Mair had long
Still, he was wary of a hoax. The tailored been suggesting.
woollen clothing, with all the complex Convinced now of the authenticity
textile technology it implied, was un- of the mummies, Mair began puzzling
like anything Mair had ever seen from over their meaning. Who were these an-
ancient Asia, let alone a remote outpost cient invaders, he wondered, and where
like Xinjiang. The mummy itself seemed exactly had they come from?

www.thespektator.co.uk March 2010 The Spektator

 16 Focus
Above Three thousand year old Cherchen
man
Tarim Basin
From Eden to desert
Although the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim
Basin is now one of the most inhospitable en-
vironments on Earth, geologist Erik Norin be-
lieves that this was not always so.
After the end of the last glacial period ap-
proximately ten thousand years ago, the Earth’s
warming climate caused the glaciers in the
nearby Kunlun Shan mountains to melt. Water
poured into the Tarim Basin forming an immense
lake and supporting a fertile land of forests and
marshes. However, after the glaciers had com-
pletely melted, the water source was lost and the
previously lush landscape began to die, drying
out and turning to desert. Much later, around
three thousand years ago, glaciers reformed
briefly during a mini-glacial period. At the end
of this cold snap, meltwater once more fed into
the Tarim Basin, returning it to its previous abun-
dance.
As the renewed supply of annual glacial
meltwater pulsed seasonally down the rivers
again, life in a wide oasis corridor around the
Taklamakan would have become particularly
fertile and inviting, far more so than now. Norin’s
theory runs that it was during that period that
the mummies’ ancient society was at its height.
Norin points to the fact that posts made of tree
trunks were used to mark the sites of their cem-
eteries. The posts still stand today, thousands of
years later. Where did they get the trees? Such
relative wetness at that time would explain how
these people came by forests of large trees to
mark their burials as well as swamps thick with
reeds for the matting with which they wrapped
and cushioned their dead.
March 2010 The Spektator
Chinese Unease
Several years would pass during which
Mair and his colleagues desperately tried
to gain permission to take small samples
back to the West to carry out genetic test-
ing for themselves. The Chinese authori-
ties, however, were becoming increas-
ingly uncomfortable.
In China a restive ethnic minor-
ity known as the Uyghurs had stepped
forward to claim the mummies as their
own. Numbering nearly seven million,
the Uyghurs viewed the Tarim Basin as
their homeland. Largely Muslim, they had
become a subjugated people in the late
nineteenth century. During the 1930s and
1940s, their leaders managed to found
two brief republics that later fell under
Chinese control. But Uyghur guerillas con-
tinued fighting stubbornly, until their last
leader was executed in 1961. Since then,
the Chinese government has dealt harshly
with any sign of separatist sentiment.
Still the Uyghurs refused to give up,
and when they caught wind of mummies
being excavated in the Tarim Basin, they
were keenly interested. Historians had
long suggested that the Uyghurs were
relative latecomers to the region, migrat-
ing from the plains of Mongolia less than
two thousand years ago. But Uyghur lead-
ers were skeptical. They believed that
their farmer ancestors had always lived
along the thin but fertile river valleys of
the Tarim, and as such they embraced the
mummies as their kin - even though many
scholars suspected that Uyghur invaders
had slaughtered or driven out most of the
mummies’ true descendants and assimi-
lated the few that remained. Still, in Xin-
jiang, Uyghur leaders picked one of the
oldest mummies as an emblem of their
cause. They named her, with some poetic
licence, the Beauty of Loulan and began
printing posters with her picture. That she
was distinctly Caucasian-looking present-
ed no major obstacle: many Uyghurs have
disarmingly Caucasian features. People in
Ürümchi, the province’s capital, were cap-
tivated. Musicians began writing songs
about her which subtly alluded to the
separatist cause.
This sudden outburst of mummy na-
tionalism alarmed the Chinese govern-
ment. Before long, everything related to
the Xinjiang mummies was considered a
matter of state security. No one in govern-
ment was in any hurry to authorize a ge-
netic test on them. If the mummies’ DNA
revealed even a partial link to the Uyghurs
- a not unlikely prospect, given the Uy-
ghurs’ mixed heritage - it would further
strengthen the separatists’ claims to the
region in the eyes of the rest of the world.
After years of repeated imploring
from Mair and his team for permission
to take samples, Beijing finally relented,
giving the project a green light in 1993.
However, celebrations on the part of the
geneticists proved to be premature. To-
wards the end of Mair’s mission to China,
Chinese authorities made a stunning
about-face and refused to allow him to
take his samples out of the country. Then
a mysterious thing happened. Shortly be-
fore Mair departed for home, a Chinese
colleague turned up at the airport with
a surreptitious gift. He slipped five of the
confiscated, sealed samples into Mair’s
pocket. These had come from two mum-
mies. Upon his return home, the grateful
Mair passed the samples on to a colleage
in Italy who began toiling to amplify their
DNA.
After several months the Italian ge-
neticist had finally retrieved enough DNA
to sequence, and his preliminary results
were intriguing. The two Xinjiang mum-
mies belonged to the same genetic line-
age as most modern-day Swedes, Finns,
Tuscans, Corsicans, and Sardinians. Mair
now had the science to back up his theory
and the story of European mummies in
China became a minor sensation, attract-
ing popular interest and going on to in-
spire a National Geographic documentary
film.
Fast forward seventeen years and Mair
is still hot on the trail of the Taklamakan
mummies, and now using ever more
powerful genetic mapping techniques to
pin point the origins of these mysterious
ancient figures, the discovery of whom
rocked the world. A paper focusing on a
site in Xiaohe that Mair has co-authored
along with a top geneticist in China is ex-
pected in the next couple of weeks and is
the culmination of two decades of study
in the field. In a recent interview with
Earthfiles magazine, Mair stated that the
testing his team undertook was of such
quality that the male haplotypes have
been shown to be specifically western Eu-
ropean, but intriguingly the research also
showed an admixture with eastern Eura-
sian peoples. Mair explains: “It seems to
place the mitochondrial DNA – that’s the
mother’s DNA, female DNA – with people
from south Siberia. This suggests a migra-
tion across the steppes of mainly men
who, as they journeyed east, formed fami-
lies with local women. The paper is going
to be published in March 2010 - and it’s
very, very exciting!”
Mummies on Tour
Throughout 2010 and early 2011 the
Tarim Basin mummies will be part of a
traveling exhibition visiting several mu-
seums in North America – the first time
they have been displayed outside of Asia.
Stopping first at the Bowers Museum in
California, they will also be on show at
the Houston Museum of Natural Science
and the University of Pennsylvania Mu-
seum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
The exhibition includes three mummies:
the six-foot-six inch tall (198cm) Ying-
pan Man with gold-foil mask and beauti-
ful robes; an infant wrapped in a woolen
blanket, wearing a blue and red bonnet
of lightly felted wool; and the spectacular
3,800-year-old Beauty of Xiaohe. Find out
more at www.bowers.org.
www.thespektator.co.uk
Focus
 18 Focus
To
catcha
leopard
After some unhealthy isolation in the up-
per reaches of the Ala-Archa National Park,
Ratsek base camp warden Patrick Barrow
(hereon known simply as Hutman) stumbles
across the tracks of a large cat. The ensuing
psychological duel with this elusive feline
nemesis leads him to self doubt, erratic be-
havior, animal cruelty towards a tabbycat
and, ultimately, the brink of neurosis.
Above Left It is estimated that there are be-
tween 150-500 snow leopards left in Kyr-
gyzstan out of a total global population of
between 3500 - 7000.
Above right A snow leopard is captured by
a camera trap - one of the devices used by
conservationists to record populations in the
wild
March 2010 The Spektator
A
PATRICK BARROW
STANDARD FEBRUARY morn-
ing at Ratsek hut. Hutman stirred
around 8:45, hesitating as he hid
from the cold. Once adjusted
he rolled out of the two winter
sleeping bags he was nestled in and put
on the two pairs of valenki he’d been wear-
ing around the hut - one pair was a size
smaller and fit snug inside the other. The
previous night’s soup, grated from frozen
vegetables, had stiffened over night to an
ice-cap in the pot and was set to boil on
the stove. Hutman removed a plug of fro-
zen tea from his cup by the teabag string
and settled for a fresh brew of Greenfields
Flying Dragon Green Tea.
The sun hit the valley and Hutman took
a seat outside to defrost. He sat watching
the mountains, brooding with his Flying
Dragon Green Tea, until just before mid-
day, he decided it was time for a jaunt.
Ratsek Hut lies at around 3300m and
above it, over rolls of moraine, stretch two
parallel glaciers divided by walls of moun-
tain. At the head of each glacier, Uchitel
to the left and Ak-Sai to the right, are two
more huts used as secondary base camps
for climbers making further ascents. The
hut on the right, at a higher elevation is
called Korona, named after the peak that
shadows it, and it was to here that two Ko-
rean climbers had hiked the previous day,
intending to summit Peak Korona and Free
Korea Peak. “It’s very special to us,” they
said, “because of the name.” Hutman thus
decided to hike up to Korona Hut and pay
a visit to the Koreans.
About forty-five minutes into the as-
cent Hutman stopped to catch his breath.
The sun was bright, so he avoided it and
looked at the ground. Although he’d seen
sparrow type tweeters, crows and moun-
tain turkeys, eagles and hawks, all manner
of rodents and families of ibex that come
down to the valleys to lick the salt from the
rocks, he’d never had a first hand encoun-
ter with the mythically elusive snow leop-
ard. There are rumoured to be only several
hundred remaining in the Kyrgyz wild, and
these are thought to be confined to the re-
motest stretches of the eastern Tien Shan
or the towering Pamirs. But there, in a palm
of soft ice beneath him, was clawed a large
feline print. And above it another, and an-
other - four in total. One could have been
chance, carved by the wind perhaps… but
four? Hutman freaked.
Scouting for other marks in a panic,
Hutman was soon taking every indistin-
guishable scratch or windblown notch in
the snow to be a leopard print. “Do I run
down and tell the others?” he thought – the
Russian climbers at Ratsek Hut, “Or should
I go back and get my camera? Who will
believe me?” Unable to find other prints,
Hutman built a small rock wall around his
find, including the letters СБ, the Russian
initials for snezhny bars, or snow leopard.
But reasoning he was close to the top,
Hutman kept going. For the life of him, he
couldn’t figure out where the tracks had
come from. Perhaps others had been worn
away by wind, or perhaps he was simply
mistaken.
He lumbered upwards cautiously, un-
sure what to expect, until a few metres on
he saw more. This time in snow, and unmis-
takable. He wasn’t delusional. The leopard
was headed upwards. Sometimes there
was a metre or two between prints where
the cat had jumped, but the tracks contin-
ued. They zagged over the Koreans’ tracks
and between boulders with small over-
hangs where it had nosed for food. Then,
disturbingly, Hutman realised, it hadn’t just
crossed the Koreans’ tracks, it was follow-
www.thespektator.co.uk

ing them. Leopard prints were pressed
firmly over the Koreans’ footprints. They
were fresh. The wind hadn’t even had
a chance to crystallize the inside of the
prints, and they were still soft to the touch
– not more than a few hours old. Again,
he panicked, “Was the leopard hunting
the Koreans? Was it still nearby? Was it
watching him?” Hutman filled his head
with scenarios. World headlines read:
“Hutman maimed by rare snow leopard
in Kyrgyzstan.” Maybe that was a good
thing - he could forfeit a limb for credibil-
ity. Then he thought about the Koreans –
mauled and limping through blood spat-
tered snow, or barricaded inside Korona
Hut and fighting back a vicious predator
with walking poles. Hutman stiffened
and looked about the mountainside but
saw nothing. Only snow and rocks were
watching, or so he hoped - a geological
collage of eyeless terror. The leopard, he
assumed, had moved on.
Where the trail breaches the berth
of the Ak-sai glacier, it swings left into
the safety of the mountainside before
turning back to the edge of the glacier
to prevent clumsy humans from falling.
But the agile, sure-footed leopard had
taken a short cut, skipping the detour
and heading along the glacier’s edge to
meet the trail again, further ahead. “It’s
not just following the trail,” thought Hut-
man, “it knows it!” The leopard was head-
ing straight for Korona hut. Thoughts of
embattled Koreans charged his mind.
Hutman armed himself. He didn’t have
walking poles, so instead collected three
rocks: one fist sized, and lighter than the
others, for an initial and accurate throw
from distance; then another somewhat
larger, serrated rock for hand to paw
combat; and finally, a flat bludgeoning
www.thespektator.co.uk
stone, for desperation. A streak of adven-
ture and bravado shot through him and
the headlines changed: “Hutman saves
Korean climbers from rare and deadly
snow leopard in Kyrgyzstan.” He tracked
on.
Once on the glacier itself, Hutman
followed the two closely entwined sets
of tracks. The trail breached the last part
of the ascent and a cold steppe of ice
plateaued into the valley of Korona Hut.
Hutman walked alone, miniature in a
cauldron of rock, the frosted echo of his
“Then he thought about the
Koreans – mauled and limping
through blood spattered snow, or
barricaded inside Korona hut and
fighting back a vicious predator
with walking poles”
steps in the snow crunched the silence
and he was reminded of the film, ‘Deliver-
ance’ - “Am I being watched from above?
Am I being hunted?” He thought back to
all the National Geographic big cat docu-
mentaries he had seen, the snow leopard
in the zoo at home, and the stuffed speci-
men he’d seen in a museum in Osh. “Nah,
they’re small and solitary, and probably
more scared of me than I of them.”
The Koreans’ tracks came to the end
of the final valley and swooped around to
the door of the hut. Hutman went inside,
but the Koreans were gone. Lines of new
human footprints ascended through the
snow towards Peak Korona. After some
time, Hutman stepped back outside
to look around the valley. It was quiet
and still, and on a white mountain face
Focus 19
in front of him he saw more cat tracks
treading towards the hut. Hutman went
to investigate. Tracks were everywhere.
At first he saw just a few, but then found
them to-ing and fro-ing all over, even un-
der the bottom edge of the hut. “It could
be right here…right now!” he thought,
and bolted back into the hut.
Ten minutes passed. Reasoning that
other sets of tracks had led away, Hut-
man calmed, grabbed a Korean ice axe
and stepped outside again to track the
prints. At the corner where he’d lost
them, on the final rise of the glacier,
they’d gone straight up the ridge to
around 4000m then cut down across the
slope to the hut. But this time there were
two tracks, as if the cat had collected a
buddy from somewhere over the hill.
Hutman sat still on a rock, fifty meters
from the hut, ice axe in hand, watching
the cliffs above him. A strain of clotted
rock and ice teased with stillness. Then
he heard a noise and a small ball of snow
rolled down the mountain in front of
him. Was the leopard toying with him?
He clenched the axe and backed towards
the hut. “How quick is it? Can I reach the
hut before it descends? Has it already de-
scended?” With his eyes to the mountain,
Hutman retreated into the hut. He ate
some salo (raw pig fat popular with the
Slavic mountaineering community), left
a note for the Koreans warning them of
the roaming feline peril, and stepped out
again. Realising the time, and knowing
nothing else was to be done, Hutman de-
scended to Ratsek Hut.
The next morning Hutman rolled
out of his double sleeping bag, slid into
his double valenki, and settled for a cup
of Earl Grey Fantasy. Once the weather
warmed he went tracking.
March 2010 The Spektator
 20 Focus
Ratsek Hut
snow leopards not guaranteed
Ratsek hut lies in the Ala Archa National Park, a
steep 3-5 hour hike from the Alpenlager hotel (see
Spektator issue 3 for more information). The hut is
open all year round. Pitching tents is free but ac-
commodation in the hut ranges from 500 to 1000
som a night. Occasionally the hut warden can sell
necessities such as beer, vodka, and cigarettes but
bringing your own food is a must. Sleeping bags
are also available but you should phone ahead to
check. Prices do fluctuate, and to enquire about
accommodation, make a reservation or to find
local climbing guides, contact ‘The Kyrgyz Alpine
Club’ or ‘ITMC Tien-Shan’ - they speak English
and operate from the same office. 1A Molodaya
Gvardia, Bishkek, on the corner of Leo Tolstoy and
Molodaya Gvardia, just south of the rail line. Tel:
312-651-404. Email: itmc@elcat.kg Website: www.
itmc.centralasia.kg To see pictures of the hut go
to the Kyrgyz Alpine Club website: www.kac.cen-
tralasia.kg.
Right A snow leopard glares for the camera
(archive)
Below Hutman’s ‘snow leopard’ tracks (Photo
by Hutman)
March 2010 The Spektator
Upon his descent from Korona hut the
previous day, he’d come across a melee of
scratches and prints less than a defensive
fist-sized rock throw away from Ratsek
Hut itself. Hutman was prone to whimsy;
he was a believer in the Yeti, Bigfoot and
the Sasquash, and now he could feel the
duel with this ghostly and elusive snow
leopard approaching the level of obses-
sion. Chasing prints with ferret-like deter-
mination, every little push of snow and
turn of rock had become a possibility - the
leopard’s unrestraint suggesting a whole
new world of mountain reach. The tracks
seemed to have descended from the Uch-
itel trail, traversing the slope above Ratsek
hut to the nearby waterfall. After some
searching, Hutman located the tracks
and fell upon them fervently. They zigged
about and converged with ibex tracks,
stalking meticulously between outcrops
of rock, before at one point, pouncing on
a rodent hole. A furious scrap of thrown
snow and clawed ice had been hungrily
excavated and Hutman discovered that
the hole was now big enough to accom-
modate his entire head and shoulders.
With as much zeal as the cat had dis-
played in attack, Hutman surveyed the
damage; smelling it, touching it, trying to
think “leopard”. And then he struck gold.
With scientific precision he delicately
extracted a tuft of fur that had snagged
against a dangling root. Now Hutman
had him! Proof!
The tracks wound down towards the
nearby waterfall until about fifty me-
tres from Ratsek hut they became un-
clear, eventually disappearing entirely.
The unprotected slopes had been raked
by a bitter wind all night and the tracks,
iced up overnight, had been given up to
myth. With a prize tuft of fur tucked into
his pocket, Hutman called it quits and
trudged home. But what had the Kore-
ans seen? More prints? The enigma itself?
Were they okay? Back at the hut, Hutman
showed the fur to the Russian climbers
and Dima, their local guide. Dima was eas-
ily convinced, but the Russians were skep-
tical, “Nastoyashi?” Real? they enquired
with raised brows. Hutman, of course, had
no doubts.
Later that day, in the sprit of scientific
enquiry, Hutman startled Mirka, the resi-
dent Ratsek tabbycat, by chasing it around
in the snow to check its prints. They were
decidedly smaller than those on the
mountain, and so it was concluded, the
leopard had indeed descended to within
fifty metres of the hut. That afternoon the
Koreans also descended. They’d seen the
note, failed to reach the summits of both
Free Korea and Peak Korona, and one had
fallen into a crevasse on the Ak-Sai Glacier,
needing stitches for a deep cut to his leg...
But they’d seen fresh tracks all around Ko-
rona Hut. It was still there, the dream was
alive!
Well, you may ask: “How do I know Hut-
man is telling the truth? How do I know he
didn’t march Mirka the tabbycat through
the snow for photographs? How do I know
he wasn’t following ibex tracks in a fit of al-
titude induced delusion?” The simple truth
is that you don’t. But who cares. Give the
myth a chance like Hutman did.
Finally, for the doubting Thomases…
Dima the local guide took his group of climb-
ers up to Korona Hut the following day, and
upon his return, Hutman was waiting, eager
to interrogate: “Dima, did you see the tracks?
Did you see any fresh ones?”
Dima just laughed. ”Kunitsa!” he said,
dismissively “Tri shtuki tam zhivut!” Three of
them live up there! Then another Russian
added, “Pohozha sobol, prosto chut chut
pobolsho.” Like a sable, just a little bit big-
ger.
But what do they know…
www.thespektator.co.uk

Onthe
Brink
The symbol of our great city, a rich source
of Central Asian folklore, a favoured muse
of spraypaint artists, and, rather less ro-
mantically, the name of Apple Mac’s new
operating system - everybody, it seems,
wants a piece of the snow leopard. But
now, with its numbers in decline and its
habitat under threat, the species needs
our help like never before.
TOM WELLINGS
T
HE SPEKTATOR RECENTLY
spoke with Rodney Jackson of
the Snow Leopard Conservancy
and Brad Rutherford of the Snow
Leopard Trust (SLT) to find out
how the elusive cat is faring in
Kyrgyzstan, and what is being done to
ensure its survival:
How many snow leopards are current-
ly roaming the Kyrgyz wild? Not a lot
is known about the resident Kyrgyz snow
leopard population as more monitoring
work needs to be undertaken, however,
the SLT believes there are between 150
and 500 cats living in the country.
Where do our Kyrgyz snow leopards
live? It is estimated that as much as fif-
teen percent of the national population
lives in the Saraychat Ertash protected
area, with Naryn oblast and the border
regions near Tajikistan being other big
locations. The cats tend to live at high al-
titudes, sometimes stalking their prey at
elevations of 5,500 meters.
How can they survive up there? Its
bloody freezing! With its large paws
for walking on snow, a thick insulating
coat and large nasal cavity for making
the most of the thin mountain air, snow
leopards are ideally adapted to their ex-
treme environment. The cats can also
wrap their long tail around their face and
body for extra warmth.
So am I likely to get mauled if I picnic
alone in the mountains? No. Despite
the colourful tales of mildly inebriated
shepherds and the paranoia of certain
hut wardens (see previous article) the
snow leopard poses no threat to hu-
mans. Should you be privileged enough
to come face to face with a non-stuffed
www.thespektator.co.uk
Focus 21
snow leopard, you should reach for your leopard population sizes. Extensive stud-
camera, not your ice axe, and count your- ies of snow leopard and prey population
self very, very fortunate indeed. abundance have been carried out near the
Sary Chat Ertash wildlife reserve and other
What are the main threats to the snow protected areas.
leopard in Kyrgyzstan? Poaching poses
a key threat. Kyrgyz herders face a harsh Tell me how I can help! You can make
life with little economic stability. Selling the donations, adopt snow leopards and buy
pelts and bones of illegally hunted snow locally produced products that aid snow
leopards on the black market can provide a leopard conservation at both: www.
lucrative source of income. Additionally, the snowleopardconservancy.org and the
killing of snow leopards in retribution for SLT’s site at www.snowleopard.org
attacks on livestock is not uncommon. As a
Snow leopard facts
growing human population pushes further
into snow leopard territory, their livestock
herds often overgraze wild grasslands, leav-
ing less food for the wild sheep and goats
that constitute the snow leopard’s primary •Researchers estimate that there are between
prey. When the number of wild prey falls, 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards left in the wild.
snow leopards sometimes turn to domestic No one has an exact count because snow leop-
ards are so elusive and inhabit such harsh and
livestock for food.
remote habitat that they are rarely seen.
What is being done to help? The SLT •Snow leopards are known to live in Afghanistan,
runs several programmes in Kyrgyzstan. Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
The Snow Leopard Enterprises program Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and
encourages conservation while help- Uzbekistan.
ing increase the incomes of rural peo-
ple through handicraft production. The •Snow leopard range covers two million square
project works in several villages including kilometers, about the size of Greenland or Mex-
Ak Shyirak, Enilchek, Ekinaryn and Oruk- ico, but is spread across the twelve countries.
tum. Participating families sell their handi- China contains as much as 60% of snow leopard
crafts through the SLT’s website, often sup- habitat. The cats have already disappeared from
plementing their annual incomes by more some areas where they formerly lived, such as
than $150. parts of Mongolia.
SLT staff in Kyrgyzstan have also devel- •Snow leopards are usually solitary, except when
oped educational materials and conduct females are raising cubs. Mating occurs in late
community seminars on ecology and na- winter and one to five (usually two or three) cubs
ture conservation. Children from various are born ninety to one hundred days later. The
villages are given the chance to attend an cubs remain with their mother until they become
annual educational eco-camp focusing independent— normally after about eighteen to
on snow leopard ecology and conserva- twenty-two months.
tion.
The SLT’s ongoing research and moni- •Snow leopards are medium sized cats, weighing
toring efforts in Kyrgyzstan includes a re- between 27-55 kilos. Body length ranges from
cent study comparing trap cameras and 100-130 cm, and their tails can be almost as long
several other methods for estimating snow as their bodies!
Below Traders display a snow leopard pelt in Nepal (R. Jackson, Snow Leopard Conservancy)
March 2010 The Spektator
 THE GUIDE
22

Bishkek life
Bars
Chuchuara Hoga (117, Chui) Bacardi (Togolok Moldo 17/1)

and
With this Chinese restaurant, a little out of the way Elite lounge bar affair with separate rooms for din-
and rarely visited by tourists, you really feel you ing, dancing and whiling the night away smoking

restaurants are getting the real deal. Request a хого (your own
personal Chinese boiling-pot) and randomly select
hukkah pipes. Urban grooves played at a reason-
able volume and a full menu that includes a range
There’s a fine line between ‘bar’ and ‘restaurant’ in a variety of unusual Chinese delicacies to throw in. of tasty platters. $$$$
Bishkek. Places more suitable for drinking sessions Beware, the ‘spicy’ sauce, although delicious, may Blonder Pub (Pravda/Kulatova
are marked with a star * leave delicate stomachs in some distress several
hours later - consider the ‘not-spicy’ sauce as a suit- With its parent company having bought out Kel-
Price Guide (main course and a garnish) able alternative $$ ler’s, Blonder Pub is the new brewery-restaurant to
$ - Expect change from 150 som try out. Cavernous yet cosy inside, there’s decent
$$ - A little over 200 should do the trick Shaolin (Zhibek Zholu/Prospect Mir) blues every night, live Premiership Football, Euro-
$$$ - Expect to pay in the region of 350 This tidy looking restaurant sticks out for its sheer grub and a good selection of ales. In regard to the
$$$$ - A crisp 500 (or more) needed in this joint range of oriental dishes and its large, round tables latter we recommend ‘Datski Shnaffer’. $$$
that make it ideal for extended gatherings. $$
Beatles Bar* (Gorky/Sovietskaya)
American Peking Duck I & II A Beatles themed bar to make Bishkek scousers feel
(Soviet/Druzhba & Chui/Tog. Mol.) at home. Huge screen outside for sporting events.
Cowboy* (Toktogul/Orozbekova)
Bishkek’s all-American restaurant-cum-dance club Shashlyk and cool beer. $$
Huge portions to feed even the biggest of glut-
has now gone a little more up-market, but wild tons and an English language menu that provides Buddha Bar (Sovietskaya/Akhunbayeva)
nights are still to be had. Dig in to a kilo of chickenplenty of amusing translations. $$ Much anticipated, but yet to be investigated as the
wings and then hit the dance floor. $$$ Spektator is currently broke. Chilled out lounge music
and comfy furniture, any reviews welcome! $$$$
Hollywood* (Druzhba/Sovietskaya) Dungan
As you would probably guess, decorated with Captain Nemo’s (14, Togolok Moldo)
movie posters, photos of cinema icons and a Hui Min (Relocated to the Hotel Dostuk) Small nautically themed restaurant with a selection
bunch of American kitsch. Hollywood is popular A former favourite, we have been told that Hui Min of evocatively named dishes including ‘Fish from the
with a younger crowd and is usually packed from has now relocated to the Hotel Dostuk. Apparently ship’s boy’ and ‘Tongue from the boatswain’s wife’.
mid-evening onwards. A fun place for a few drinks the menu has been revamped and the prices in- Cosy wooden interior and porthole style windows
before heading off to the clubs. $$ creased. The Spektator will be checking it out soon. create an underwater log cabin experience. Spirits,
We hope they still serve the special Dungan tea, as cocktails and a good business lunch. $$$
Metro* (133, Chui) it’s rather good.
In the impressive location of a former theatre, Coffee House (9, Manas & Togolok Moldo/Ryskulova)
Metro remains the première drinking hole for
ex-pats. A high ceiling, a long bar and friendly staff
Georgian Treat yourself to some of the finest coffee and
cakes Bishkek has to offer at the imaginatively
compliment a good Tex-Mex menu and a wide se- Mimino (27, Kievskaya) named ‘Coffee House’, a cosy boutique café with a
lection of drinks. Metro is one of the best bets for Mimino is nice, cosy and serves up bowl-fulls of steam- European flavour. Curl up and read a book, or just
catching sporting events on TV, although thanks ing, hearty Georgian fare with pomegranate seeds drop in for a caffeine hit and a chocolate fix. $$$
to the hideously late kickoff times for Champions a-plenty. We recommend the kjadjapuri, khinkali and
League football matches, don’t count on the staff anything that’s served in a pot. Watch out for Uncle Joe Concord (Alatoo Square)
waiting up unless it’s a big one. $$$ at the door. $$$$ Waiting staff dressed as airline stewards and an in-
terior featuring some aeronautical paraphernalia
New York Pizza (177, Kievskaya) German attempt to lend a little glamour to this small diner
Decorated with pictures of the Big Apple and serv- just off Ala-too Square. Good, cheap food and fur-
ing a fine selection of steaks and other American- Steinbrau* (5, Gerzena) ther deals for lunch during midweek make this a
themed dishes, NYP is sure to get New Yorkers Don your beer drinking trousers and head down to popular spot during the daytime. $$
thinking of home. For home delivery ring (0312) Bishkek’s take on a Bavarian-style beer hall. They brew
909909. $$$ their own stuff - such a relief from the insipid bilge Cosmo Bar* (Sovietska/Toktogul)
that’s normally sold as lager. Compliment your pint Board the sweet smelling elevator, ascend to the
Armenian with a plate of German sausage with sauerkraut. $$$ top-floor Cosmo Bar and splash the cash with your
fellow free-spending cosmonauts. Elegant interior,
Landau (Manas/Gorky) plush sofas, fancy drinks and pretty waitresses.
Fancy something a little different? If you can tol- Uighur Huzzah! $$$$
erate the arthritic service, Landau isn’t a bad spot Crostini (191, Abdrahmanova)
for a pork steak or some other Armenian culinary Karavan (Almatinkskoya/Chui) Situated inside the Hyatt Regency, this is a joint to
goodies. Also, treat yourself to some decent Arme- Excellent little stolvya (canteen) full of the timeless be reserved for a high end business lunch or mar-
nian conjac whilst your here, you’ll never go near regional favourites. Being an Uighur restaurant its gero riage proposal only. Renowned chef Taner Erdemir
Bishkek conjac again. Ever. $$$ lagman or lagman pa Uighurski particularly stand out. serves up mouth-watering international cusine,
No smoking, sit, eat and leave. $ but at a price. $$$$
Chinese International Doka Pizza* (153, Kievskaya)
Ak-Bata (108, Ibraimova) More sexed up than its former Akhunbaeva sister
This place must serve up pretty authentic dishes 2x2* (Isanova/Chui) bar, there’s a strip bar downstairs, Doka Kievskaya
as it’s always full of Chinese playing mah-jong and Trendy drinking hole with a circular bar and friend- is often a post-party chillout venue for Bishkek’s
waving their chopsticks about. Smoky and stuffy, ly staff. A good place for knocking back a few pre- young, rich kids. Enjoy the good food, the lively vibe,
but in a nice way. $ nightclub cocktails. Slouch into one of the comfy and the coquettish waitresses – just don’t break your
lounge seats and try to look cool. $$$ beer glass, there’s a stiff fine. Also non-stop. $$$

March 2010 The Spektator www.thespektator.co.uk


Dillinger* (Gorky/Tynystanova)
Glamorous VIP complex including a restaurant, bar
and casino. A decedantly decorated and perculiarly
endearing homage to the notorious bank robber -
we’re sure he would appreciate it. $$$$
Fatboy’s* (Chui/Tynystanova)
Civilized, friendly cafe bang in the middle of town and
a popular ex-pat meeting point. Sensible spot for con-
versation, but if you’re alone there’s a mini-library to pe-
ruse (although literary classics are thin on the ground).
Check out the American pancakes for breakfast, top
marks. $$$
Bars, Restaurants & Clubs
Meri (33, Gorkova)
In the summer months, Meri has one of the prettiest
dining areas in Bishkek. International cuisine served 24
hours a day, more lively nights see jiving on the dance
floor to all your favourite Kyrgyz pop tunes. $$$
Navigator (103, Moskovskaya)
A pricy, but pleasant place to while away an after-
noon. Sit in the bar area over a beer or lounge in the
airy non-smoking conservatory. Attentive service
and a refreshing selection of salads, a good place
for a light, healthy lunch when fat and grease are
getting you down. $$$$
23
Cyclone (136, Chui)
Smart Italian restaurant with plush interior, efficient,
polite serving staff and a warm atmosphere to al-
leviate Bishkek’s winter chills. Pasta dishes stand out
among a menu of traditional Italian favourites. $$$
Dolce Vita (116a, Akhunbaeva)
Cosy Italian restaurant with smiling waitresses serv-
ing excellent pizza. Also serves salads and European
cuisine. Small terrace outside for summertime din-
ing. $$

Four Seasons (116a, Tynystanova)

Stary Edgar’s* (15, Panfilova) Japanese
The concrete monstrosity of the Russian Theatre con-
One of the poshest places to eat out in Bishkek. El- ceals one of Bishkek’s finest attempts at a cosy base- Aoyama (93, Toktogula)
egant, yet modern interior and polite service. Great ment bar. Friendly staff, a decent menu and a collection Elegant sushi joint frequented by serious looking
place to splash out on a special occasion or just for of old bits and bobs decorating the walls make Edgar’s suited-types concluding their latest dodgy deals.
the hell of it. $$$$ an attractive alternative to the city’s mainstream cafés. The food’s excellent though - if you can scrape to-
A blues band plays most nights and a pianist adds a ro- gether enough soms. $$$$
Foyer (27, Erkindik )
mantic ambience on some Sunday evenings. $$$ Watari (Shevchenko, Frunze)
Run by a friendly young couple, Foyer is an excel-
lent place to enjoy an evening cocktail or check Sky Bar* (Razzakova/Moskovskaya) A small Japanese-owned restaurant that serves su-
your inbox with a cup of coffee. Free Wi-Fi, good Sky Bar opened only recently on the eleventh floor shi as well as dishes with a more indian flavour. The
deserts and live music on Wednesday and Saturday. of a highrise but it already seems to have taken off refined atmosphere makes it ideal for a business
Recommended! $$$$ - popular with a trendy crowd on most evenings. meeting or just a sophisticated night out $$$
The windows offer fine views of the city, although
Griffon (Microregion 7) wouldn’t it be better if they faced the mountains
A cosy log-cabin affair with a large meat-roasting rather than the grey sprawl of Bishkek? Decent food,
Korean
central fireplace. On one disturbing occasion the even if the menu isn’t overly adventurous $$$$
Petel (52, Zhykeeva Pudovkin)
waiting staff were about as plesant as a bunch of
Operating in the back room of a Korean family’s
chavs, but hopefully that was a passing phase. $$$ U Mazaya (Behind ‘Zaks’ on Sovietskaya)
Possibly Central Asia’s only rabbit themed restaurant. house, this is Korean style home-cooking at its most
Descend into this underground warren and tuck in. personal. Closed on Sunday. Ring: 0543 922539 $$
Do you want to play Also check out the fairy-light adorned flagship sister-

Football? rabbit-restaurant in Asenbai micro region. $$$

Vavilon (Microregion 7)
Santa Maria (217, Chui)
Plush Korean restaurant offering Eastern favourites,
We want to get a team together including exciting Korean barbecues where you get
for weekly five-a-side kick Finely presented dishes, reasonably priced beer (60 to cook your own dinner, plus an extensive Euro-
arounds. If you’re interested som) genuinely friendly and attentive service and a pean menu. $$$
email:kickaround@thespektator.co.uk music playlist that mixes up a bit of soul, jazz, swing
and classical tracks played at just the right volume.
Live music from 8-ish on most evenings. Definitely
Lebanese
Jam* (179, Toktogula)
worth the trek out to the suburbs ( tell your taxi driver Beirut (Shevchenko/Frunze)
An underground oasis of cool. Jam is a cafe with a
to turn left at the yuzhniy vorota and head towards Now in a new location, Beirut continues to serve en-
full menu, kalians (shisha pipes) and a lounge bar
Asenbai for about 1.5km) $$$ ticing Lebanese goodies including falaffle, humus,
atmosphere, open till 3am . $$$$
Veranda* (Gorky/Soviet. Vefa Centre roof ) and tasty little meat pie things. $$$
Jumanji (Behind the circus) Wow, what a view. Eat rather decent international cui-
It’s strange. This place is decorated with fake jungle sine whilst taking in a superb view of the mountains Moldovan
foliage and is based on a crap kids’ film yet still sort from the 4th floor terrace above the Vefa centre. A
of works. You also get to roll a pair of Jumanji dice great place for some outdoor summer dining. $$$$ Moldova Restaurant (Kievskaya/Turusbekova)
before you order for the chance to win a special se- If it’s been a while since you last went out for a
cret prize - we like this. $$$ Indian Moldovan, this wooden paneled, sturdy-tabled ea-
tery may be the answer to your prayers. Also, the
The Host (Sovietskaya, opposite the Hyatt)
Live Bar* (Kulatova/Pravda - near Ibiza club ) Moldovan Embassy is next door should you care
A varied and interesting menu including fine Indian
Twenty-four hour sports bar with live music at to learn more about the world’s favourite budget-
food make this place a real treat. On midweek days
weekends. Plenty of leather couches provide the wine exporting country. $$$
there are also several excellent business lunch deals
ideal place to sip cocktails whilst watching the
offering a soup, salad, main course and dessert for
Champions league at three in the morning. $$$$
250-350 som. A real stand out and a Spektator fa- Regional/Central Asian
Lounge Bar* (338a, Frunze) vourite! $$$$
Arabica* (Mederova/Tynastanova)
One of our favourite places to drink in the Summer- Italian This formerly sophisticated laid back shisha pipe)
time, when we can afford it. Outdoor balcony-cum- bar has moved to a new location and, by the looks
terrace high above the street with slouch-couches Adriatico (219, Chui) of the bath in the toilets, may still be under devel-
and fine views of the circus - which you can some- Classy restaurant with it’s own Italian chef serving
opment. Three floors, VIP rooms, kaliyans aplenty.
times smell in hot weather. Nice. $$$ up possibly the best pizza in town. Attentive ser-
$$$
vice, and a fine selection of pasta dishes. $$$

Spektator
THE

.co.uk
Find the best bars in town with the Spektator and thespektator.co.uk

www.thespektator.co.uk March 2010 The Spektator

 24 Bars, Restaurants & Clubs
Arzu-II (Sovietskaya/Lev Tolstoy bridge)
Twenty-four hour joint that’s a godsend for those
who get cravings for lagman or manti at four in
the morning. Sometimes smoking isn’t allowed,
sometimes it is, however the food and prices are
constantly pretty good. Comfy booth style seats to
dig yourself into after a heavy night. $$
Arzu-I (Togolok Moldo, next to the stadium)
Offers a hearty selection of Kyrgyz and European Technically an ‘Azerbaijanian’, but don’t let ethno-
dishes and a homely atmosphere. It might yet be a nationalism ruin the best value kebabs in town. The
little too chilly for al fresco dining, but there’s also a menu is limited and if your Russian is too, just say
great outdoor terrace. $$
Derevyashka* (Ryskulova, behind Dvorets Sporta)
Atmospheric drinking cabin that serves a range of
Central Asian and Russian cuisine, as well as cheap-
as-chips Arpa on tap. Well worth it on football
nights, when the locals are rather rowdy. $
Faiza (Jibek Jolu/Prospect Mira)
Possibly the best place to munch traditional grub
in town. Their fried pelmeni and manti are so good
that they have often run out by supper-time. Save
an appetite and go early. $$
Forel (Vorentsovka village)
Twenty minutes outside of Bishkek, Forel is a fish-
based ‘relaxation centre’ set amongst babbling
streams and offering fine veiws of the mountains. Fish
your own trout out of a pool and have it deep fat fried
for your pleasure. Only salads, bread, tea and juice are
sold on site but you are welcome to bring any booze
or garnish you desire, it’s also possible to rent a BBQ.
To get there take a taxi to Vorentsovka village and, if
Zaporyzhia (9, Prospect Mira) Apple (28, Manas)
Recently opened, Zaporyzhia is a cossack fla- Fat, old, lecherous foreigners not welcome, this
voured restauraunt in a varnish-scented log cab- place is for a younger cooler crowd. Multiple bars,
in. Hearty rustic dishes and a homely atmosphere. large dance floor, friendly atmosphere. Thursday
The medovukha is recommended! $$$ usually a big night. (Entrance charge 100-300 som)
Turkish Arbat (9, Karl Marks)
Ajar (On Erkindik between Moskovskaya, Toktogula) Tel. 512094; 512087
Smart ‘elite’ club popular with a slightly older
crowd. Strip bar and restaurant in same building.
(Entrance charge 200/350 som midweek, 350/450
som Fri/Sat. Strip bar 700 som)
‘kebab’ and something cheap and tasty will arrive. $
City Club (85/1, Zhukeyeva-Pudovkina)
Carlson (166, Sovietskaya) Tel. 511513; 510581
A good outdoor terrace and some hearty food, but So exclusive it makes the Spektator crowd feel like
the Karaoke style crooners who provide evening cheap scum bags, City Club is one of the posh-
entertainment are an acquired taste. $$ est clubs in town. Get past the ‘face control’ (ugly
people beware) and spend your evening with gang-
Huzur (Kievskaya/Togoluk Moldo,)
Convivial proprietor Ali claims to have Steven Ger- ster types, lecherous diplomats, Kazakh business-
rard’s 2005 Champion’s League winning Liverpool men and a posse of young rich kids who all seem to
shirt. If you don’t believe that, belive in free lipyosh- have studied in London. (Entrance charge: girls 200/
ka and good, affordable Turkish cuisine. $$ boys 300, Fri/Sat girls 300/boys 500
Golden Bull (Chui/Togolok Moldo)
Konak (Sovietskaya/Gorkova)
This Turkish joint used to be ‘Restaurant Camelot’ Tel. 620131
hence the incongruous suits of armour in the back A Bishkek institution. Full of ex-pats and tourists liter-
room, and the rather crappy castle facade. However, ally every night of the week. Long bar, friendly staff,
the food is often great, the salads are large and fresh, cheapish beer, everyone’s happy. (Entrance charge
and the staff are always pleasant. Recommended! [girls/boys] free/400 midweek, 150/400 Fri/Sat. ‘For-
(And now open 24 hours a day) $$ eigners’ free.)
Retro Metro (24, Mira)
Night
www.retrometro.kg

your taxi driver doesn’t know the exact location, ask a
friendly villager. Trout is 800som/kilo $$$
Jalalabad (Togolok Moldo/Kievskaya)
Basically the cheapest food (that won’t give you gut
rot) in the centre of town. While it should stand out
for its fresh lagman, Jalalabad is sometimes over-
looked. Probably at its best in summer, when the
shashlyk masters flanking the entrance offer their
creations straight to guests sitting at Eastern-style
tables – cross your legs and see how long you can
last before cramp sets in. $
Advertise with
Clubs
Bright, happy, 80’s kitsch bar, the DJ spins his rec-
ords from inside the front of a VW camper van. One
of the most popular places for post-2am partying.
(Entrance charge: 200/300 som midweek, 350/450
There are some Bishkek old-hands who say that som Fri/Sat. Reserve for 200 som)
things aren’t what they used to be when it comes to
nightlife in Bishkek. They talk of legendary nights of Live Music
carnage, vomit, and debauchery - delights that con-
temporary Bishkek struggles to offer. Promzona (16, Cholpon-Atinskaya)
Not so, we say. Take your pick from the list below and www.promzona.kg
we’re sure there’s still enough carnage, vomit and Promzona’s far-flung location sadly means a taxi
debauchery in town to keep everyone happy. ride or a long walk home are in order at the end
of a night. Nevertheless, this trendy live music
venue has a lot going for it: good bands, an exten-
Diskoklubs
sive menu, and a hip industrial interior featuring,

the Spektator
Heaven (Frunze/Pravda - in the Hotel Dostuk) strangely, a wind tunnel fan, make this one of the
As Heaven is found inside a hotel it is surprisingly best nights out in Bishkek. Tuesday is Jazz night.
unseedy. In fact it stands out for being a bastion of Rock or blues bands normally play at the week-
Rates from 1500 som per page. the well-dressed (if one is generous). Turn up in tatty ends. (Music charge 200-350 som)
jeans and a t-shirt and you may feel a little out of Tequila Blues (Turesbekova/Engels)
Email:
place; then again, you may not give a shit. Tables by A possible misnomer, the tequila is just fine but
advertise@thespektator.co.uk the dancefloor cost 1000 som but include drinks up the blues is non-existent. Russian studenty types
to this value. (Entrance charge 200-400 som) mosh away the nights to Rock bands in an at-
mospheric underground bunker. (Music charge
Russian/Ukrainian Fire & Ice (Tynystanova/Erkindik) 150 som)
A slightly grittier version of Golden Bull. Again, for-
Pirogoff-Vodkin (Kievskaya/Togolok Moldo) eigners can often get in for free. Popular throughout Sweet Sixties (Molodaya Gvardia/Kievskaya)
Classy restaurant with a turn of the 20th century the week. (Entrance ‘foreigners’ free) Live cover bands most nights. Full menu, popular
atmosphere serving Russian specialities. Have your with a younger crowd. $$
tea in a giant samovar. $$$ Pharoah (East side of the Philharmonic)
An underground lair packed with eyecatching nods Zeppelin (43, Chui)
Khutoryanka (Sovietskaya/Lev Tolstoy bridge)
to Ancient Egypt. Foreigners can sometimes negoti- Zeppelin is in the same vein as the old Tequila
Unassuming, to put it mildly, on the outside, this
ate cheaper or free entry, but be prepared for the big Blues but not quite so spit and sawdust. On the
place is a revelation on the inside. Delicious food,
sting inside - beer costs the best part of 200som. nights we’ve visited, there’s been a line up of young
reasonable service, Ukrainian brass band music
Charge ( 400-500 som) rock or punk bands strutting their stuff, heavier
on the cd player. We love it! $$$
beats seem to go down best with the young Rus-
Taras Bulba (Near the Yuzhniy Vorota on Sovietskaya) Platinum (East side of the he Philharmonic) sian crowd. Full restaurant menu.
Like all the Ukrainian restaurants we’ve tried in Take a seat at the snazzy 360 degree bar and do bat- (Entrance charge 100-150 som)
Bishkek, Taras Bulba serves great food. We liked the tle with some of Kyrgyzstan’s most convivial ‘elite’ for
potato pancakes with caviar, the delicious soups gold-digging temptresses. (Entrance charge 400- Live music also common at Stary Edgar’s, Beatles
and fresh salads. $$$ 500 som)
Bar, Foyer and Blonder Pub (see ‘restaurants’)

March 2010 The Spektator www.thespektator.co.uk

 Map 25
a Gvardia
o l o d aya Gvardi Mo l o d aya
M

Jibek
Jo lu
Kievskaya
THE MOUNTAINS

Chui
Engelsa
Lva Tolstogo

Toktogula
1 2 13
23 ve.
Manas a
ve.
Manas a4 5

Ryskulova

Jumabe
ve.
Manas a

Kievskaya
Moskovskaya

Isanova

k
6 11

T. Abdymom
Isanova 8 Koenkozo
va
Isanova 7
12 Dvorets
Sporta
9 10

unov stadium
oldo
Togolok M

Jibe
Michael Frunze
Spartak

k Jo
Chui
Toktogula

k o 14
Logvinen
Moskovskaya

va
Orozbeko
15

Juma

Baeto
16
Lva Tolstog

va
Orozbeko a
Razzakov
Bokonbaeva

bek

va
18 a
Razzakov
17 Erkind
Abdym

Erkindik
Tugolbay

Michae
omuno
o

19 21
l Frunze

a ova
Fatianov Tynystan
va

ova
Tynystan 20 AYA
SOVETSK
AYA
Circus

26 27 SOVETSK
Chui

AYA
Kievskaya

SOVETSK ae va 24
22
Shopoko
va
A. Usenb
Toktogula

25
Lva

va
Shopoko
Pravda
a
Elebaev
Tol

Pravda
s

lya
Gogo
tog

Ogonbae
Moskov
o

North
Bokonb

lya
Gogo
va

www.thespektator.co.uk March 2010 The Spektator

 26 What’s On
Noruz Trekking Union Dates for April Entertainment Directory
Noruz marks the official start of spring and the 3rd April The Puppet Theatre
pagan new year, and is best witnessed on cam- Hiking up through the Alamedin Gorge Sovietskaya/Michurina
pus at universities throughout the city. This time Hike to this local waterfall and enjoy an open air Performances on Sundays at 11:00am.
round it falls on the Sunday so universities have picnic. There is also a local spring/water pool for
adjusted their celebrations accordingly. Shovel bathing and drinking. Return to Bishkek in the
Russian Drama Theatre
down some special sumolok porridge and enjoy! evening.
Tynystanova, 122 (Situated in Oak Park)
Tel.: 662032, 621571
20th March 4th April
Hours: Mon-Sun, 10:00-18:00
БГУ Humanities University Hiking around the Issyk-Ata Gorge
A real treat last year - the yurts go up and there Tickets 30-100 som
Trek along the left bank of the Issyk Ata River to
is Kazakh, Uighur, Uzbek and Kyrgyz dancing, Botvеу mountain (4008 m). Open air picnic. Re- A range of local and international plays in Rus-
along with free helpings of sumolok. turn back along the right bank of the river and sian.
visit a local waterfall. Same day return to Bishkek.
22nd March The Conservatory
Manas University, Zhal Campus 10th April Jantosheva, 115
Lots of music, dancing and national games. Paintballing Tel: 479542
The festivities will take place in the stadium if Show off your trigger-happy leadership qualities Concerts by students and professors.
weather doesn’t allow. in an adrenaline pumping game of paintball just
Call Cholpon (0557 112206) for directions. outside the city. Same day return to Bishkek. Kyrgyz State Philharmonic
Chui Prospect, 253
Dates for March 11th April Tel: 212262, 212235
Hiking and Photography tour Hours: 17:00-19:00 in summer
Daily until 4th April Stops include the Boom Gorge, the famous ‘lunar Tickets: 70-100 som (sometimes much more for
King and Tigers landscapes’ and the Red Stone Canyon. Same day special performances)
Another haphazard idea from the city circus fol- return to Bishkek. There are two concert halls featuring classical,
lowing last month’s aborted visit by the dwarves. traditional Kyrgyz, and pop concerts and a variety
King is a lion. Monkeys are also promised. 17th April of shows.
Bishkek Circus (Sovietskaya/Zhibek Zholu) Trekking expedition to the Sokoluk Gorge
Tickets from 250 som Tel: 68 68 18 Open air picnic and hike. Same day return to Opera Ballet Theatre
Bishkek. Sovietskaya/Abdymununova
26th March
Tel: 66 15 48
Romeo and Juliet 18th April
Hours: 17:00-19:00
Tragedy in Russian Rock climbing at the Chongerchuck Gorge
Russian Drama Theatre Tickets: 150-600 som
Hiking and climbing for people of all levels and
Tel: 66 20 32 Tickets for performances sell out very quickly and
abilities. Benefit from the experience of our pro-
it is necessary to book a seat in advance.
fessional instructors and equipment.
27th March
Bayaderka
Opera in Russian
24-25th April Live updates
Official opening of ‘Kegeti Mountain House’
Opera Ballet Theatre Hiking in the Kegeti & Kel-Tor gorges. First day: For all the Bishkek opera, ballet and concert listings,
Tel: 66 15 48 hiking along the gorge. Overnight stop in the check our frequently updated What’s On listings at:
‘Kegeti Mountain House’. Second day: trek to the www.thespektator.co.uk
27th March Kel-Tor Lake (2725 m). Open air picnic, returning
American Roulette to Bishkek in the afternoon.
Comedy in Russian
Russian Drama Theatre
Take Dave’s Space
30th April
Tel: 66 20 32 Rafting season begins! Sadly, due to fresh financial insecurity, Dave Brand has
Boom gorge region, Chui River (Rafting category informed us he will no longer be able to fund his adver-
28th March 2-3). Distance: 25 km. Estimated time 2-2.5 hours. tising spot in our popular ‘What’s on’ section. To promote
Iolanthe your own company’s services in his place, please email
Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic musical Groups meet the Thursday before the weekend of advertise@thespektator.co.uk. Prices start from 1000
Opera Ballet Theatre departure. Call (0312) 906 115 or email us at trek@ soms. Dave, we thank you for a fruitful relationship and
Tel: 66 15 48 elcat.kg. Website: www.trek-kyrgyzstan.com wish you and your business a swift recovery.

What’s On is sponsored by
www.davebrand.com
Map: Location guide 7. Beta Stores Supermarket 14. New York Pizza 21. Stary Edgars
1. Tequila Blues 8. Derevyashka 15. Cowboy 22. TSUM Department Store
2. Metro Bar (American Pub) 9. Cyclone 16. National Museum 23. Jam
3. Watari 10. Coffee House (II) 17. Navigator 24. Mimino
4. Zaporyzhian Nights 11. Adriatico 18. Sky Bar 25. Arabica
5. Coffe House (I) 12. Santa Maria 19. Foyer 26. Konak
6. 2x2 Bar 13. Faiza 20. Fatboy’s 27. VEFA shopping Centre (& Veranda)

March 2010 The Spektator www.thespektator.co.uk

0312 66 40 79
Boulevard Erkindik 27