14 Jun 11: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

We have been well treated and received by the local architects and the girl from the Aga Khan Foundation. Hotel was booked and this morning they took us to lunch with a museum visit. Half of the museum is dedicated to communism and Lenin. A past glorified for such a poor result.

We kept the evening free to enable us receive the Skidmore summer adviser call.

Bishkek is a quiet laid back capital in an appropriate scale driving people to be more convivial. The soviets left large green avenues and parks. People go out and sing karaoke outdoors, others play ping pong. Women push their prams and babies late at night. It is a far less conservative city than the other capitals, Dushanbe and Tashkent. However like the others several of the young people have left as soon as they have an opportunity, either to Moscow or elsewhere. Jobs are scarce and there is high unemployment among the young.