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Martin Journal Entry: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
By E. Scott Martin
Living in Central Asia has its challenges and its perks; here are my thoughts:
The People
The Good: Kyrgyzstan is made of 60% Kyrgyz and 14% Russian. There are other ethnicities here as well such as Iranian,
Uzbek, and Tajik. The Kyrgyz are a nomadic people group. They are pastoral by nature, thus they are very laid-back and
peaceful. I have found them always eager to help me if I am in trouble. They never denigrate the U.S. in front of me.
They avoid conflict and as a result you don’t see fights and arguments. As I will share later in the Driving category, most
people living in the U.S. would get pretty upset at the pace and the chaos of things. The “bird” would be flying quite
frequently if this was Tucson or Springfield, but I have never seen anyone give the “bird” here. The people are good and we
love them.
The Police
The Good: They are all over the place. When you get pulled over by the police (they wave a red baton at your vehicle
and you are expected to pull over) you get out of your vehicle and they greet you with a hello and a handshake. They are
almost always courteous and friendly. I have been pulled over around 12 times.
The Bad: Corruption is rampant here. Police often rent their corners from the government and pull vehicles over indiscriminately.
Of course, they are always courteous, but it is often a racket and you don’t get off the hook. I have tried to
find out from them what my infraction is when being pulled over and I have only been given one legitimate reason. I don’t
speed so I know that one is always a farce.
The Ugly: It was a bitter cold December evening when Crystal, the two boys and I were indiscriminately pulled over by
the police. Of course, they couldn’t give a reason for pulling me over. My documents were in the glove compartment and
the handle had been broken off. The screwdriver I used to open it was nowhere to be found. I retrieved my Buck Knife
from the trunk and used it to open the glove compartment. The policeman saw my nice knife and asked to look at it. He
then told me it was illegal and he had to confiscate it. I drew the line at this, as I knew it wasn’t illegal, and we had a
showdown over the knife. After 30 minutes of intense dialogue I produced my Member of the Presidium identification card
from Central Asian American Football Association and it scared him. I pulled rank and trumped him. My knife was given
back to me; he shook my hand and said good night.
Most tickets cost only $1.18.
Driving
The Good: It is possible to get around by driving.
The Bad: There is a caste system here in driving. It goes in this order: Mercedes, BMW, Audi, marshrutkas and buses,
middle range cars like Volkswagen, Hyundai, etc., and at the bottom is the Russian Lada (you can pretend like they don’t
even exist on the road). Mercedes seem to have a license to speed, cut in front of lines, pull into other lanes, and avoid all
traffic laws. The marshrutkas (public transport that are big box vans) and buses will just knock you out of the way or run
over you. And if they hit you they will keep on going. They have a “license to kill” other vehicles.
The Ugly: Taxis are also dangerous. Twice they have scraped me, each time at the bazaar, and they never stop. They
just smash you and keep on going.
Shopping
The Good: You can purchase food and clothing in Bishkek. It is always an adventure. Everything is fresh.
The Bad: Your choices are very limited and nothing is as convenient as it is in the U.S. Most shopping is done in the
bazaar. There are no shopping carts or baggers in the bazaar. You are on your own. In the winter it is as cold as an icebox
throughout the bazaars and you have to be careful not to slip on fall on the ice. To try on any clothes (I never have, only
Crystal) during the winter is a trying experience as you risk frostbite. Nothing is refrigerated in the bazaar and you can be
assured that all the meat is fresh that day.
The Ugly: I ate carrot salad from the bazaar one day and got a bad case of food poisoning. Later everyone told me,
“Never eat carrot salad from the bazaar. It’s not refrigerated.” Thanks for the information!
The City
The Good: The view of the mountains is spectacular. There are many universities. It snows here throughout the winter
and the snow covers the trash and makes everything pretty. The indigenous food is awesome. There are some great bazaars.
The people are helpful. Public transportation is abundant. Snow doesn’t stop or scare these people.
The Bad: The roads are atrocious with potholes deep enough to lose a kid in and some holes big enough to lose a man in
(no joke). You can destroy a vehicle if you don’t pay attention. There are no snowplows or salt for roads so all the vehicles
work together. I have seen them throw some gravel on the roads though. Air pollution is scary and Mercer says he now
understands why the life expectancy is shorter here.
The Ugly: Trash is taken to large neighborhood trash bins. It often piles up and dogs and rodents live, play and feast in
it. When it piles up too much they will burn it and the smoke flows throughout the neighborhood.
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