Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Spektator
23 December 2013
One
Steppe
Ahead:
Riding Kazakhstan
Plus:
Person of the
Year
Catchin up with
Coolio
Ghosts of the
Mountains
Contents
Non-News
Focus
This Month
News and Views
Aida Salyanova is easily the sauciest general prosecutor in the post-Soviet space.
She also reminds us of a cracking musical
we once went to see.
12
16
18
10
City Map
11
The Guide
Restaurants, Bars, Clubs
www.thespektator.co.uk
The End
Loco Motion
22
26
THE
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Spektator
.co.uk
This Month
CHRIS RICKLETON
BISHKEK, December 12 (Eurasianet) - Sitting in
his office, surrounded by marketing materials,
Dastan Omuraliev voices lots of confidence in his
new startup: Kyrgyzstan has some of the best
fruits and vegetables in the world, he says. Once
processed and packaged into colorful three-liter
boxes of organic apple juice, they can compete
anywhere.
Few visitors to Kyrgyzstan would dispute
Omuralievs claim about the countrys produce.
For much of the year, bazaars teem with juicy
peaches, tomatoes, apples and all sorts of melons. But with a weak economy and foreign investors frightened by chronic political instability, turning Kyrgyzstans natural abundance into
exportable goods is difficult. Overwhelmingly,
Kyrgyzstan remains a nation of poor farmers and
traders hawking products produced elsewhere.
The debate over domestic productivity, or lack
thereof, has taken on a new dynamic as Bishkek
negotiates to enter the Russia-led Customs Union, a protectionist trade block that also includes
Belarus and Kazakhstan. Opponents of accession
in Bishkek point out that all three countries have
stronger, more industrialized economies. By contrast, in Kyrgyzstan, revenues from re-exported
consumer goods, mostly produced in China,
generate upwards of 15 percent of GDP, according to Bishkek-based economist Roman Mogilevski. The World Bank lists Kyrgyzstan as Central
Asian country with the highest dependence on
trade relative to GDP.
The quandary for Bishkek is that Customs Union membership is expected to curtail the countrys re-export trade.
Kyrgyz officials, fearful that their country wont
find a niche within the club, are asking forconcessions with generous grace periods on over
1,000 products, many of which are Chinese inputs essential for its own light industries, such
as textiles. Last month the chairman of the Russian State Dumas Committee for CIS Integration,
Leonid Slutsky, told Kyrgyz MPs they were being
greedy.
Soon thereafter, Economics Minister Temir
Sariev said Kyrgyzstan needs over $1 billion
in aid from members to smooth over potential bumps in the accession process, Vechernii
Bishkek reported on November 25. The requested aid -- $200 million a year over a five-to-seven-year period -- would help the government
create growth spots and new value added in
the economy, as well as compensate local businesses affected negatively by accession, he said.
Sariev added that another $215 million was necessary to bring Kyrgyzstans border infrastructure
into line with Customs Union standards.
Omuraliev, the entrepreneur whose EcoProduct Asia makes juice extracted from domestic
fruits, is already primed for entry. Since August
his company has processed 16 tons of local apples per day using Austrian equipment at their
factory in Shopokov, half an hour from Bishkek
and three hours from his main export market, Almaty, in Kazakhstan. Omuraliev refused to give
This Month
This Month
6
Kazakhstan: Domestic Violence Rising on
Political Agenda
JOANNA LILLIS
ALMATY, December 10 (Eurasianet) - When
banker Darkhan Botabayev tried to book a flight
on Kazakhstans national airline last September,
what started as a routine transaction turned into
an assault that shocked the nation: Botabayev
lost his temper and punched the young female
ticket clerk in the face.
Another violent incident occurred in October,
when Kanatbay Turmaganbetov, a rural mayor
in northern Kazakhstan, took exception to a
woman photographing a billboard of President
Nursultan Nazarbayev: He summoned her to his
office where he bashed her head against the
wall, punched her several times in the chest and
kicked her, according to a local media report.
Turmaganbetov was prosecuted, fined and
fired; Botabayev was forced to resign as a member of Kazinvestbanks board and blacklisted by
Air Astana after which he apologized to his
victim bearing a bouquet of flowers, and donated $10,000 to charity. These incidents caused
an outcry in Kazakhstan, but activists point out
that they arent isolated cases. Most disturbingly,
many assaults against women take place behind
closed doors.
Take Marina, who married an abusive man to
escape a father who turned violent on her after she was raped at the age of 15 and became
pregnant; or Irina, whose husband set fire to her
mothers flat after she fled there to escape further
abuse. Some victims do not survive, like Rashida,
found with a knife sticking out of her chest after
her husband broke into her safe house, locked
her daughters into a bedroom and stabbed her
to death.
These testimonies were collected by the Podrugi (Girlfriends) Crisis Center in Almaty, which
offers psychological and legal support for victims
of violence, and training for law-enforcement,
education, and healthcare professionals. The organization also is trying to force the issue upKazakhstans political agenda.
When Podrugi was set up 15 years ago, domestic violence was not acknowledged as a problem or a crime, instead it was often portrayed
as a private family matter. Activists relentless
efforts have helped change public perceptions.
And in last years state-of-the-nation address, an
alarmed President Nazarbayev singled out the
issue as one in need of attention.
Violence is not a private problem, Nadezhda
Gladyr, Podrugis president, told EurasiaNet.org
in an interview. It is a social problem, because it
goes beyond the boundaries of the family. It is a
problem of the state.
One landmark in the fight to raise awareness was the passing of a law against domestic
violence in 2009. Legal amendments to tighten it
up and offer victims more support are currently
making their way through parliament.
No one knows how many women are victims of
domestic violence in Kazakhstan every year. Paradoxically, official statistics (notoriously unreliable
on gender violence in most countries) show that
the number of reported crimes has fallen since
the law was adopted, whereas a rise might have
December2013 The Spektator
Tajikistans
President Drives
Stolen German
Cars - German
Media
DAVID TRILLING
December 19, (Eurasianet) - When police
close the roads and President Emomali Rakhmons fleet of black Mercedes-Benzes hightails
it through Tajikistans capital several times
each day, the ensuing traffic jams cause a fair
amount of grumbling.
But the grumbling is not confined to Dushanbe. Apparently authorities in Berlin are
peeved, too: They say hundreds of luxury cars
in Tajikistan have been stolen off German
streets and are being used by the president
and his relatives, according to a German media
report. And despite Berlins repeated requests
to redress the issue, Tajik officials are ignoring
the appeals.
Using GPS technology, German investigators have traced approximately 200 stolen German luxury vehicles to Tajikistan, including 93
BMWs, reports Deutsche Welle, citing the German tabloid Bild.
There have long been detailed rumors in
Dushanbes Western diplomatic community
that many of the luxury cars plying Dushanbes
streets were stolen in Europe (and traded,
somewhere along the way, for heroin), and
that Tajik police officials are unwilling to address the problem.
It turns out, according to Bild, the dispute
goes to the highest levels of the Tajik government and that a recent bilateral meeting in
Berlin was cancelled because the Tajik foreign
minister did not want to deal with the awkward questions. From Deutsche Welle:
When Berlins Justice Minister Thomas Heilmann learned of this, he wrote a letter to the
German Foreign Ministry in which he noted that
most of these stolen cars now belong to people
who are connected to the president of Tajikistan
by economic and familial ties, reports Bild. At
Heilmanns request, former Foreign Minister
Guido Westerwelle summoned the Tajik ambassador.
According to Bild, the German Foreign Ministry has repeatedly appealed to the Tajiks on this
issue, to no avail: The Tajik authorities refuse to
return the stolen cars. In October, former Foreign
Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi at the last minute refused to visit Berlin, as the government intended
to include the issue of the stolen cars on the
agenda.
Ignoring a problem is pretty much standard
operating procedure in Tajikistans government. No doubt, if the reports are true, no one
wants to tell Rakhmon that he has to pony up
for his own Benz.
www.thespektator.co.uk
Map
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www.thespektator.co.uk
oldo
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AYA
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SOVETSK
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Aida!
Aida!
Aida!
JOHN BERESFORD
readers, please meet the Princess of Naryn, a political survivor of the highest order, General Prosecutor
of the Kyrgyz Republic, Aida Salyanova.
Why has Salyanova stolen the Spektators cold,
sarcastic heart this festive season? Well, apart from
bearing a strong resemblance to the primary school
teacher that gave it its first stiffy, we still believe in
goodies and baddies, and, as the republics chief investigator, Salyanova is a bonafide goody locking up
some of the baddest baddies around.
Thanks to Aida, half of Kyrgyzstans graft-ridden
Top Salyanova struts her stuff while the lads parliament are now packing their suitcases and
pondering an extended vacation in Dubai. Thanks
play Snake on their Nokias (archive)
to Aida, the former mayor that allegedly earned a
Below Ancient Nubias very own General fortune embezzling cheap Chinese buses and the
former tax chief whose tax-collecting expertise alProsecutor (archive)
legedly made him a multi-millionaire are looking
forward to a New Year behind bars. Thanks to Aida,
the Joker and the Penguin (nationalist clowns Japarov and Tashiev) were almost incarcerated, only for
a petrified judge to reverse his prior verdict when
their supporters started throwing shoes at him.
But perhaps things arent so black and white,
you say. Kyrgyzstani politics is a dynamic and fluctuating process of conflict and bargaining, with marginalized peripheries and corrupt cores; a vicious
struggle for scarce resources among disparate elites
with broadly varying agendas. Perhaps Salyanova is
just a pawn of the Presidents Office, administering
punishments in line with academic theories of asymmetric justice? We respond that you are over-complicating things. The real question is: Has anyone ever
looked this foxy in a prosecutors uniform before?
We do concede that Salyanovas tenure as general prosecutor has had a few blemishes, especially
this year. In April she was accused of complicity in a
scandal that saw Aziz Batukayev, the mob boss that
once had half the Kyrgyz underworld and a sizeable
portion of the political class wrapped around his
December2013 The Spektator
little finger escape captivity and travel on a chartered flight to the Gangstas Paradise that is Grozny,
Chechnya, in order to treat a disease which turned
out to be a mere figment of his imagination. Oops!
Then, the following month, as villagers in the region
surrounding the Kumtor gold mine waged a pitch
battle against riot police, Salyanovas car was spotted
parked outside a Bishkek beauty salon for a full five
hours - a discovery that sent a series of politicians,
who arent as hot as Aida, into uproar. Nevertheless,
in spite of these scandals, two and three-quarter
years and three prime ministers on from when Roza
Otunbayeva first appointed her in March 2011,
Salyanova is still General Prosecutor of the Kyrgyz
Republic: They dont call her Teflon Aida for nothing!
Salyanova is a very clever and very strong woman, one long-time correspondent for a Bishkek
newspaper told the Spekatator. I still remember her
when she was working as a civil servant in the parliament after the Tulip Revolution [2005]. She was
so young then but knew every law in the book and
how to use them. Now she is prosecutor she has a
file on every other politician in the country!
Indeed, and perhaps even one on the Spektator.
But what is Written in the Stars for 41-year-old Salyanova over the next couple of years? A dozen more
MPs banged up in the slammer? A $5,000 pedicure?
Enough kudos amassed for a tilt at the presidency in
2017? We dont know. What we do know is that over
thirteen years since Aida first lit up Broadway, the lyrics of The Dance of the Robe have never rung truer:
Aida, your robe should be golden, your robe should
be perfect, instead of this ragged concoction of thread.
But may you be moved by its desperate beauty to give
us new life, for wed rather be dead than live in the
squalor and shame of the slave to the dance, to the
dance. Aida, Aida, all we ask of you - all we ask - is a lifetime of service, wisdom, courage. To ask more would be
selfish, but nothing less will do. Aida, Aida, Aida, Aida,
Aida, Aida, Aida, Aida. You know expectations are wild
and almost beyond your fulfillment. But they wont
hear a word of a doubt or see signs of weakness. Your
nigh on impossible duty is clear. If you can rekindle your
ancestors dreams, its enough, its enough, its enough
(Aida, Aida, Aida, Aida, Aida, Aida). Its enough.
www.thespektator.co.uk
10
Kickin It
at
Kol-Tor
We busy working-folk cant swan off to the
countryside for weeks on end like Bishkeks
layabout crusty-backpacker-types. But when
Altyn Arshan or Batken are just too far away,
our own little Chui Valley is given a chance to
shine. Stephen Lioy takes a look at Kol-Tor
Lake in the Kegeti Gorge a few hours from the
capital.
Getting there:
STEPHEN LIOY
FTER A LUNG-PUNISHING uphill hike has had a lot of rain recently youre probably better
through fragrant green glades (what off taking the left fork that climbs up an open hillcan I say, horses in Kyrgyzstan make na- side as it will be significantly drier than the route to
The Lowdown: The hike from the Trekking
ture everywhere a bit fragrant), one last the right. The two meet again in a green meadow
Union Hut in Kegeti to Kol-Tor Lake takes appush beyond a steep muddy stretch of and climb together up a few more rises to arrive at
proximately 3 hours up and 1.5 hours down. It trail brings hikers to an open hilltop overlooking Kol-Tor. The hilltop just to the right of where the trail
is suitable for anyone with a reasonable level a bright turquoise lake. Kol-Tor is just as beautiful meets the lake provides a great view of the whole
of fitness, and requires no special equipment (hint: or more) as anything in Ala-Archa National scene and is worth a scramble, or you can continue
other than good boots and warm clothes.
Park, but doesnt get nearly as many clueless hikers on the path as it winds around the lake, eventually
Transport: To get there by public transport take or drunken picnickers as
reaching a small rocky
Youll spend the day alone with delta where the tribua minibus from the East Bus Station towards the Bishkeks most famous
village of Kegeti (50 som, about 2 hours). Just excursion. Instead, a friends in the foothills of the moun- tary stream feeds into
before crossing a riverbed into Kegeti, get out hike to Kol-Tor may
Kol-Tor. As a reasonably
of the minibus and head down the road to the pass a family of walkers tains that make Kyrgyzstan such a fit hiker, expect to walk
south. Hitch or hike the 10km to the end of the staying at the Kegeti beautiful place
for two or three hours
road (veer left at the split, rather than taking a Tour Mountain Hut or
from the hut to the tribright over the bridge) and you should see the a handful of walkers out for the day on a trip with utary (and half that on the way back down).
hut located just before the end of the road. If the Trekking Union. More likely, though, is that youll
The valleys en route to Kol-Tor offer several
you want to stay at the hut during warmer spend the day alone with friends in the foothills of prime spots for camping with beautiful views and
months, youd be well-advised to contact the the mountains that make Kyrgyzstan such a beauti- easy access to fresh water, while beyond the lake a
Trekking Union to make a reservation (Tel. +996 ful place.
trail heads south towards an imposing glacier be312 909 115). If youre not comfortable hiking
Starting from the Kegeti Tour Hut, follow the dirt fore continuing west and eventually making a loop
solo or just dont want to figure out the trans- road a little further into the mountains until it ends back towards the small bridge on the road to Kegport logistics, the Trekking Union also organises at a clearing that houses a yurt during shepherding eti village. Although the Kol-Tor hike is easily incorfrequent excursions from Bishkek during sum- months. After taking a couple of photos (come on, porated into multi-day trekking routes, its location
mer months for around 400 som/person.
you know you love yurts with mountainous back- makes it a great day-hike from the capital. And for
Navigation: Maps of the Tien-Shan south of grounds!), exit the clearing to follow the river for those more used to sedentary weekend activities,
Bishkek can be purchased at GeoId (Kievskaya several kilometers along a wooded path that climbs I urge you to give it a go - after all, you can get a
107) at 1:100,000 scale.
up and over several small scree slopes. Around whiff of Kyrgyzstans fragrant hills and still be back
forty-five minutes after leaving the Kegeti hut, look in time for a pint!
Above Left Hiking up the hillside beside Kol- for the path to angle right across some stones in the
river and further to a clearing at the foot of a sharp Stephen Lioy is a traveller and photographer who
Tor (All photos Stephen Lioy)
right turn that heads uphill to the west. After most spends part his year based in Bishkek. For more scenes
Above right Hiking up Kegeti Gorge along of the immediate uphill is over the trail hits a fork. of Kyrgyzstans natural and cultural beauty, check out
Both routes will get you to Kol-Tor, but if the area Stephens webpage at www.MonkBoughtLunch.com
the river
December2013 The Spektator
www.thespektator.co.uk
12
One
I
Steppe
Ahead
JAMIE BUNCHUK
13
back Arghh! F**k! Charlie had proceeded to much attention at that particular moment, preocbite me in the crotch. It was turning into a long cupied by my own hunger and thirst.
and frustrating couple of days.
Shall we stop for a bit? Matt asked, already
beginning the complex process of dismounting
Kazakh Picnic
from his spaceship of a saddle, surrounded on all
There is nothing more profoundly demoralising side by two tripods and the other paraphernalia
than travelling all day in the bleak, baking heat, of his photography.
only to look back and see exactly where you
Yeah, Ill get the noodles out too, just a sec.
Kindikti had not been a well-stocked town, and
the only breakfast food wed been able to get reWe continued to eat, squat- sembled gruel, with lunch consisting of a single
ting in the empty steppe, burping packet of old dried noodles each and a handful
gasoline fumes and expletives into of biscuits. We squatted, surrounded by our horses, holding their reins. Oh s**t. That tastes rank,
the stifling air
mate, I spat out the biscuit. It tastes like petrol.
How the hell did that happen?
Christ if I know, replied Matt. The petrol stove
started that morning. Coming down out of the must have leaked somehow, he added, peering
hills above Kindikti an endless sea of flatness had into our full packbags for the offending item.
engulfed us. I was still worried about Charlie; I had
Now what? I asked.
managed to disinfect the wound, but I couldnt
He shrugged. We havent got anything else,
get the girth-band to sit right and it kept on slip- not if we want dinner at any rate. Were just goping onto the cut and re-opening it. The nauseat- ing to have to eat them. We continued to eat,
ing guilt that accompanies hurting an animal in squatting in the empty steppe, burping gasoline
your care is a horrible experience, and I decided fumes and expletives into the stifling air.
that I would walk the remainder of that day. The
sun crushed into Matt and I, beat into all three A Bend In The River
horses too. A scarf was wrapped around my face The relentless beating of the rain on the tent
and the world was seen through a veil of fine red walls was driving me to distraction. The camp
mesh, shade from the searing intensity of the sun- was a chaotic mess of hastily strewn kit, thrown
light bouncing off barren earth. Charlie walked haphazardly about the place as we settled into
alongside me complacently, but I didnt pay him the regular rest-day routine.
December 2013 The Spektator
14
www.thespektator.co.uk
16
Non-News
Catchin
up
with
Coolio
STEVE HOWEY
C: Fantastic Voyage my butt cheek! Haters made TS: Well move on. In 2009 you were arrested
me pay for the sandwiches and the serviettes. I at Los Angeles airport (LAX) for possession
of crack cocaine. You have also spoken about
cant stand that shit!
being addicted to the drug as a teenager.
Top left Coolio back when he had three spiky
TS: And now that you are here, what are your Exactly how much crack had you consumed
things (All photos archive)
impressions of Kyrgyz culture?
before you decided that hairstyle was a good
Centre Available from Amazon.com for 50
idea?
C: Say what?
cents
C: Dont ur Editor-in-Chief got ginger hair? I rest
TS: In your classic hit Gangstas Paradise you
Right More Snoopy than Snoop Doggy Dogg
my case, cases.
mused: Im twenty-three now, will I live to see
twenty-fow? The way things is going I dont TS: In addition to being a ridiculously old
Bottom right WhatchULookin@Fool?
December2013 The Spektator
www.thespektator.co.uk
Non-News
17
18
Focus
The
Ghosts
Mountains
of the
ADRIANE LOCHNER
NABU
Focus
19
20
Focus
Clockwise from Left to Right, this page & opposite Head of the Gruppa Bars and geographer, Joldosh Akunov, checks a camera trap
(Photo Adriane Lochner)
Prey of the snow leopards are also captured
by the photo traps. Here the Siberian ibex
pauses in contemplation (Photo NABU)
Researcher Orjan Johansson monitoring a
sedated snow leopard. Soon he will equip the
cat with a GPS-collar (Photo SLT)
Previously counts were based on indirect evidence, such as paw prints. (Photo Kubanychbek Zhumabai uulu)
Snow leopard caught by photo trap at night
(Photo SLT/Kyle McCarthy)
A snow leopard
(Photo NCF-SLT)
ranging
its
territory
20 by 20
We therefore need to offer them alternatives for making money. Herding communities
who participate in the Snow Leopard Enterprise
contractually agree not to help poachers. In exchange, traditional handicrafts made by women
from these communities are imported to the U.S.
and sold there. Program participants get an extra bonus from the SLT if they dont illegally hunt
snow leopards or their prey animals inside the
community protected area. Participating villages
in Kyrgyzstan include Enilchek and Ak-Shyyrak in
the Central Tian-Shan Mountains. In addition to
these efforts both the trust and NABU are working hard to educate the public on the importance
of snow leopard conservation, focusing on early
education in schools.
Counting to Protect the Cats
Assessments of snow leopard population sizes
across countries remain vague (see textbox). The
snow leopard lives in remote and harsh mountain
areas and is an expert in camouflage, subterfuge
and evasion. In Kyrgyzstan this elusive character
has earned the animal the moniker ghost of the
mountains.
But SLTs Zhumabai uulu says that it is important to try to discern precise numbers and locations of the cats. This information allows us to
identify the areas we need to focus on to conserve the snow leopard. To find out how many
cats live in a given region you can look for paw
prints, scratching, urine markings and feces.
Counting prey is another way of assessing
snow leopard abundance. Siberian ibex and argali, a wild sheep species, are the Kyrgyz snow leopards main food source. If their numbers decrease,
Focus
21
22
THE GUIDE
culinary goodies. Also, treat yourself to some Barashek is out in the micro region so you get a
decent Armenian cognac whilst your here, youll dose of fresh air free with your mutton rack. $$$
So, here is the latest version of the guide updates never go near Bishkek cognac again. Ever. $$
Barclays Pub* NEW (Sovietskaya/Mederova)
always welcomed at editor@thespektator.co.uk.
Much as with Burger Kig on Akhunbaeva st, we
CHINESE
Be aware that NEW may mean new to the guide,
fear Barclays were not paid for the use of their
rather than the capital...
name. Nevertheless, this isnt a place to quibble
China Town NEW (Orozbekov/Toktogul)
intellectual property rights, its a place to wash
As ever, theres a fine line between bar and Open since last December, this joint is the real
down fried onions with a jar of beer and watch
restaurant in Bishkek. Places more suitable for deal - two metre terracota warriors even feature
the peoples sport. (Thats not baseball, by the
drinking sessions are marked with a star *
in the decor. Pricier than the other Bishkek
way). $$
Price Guide (main course, garnish, beer)
Chinese spots but overwhelmingly better. We are
$ - Expect change from 300 som
hoping that they fix up an English menu in time Barsuk NEW (Tynystanova 122)
$$ - In the region of 300-500 som
for summer, when the outdoor deck will be yet With its great location on the south side of the
$$$ - Expect to pay more than 500
another sell. Straight to the top of the class! $$$ Russian Drama Theatre, Barsuk is very much
AMERICAN
Hollywood* (Drujba/Sovietskaya)
As you would probably guess, decorated with
movie posters, photos of cinema icons and a
bunch of American kitsch. Hollywood is popular
with a younger crowd and is usually packed
from mid-evening onwards. A fun place for a
few drinks before heading off to the clubs. $
Metro* (133, Chui)
In the impressive location of a former theatre,
Metro remains the premire drinking hole for expats. A high ceiling, a long bar and friendly staff
compliment a good Tex-Mex menu and a wide
selection of drinks. Metro is one of the best bets for
catching sporting events on TV, although thanks
to the hideously late kickoff times for Champions
League football matches, dont count on the staff
waiting up unless its a big one. $$$
Obama (Toktogula/Erkindik)
A homage to the historical one, Obama is as
good a place as any to debate healthcare bills
and the debt ceiling over decent, if slightly
over-priced Chilis-type fare. We dislike the
management but dont feel the same way
about the stuffed crust pizza and faijitas. Sister
restaurant on Ibraimova has a saxophone night
Fridays and Saturdays. $$$
Smokies (Donetskaya/Jukeeva Pudovkina)
Bishkeks first and only traditional American
barbecue restaurant serves pit-smoked spicy
beef brisket, ribs, pork shoulder, lamb legs
and chicken quarters. Well worth the trek out
to Orto-Sai market in the cooler half of the
city. Enjoy a range of whisky and well-made
cocktails, too. $$
ARMENIAN
Landau (Manas/Gorkova)
Fancy something a little different? If you can
tolerate the arthritic service, Landau isnt a bad
spot for a pork steak or some other Armenian
December2013 The Spektator
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The End
Loco
Motion
PATRICK BARROW
OARDING AN EMPTY TRAIN before
departure I find two hessian sacks of grain
stored under the lower beds. I heave one
of the sacks onto the top storage above
and tuck my rucksack beneath my bed,
leaving the other sack in its place. A young
student girl, who will be pretty when her acne clears
up, boards the train and takes the bunk above. She
says goodbyes on her phone as we wait to depart. A
silent Tatar takes the bunk adjacent to the young girl
and we roll out of Kustani, Northern Kazakhstan, on
time to the minute.
A few stations on, a short, stout Russian babushka
takes the bunk opposite mine and complains loudly
that she paid for a whole place but that half her
storage has been taken up by a sack of grain. The
trains conductors, it transpires, are transporting the
grain south to sell.
This isnt the only train packing contraband.
Below and Right Eurasias train stations can be The Bishkek-Moscow train is regularly fitted with
bundles of goods; Adidas tracksuits, lingerie, t-shirts,
both tittilating and tiring (archive)
jeans. Vacuum-sealed by wrapping machines at
Dordoi bazaar or squeezed into those Chinese
bags that always break, countless Chinese goods
make their way from Dordoi onto Russian bound
trains every week. At the borders the carriages are
stripped, travelers searched and given bogus fines
(200 som for overweight luggage, for example),
subjected to sniffer dogs and official intimidation Where is your heroin? I was asked one time - yet
somehow the tracksuits and lingerie remain safely
hidden below every bed, untroubled between
mattresses or wrapped in sheets. At stations across
Russia the goods are collected by Kyrgyz migrant
traders cousins, uncles, sisters, who placed the
orders. Money is exchanged openly. (An Adidas
tracksuit that might cost $10 at Dordoi can be sold
at a market in Russia for $40.)
Compared to this Central Asian sportswear
shuffle, two sacks of grain are negligible, but the
old womans right to storage has been violated. As
she rants I am hit by a foul blow of ancient breath. I
try to read but every few minutes a wave of rotting
stomach air envelopes the cabin. The smell becomes
intolerable, but no one says a word.
In the evening a Kazakh woman roams the
carriages selling peroshki and snacks shes bought
in town, while the Tatar lies silently playing with his
phone and the young girl reads on the end of my
berth until I fall asleep and she climbs to her bunk.
At 7 am only I am awake. The conductors want to
move the sack of grain from the top storage. We lift it
down and put it inside an old linen bag disguised as
dirty bed clothes. For a few early hours it is quiet and
I read my book in peace. The author hikes in Nepal
and I drift away.
The next morning the same babushka still stinks
the same stink, the same Kazakh woman sells
the same fresh peroshki as yesterday, but another
follows selling electric childrens toys that buzz and