Written 5-18
The trip here was a bit hectic but thankfully uneventful. Khorogh has changed a bit but most everything is the same. The people seem to be carrying on as always but they also have stories from the past year. The fighting touched the core of this small town and the wound has not yet healed.
Masrur and Abdulnazar were very eager to begin when I arrived and I hardly had a day to move into an apartment. We have begun looking at the books and reports from our first year and a half in operation. We have also had a number of planning meetings about the next several years. In all we have had a very productive first few days and I am very excited about the next two weeks as we set targets for the coming year, edit our course material, and meet with different parties who will be able to help us to do an even better job helping the people.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
In Khorogh
Well my plan to find WiFi has not really worked out so no pictures. I am able to borrow a laptop occasionally so I will be able to post a bit here.
We've met a number of times and it is pretty exciting to see how our project is really changing lives. Just today we met with a man who was able to draw up a business plan and borrow enough money to open a meat shop here in Khorogh. He has been wildly successful due to his innovation of having refridgerated meat instead of just hanging it up in the sun. He has his own "ranch" up in the highlands and speciallizes in selling Yak meat which is very tasty.
Now he is planning on expanding his business to hire other families and to produce more and better quality meat for the people of this area. This means less imported from outside the region so that the money that is here can stay here and better the peoples lives.
I will be able to post a picture of our friend and will be able to tell you more in the future about his families Yak ranch and butcher shop.
We've met a number of times and it is pretty exciting to see how our project is really changing lives. Just today we met with a man who was able to draw up a business plan and borrow enough money to open a meat shop here in Khorogh. He has been wildly successful due to his innovation of having refridgerated meat instead of just hanging it up in the sun. He has his own "ranch" up in the highlands and speciallizes in selling Yak meat which is very tasty.
Now he is planning on expanding his business to hire other families and to produce more and better quality meat for the people of this area. This means less imported from outside the region so that the money that is here can stay here and better the peoples lives.
I will be able to post a picture of our friend and will be able to tell you more in the future about his families Yak ranch and butcher shop.
Monday, May 13, 2013
To the moon!
Day two of having dozens of grown men giving me that look... You know.. the look that says you may have lost your mind but I'm too nice to tell you.
You see there are 20+ vehicles hawking for riders to Bishkek and a dozen vehicles going elsewhere. Murghab Tajikistan is slightly past the end of the world to them. I might as well be saying that I want to go to the moon. They immediately tell me that they can take me, just like the head of NASA... if I can provide enough funding... Like $2,000. When I say $40 they tell me it can't be done. Don't I know how far Murghab is? Over very high mountains! The charades at this point are kind of funny.
One driver agreed to go which was great, till I left to go get my bag. Apparently he had enough time for his fellow drivers to explain to him How FAR that is. Over very high mountains!
He diagramed it on a page how far it is. He got more and more excitable, thinking I wasn't getting it. Meanwhile I was correcting his guestimates on kilometers. Yes, I know how far it is.
All in all trying to convince these drivers that there are regular vehicles that make this route was like telling a tribal chieftain in the deep amazon that man has indeed been to the moon, they just won't believe it.
By the time I left there were not one, but two Murghab bound vehicles parked in the lot. Crazy... Huh?
Hopefully I'll be leaving in the next couple of days when there are enough passengers. Its a bit of a slow time of year.
This is me half way up the Too Sacred mountain.
You see there are 20+ vehicles hawking for riders to Bishkek and a dozen vehicles going elsewhere. Murghab Tajikistan is slightly past the end of the world to them. I might as well be saying that I want to go to the moon. They immediately tell me that they can take me, just like the head of NASA... if I can provide enough funding... Like $2,000. When I say $40 they tell me it can't be done. Don't I know how far Murghab is? Over very high mountains! The charades at this point are kind of funny.
One driver agreed to go which was great, till I left to go get my bag. Apparently he had enough time for his fellow drivers to explain to him How FAR that is. Over very high mountains!
He diagramed it on a page how far it is. He got more and more excitable, thinking I wasn't getting it. Meanwhile I was correcting his guestimates on kilometers. Yes, I know how far it is.
All in all trying to convince these drivers that there are regular vehicles that make this route was like telling a tribal chieftain in the deep amazon that man has indeed been to the moon, they just won't believe it.
By the time I left there were not one, but two Murghab bound vehicles parked in the lot. Crazy... Huh?
Hopefully I'll be leaving in the next couple of days when there are enough passengers. Its a bit of a slow time of year.
This is me half way up the Too Sacred mountain.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Too Many Chiefs and No Enough Seats
Well I made it to Osh Kyrgyzstan early this morning. While I almost immediately went to the vehicle bazaar I was unable to locate it early in the morning. Upon returning to the hotel I slept most the day away. My lack of Kyrgyz language and Russian is a real barrier.
I have been traveling since Thursday, making this the beginning of day four with only a few hours of sleep caught on buses and planes. I was very relieved to spend some good quality time in a bed today.
Around 5 PM I returned to search again for the vehicle bazaar. It is rather tucked away and while many vehicles are heading to Bishkek only one was interested in going to Murghab.
After about an hour of waiting it became clear that they would not have room for me. I had sensed this earlier while looking at the vehicle but I usually feel that way in Central Asia. Some more people showed up and then I realized that there were too many chiefs and not enough seats.
Osh is a nice town of 500,000 people. The poverty is showing that there are a number of new businesses and indicators that things are improving. I was able to find a nice restaurant right on the main road. They served Coca-Cola and that is always a good sign.
I can't say that I was really disappointed that I could not get a car tonight. Hopefully I will be able to get one tomorrow though. 18 hours on the road coming up and that is always hard to brace for.
Below is a picture of the sacred mountain in downtown Osh.
I have been traveling since Thursday, making this the beginning of day four with only a few hours of sleep caught on buses and planes. I was very relieved to spend some good quality time in a bed today.
Around 5 PM I returned to search again for the vehicle bazaar. It is rather tucked away and while many vehicles are heading to Bishkek only one was interested in going to Murghab.
After about an hour of waiting it became clear that they would not have room for me. I had sensed this earlier while looking at the vehicle but I usually feel that way in Central Asia. Some more people showed up and then I realized that there were too many chiefs and not enough seats.
Osh is a nice town of 500,000 people. The poverty is showing that there are a number of new businesses and indicators that things are improving. I was able to find a nice restaurant right on the main road. They served Coca-Cola and that is always a good sign.
I can't say that I was really disappointed that I could not get a car tonight. Hopefully I will be able to get one tomorrow though. 18 hours on the road coming up and that is always hard to brace for.
Below is a picture of the sacred mountain in downtown Osh.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Ready to go!
I have my visa(long story...). My bag is mostly packed (okay... maybe mostly not packed)
But I fly Thursday night for Kyrgyzstan and I am ready! We have some exciting things that we hope will flow from this trip.. Stories of families who have been helped, pictures, and other semi secret things that I hope to be posting even before I get home.
Saturday I will be in Istanbul, then over the next week I will be traveling to Khorogh, Tajikistan. Due to security concerns forgive my vagueness as I discuss my travel dates and itinerary.
Hope to be posting updates and pictures every few days going forward.
But I fly Thursday night for Kyrgyzstan and I am ready! We have some exciting things that we hope will flow from this trip.. Stories of families who have been helped, pictures, and other semi secret things that I hope to be posting even before I get home.
Saturday I will be in Istanbul, then over the next week I will be traveling to Khorogh, Tajikistan. Due to security concerns forgive my vagueness as I discuss my travel dates and itinerary.
Hope to be posting updates and pictures every few days going forward.
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