Central Asia

Just a week into our adventure in Kyrgyzstan, it's already apparent that this transition is going to be far easier than expected. First, there's a near absence of the bureaucracy--all too common in the overdeveloped world--that puts hours of waiting rooms and stacks of paper between visiting a place and living in it. Then there's a fully integrated system devoted to making it easy to pay for pretty much anything, from cell phones to gambling debts, at any of hundreds of ATM-like machines around the city. Not least, there's an easy visa system that welcomes foreign visitors rather than…continue reading →

As the sun came up on our third flight and revealed the sparse, wintery landscape of Central Asia, the idea finally started to sink in: we're on our way to Kyrgyzstan not for a week or a month, but to live. A day later we're still getting used to the idea, but at least we're 24 hours closer to understanding our new home. First Impressions We were still thanking our lucky stars that all of our four giant suitcases had arrived undamaged when we exited the airport into a small crowd of smoking taxi drivers.…continue reading →