Our visit to Bishkek was over, simply an overnight stay, as we have an early morning flight to Osh, the second largest city that lies in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan. We had been warned in our pre-trip literature that there would be a charge for any luggage that weighed more than 33 pounds.Furkat said not to worry, MIR would pay for any overage. Kudos to MIR! Our flight left at 8AM so we had to leave the hotel at 6AM. MIR arranged for us to have a boxed breakfast bag available when we left the hotel. The airport required two security checks. When entering the terminal you had to remove your shoes and put them on the X-ray belt with your luggage. Later on you went through another security check but you did not have to remove your shoes that time. Weird?

Osh dates back to the 8th century BC. It was an important area for silk production and a key stop along the Silk Road. It lies on the edge of the Fergana Valley, an important agricultural area of Kyrgyzstan. It also is quite close to Uzbekistan, our next stop. The city of Osh has a population of 455,000 people, consisting mostly of Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.

Our first stop was a visit to Sulayman (also spelled Sulaiman) Sacred mountain, a holy Islam site where the prophet Sulayman is said to be buried. Sulayman is the Islamic story of King Solomon. It is also the site where Babur, a 14th century Muslim prophet who founded the Mughal Dynasty in India, came when he was 14 for forty days of fasting and meditation (called a chilla). The site is a UNESCO World Heritage site and historians think it might be the mid-point of the famed Silk Road. It is often visited by pilgrims from around the world. Indeed there were people there when we visited that morning.

From there we visited a local private (350 students) school in Osh where three students gave us a tour of their school (students gone already) and answered questions about their schooling. Their English was quite good. The most common language spoken in the country is Russian because of their past relationships.

We had an earlier than normal lunch in a private home with a typical meal of multiple salads, bread, soup, a meat course and fruit. I was impressed with the quantity and quality of the vegetables and soup. It was something I did not expect to find in this part of the world.

After lunch we continued our journey. The border crossing went smoothly, taking only about 25 minutes and by 1 PM we were in Uzbekistan.

By 4PM we had arrived in the city of Fergana (also spelled Ferghana or Farg’ona) where we stayed in a “funky” 1950s hotel where  the decor reminded me of my grandmother’s home. The water was hot and the AC worked so I had no complaints!

Steps for the day:  7,181- respectable!