I made it into Bishkek in the early morning on a flight from Istanbul. After a bit of confusion related to the airport transfer, I eventually made it to the hotel – and after a good breakfast I did venture off into town for a good day of sightseeing.

To my dismay the State Historical Museum was still under renovation. I had visited the museum five years back – and back then they were clearly in the process of preparing for a major overhaul … and that overhaul was now still ongoing.

Well, one cannot have it all … so  I continued my walk and ended up visiting the State Museum of Fine Arts instead. While the collection and presentation felt a bit odd to me, there were plenty of pictures depicting the regional environment and culture – – so a worthwhile visit.

I continued my walk through the various parks, with a stop at the Frunze House Museum – a museum dedicated to the life of Mikhail Frunze (a Bolshevik leader during and the Russian Revolution). Frunze was born in 1885 in Bishkek (then called Pishpek); after his death the city was renamed Frunze in his honor and carried that name right till the end of the Soviet Union (and still carries it on in its airport code: FRU).

I ran into the unexpected highlight of the day in the Panfilov Park. The park is set up like a small amusement park, with some (relatively) low key attractions – one of which a Ferris wheel. Surely I had to go for a ride, to get a bird’s view of town … and the mountains right outside of town.

I spent the rest of the day walking around town aimlessly … this time looking into side streets and more parks. I made it back to the hotel just in time for the initial group meeting … the tour – and our road trip – was now officially about to start.