In September 2014, I had the opportunity to travel to Kyrgyzstan and explore this incredible country for two weeks. Here are some photos from my trip; this is by no means a comprehensive look at this awesome place (or a comprehensive survey of my trip), but hopefully provides a little peek inside a very beautiful and inspiring place. The day after I arrived, I explored the capital city, Bishkek.
There's still a few leftovers from the Soviet era, like this statue of Lenin that was moved from in front of the national library to the back of the library.
A statue of Lenin stands behind the National Library in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
We happened to be there on Independence Day, and found thousands of people out enjoying themselves, observing various sporting events like gymnastics, arm wrestling and ping pong, as well as at a carnival.
A woman in a crowd in Panfilov Park, Bishkek during Independence Day festivities © jenne raub
As we walked back to the hotel after a day wandering around, we popped into a bazaar, where I found this man selling pickles.
Not only did I get a nice shot of this pickle seller, I also got a really good deal on some really good pickles (not pictured … because I ate them all).
Mmmm, look at all those pickles.
Want more Kyrgyzstan? Check out Photo Essay: Kyrgyzstan, Part 2!
The second in a series of postings of photos of Kyrgyzstan. Here I venture to the outskirts of Biskek to visit Dordoy Bazaar, the largest bazaar in Central Asia.