Osh - last stop in Kyrgyzstan

It's already around ten o'clock on Thursday, November 21, 2019, when I get out of bed in the Rest Box in Osh. After taking a walk around the block with Dicken, we have breakfast. Rice pudding with cinnamon and sugar, as well as some brown butter and fruit, are a reasonable start to the day. It turns out that the $7 from our booking apparently only cover the overnight fee for one person. We decide to move again and soon after we inhabit our own apartment in the Osh Guesthouse for $9. We warm up (it's gotten cold outside), I take a spin with Rango and then we enjoy some coffee and cake. Then I take care of documenting my journey a bit and Marcus works his magic in the kitchen. Before we enjoy the delicious pumpkin soup, we once again visit a banja. We get a tip from our landlord Nurlan, a Germanist, and then spend almost 2 hours sweating in the recommended sauna with naked Kyrgyz people. Afterwards, we go back to the hostel all warmed up, have dinner, I take another walk with Rango, and then it's time to call it a day.

On Friday, around ten o'clock again, I wander around the panel buildings around our apartment with Rango. It's drizzly and cloudy weather, with temperatures around freezing point. After breakfast, we pack our things and go to the office of the Osh Guesthouse. We want to extend our stay for a few more nights, but we don't know if we can stay in the same apartment. Shortly after, we can go back to our room. Outside, the precipitation changes from drizzle to sleet, otherwise not much happens during the day. I take occasional walks with Rango, have coffee with sponge roll, send a multitude of pictures home, and for dinner, I prepare mashed potatoes with fried onions and fried beef liver. There were no pork delicacies to be had in the area. It tastes good to both Marcus and me, as well as Rango.

On Saturday morning (November 23, 2019), there is still some snow as I take the obligatory morning walk with Rango. After enjoying pancakes and strawberry jam for breakfast, we drop off our stuff at the hostel office (we have to change apartments) and head into town. The weather is still rather gloomy, but at least it's not raining anymore. We walk through the bazaar to Suleyman Mountain, which at its height of over 1000m promises a good overview of the city. The foggy weather severely limits the possible visibility, but it is still apparent that the city of Osh consists mostly of single-family houses. Only a few panel buildings, mosques, universities, libraries, hospitals, and other public buildings stand out from the sea of tin roofs. After descending from the hill, we leisurely walk back to the hostel, have coffee with jam sandwiches, hang out for a bit, and end the evening with a pumpkin curry with rice.

On Sunday, the weather is gloomy again with low temperatures. We take another day of rest and have Schrotti repair one of his tires, which has been regularly giving out lately. Actually, we wanted to move the car after the repair, but it won't start. Part of the problem seems to be the empty battery. We postpone solving the problem until tomorrow. So we spend most of the day in a panel apartment that is probably still in its original state from years ago.

After having breakfast on Monday morning (November 25, 2019), we go to Schrotti and try to get our Russian car running. The built-in old battery is obviously almost empty, as the starter struggles audibly to start. Push-starting and changing the battery don't really help. With a newly installed, supposedly charged battery, our Moskvich only makes a clicking sound and then there is no voltage at all. We need help. With Nurlan and our two lead-acid batteries, we go to a battery guy who tests the batteries and keeps the old one for charging. The new one is fully charged and functional. Although we can pick up our battery again in the afternoon, we still decide to extend our stay at the Osh Guesthouse for another day. After coffee and some pastries, Marcus goes to pick up the battery with Rango, and I write a travel report. In the evening, we want to visit the sauna again, but we return to the hostel without getting sweaty. 'No sauna today.' That's how our last evening ends in Soviet-style living atmosphere, with local salad specialties and some bread.