Bishkek

So it's looking more and more like I'll be going to Kyrgystan this summer to do research. I was doing a little reading up on it and found a travel website that gives some handy hints, such as:

• "In general, people are friendly but unapologetically curious."
• On taxis: "You will definitely have to bargain. Make sure the driver isn't drunk and agree on a price before getting in. You may or may not be supplied with a seatbelt - and can expect an heart-felt protest if you try to find one."
• "Trolleybuses are the big electric busses. The are slow, dilapidated and their electric rods frequently become disconnected from the overhead lines forcing a squealing stop. Those who can afford it avoid trolleybuses. The best advice for trolleybuses is to stay well out of their way (and especially the path of their air horn)."
• Description of a restaurant: "Ordinary atmosphere but considered to have the best plov in town."

I can't wait to take a drunken unseatbelted taxi ride, opt instead for a screeching trolleybus, nosh on some plov, and chat with the curious locals.

It should be a fun adventure indeed.