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TRAVEL FEATURE - KYRGYZSTAN LEIGH WILKINS
BISHKEK ' S TALE OF A SMALL COIN
Not common to me is entering a country having researched the history , politics , or cultural situation . As a general rule I look to the people , walking the streets , chance encounters , and never listen to those that pass judgement without ever having been to a country . Kyrgyzstan was no exception , perhaps a little to my detriment .
I ’ d been picked up at Manas International Airport to be taken deep into the city , an enjoyable ride where we shared a stilted conversation using a mobile translating app . I spoke English , my driver who , I assumed spoke Kyrgyz , laughed as we traded names of different things . Assuming was my first mistake , something that wasn ’ t revealed until later in the day . We continued on while navigating the mid-morning traffic peak .
Amazed by the amount of Soviet styled buildings lining the main road into the Kyrgyz capital I barely noticed my driver grab my arm and point out an odd-looking car . It was a relic of the 1970 ’ s , a car that had been awarded the 1967 European car of the year , yet it looked different . A quick scan of the surrounds presented more of these vehicles .
“ Kopeyka !”, my new friend exclaimed . I quickly tried to translate to no avail . What was he trying to explain ?
“ Lada ?”, I ’ d asked , hoping that was what he was saying .
“ Da ! Shit !”, he returned and began laughing . He pointed to everyone of these cars exclaiming , “ Shit !”
We laughed together . These cars were based on the VAZ 2101 , a car in itself based on the 1960 ’ s FIAT 124 . The Soviet ’ s had bought the rights to the 124 in the 1970s and continued to produce them until the 1990s under various guises , VAZ , Lada , and who knew what else . A car so ugly that it
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