Bishkek

To me it seems that Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, is trying to move on.
There are signs of the old and the new - the old Soviet days and the new Kyrgyz Republic.

It is common to see once-grand buildings falling into disrepair,

 

and cranes at work on new buildings.

There are crumbling footpaths

and stunning city squares.

This is their White House, the presidential office building - fairly impressive!

Closeby is a monument which is 'an exposition of two stones: black and white. At the joint of the two stones people push away the black stone. The monument symbolises the victory of good over evil, light over dark' 

 There are lots of very attractive tree-lined streets, 

 

parks

 and gardens throughout the city,

 and the people work hard at keeping it clean and tidy.

 

 I was impressed by their cute little rubbish bins all around the city.

And I must say that I was surprised to find that marijuana grows wild in lots of random places around Bishkek, especially as it is supposed to be illegal!

On our way to the Girls' House we walked down a quiet street which Joan renamed 'Marijuana Lane'.