photo: The Visual Explorer / Shutterstock.com





The crowds pushed us along, and every now and again a hoot from behind would make everyone move to the side as a motorbike…

Arrival into…

Indira Gandhi International was clean and surprisingly well ordered, which was good because we were both hellishly tired. After clearing customs, we collected our luggage and then found an ATM so we could get some rupees. That done, we wandered over to the parade of men waiting with name boards. My name was on one of them, and I was thankful we’d arranged our airport transfer in advance of arriving. After shaking hands with Rahul, we were led past the trolley boys and…

Osh Bazaar was a hive of activity. Endless arrays of fruit and vegetables, clothes and mops, electrical components and everything else the people of Bishkek could want were on offer. It also had a contingent of policemen, two of whom were watching me, though I didn’t know it at the time.

I spotted what I was looking for - a stand peddling kumis, fermented mare’s…