The following day our actual tour began. After breakfast we were driven to Ala-Archa National Park for an hours hike, to explore its lower reaches. The park covers about 165 square kilometres, and its altitude ranges from about 1,500 meters at the entrance to a maximum of 4,895 meters at Semenov-Tian-Shansky Peak. There are more than 20 small and large glaciers and some 50 mountain peaks within the park. Some eco-tourists come to Kyrgyzstan just to explore this park, that boasts a wide variety of flora and fauna and some challenging climbs. We noticed a new ski-lift under construction that is intended to revive a failed downhill ski resort.

Heading into Ala-Archa National Park
Top left: One of the 50 glaciers can be seen behind the nearer mountains (centre of the photo)
Top right: An eco-resort - for those who want to 'experience ' the park in depth
Bottom left: The animals and birds that one might see
Bottom right: Wendy at a bridge over troubled (noisy melt) water
 

After we'd had our fill of nature we returned to Bishkek downtown for a guided tour.  It includes visiting Pobeda Square (Victory Square), Duboviy Park (Oak Park), Central Ala-Too Square, including several places we'd seen the previous day. As those of us who take an interest know, the Soviet Union sacrificed more soldiers' lives than all the other combatants, on both sides, combined. The 'stans' sacrificed more than their fair share. As we learn everywhere in the former Soviet Union, it was their patriots who rose-up and defeated Germany, not the troops landing at Normandy (see Dieppe and Bayeux) on D-Day, as we've always been told on ANZAC day. In reality it was six of one, half a dozen of the other - one would probably not have succeeded without the other. For more information go to: Gori - Stalin's birthplace.

Around Bishkek
Top two rows: Victory Square that honours Kyrgyz soldiers who fought in WWII.
Built in 1985 (soviet period) to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War
The three granite arches form a yurt-like shape, beneath which stands a statue of a grieving woman and an eternal flame.
Bottom left: The Kyrgyz National Opera and Ballet Theatre (architect: Abdylas Maldybaev)
Bottom right: Bishkek Baatyr Monument - a patriot in the tradition of Manas - who led a national liberation movement
against enemy tribes in the 18th century - symbolizing the Kyrgyz people's resilience and courage throughout their history

It's interesting that, unlike other ex-Soviet states, little attempt has been made to remove evidence of former Communism. The 'Hammer and Sickle' and images of Lenin and Stalin can still be seen, along with a large mural remembering the 'Great Patriotic War'. 

Unlike in other ex-soviets, in the cities, Soviet symbols continue to abound. 
Top row: Marx and Engels philosophising - presumably cooking-up the Communist Manifesto
Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains - and several million lives.
Middle row: The Supreme Court building - Hammer and Sickle still in tact.
Bottom left: Lenin pointing the way - it's the Kyrgyzstan flag behind him.
Bottom right: Detail on each of the columns of the Opera House (see previous photo above).

A highlight was the changing of the guard in Ala-Too Square. There's no palace nearby so, I asked Chynara our guide, " What are they guarding?" She replied "The flag". So, I asked, "Are there a lot of people who want to steal it?" She laughed.

Guarding the flag in Ala-Too Square
Bottom Right: Monument to Those Who Died for Freedom in Bishkek during two uprisings in Kyrgyzstan:
the Aksy events of 2002 and the April 2010 events in Bishkek.
The monument features three bronze figures pushing a black block away from a larger white block,
symbolizing the struggle for freedom and the pushing away of the Kurmanbek Bakiyev (see above) era

Kyrgyzstan, like several other 'stans', is  a beneficiary of the Chinese 'One Belt, One Road' (OBOR) (New Silk Road) programme. Interesting dynamics. And there is a lot of reconstruction of Soviet era structures and dwellings.