the last camera

I swear, this is the last one I’ll buy in Kyrgyzstan. Dun duh-duh daaaaaaah: But what a great way to end my Soviet camera purchases, with my dream camera: the Sputnik. A friend and I stopped into an antiques shop that I had previously visited searching for the Sputnik. I wasn’t looking for any more …

so much fabric

In an attempt to do as many Central Asia-related activities (and buy as many Central Asia-related things) as I possibly can before I move to Belgium, I went a bit crazy collecting different fabrics with the intention of getting some sweet threads made. Why? Mostly just because it seems like a ridiculous luxury to get …

the best Turkish coffee

This was my third trip to Istanbul and I was determined to drink as many tiny cups of Turkish coffee as I could get my hands on, so when I read this NPR article about Turkish coffee, I paid particular attention to the cafe mentioned in the first line, Mandabatmaz. The hotel we stayed at …

Soviet camera obsession

No more cameras. I told Farrell and my friends; don’t let me buy any more cameras (for a little while at least, unless I find a really good deal, or a Sputnik). Last week, I visited a new-to-me antique shop where I had heard there might be a Sputnik for sale. There wasn’t one, but …

art studio visit

A few weekends ago, a friend and former coworker was visiting from Almaty and offered to show us her father’s art studio in Bishkek. Her father, Jyrgal Maturaimov, is a very talented painter. Farrell had seen some of her father’s paintings that she had posted on Facebook, and we had already decided that we need …