From Kyrgystan to Uzbekistan - An exciting flight on a Yak

Another group free day. We headed off on our own to the map store and found a small antique store where we picked up a Lenin bust and a cast iron Joe Stalin plate from 1938.
We toured the museum again. Tammy explained the felt and embroidery techniques to us. John bought a Krygyz hat.
We had lunch at a Korean restaurant---Bi Bim Bap.

Angela, Jack and James Brown were all sick and the flight to Osh didn't help matters. We headed to Osh on a Yak.

Entry was through the rear of the plane with no seat assignments, no luggage check-in. All the passengers carry on their own luggage. The overhead bins had no doors, so they couldn't be used. The plane was very overloaded and oversold. The flight attendant grabbed a kid from his seat and made him sit on the luggage in the back. The takeoff was a high-speed flat takeoff. The stew served a few snacky cakes and then headed to the back of the plane. One of the pilots headed to the back, put the beautiful stew on his lap and got very close with her during the flight. He returned to the cockpit seconds before our high-speed landing. The pilots are the first to leave the plane, so all the passengers have to remain seated while they complete their final paperwork—all the while sitting in a steamingly hot plane with no a/c. This tiny prop plane had 5 pilots!

In Osh, we had a home stay with an older Russian/Ukraine couple.
They set out a huge feast of stuffed peppers, potatoes, cole slaw, cherry compote juice, dumplings, fresh tomato juice and home made ice cream. We were the only two well enough to eat and waddled to bed to read and drink wine.
It’s feeling more like we’re in Russia.
The old guy showed us his two dogs--one a German Shepherd and a huge black thing. He calls the black dog his “nigger” and says they’re “good police”.