On a bright mid-September morning, I wake early to reach the Old Train Station (Cтарый/Восточный Вокзал) in Bishkek. There I meet an acquaintance of Dungan heritage to whom I had only very recently been introduced. Alina, hearing of my interest in her people, graciously invited me to her cousin's wedding. We were soon joined by two other foreigners, friends of Alina, after which we boarded a marshrutka for Tokmok.
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| Our journey took us little over an hour along a dusty road from Bishkek and cost about 150 som. Map taken from the CIA World Factbook. |
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Il-28 Bomber monument in Tokmok.
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