Osh felt like something out of a dystopian movie. Currently one big construction site, the Kyrgyzstan government has decided to improve infrastructure by widening roads all over the city. Many buildings are being destroyed to allow for the roads to be widened and much of the city feels like it is being rebuilt. We had come to Osh with one goal in mind. Buy a car and drive the famous Pamir Highway from Osh to Dushanbe in Tajikistan. In Kashgar we met a lovely American guy called Cole who had done this, and he had inspired us to give it a go ourselves. It can’t be that hard right?

The next couple of days were filled with visits to car bazaars and it didn’t take us long to find what we were looking for. That’s right, you guessed it, a 2003 Lada Niva pickup from Russia! After some confusing haggling with the Kygryz owner we settled on a price and shook hands. Introducing Nina the Niva, our companion-to-be on the roads of Central Asia for the next two months. So why did we choose an old Russian car? In Central Asia there is still a huge Russian influence as these countries were all under Soviet control until the early 90’s. As a result there are Ladas everywhere. Additionally the infamous Pamir Highway was actually built by the soviets, so it only seemed fitting to be driving a rundown Russian car. We had also heard that every mechanic in Central Asia knew how to fix the infamous Lada, so we thought that would be helpful in case we had any issues on the road. 

The next few days were spent seeing the incredible sights of Osh. Firstly the wonders of the dusty car bazaars looking for car parts. Next the oil and grease of a neverending stream of mechanics (known here as ‘masters’) who serviced and repaired Nina. We can’t forget the excitement of the “megapolis” (a large shopping complex) where we stocked up on food and supplies for the road. Lastly, the dreariness and bureaucracy of the power of attorney office where we had to sign some documents giving us ownership of the car and allowing us to drive through the borders into Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. 

By the time we were finally ready to get on the road with Orshi and Tommi we were extremely ready to leave Osh. The dust, dirt, and crazy drivers in this city had worn us thin, and we couldn’t wait to begin our next adventure. The amazing Pamir Highway. Our plan was to drive the first section of this back the way we had come to Sary-Tash and then take a small detour from here to go trekking in the Alay mountains.