Lukas Chenaf surprised by endurance of the Kyrgyz and polluted air in Bishkek

Lukas Chenaf is 32 years old. He was born in Lyon, and came to Kyrgyzstan four years ago. He works as an Executive Director at the Central Asian branch of a large French wine house that makes elite drinks.

— What surprises you in Kyrgyzstan?

— High mountains. I like skiing and hiking. I am fond of mountaineering a little bit. I conquered a height of 4,800 meters in Ala-Archa gorge. I was delighted with the scenery seen.

— How else do you spend your leisure time?

— I travel. I have visited almost every place in Kyrgyzstan: I have been to the northern and southern shores of Issyk-Kul lake, Son-Kul lake, Osh city ...

Sport has been greatly developing in your country in recent years. More and more marathons are held, I participate in them.

— Do you have a favorite place?

— It is Naryn region. It is very beautiful and meat is very tasty there.

— What national dishes do you like, and what are you afraid to try?

— I like kuurdak.

I am Arab by origin. The cuisine of North Africa is similar to Central Asian. A lot of products are eaten there. The French also eat horse meat, brain ... Therefore, there is not any dish that scares me.

— Have you tried Kyrgyz wine?

— Yes, I have.

— Did you like it?

— No, I did not. It is too sweet, like a grape juice with alcohol. It seems to me that people here lack knowledge to make real wine.

But I came across a good brandy and beer.

— Is there something that reminds you of your homeland?

— Grenoble city is located near Lyon. There are mountains with snow-capped peaks nearby. It is like in Bishkek.

— What do you miss here?

— Ocean and French cuisine.

— Do you miss your family?

— Of course. I go to France twice a year. But it’s difficult for me to visit them often. One part of my family is in Lyon, the other — in Paris, and the third — is in Madagascar.

— What do you like about the character of the locals, and what disappoints you?

— They know what a hard life is. They are not capricious; they do not complain. I like it. I made friends with some of them.

It is sad that some people like to discuss others behind their back. This, however, did not concern me.

— Would you change something in Kyrgyzstan if you could?

— Bishkek is in the top 10 ten most polluted cities in the world — there is bad air in winter here. It is very harmful to health. People will suffer more and more from this over time. I would do something to change the situation.

I plan to import a new product (not just wine). Therefore, I will stay here so far. But I’m going to go somewhere for three or four months during cold season. It becomes impossible to breathe and live here because of the polluted air.