Bids and offers in no-man’s-land
Have fund, will travel
THE ROUTE TO the Kant Cement-Slate Plant from Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, is a bumpy 20 kilometres. And our car, which carries foreign number plates, is likely to attract unwelcome attention from the notorious traffic police, known by their Russian acronym GAI, stationed along the route.
After some discussion about what’s best to do our host has agreed to send his SUV, bearing official government plates, to accompany us on our journey. We weave our way through the traffic at will, paying little attention to oncoming vehicles. Those police who do contemplate stopping us have second thoughts when they see the car heading our mini-convoy. They melt away into the background. Sometimes, it seems, the system has its advantages.
We pull up at the plant, its spluttering chimneys sharply highlighted against the blue of the sky and...
