Located in the Babash-ata mountains beneath a scenic backdrop of Kyrgyzstan’s snow-capped peaks, Arslanbob sits at 1,400m above sea level. Next to the village is the world's largest walnut forest which in total spans around 60,000 hectares of trees up to 1,000 year old. Luiza was one of the first in Arslanbob to start a CBT guesthouse.
Luiza’s journey did not start smoothly but is the one with a happy and proud ending, “It took me a long time to persuade my husband to allow me to attend the CBT training seminars. When I went, we would have these severe arguments that would sometimes last for days”. He always questioned, “Why do you need this? I don’t like that you spend all day there”. Despite all the opposition from her husband, she would still go and attend the seminars, but at a cost. In between she would take time off to rush home, do the housework and go back to the seminar. Nevertheless, her inner strength prevailed, “I continued to stand my ground and did not leave the CBT training.”
Once her business started and she began receiving her first guests, she realised that she did not have proper facilities of a good enough standard toaccommodate foreign tourists, primarily restroom fixtures. Discussing this with her husband was problematic, “He was never supportive, always offensive. He belittled my ideas. According to him, all this was ‘unnecessary’ and ‘wouldn't make any income’”. What made things more difficult was that she was financially dependent on him. Otherwise she had to borrow from friends and family to finance the essential needs of her business, “to buy something, for example, bed linen, we had such scandals. Cooking for guests was a hassle because there was not enough money to get food and supplies. I would have to borrow, and repay my debts once I received payment for accommodation. All in all, it was a nightmare in the beginning.”
Once Luiza began to receive a steady stream of tourists, her once- sceptical and discouraging husband seemed to have a ‘change of heart’, “Youknow, men love to show off. When he is with his friends, he boasts that we receive tourists from Germany and Japan”. Luiza explained how he enjoyed interacting with tourists, “Even if he does not know the language, he communicates with them with facial expressions and kind gestures. Little by little, we began to build this thing”. Luiza felt that through her success, she earned her husband’s respect and appreciation, as he came to embrace her business and the benefits it brought: “I finally managed to persuade him that it was necessary to modify the house. And now we've got it all”. In making these improvements for the tourists, Luiza’s family also enjoyed higher living standards and it brought harmony in her relationship with her husband, “Now he is happy, and I go to these seminars freely. Finally! I don’t know why he was so against the idea; maybe because I went out in public, maybe he was jealous”.
The household’s main source of income is her husband’s work as a beekeeper. He treats the money Luiza earns from the guesthouse as her own,“He never asks how much I have earned and how much I charge and so on.” Therefore, although the income from the CBT guest house is modest, Luiza has gained financial independence, and she uses the money to buy things for herself and her children.
The guesthouse has had a positive influence on the family, “We started to communicate more and with people from other countries. We have broadened our horizons”. Luiza recounts a fond experience with one guest in particular from Japan who interacted with them like family, took part in the household work and even left a surprise display of paper cranes in his bedroom for the family. The CBT experience has had a profound impact on Luiza’s daughters: “One of my daughters started working in Bishkek and took Japanese language courses”. Her daughter enrolled in university to study international relations with a focus on Japan. Luiza’s youngest daughter was also inspired, and is leaving to Germany for further studies and work.
Luiza’s personal worldview was influenced through interactions with tourists. For example, Luiza explained how before, she always perceived that, “when a woman grows older her role in life is to be a grandmother and to read prayers and that's it. This is where it all ends”. However, seeing solo women travellers over 70 years of age explore the world, visiting her CBT as part of their journey, has drastically changed her outlook on life, “Meeting these women inspired me and made me optimistic about ageing. Now I believe that everything is ahead, you can still live. It turns out you can still travel”.
Luiza’s home is at the heart of the CBT community in Arslanbob and a sanctuary where other women gather – embracing their group solidarity. It was in Luiza’s home that we met with Khurshida Osmonova, Nazira Toktanbekova, and Nargiz Mamazhanova. Their narratives demonstrate how women's active participation in decision-making can help them gain confidence and amplify their voices. Khurshida’s narrative illustrates the extent of the distributed benefits of CBT to all households in a community. Even though she is not a CBT host and does not directly benefit from the tourism revenue, CBT hosts buy from her shop and send their guests to her shop for their purchases.