The music and the back seat of the Bishkek taxi can bring you to a different world. Sometimes pretty, sometimes not so much. But it definitely has its charm. 

I like how taxi drivers in Kyrgyzstan domesticate their environment with Toshok, traditional handmade quilt mattress used in yurts and now apartments. Long and narrow patchwork pieces are made from bright and shiny textiles, and sometimes from craftswomen’s personal clothing.

When I take a taxi in Bishkek, I feel like I’m entering someone’s apartment: the back seat with toshok feels like a sofa, and the front window is like a TV.