Our view...

Although you don't see these mountains everyday (thank you dirty air!), this is the view looking south from our apartment.  Our windows open East and West, but if you look out at an angle or hang your head out, this is what you see.  The Tien-Shan mountains - translated: the Celestial Mountains.

Oddly, when we look to see the mountains, we naturally look too low.  These guys are over 16,000' tall, and Bishkek is only about 2,500' above sea level.  Though more distant, these mountains loom tall like the sierra crest as seen from 395 near Lone Pine or Big Pine.