I first travelled to Kyrgyzstan in the summer of 2006. Kyrgyzstan had just had a revolution, there were some sketchy elections, and a new government was in power. I remember crossing the border from China. (by bus; I hadn’t yet discovered the joys of bicycle travel then)
The Kyrgyz immigration post was a wooden shack with an old guy in a soviet style army hat sitting at a rickety desk. He inspected all of the foreigners’ bags and took a little something from everyone just because he could. When it was my turn, he took a few cents worth of Hong Kong dollars, saying bringing foreign currency into Kyrgyzstan was “illegal.” I’m sure he just kept the coins as souvenirs. The streets of Bishkek were then dusty, the soviet-era architecture crumbly, and the people, in my view, very melancholy. I had an awesome time in Kyrgyzstan in 2006 though, mostly during the week-long trek I did through the mountains in a remote part of the country. I stayed with families in their yurts, camped out next to glaciers, and rode a horse for 9 hours one day. The combination of post-soviet culture and timeless pastoral nomadism, along with epic landscapes and very few roads or cities, cemented Kyrgyzstan in my mind as one of the most incredible places I’d ever heard of, much less been to.
(Above: the Bishkek Jazz Festival)
Flash-forward 9 years and Kyrgyzstan is even more epic than it was before! Many of the old problems, like corrupt officials and crumbling infrastructure remain of course, but that is inevitable in a country where the per capita GDP is $3000. The streets are clean, food is good, people friendly and seem much happier than I remember. I’ve gotten so many friendly handshakes and salaam alekums in the last two weeks I feel like the whole country is my friend, especially since US citizens no longer need a visa at all to visit Kyrgyzstan. There are now tons of NGO types wandering around Bishkek and sitting around at its fancy coffee shops, and the rural landscape is just as epic as it ever was. The Kyrgyz people seem to have cultivated a sense of national pride to make Manas, their mythic hero, proud.
Make sure to watch this excerpt from the fest – The guy in the Kyrgyz hat is improving the Manas oral epic with the jazz musicians doing an accompaniment. Pretty awesome.
There are still a lot of monumental soviet structures, now co-opted for Kyrgyz nationalistic purposes. On the right: They have a changing of the guard for this gigantic Kyrgyz flag, and I got to see it! (below)
All of the old soviet structures remain, like the national parliament building (I think that’s what this was), but there are also thriving markets like the Osh Bazaar (photos below).
These funny felt wizard hats are not just for the tourists – the Kyrgyz really wear them and rock the look pretty well IMHO.
At 10-15 cents per disc, a fresh-baked loaf of traditional Kyrgyz bread can’t be beat for breakfast.
Fruit is actually quite scarce outside of big markets in Kyrgyzstan, so I ‘ve been trying to gorge myself on it whenever possible.
This nice lady, my homestay owner’s wife, runs a stall at the local bazaar, and she sells just about everything, so I went here to stock up on grains and cheese and caviar ($1.50/jar variety) and everything else I would need for cooking and camping on the road.
There are also people selling these wonderful Kyrgyz blankets and quilts. I picked up a couple made of wool last time I was here; sadly I do not have room on the bike for one this time.
Left: The grain kingpin. Right: I do have room on my bike for a wizard hat though!
Kyrgyzstan is so with the times that you can even play real-life Angry Birds!
They are also very America-friendly. You can hit up the Obama Bar and Grill with your Canadian friend any time.
Above: I camped in the back yard at the Nomad’s Home for 9 days while hanging out in Bishkek. I highly recommend it. Unfortunately, I’m a bit early for the tourist season and haven’t been able to meet any other cycle tourists just yet.
Thanks for being such a good host, Raisa! I’ll be back some day.
Showing up in Bishkek was such an abrupt change from the rest of Asia, especially Delhi. I don’t even think it’s fair to call Central Asia “Asia.” Somebody should think of another name for it because the culture and history share almost no similarities with East Asia or the subcontinent. The architecture (when it’s not a yurt) is decidedly European; the food is also much more European and meat-heavy. People shake hands, and they are almost all Muslim, although I would say it’s “Muslim-light” so there’s plenty of drinking and very little overt religious activity going on, although there is usually a small mosque in every town. People who aren’t Muslim are totally Russian or crucified, and most people even speak Russian in addition to their native Kyrgyz.
I’m so excited about hitting the road now; no people, awesome landscapes, camping everywhere. It feels like a whole new adventure.
The Kyrgyz immigration post was a wooden shack with an old guy in a soviet style army hat sitting at a rickety desk. He inspected all of the foreigners’ bags and took a little something from everyone just because he could. When it was my turn, he took a few cents worth of Hong Kong dollars, saying bringing foreign currency into Kyrgyzstan was “illegal.” I’m sure he just kept the coins as souvenirs. The streets of Bishkek were then dusty, the soviet-era architecture crumbly, and the people, in my view, very melancholy. I had an awesome time in Kyrgyzstan in 2006 though, mostly during the week-long trek I did through the mountains in a remote part of the country. I stayed with families in their yurts, camped out next to glaciers, and rode a horse for 9 hours one day. The combination of post-soviet culture and timeless pastoral nomadism, along with epic landscapes and very few roads or cities, cemented Kyrgyzstan in my mind as one of the most incredible places I’d ever heard of, much less been to.
(Above: the Bishkek Jazz Festival)
Flash-forward 9 years and Kyrgyzstan is even more epic than it was before! Many of the old problems, like corrupt officials and crumbling infrastructure remain of course, but that is inevitable in a country where the per capita GDP is $3000. The streets are clean, food is good, people friendly and seem much happier than I remember. I’ve gotten so many friendly handshakes and salaam alekums in the last two weeks I feel like the whole country is my friend, especially since US citizens no longer need a visa at all to visit Kyrgyzstan. There are now tons of NGO types wandering around Bishkek and sitting around at its fancy coffee shops, and the rural landscape is just as epic as it ever was. The Kyrgyz people seem to have cultivated a sense of national pride to make Manas, their mythic hero, proud.
Make sure to watch this excerpt from the fest – The guy in the Kyrgyz hat is improving the Manas oral epic with the jazz musicians doing an accompaniment. Pretty awesome.
There are still a lot of monumental soviet structures, now co-opted for Kyrgyz nationalistic purposes. On the right: They have a changing of the guard for this gigantic Kyrgyz flag, and I got to see it! (below)
All of the old soviet structures remain, like the national parliament building (I think that’s what this was), but there are also thriving markets like the Osh Bazaar (photos below).
These funny felt wizard hats are not just for the tourists – the Kyrgyz really wear them and rock the look pretty well IMHO.
At 10-15 cents per disc, a fresh-baked loaf of traditional Kyrgyz bread can’t be beat for breakfast.
Fruit is actually quite scarce outside of big markets in Kyrgyzstan, so I ‘ve been trying to gorge myself on it whenever possible.
This nice lady, my homestay owner’s wife, runs a stall at the local bazaar, and she sells just about everything, so I went here to stock up on grains and cheese and caviar ($1.50/jar variety) and everything else I would need for cooking and camping on the road.
There are also people selling these wonderful Kyrgyz blankets and quilts. I picked up a couple made of wool last time I was here; sadly I do not have room on the bike for one this time.
Left: The grain kingpin. Right: I do have room on my bike for a wizard hat though!
Kyrgyzstan is so with the times that you can even play real-life Angry Birds!
They are also very America-friendly. You can hit up the Obama Bar and Grill with your Canadian friend any time.
Above: I camped in the back yard at the Nomad’s Home for 9 days while hanging out in Bishkek. I highly recommend it. Unfortunately, I’m a bit early for the tourist season and haven’t been able to meet any other cycle tourists just yet.
Thanks for being such a good host, Raisa! I’ll be back some day.
Showing up in Bishkek was such an abrupt change from the rest of Asia, especially Delhi. I don’t even think it’s fair to call Central Asia “Asia.” Somebody should think of another name for it because the culture and history share almost no similarities with East Asia or the subcontinent. The architecture (when it’s not a yurt) is decidedly European; the food is also much more European and meat-heavy. People shake hands, and they are almost all Muslim, although I would say it’s “Muslim-light” so there’s plenty of drinking and very little overt religious activity going on, although there is usually a small mosque in every town. People who aren’t Muslim are totally Russian or crucified, and most people even speak Russian in addition to their native Kyrgyz.
I’m so excited about hitting the road now; no people, awesome landscapes, camping everywhere. It feels like a whole new adventure.
