In JC's quest to travel the Silk Road, Krygyzstan was on the list. For those who aren't au fait with the geography of Central Asia (including me), it's a small land-locked country sitting south of the large Kazakstan, north and west of China and east of Uzbekistan/Tajikistan. It is a nomadic country and the average height is 2750 m above Mean Sea Level.
We were up and out by 0630 to catch train from Brentford to Gatwick. It was a straight forward check in and we were soon airside for breakfast and a leisurely Guardian read. Poor guy looks tired already!
We changed planes in Istanbul and had a 3.5 hour break between flights which meant time for Turkish tea and snacks.
We left Istanbul 2030 local (1830 BST) and landed in Bishkek, Krygyzstan, at 0430 local (0130 BST). I’d managed a couple of hours sleep so wasn’t feeling too dead. A very simple passport control, baggage collection and we were collected by our driver, Yusup and Madina. They dropped us at our hotel and we were grateful for another couple of hours sleep before heading out to explore Bishkek.
Sunday 16 September 2026
Bishkek is not currently (will ever be?) the highlight of any Central Asia tour. It is a standard ex-communist city. There appeared no old part to the city and we visited the Victory Arch, built to resemble a yurt frame, with its eternal flame.
We then walked to Bishkek Central Mosque. Again all relatively new and apparently styled on the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
It was very hot. Hotter than the UK, in the high 30’s. Unlike the UK, though, this was normal. Bishkek is 800 m above mean sea level but we knew the temperatures would be lower for most of our trip due to the altitudes we’d be at.
We watched the changing of the guards. The high leg walk reminded me of Athens guards, although no pom poms were in sight here. They then stand rigid for two hours until the next pair relieve them. When is it stupidly hot (not today) they are relieved after an hour. Above them is a large Kyrgyz flag which I couldn’t capture without crossing a busy road. If you hang in there with the blogs you'll see this again on 04 September.
We explored the State History museum. JC found the Bronze Age and similar antiquities his vibe, whilst I preferred the more modern stuff (18th century onwards). I liked the little epics on display.
Post independence from Russia in 1991, Kyrgyzstan had to create a new flag and here are the suggestions. The symbol in the centre of the chosen flag represents the lattice pattern across the top of a yurt where there is an opening to allow sun in/smoke out.
For lunch, JC continued his ongoing campaign to eat lagman (beef and noodles) at any opportunity and I had the first of many fried aubergine, tomatoes and rice dishes. Kyrgyzstan is another destination I am not visiting for its cuisine. Our guide, Timur, is struggling to understand how anyone can survive life without meat. The diet here is meat centric, with beef and lamb being the most common. Pork is rarely on the menu as many Kyrgyz are Muslim. Our lunch started with a shot of the National drink, milk with salt. We haven’t quite got our taste buds into that one yet (notwithstanding being unsure how safe it was for us to drink) but salt in drinks is common.
Timur asked about our jobs. JC’s he could understand as weather is everywhere. But trying to explain what a coastline, tides and waves are to someone who has never seen the sea was more challenging. We explored the local market where Timur proudly announced “you can get anything” - anything except postcards it seems. But he seemed right on most other things. I didn’t take photos as I’ve taken numerous of these type of markets before: alleyways devoted to the sale of shoes, electronics, spice stalls, kitchen tool corners etc. We had fresh pear juice from a vending machine which was delicious but were less taken with the dried hard cheese balls Timur was keen for us to try.
I was stopped by a man curious about the wires in my ears, my hearing aids. He wanted to know how many channels they had (numerous) and how much they cost (lots). I’ve never been asked that before by a complete stranger.
Back at the hotel we enjoyed the mountain view from our room.
JC caught up on sleep whilst I did the usual Ruth thing of reorganising the packing. We split our stuff when we travel so that should one bag go AWOL we each had enough clothes/other stuff in the other one to survive. But once both bags were safe, I swap it all around. We shall be on the road a lot this trip so one bag shall be for our day-to-day use. JC’s rucksack, stuffed with the sleeping bags, thermarest and thermals, can stay unused until needed.
Dinner out was aubergine, tomatoes and rice for me, again. JC tried horsemeat for the first time and quite liked it, although not as much as beef. Timur discovered two more un-Krygyz things about me. I drive a SEAT which he’s never heard of and I’m left handed (not common in Muslim quarters). So what with that, being a veggie and mapping the coastline, he’s finding me a bit weird.
The hotel is offering wine for 1800 KGS. Initially I thought it was stupidly heavy wine (I was tired), then realised it was Krygyz Som, the currency. Certainly not a steal at ~£15 a bottle.
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