Kyrgyzstan
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You are currently reading a thread in /trv/ - Travel
You are currently reading a thread in /trv/ - Travel
So, I'm going to move to Kyrgyzstan in August and I'm going to live there for around half a year, maybe more. I'm going to teach English in Bishkek, but I'd also like to take time to explore the country and also the surrounding countries(Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, China mostly). Has any of you ever been there or done a similar thing? The things I'd like to do includes:
-visiting nomads at the countryside
-climb a mountain( an easy one, since my physical condition is pretty weak)
-find historical places
-visit cool natural places, such as canyons, valleys, etc.
-try the weed/hash there
I'd appreciate your input, /trv/
>>1106214
Sulyukta sucks
Lake Issyk is beautiful.
What's up, OP? I taught English in Almaty for a year and might be able to answer some of your questions. Cultures are very similar and desu you couldn't even tell you were in a different country except for the landscapes. Congrats on this adventure you're about to set on, you chose a very RealTraveler™ destination.
>visiting nomads at the countryside
There aren't many nomads these days as most people live in cities. There's probably more nomads still living in Kyrgyzstan than Kazakhstan due to economic hardship. You can hop on a tour and see some nature and have lunch in a yurt, but that's not the real thing and will most likely be filled with old Russians. You could try hitchhiking, biking, hiking or however you get around to the countryside and try to meet some.
>climb a mountain( an easy one, since my physical condition is pretty weak)
Ala Archa is the one closest to Bishkek. Get a mangal and make some shashlyk with your colleagues.
>find historical places
>Kyrgyzstan
>Historical places
Chose one, anon.
If you want rich history then I recommend popping over to Uzbekistan, perhaps on a trip around the Stans once your contract is up?
>visit cool natural places, such as canyons, valleys, etc.
Literally anywhere in the country. Just go. Nothing stopping you from climbing up a mountain or taking your tent to the lake and camping there. I hear good things about the south west region and issyk kul is the popular destination for tourists. If you enter Uzbekistan or Tajikistan overland, you'll probably stumble upon lots of beautiful places. Just don't wander too close to the borders in the mountains on your own and you'll be good. There's lots of beauty in southern Kazakhstan that can be reached easily from Bishkek like pic related. Check out Charyn Canyon.
-try the weed/hash there
Most of the shit in Kazakhstan came from Chu. P good, definitely not WMD BLOW YOUR FUCKING BRAINS OUT good, but it kept me level and a few times I accidentally taught stoned.
>>1106214
>-visiting nomads at the countryside
real nomads are mostly just in the south, not many left. During summer holidays there are many people living around the Issykul and have something like a restaurant in their jurta
>-climb a mountain( an easy one, since my physical condition is pretty weak)
the whole country is just mountains
>-find historical places
nomads dont leave anything. Close to Bishkek there is the 'ancient' Burana Tower in the middle of nowhere. But no local knew this tower during soviet times. There are rumors that i was build in 90's to get unesco shekels
>-visit cool natural places, such as canyons, valleys, etc.
litarlly everywhere outside of bishkek
tipp: Ala Kul
>-try the weed/hash there
it grows there like.... weed... you can see it sometimes on the side of the road growing outside of Bishkek
a local told me that its hard to get weed and they usually smoke hash.
And if the police catches them they beat the shit out of them... dont know what they would do with foreigner
Some more tips:
>car
You probably gonna need a car for this time if you want to go outside of Bishkek. Most used cars are from japan and Right hand drive. And they drive on the right side like in europe/america. So its twisted but u will familiaris fast.
during night oncoming traffic will blind you because many cars are from japan and rhd, it looks like they have full beam on
look out for open gully covers while driving
look out for huge potholes while driving
avoid stepping on any kind of covers while walking in the city, they are often just for decoration.
>food
is awesome and cheap. Try manti, shashlik, lagman and plow (usually just with reservation because plow doesnt tasteso good anymore if its warmed up). with 5 $ per person you can eat like a king in most restaurants
eat watermelons and honeymelons
watermelons cost 1 € for 15-20 kg during main season in late august/early september
cont.
>durdoi
huge market out of containers. Basicly the main hub between russia, china and turkey. you can buy chink shit for peanuts there.
May i ask you hou u got this job?
>>1107471
>>1107519
Thanks a bunch for the useful info, did expect this thread to die out before anyone would help me out.
>visiting nomads
So it's hard to find actual nomads from what I understand, although I'll try to ask around and see if there are any possibilities. Else, I'd be also interested in meeting local people in rural areas, to learn more about their life, which wouldn't be too hard to do.
>historical places
I know there isn't much history to dig after, like in Europe for example, but I thoughy that there could be some deer stones across the country. I know for sure that there are some in Mongolia, for example.
>cool natural places
Thanks for the input, I found a lot of nice places to visit and marked them on the map. I'll also use the weekends to go to the places around Bishkek, I'll probably find some people who'd be willing to join me on a short trip. A friend introduced me to a guy who's in Bishkek and he's willing to hang out with me and help me out.
>weed
I guess that will sort itself out as soon as I get there.
>car
I hope that I can find someone who has a car and who's willing to make a roadtrip around the country. Worst case I will rent a car and do it on my own. Luckily I'm from Eastern Europe, which is famous for many things, including bad traffic, so I'll have no problem with that.
After the end of the trip I will take some time to visit the neighboring countries, since I won't be in a hurry, so I'll save this for the end.
>how I got the job
Well, you have probably heard of this student organization, AIESEC. Although most of them act weird, they can offer lots of paid internships if you are willing to search a bit. Good thing is that you don't have to be a member to do so. I found lots of cool, paid internships. I also found one in Mongolia, for 500$/month. Accommodation is mostly free
>>1107519
>>food
Since you seem to know your shit: how feasible is it to avoid meat?
>>1107918
>>car
>I hope that I can find someone who has a car and who's willing to make a roadtrip around the country. Worst case I will rent a car and do it on my own. Luckily I'm from Eastern Europe, which is famous for many things, including bad traffic, so I'll have no problem with that.
>After the end of the trip I will take some time to visit the neighboring countries, since I won't be in a hurry, so I'll save this for the end.
i think it would be cheaper to buy a car than renting one...
renting/credits and things like this are really expensive there. Almost nobody rents a flat/house. Its even expensive by german prices.
>Since you seem to know your shit: how feasible is it to avoid meat?
for half a year? pretty hard. i cant think of one vegetarian meal atm... even most salads have meat... are you some kind of faggot? most people wont understand what you mean by 'i dont eat meat'
>>1108104
>for half a year? pretty hard. i cant think of one vegetarian meal atm... even most salads have meat... are you some kind of faggot? most people wont understand what you mean by 'i dont eat meat'
Vegetarian, can't digest meat properly, eating it forces me to stay close to a toilet for two days if I'm lucky.
Not OP by the way, but also looking into going to Kyrgyzstan, albeit for mountaineering rather than work. So only a month tops.
>>1108124
Addendum: is self-catering an option if I have cooking gear?
>>1107986
I'm the anon who lived in Kazakhstan and I can say that the food is really bland and shit. I take it you'll be cooking a lot since most places won't have much of a selection in terms of vegetarian dishes, so I suggest loading up on some of your favorite spices and sauces before moving out.
>>1106214
so you decided to go there finally?
>>1108125
of course... you can gat pretty much anything like in europe in supermarkets.
Would suggest to eat local shit during summer from the markets. Shit is fresh, cheap and tasty, especially the fruits.
>>1106214
I met a teacher there at the american university
I gave him like 7 grams of pure Nepali hand rolled hash because he was getting ripped off like a motherfucker for kif
wonder what happened to him
yeah so theres weed there, but it isnt good. pic related is your average park in Bishkek in June
I would do a side trip down the Karakoram to Pakistan to get some dank then go back. It's like an overnight taxi ride from Bishkek to Osh, then another overnight bus ride to Kashgar (you need a Chinese visa), then you from there you can take a half-day trip minibus to Tashkurgan, where presumably you can find some dank ass weeds and hash cakes. If not, just keep going til you're in Himachal. Honestly it's not far.
Test
Me too, I will be in Kyrgyzstan for few months, but in July... How did you find a job?
Hey OP. How did you go about finding a job teaching English there? I am thinking about doing a 'gap year' after finishing my masters at the University of London and would like to get a teaching job somewhere. Shouldn't be too hard qualifications-wise, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
>>1110675
Oh I see. Aiesec. Sorry, I'll read the thread next time. :^) Best of luck to you
>>1110676
Thanks! I guess you could do that even if you finished studying, not sure though. But you're better off searching for yourself, the people in aiesec are a bit insane to be honest.
>>1110672
>>1110676
>>1110686
Slightly unrelated with the topic but I'd like to know what's wrong with this aiesec (I don't even know what they are, but heard always so good things about it (maybe are they somehow sectarian?)). I'm from a poor European country but I'd be up for going to Mongolia for 500$/Mo (it's slightly less of what I earn here)
is it available for us without getting involved in the organization and this shit?
>>1111254
OP here. I'm from Eastern Europe too, so the payment is a big deal for me as well, even better than what a teacher gets here.
They do act like a sect, even ex-members admitted it to me, but luckily you don't have to be a member to apply for an internship.
