I don’t know why, but I always wanted to go to Kyrgyzstan, to our ancestral lands.. Even though I am going to Kyrgyzstan, I set out with a trekking group (Obatrek) because I was interested in the nature of that wonderful geography and I wanted to hike in those mountains.. It’s a tour after years, but the goal is to walk as a group. Kyrgyzstan’s population is only 7 million. Even Istanbul is almost double. It’s like a corner of heaven with its magnificent geography, mountains and lakes.
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Kyrgyzstan Capital: Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan Religion: 80% of the country is Muslim
Kyrgyzstan Language: Kyrgyz and Russian
Kyrgyzstan Currency: Kyrgyzstani Som
What does Kyrgyzstan get ?: means Kyrgyz country.
Kyrgyzstan Official Name: Kyrgyz Republic
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Visa to Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan does not apply visas to Turks.
How long does it take to fly from Kyrgyzstan to Turkey?: It takes about 5.5 hours from Istanbul to Bishkek.. Since Kyrgyzstan is three hours behind us, you should adjust your hours accordingly.
Are the Kyrgyz Turks Turkish?: Kyrgyz is one of the oldestTurkish peoples. As a result of the marriages of the Kyrgyz with the Mongols, today’s Kyrgyz society was formed.. Oghuz Turks, Tuva Turks, Kipchak Turks are examples of these.
Kyrgyzstan Treking Tours and Prices
The price of such an all-inclusive trekking tour is 550 Euro+ flight tickets. So we bought the plane tickets individually.. I bought shared luggage with my friend. We put our poles in it. Flight tickets to Kyrgyzstan are quite expensive. I thought it was high because we bought the tickets a few weeks before the trip, but even those who bought it six months ago bought it for about the same price.. That means tickets are always expensive. I bought the highest flight ticket of my life by paying a fee of 2200 Lira with the common luggage.. The company we fly to is Pegasus.. If you want to go without a tour, it is very difficult to go here individually, but of course, you can buy trekking tours and join other groups.
I am a backpacker everywhere in my life, and this time I buy a suitcase by following the advice.. you don’t buy. The places you go are not suitable for wheeled suitcases. Trying to run in the sand. It isn’t happening. It doesn’t go in the ground. A grind in any case.
I always carry something for the kids on my travels. This time Hello Kitty buckles, balloons, and water balloons were my companions.. It was very nice to mingle with the children in the countryside, to laugh and have fun.. Girls didn’t know what Hello Kitty was. We saw more boys than girls. We are left with the buckles.
What Kind of Country is Kyrgyzstan?
- Kyrgyzstan is three hours behind Turkey.
- If someone is younger or the same age, they call them ece.
- They drink the tea in bowls. They put half. If it is full, it means go immediately.. According to their culture, this is a shameful thing.
- Cannabis plant grows spontaneously in the mountains.
- A pastry with yellowish meat.. There was a fee of 50 Som. we loved it. Don’t leave without trying.
- They are very shy when talking to strangers. They blush and talk while looking at the ground.
- There are places where you can ski in 1-1.5 hours from Bishkek.. Must commute daily. No accommodation needed.
- We were not disturbed much as we wandered around Osh Bazaar. We had summer dresses on us. The shopkeepers in that area are used to tourists.. But on the way back to the hotel, there was a lot of talk.. Of course we didn’t mind. It is also beneficial not to dress too decolletely.. They are not used to it.
- The place where felts are sold in Osh (Osh) Bazaar is called Kyyal. Products made of felt and leather are in the lead.
- Osh Pazar is Central Asia’s largest open-air market
- They don’t care much about football. More javelin, karate, judo were common.
- There is almost no divided road. I saw it in Bishkek, but as soon as we left the city, we entered the narrow roads.. The roads to the trekking spots are very bad. On the last Köl road we crossed tiny rivers after a certain point. We added the dust of the dirt roads to the soil.
- The Epic of Manas is very important for the Kyrgyz. You can see his statue everywhere.. Even the name of the university in Bishkek is Manas. It tells about the war between the Karahitays who lived the Mani religion and the Muslim Karakhanids.. The experiences of the Kyrgyz and a man named Manas are told.. The epic is still told in 130 different ways as additions are made.
- In the streets of Bishkek, during the daytime, we came across men sleeping in sheep and goats.. Were they drunk? Or is this a normal thing?. It is forbidden to enter. They consider it disrespectful. You can photograph it from the outside, though.
- The pronunciation of Kyrgyz numbers is the same as in Turkish.. You will not have any difficulties.
- 80 rivers flow in Kyrgyzstan, but there is no exit. They didn’t even wash their hands because it’s holy.. There are about 20 special fish here.. There were enough fish to throw the fish out with their hands, but they did not eat the fish.. They walk the food animals with them. Eat when you’re hungry.
Which telephone line is used in Kyrgyzstan?
The name of the airport in Bishkek is Manas International Airport. We arrive at the airport at 4 am.. Our guides Ernest and Meerim (we always called her Meryem) welcome us.. This trip will be a little comfortable. I apologize in advance. No crawling this time. When we meet with our guides, I ask where I can get a line.. There is a place at the airport where we can buy. They take us there. The airport is tiny.. We take the line called Megacom. We paid 100 Som.
100 Som is roughly 1.5 Euros, something like 8.5 TL.(2019) The line is valid for 7 days. As soon as 7 days are up, my internet is gone. After suffering poverty in expensive countries, I like to live in comfort where our money is worth a little.. It is our right to relax a little. Pulled all over the country. It wasn’t just in Song Köl. He was shooting Beeline there. And it only draws in one place, perched on something made of concrete the height of a tabletop.. But it is. Don’t shoot there too. The purpose of being there is to relax away from civilization anyway.. Beeline sales point is not available at the airport.
Kyrgyzstan dialing code: +996
In Kyrgyzstan How to Change Money. Don’t expect anything big. There is also a man. The makeshift one too. Currency SOM. I had exchanged 20 Euros somewhere.. Since I did not know that it was a low rate, I had it as my money.. The men finally gave away. Turns out they were right. When they exchange the gold of 50 Euros or the dollar, they exchange it at a lower rate.
You must exchange 50 or more. The money I exchanged was not enough. I did not want to exchange 50 Euros again because I will go the next day.. I’m pretty broke. It’s like a joke… Dollars pass in most places. You don’t have to exchange money. If you want to buy the top in Solid, you can pay in Dollars or Euros. But you must be good at bookkeeping so you don’t get the wrong change. Widespread use of credit cards in the city. Bargaining is essential. I saw them go down almost in half. I heard you said if you bought it with a credit card or dollars, but as I said, the change is Som.. I needed Som too. I also had to keep my credit card empty for my next trip.
How to Buy Property in Kyrgyzstan?
If you want to buy a house in Kyrgyzstan, there are special conditions.. We have no such intention, but we are still curious and ask our guide Ernest.. He also tells. A foreigner can buy an apartment and a house with a garden, but the land of the house with a garden passes to the state.. If you are going to sell it to a foreigner, the procedure is the same, but if a Kyrgyz citizen will buy it, he will take the title deed.. One bedroom old small apartments around 25 thousand dollars. He wanted renovations. Of course, there are also villas and luxury apartments, but we did not ask for them.. Our soul is poor.
Kyrgyzstan Accommodation
The old traditional accommodation of Kyrgyzstan is the tents they call Bozüğ. Of course, the number of people living this way today is very small.. When the demand was high in Son Köl, they opened their own houses to tourism.. They are setting up stoves inside their Bozug tents.. Otherwise, we could not sleep without freezing at 3016 altitude.. The name of the bristle tents is Bozüğ, they can be set up in 2.5 hours.. If there was a fight in crowded places, the others would get up in the morning and go.. You could stay alone.
Son Köl toilets, a fainting spring in Bozüğ in Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan Famous washbasin, Son Köl, Kyrgyzstan
We are completely in nature in Last Köl. They made toilets out of small tin huts. There is a sink. We are constantly pouring water into the reservoir on the top so that the water flows from the fountain.. Flowing water also fills another bucket at the bottom. You have to pour it. It’s fun actually.
We stayed in a 4-star hotel in Bishkek. It was very beautiful. It was in a very central location.. High-rise buildings are also in the majority in the city.. I can never forget the hotel we stayed in Karakol area. They took our shoes off as soon as we walked in.. There were eyes where we could put our shoes, just like at the mosque entrances.. They also gave us slippers. This time we weren’t going to sit on the floor to eat. The table was set, but we were legendary with our rubber slippers that were at least three sizes too big for our feet.
What to Eat in Kyrgyzstan?
We got hungry while walking around Bishkek. We didn’t want to buy the open food inside Osh Bazaar. We wanted to sit somewhere and eat.. We were walking towards the hotel.. We entered places with closed windows with curtains and signs on the door of food being sold.. It looked so primitive. we were not sure. Finally, we entered one and placed an order.. Fully closed windows with curtains. What’s inside is never understood. One gets the feeling that if they close the doors sometime, I will never get out of here.. There are such curtains that it is as if we have gone to someone’s house and are waiting for dinner in the living room.. I think I was surprised by these restaurants the most.
The name of the crunchy bread is Sansa Etler, which is sold on the street, in the open. It is similar to the ravioli sold on the street in Osh Bazaar, but it is not ravioli.. This was the potato one.
My favorite foods are; Grechka Soup and Five Fingers. Each dish has a substantial amount of meat in it.. There is definitely dough or white cabbage in every juicy dish.. The food is quite delicious. I have never seen such crowded tables in my life.. There are so many varieties on the table that it is a shame to eat one of them.. There is always a crusty bread made of dough on the tables.. crunchy like chips. Her name was Sansa. I love your taste. Candies, wafers, various jams are indispensable for every table.
Breakfast cultures are not like ours.. They eat the leftovers for breakfast.. Or are they cooking rice?. All kinds of jams come out. They love dessert. Honey is indispensable for the table.. This is a yellow honey. We tasted the food. Then we bought it from somewhere but the honey I brought home is like sugar you know. It was not possible to eat. If you are going to buy, never buy it without tasting it.
Bottle of vodka served after every meal, every meal turned into a fun with Kyrgyz music played.. I have never been to another place where I drink this much alcohol after every meal.
The Most Famous Kyrgyz Dishes
If we count the Most Famous Kyrgyz Dishes;
- The chief dish is Beshparmak (Five Fingers) Because it is eaten with five fingers
- Manty (It’s like our mantı)
- Kyrgyz Pilaf (The pilaf that everyone makes in Turkic Republics) gave his name. Like Uzbek Pilaf. Generally similar pilafs)
- Kuurdak
- Şaşlık
- Kimiz
Kyrgyz Horses
I think I’ve seen more horses than I’ve ever seen in my life.. Horse is very important for Kyrgyz. You will see herds of horses wandering around as if they were derelict.. They roam free alone. They use the horses in every way, from their meat to their milk.. We saw a herd of yaks on the way to Sol Kol.. It did not appear anywhere else.. That flock had a shepherd. Seeing Yak up close, who always appears in puzzles, is another thing.
You can ride these beautiful horses if you want, of course.. We rode in the Last Köl. We paid 300 Som per person. If you want the horses to go, you have to shout “chu chu”. A milkmaid as tall as me came across to me, which does not walk, does not go, does not listen to words.. It’s luck, but even though I was nervous at first, we laughed a lot at this too.. Life is too beautiful and short to worry about everything.
Things to Consider If You Are Buying Kumys
One of the first things that comes to mind when Kyrgyzstan is mentioned is kumiss.. I drank at the Emit fair before and didn’t like it.. Now, of course, I have experienced it right in the place.. did i like it? no . It has a very sour taste. We are something that gets alcoholic when it stops.. Many people bought kumiss in Son Köl. The most important thing to remember here is to get the air of this kumis.. all the time. Someone did not understand this warning and put it in his suitcase.
Our guide Ernest stopped the vehicles immediately. That redhead came out of the suitcase. While descending from an altitude of 3000, the gas was taken by opening the lid constantly at intervals of almost 10-15 minutes.. It’s literally exploding. It was also a problem when arriving on the plane.. Most likely, the kumiss you put in your suitcase will explode under the pressure.. I don’t know if they allow you to board the plane.. Those who bought drank finished. He could not take this risk.
We also witnessed a horse being milked in Arashan Valley.. It wasn’t like milking a cow. I love different cultures…
Kyrgyzstan Eagles
When you think of Kyrgyzstan, you think of eagle photos after the horse.. It really is so important to them.. They train as hunters as well as for show.. In Skazka Canyon there were many eagles to take pictures by the roadside. their eyes were open. The eagle hunting eagle arranged for us by our guide Ernet. His trainer had also arranged a show for us.. Because he was a hunter, his eyes were closed.. We have been warned many times not to love like a cat, not to open our eyes, not to look if they are open, even if their eyes are closed.. I think it has been said a thousand times that these are not pets.. Let’s open your eyes so they rejected my offer. To protect me, of course.
My friend Çilem asks if there are any female eagle trainers.. We get an unexpected answer from our guide, Ernest: Women in our society know where to stand, she says.. we are shocked. thankfully we don’t live there. Women are always in the service, always in the kitchen.. They roll dough like crazy and chop meat like crazy.
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If you have something to add about Kyrgyzstan, please comment add as. Let the summer become richer and more useful…
If you want to take a look at my other trekking articles (especially in Turkey), you can read them here. It would be nice to gain some experience before going abroad
Kyrgyzstan Covid-19 Conditions
- Vaccination requirement for travel
- Passengers who have not been vaccinated must have a PCR test 72 hours before the flight
- Children 0-5 years old and passengers who have been vaccinated for 2 doses before do not have to have a PCR test.
- Also; PCR test is not required for members of delegations of foreign states and international organizations traveling at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, flight crews and international observers who will come to Kyrgyzstan for the selection process.
- You do not need to fill out any form when entering Kyrgyzstan. .
My Other Kyrgyzstan Articles
- Last Lake, Where Animals Go On Vacation in Kyrgyzstan
- Where is Kyrgyzstan? Things to See in Kyrgyzstan
