Morning brought a different impression of Bishkek city. Under blue skies and sunny weather, even potholes in the sidewalk look quaint and charming.
Radison Guesthouse was my home away from home in Bishkek. Besides being a comfortable base, the family that runs the guesthouse is kind and helpful, especially Guliya, with her motherly nature.
At breakfast, I met the other guests staying at Radison Guesthouse. There was an adventurous family (Dad, Mom, 11 year old daughter) from Brighton in UK, and a young, handsome American couple, Matt and Amanda.
Matt and Amanda were also heading to Karakol - and yes they would be happy to delay their journey by one day, and go Karakol together with me. Yes! Suddenly I have two fun and reliable travelling buddies, to explore Bishkek with, and to take the long road trip to east Kyrgyzstan. Pure serendipity.
Matt and Amanda are on a 4-months long adventure through Russia, Central Asia and China. They are taking the Trans-Siberian rail eastwards to Mongolia and Beijing, with a detour through Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan) in the middle.
After Kyrgyzstan, they were going to Barnaul and Altai Republic - kinda retracing the route I had come by. I was glad to share some info and pics on nature in Russian Altai. But I could not give much practical tips on the public transport situation - having been pretty much a piece of 'cargo' on LandRover from Novosibirsk to Altai!
I was pleasantly surprised by the green boulevards and flowers galore on Bishkek's streets. (Yes, that pyramid shaped green structure is a stack of potted plants - Bishkek's answer to roadside greenery.)
The key places of interest were the massive Ala-Too Square, Panfilov, Dubovy and Erkindik Parks. In Dubovy park, there was a covered alley that housed art stalls by day, and karaoke stalls at night - the leisure options of Bishkek-ites are very diverse indeed. There is an amusement park in Panfilov Park, and we had a great time reliving our childhood with the go-kart and big swing rides.
Around 9pm, we dropped by Metro bar for a quiet beer. As we started chatting with the bar owner Richard, Mike (owner of Dragon's Den bar) and a German expat, one beer led to two, a tour of the bar (it was a former theatre), and an exciting game of table soccer (with the worse ball, ever).
At 1am, Richard offered to bring us to a Bishkek nightclub "Golden Bull". We went along, curious to see the nightlife of Bishkek ... and it was empty and we had the whole dance floor to ourselves. Well, it is after all a Wed night in Bishkek! At 2+am, we were ringing the doorbell of Radison Guesthouse for Guliya to open the door, feeling like guilty teenagers who had stayed out too late.
I had met up with Grif Peterson (a friend''s friend working in Bishkek) that morning. "The great thing about Bishkek is how accessible it is to the nature, leave the city and go out to the mountains!" Grif had urged in the morning.
Yup, we are taking Grif's good advice and will be heading out to Karakol soon. Next up, yurt stay and horse riding!
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