My Trip to Bishkek
KT
Kiyal Tukembayeva
Wed, 08 Jun 2022
This is probably one of the shortest routes: the flight lasts only 30 minutes. The plane gains altitude, flies over the highway, just over the cars rushing along it, and then almost immediately descends.
When you arrive in Bishkek, you will see snow-covered mountain peaks, and most of the way from Manas airport you will drive towards these mountains.
Here is my first advice: if you have time, go to the mountains. It may be Ala-Archa gorge or Chunkurchak valley.
I really like the Chunkurchak valley: a beautiful jailoo (summer pasture) with spruce, mixed forests, and alpine meadows.
Chunkurchak surprises with its emerald palette after a rather difficult ascent along a stony serpentine. By the way, in winter you can go skiing here: there is a ski resort with the same name, which is quite popular among the fans of skiing and snowboarding.
One of the most distinctive hotels in the national style Supara Chunkurchak is located in this valley. On the hillside, there are unusual yurts with panoramic windows - rooms of Yurt hotel.
These stylized modern yurts are made of natural materials: the walls are covered with a special composition of felt, and all the furniture is made of wood. In the lower part of the yurt is an extra room with a panoramic window, which offers a magnificent view of the mountains!
These yurts are cool in summer, and in winter, they are heated with a potbelly stove burzhuyka. Another part of the hotel consists of small houses, made in the form of a cradle, they are called Beshik hotel. If you become a guest of the hotel, you will be astonished by the variety of national meals offered for breakfast. Here you will find Byzhy sausage made of liver and rice, Sary Mai clarified butter, Talkan oatmeal with various additives, and a great variety of bread.
Be sure to eat small Kattama - these are puff pastries, and they are especially delicious with Kaymak heavy cream. Despite the fact that Supara Chunkurchak is an ethnic hotel, for lunch and dinner, you can order both national dishes and dishes from other cuisines, including vegetarian.
In another branch of the Supara ethnic complex, (actually it is the first place of this network) which is situated closer to the city at the foot of the mountains you can plunge into the space with national colors: the stone houses and different yurts where you can also eat the tastiest dishes.
In addition, I recommend you to visit the Interactive Museum of Miniatures and Culture of the Kyrgyz People. Some of the miniatures depict the different scenes from the nomadic life of the Kyrgyz people, from the national game Kokboru (equestrian sport) to the moving to the summer camp. In the interactive part of the museum, you can grind wheat, touch various antique exhibits, and study jewelry and types of weapons.
As far as museums are concerned, I would like to advise you to visit the renovated National Museum on Ala-Too Square and the Museum of Fine Arts.
In the first museum you will see the illustrations of the official history of Kyrgyzstan, while in the second museum, there are the permanent museum collection of fine arts, as well as the frequently changing, interesting exhibitions of contemporaries, working in a variety of art directions, and often setting the tone for the art crowd of the city.
Incidentally, another art space in the city is the Ilgeri Art gallery in the newly opened Novotel hotel. Young enthusiasts gather different generations of artists in the same space, create collaborations of different trends, and breathe new life into old applied art. Be sure to visit this gallery, you will get a lot of impressions and maybe even buy yourself something from real exhibits or virtual NFT art.
To feel the vibe of the city be sure to stroll along Erkindik Boulevard. It starts from the train station and goes all the way to Ala-Too Square.
It is where couples make dates and eat the most delicious ice-cream, young families with children walk in the evenings, and the old-timers relax sitting in the shade of long-lived trees. If you are lucky enough to catch musicians performing, they will accompany your walk with a variety of music...