Earthlooping at Ala Archa National Park
We spent almost one week in Bishkek doing nothing but updating the website, applying for the visa to Kazakhstan and going to a banya. In between, a one-day trip to the nearby Ala Archa National Park for a small trekking and superb views of Kyrgyz mountain landscape and some small Christmas celebration.
After the two days spent in Osh the plan was to spend at least 5 days in Bishkek just doing practically nothing. It was the first country with cheap enough accomodation to be able to spend days updating the website, writing the missing posts and just resting. Besides, Christmas day was going to be soon, so we just booked a nice apartment and stayed there for almost one week, finally.
The marshrutka ride from Osh to Bishkek was quite hard. We were cramped in a small vehicle during 13 hours with only a few stops on the way for lunch and toilet. The way was nice, but not as impressive as the Internet forums said. Yes, you go through quite impressive mountanious landscapes and over two mountain passes, but the views only last for a while, as almost half of the trip is during night.
Anyway, we got to Bishkek at 22:00, and after the long day we just wanted to go to sleep as next day we had to wake up early and go to the Kazakh embassy to apply for the last Stan visa. We met Kuba, the owner of the place we rented, and he accompanied us to the apartment. A quite big, clean and nice place next to the center of the city. But it had one big problem: Internet was only working at some times. Kuba even sent the technical service there but they didn't fix anything. In the end, we found out internet was ony working at night, strange but true, so we could only work during that time all those days.
Anyway, we got to Bishkek at 22:00, and after the long day we just wanted to go to sleep as next day we had to wake up early and go to the Kazakh embassy to apply for the last Stan visa. We met Kuba, the owner of the place we rented, and he accompanied us to the apartment. A quite big, clean and nice place next to the center of the city. But it had one big problem: Internet was only working at some times. Kuba even sent the technical service there but they didn't fix anything. In the end, we found out internet was ony working at night, strange but true, so we could only work during that time all those days.
Bishkek. Yes, it was Soviet.
The next morning we woke up early, still tired from the previous day, but we had no choice, as we had to go to the Kazakh embassy and apply for the visa, which was supposed to be ready in 3 or 4 working days.
The embassy is far away from the center so we decided to take a taxi there and then find out how to get back to the city by public transportation. We were the first ones there, and when they opened we were given the application form, asked for a copy of the passport (it must be A4 size) and two pictures and then sent to pay the visa fee to a bank. No problems at all this time! With all the previous Central Asia visa applications experiences, we though that some problem would come out, but no, this time everything worked as it should.
The only annoying thing is that the bank you have to go to pay the fee is on the other side of the city. Not everything could be perfect. We had to rush as the embassy closed at 12, so asking around and showing people the paper with the bank address we were given at the embassy, we took the first marshrutka going to the center, then another one and finally we found the bank.
The embassy is far away from the center so we decided to take a taxi there and then find out how to get back to the city by public transportation. We were the first ones there, and when they opened we were given the application form, asked for a copy of the passport (it must be A4 size) and two pictures and then sent to pay the visa fee to a bank. No problems at all this time! With all the previous Central Asia visa applications experiences, we though that some problem would come out, but no, this time everything worked as it should.
The only annoying thing is that the bank you have to go to pay the fee is on the other side of the city. Not everything could be perfect. We had to rush as the embassy closed at 12, so asking around and showing people the paper with the bank address we were given at the embassy, we took the first marshrutka going to the center, then another one and finally we found the bank.
Some Christmas atmosphere at one of Bishkek's squares.
After the payment, back to the embassy. It was around 11 and there were more people there applying for visas. Among them, Uriel, a Mexican guy working for an NGO in Bishkek who, noticing my Spanish passport, established conversation with me. He was applying for a Kazakh visa as he was flying in a few days from there to Israel. We said we would go on a few beers one day in Bishkek, but finally we couldn't. Anyway, he was a really nice guy.
At the embassy we handed in the proof of payment, our passport and we were told to come back on Friday (it was Tuesday) at 6 in the evening to pick up our visa. Great!
Now we could just devote our life to hang out in the apartment and to write and write and write to update the web after so much time without being able to do it. And that's what we did. All the days in Bishkek were spent basically at home. We only went out to eat something, to buy some food and not much sightseeing. Bishkek is another Soviet city with no special sights, so it was perfect to not do anything. Yes, we went to Ala Too square and a couple of more places to check a bit the atmosphere, but really, nothing going on there. Not even a Christmas feeling, as Kyrgyz people celebrate it on the 7th of January instead of on the 25th of December. Only a few Christmas trees and some creepy Santas in some squares and that's all.
At the embassy we handed in the proof of payment, our passport and we were told to come back on Friday (it was Tuesday) at 6 in the evening to pick up our visa. Great!
Now we could just devote our life to hang out in the apartment and to write and write and write to update the web after so much time without being able to do it. And that's what we did. All the days in Bishkek were spent basically at home. We only went out to eat something, to buy some food and not much sightseeing. Bishkek is another Soviet city with no special sights, so it was perfect to not do anything. Yes, we went to Ala Too square and a couple of more places to check a bit the atmosphere, but really, nothing going on there. Not even a Christmas feeling, as Kyrgyz people celebrate it on the 7th of January instead of on the 25th of December. Only a few Christmas trees and some creepy Santas in some squares and that's all.
Where the trekking trails start in Ala Archa National Park
And like this we waited till Friday to pick up our visas. In between we kind of celebrated Christmas, but nothing special, and we complained about not having internet during the day, which was devoted to write the travel guides and the posts on an office document to later transfer them to the web. One day, to break a bit the monotony, we went to a nearby banya. Banya is the Russian word for sauna. It was a building where you can have a sauna and swim a bit. The thing was going inside one of the two rooms and then jump into an ice-cold swimming pool. Quite fun!
On Friday we went back to the embassy at 6 in the evening. And surprisingly in 5 minutes we had the passport with a nice Kazakh visa stamped on it! It had been, by far, the easiest Central Asian visa to get! Now we were allowed to spend 30 days in Kazakhstan within the next 3 months.
To celebrate the good news and to finish our days in the Kyrgyz capital, on Sunday we decided to go to Ala Archa National Park. It is a park located 30 km from Bishkek but to get there there's no public transportation, so according to what we read on the Internet we had to take one marshrutka to a village and from then hitch-hike to the park. As it was winter we were not sure if we would make it, but we decided to, at least, give it a try.
On Friday we went back to the embassy at 6 in the evening. And surprisingly in 5 minutes we had the passport with a nice Kazakh visa stamped on it! It had been, by far, the easiest Central Asian visa to get! Now we were allowed to spend 30 days in Kazakhstan within the next 3 months.
To celebrate the good news and to finish our days in the Kyrgyz capital, on Sunday we decided to go to Ala Archa National Park. It is a park located 30 km from Bishkek but to get there there's no public transportation, so according to what we read on the Internet we had to take one marshrutka to a village and from then hitch-hike to the park. As it was winter we were not sure if we would make it, but we decided to, at least, give it a try.
We woke up early morning, took marshrutka 265 till the end of the line and appeared in Kasha-Suu, a small mountain village covered by snow. From there, the driver took us to the entrance of the park, where we payed an entrance fee and where told there was no public transportation to the place where the trekking trails start. So we waited until some car came out. And we were lucky. In 2 minutes two cars came and they gave us a ride for the 12 km until we reached the park. The landscape is really nice, with snowed high mountains surrounding all the road.
We got off the car and were offered tea and cookies by those people. It was a family spending a trekking day in the mountains. There were two members from Russia, two more from Ukraine and a Kazakh guy. Really nice and friendly people who offered us going trekking with them. As we actually didn't know where to go, we just joined them on the way to a waterfall, some 4 km from there.
We got off the car and were offered tea and cookies by those people. It was a family spending a trekking day in the mountains. There were two members from Russia, two more from Ukraine and a Kazakh guy. Really nice and friendly people who offered us going trekking with them. As we actually didn't know where to go, we just joined them on the way to a waterfall, some 4 km from there.
Bubble Footbal Barcelona at Ala Archa National Park
The trekking was great. You walk quite uphill on the way to the waterfall and you have impressive views of the mountains and the valley, which is below you. It took us some 2 hours to get closer to the waterfall, which at this time of the year was totally frozen, and 2 more hours on the way down stopping for pictures and for just admiring the views.
We said goodbye to the family in the middle of the trekking, as they stopped for lunch and we continued walking, and once down we took a ride back to the village. this ime it was the director of the park who drove us. Then waiting for the marshrutka to go back to Bishkek and end of the trip. We finally made it! Although we had doubts on finding transportation, in the end there was no problem at all and we could visit this beautiful park, which is fully recommendable, as it is close to Bishkek, easy to get to and it offers spectacular views of the mountains.
We said goodbye to the family in the middle of the trekking, as they stopped for lunch and we continued walking, and once down we took a ride back to the village. this ime it was the director of the park who drove us. Then waiting for the marshrutka to go back to Bishkek and end of the trip. We finally made it! Although we had doubts on finding transportation, in the end there was no problem at all and we could visit this beautiful park, which is fully recommendable, as it is close to Bishkek, easy to get to and it offers spectacular views of the mountains.
A bit of a valley in Ala Archa
Back into the city, we just went home, a couple of more relaxing and writing days, and the next thing was going to Karakol, on the Eastern side of the country, to enjoy the Issyk-Kul lake, some more mountanious landscape and yes, to check how Kyrgyz people spend New Year's Eve, too. But after the rushing of the previous countries, in Kyrgyzstan we were taking everything very calmly, so no stress.
For more detailed information about Bishkek and about the Ala Archa National Park, check our Travel Guide!
For more detailed information about Bishkek and about the Ala Archa National Park, check our Travel Guide!
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