admin, Author at Pedaling Pictures

Bishkek Eco Festival 2015

In Spring of 2015, the Roza Otunbayeva Initiative (and many partners) hosted an "Eco Festival" in central Bishkek. Recent years have brought political stability and economic growth to Kyrgyzstan, but progress along these lines doesn't necessarily equate environmental stewardship. According to Zhanyl Avaskanovna of local public foundation CAMP Alatoo, increasing car ownership just over the past few years has led to a very perceptible drop in air quality in Bishkek. While Kyrgyz citizens are more economically empowered than probably ever before, notions of environmental conservation and sustainable living have moved to the background. Surrounding green talks, master classes, forums, exhibitions, and a…continue reading →

School Hopping in the Kyrgyz Tien-Shan Mountains

This is map of all the districts in Kyrgyzstan. The ones highlighted are the districts I visit frequently for work--At-Bashi, Ak-Talaa and Naryn Districts--all located in Naryn Oblast (province). Naryn Oblast is famous for its rolling green jailoos--summer pastures--which during the summer months are covered with red poppies and speckled with herders and their yurts. But more on that in a later post! Because right now, I’d like to share a different side of Naryn--a side that’s not on the typical tourist agenda. To offer some background info, I’m a graduate student in…continue reading →

Running the Silk Road Marathon (Kind of)

We spent our free time before and after the competition exploring the grounds of the race organization's partner hotel, the Kyrgyz Seaside Resort. This massive complex is just the kind of thing I love about anywhere, and they're notably more common in former Soviet republics. Think of three college dorms strung together in a maze of hallways, with five on-site convenience stores, two restaurants, a massive cafeteria, a smattering of souvenir shops and a fully equipped arcade with games that should be in a museum. We had trouble finding our room because there were…continue reading →

Cut Naryn Some Slack!

This is how Lonely Planet introduces the town of Naryn: "Mostly wedged into a striking if slightly foreboding canyon, Naryn is an architecturally unlovely strip town with no real 'sights' beyond a typical local museum..." I also like this one from PRIZMA: “Naryn is described as the poorest region in a country which is now among the poorest of the former Soviet states. This means exactly what it says: not good. Other perks include that Naryn is also the coldest city of Kyrgyzstan. To make things worse, our guidebook noted that Naryn, which was…continue reading →

Moving to Kyrgyzstan is Easy: Part Two

Extending a Kyrgyz visa + travel to Almaty (& Kazakh border in general) Short version: For citizens who get a 60-day tourist stamp, the easiest way of "extending" your stay in Kyrgyzstan is simply crossing the border into Kazakhstan, then getting right back in line. You'll automatically get a new tourist stamp valid for 60 days. Shared taxis to the border leave from in front of Alamedin bazaar. A seat costs 50 som per person. Marshrutka #333 leaves from in front of TSUM center and goes to the border. It should have a big…continue reading →

Day Trip to Burana Tower

One Spring-like Saturday in April we decided to see what all the buzz was about and head to Burana Tower, located in a small town just east of Bishkek. We took a city marshrutka to the Western Bus Station, where we transferred to a longer-haul marshrutka heading to Tokmok. 45 minutes later, we arrived. The marshrutkas stop a couple kilometers outside of what you might call the central Tokmok. You'll know you're in the right town because they tell you with a 3-story monument. Not to be bested, an older monument across the street…continue reading →

Happy Nooruz 2015!

Nooruz means a lot of things and can be spelled a lot of different ways, but it's effectively the Persian New Year, observed on the vernal equinox (the first day of Spring, for anyone who doesn't speak Medieval English). It's celebrated enthusiastically in most areas with large Muslim populations, and these days it's still a pretty big deal, even if the official calendar doesn't reset. On March 21st, 2015, we got our first taste of Nooruz in Kyrgyzstan. The taste could be described as nutty, slightly sweet--almost like a peanut butter smoothie--and it's called Sumaluk. Beyond that,…continue reading →

A Girl’s Dream: Shopping in Central Asia’s Biggest Bazaar

There are hundreds of bazaars along the famed Silk Road, and each one has its own unique charm. The common image is a labyrinthine network of small alleyways and corridors with quaint little stalls selling everything from gemstones to carpets to pre-Soviet antiques. Ever visit Urgut bazaar in Uzbekistan or Urfa market in Turkey? Yeah, that's the idea. Dordoi Bazaar in Kyrgyzstan, on the other hand, is a modern bazaar for a modern girl. There’s nothing cute, traditional or charming about it—it’s literally just endless rows of metal shipping containers turned into shops. And with anywhere between…continue reading →

Karakol in Winter

We took advantage of Women's Day weekend to make the 6-hour trip from Bishkek to Karakol, hoping that we'd get a chance to hit the slopes of Karakol Ski Base before the Spring thaw. What we found in the budding traveler's paradise was a mix of rugged provinciality, first-class hospitality, and in early March, lots of mud. As we've come to regard as the norm in Kyrgyzstan, we traveled to Karkol via marshrutka. The journey--approximately 6 hours from Bishkek's eastern bus terminal to Karakol's central station--was surprisingly easy and unexpectedly scenic. The road stayed relatively flat…continue reading →

Running with the Blind

The Bishkek Fun Run club meets every Sunday in Ala-Too Square, rain, snow or shine. Not unlike running clubs around the world, the group is half dedicated to exercise and half dedicated to camaraderie, and is comprised of a revolving set of around 25 characters who may or may not show up for the weekly run--depending on health, hangovers, weather, or mood. BFR, however, has a unique angle: about half of its members are blind. Throughout Kyrgyzstan, blind people are almost exclusively dependent on others, and most remain at home through their adulthood. The Bishkek-based Empower…continue reading →

Author: admin