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Friday, January 6, 2017
Traveling in Kyrgyzstan With Me
Hello everyone we're in Kyrgyzstan. Yeah, new country me so that is so happy. First time in Central Asia so we are stoked to be here. Yeah and over the next few days we are going to be horse-trekking in Song Köl so we're going to take you along but before we get there we're making a little stop. First up Burana Tower right here. So we're going to climb to the top. Are you ready?Yes. The first day of our tour was mostly a travel day, so we just enjoyed the scenery, caught up on sleep, and experienced our first Kyrgyz traffic jam. We also go our first taste of Kyrgyz food with a massive lunch featuring all types of spreads and dishes. From there, we did a short hike in the outskirts of Kochkor and then checked into our guest house for the night. (Traditional music of Kyrgyzstan)So good morning from Kochkor. We did a home stay here last night which was a lot of fun. We got to watch a music performance and eat amazing food. So we're just going to enjoy breakfast now and then go horse-trekking. And we're wearing our cool hats. Yeah, so can't wait to do that. Let's get started. Yeah. Alright so we just arrived at the first camp. We've had lunch and now we're going to pick out a horse and begin the trek. Yeah!Okay so it is time for a little update. How are you feeling? Well, I've been getting tenderized on that horse. Yeah. Like we've been riding for over three hours now and after I got off of it I could barely stand up. Like I almost collapsed. I almost fell. Obviously we are not trained at doing this but it has been a lot of fun. The scenery has been awesome, the weather has really cooperated so this is over the half way mark and we're really looking forward to reaching the Yurt for supper. Hello!Hey little guy. Hello! So we made a new friend and we've arrived at camp. We've arrived at last. So we're at our yurt and we're going to eat dinner. We're getting ready for dinner and this guy is our entertainment for the night. So it is now bedtime. The boys are in one yurt and the girls are in the other and this is what it looks like. Little tour. There we go. And we have loads of blankets because it is freezing cold tonight. Good morning. I don't know about you but I slept really well. We were in separate tents. Yeah, it was men only and women only. And it was so cold that you know we just bundled up in these big thick blankets and I think everyone just was like out like a rock. Past out right away. Seriously. And we went to bed early. Yeah because the horse riding took a lot out of us and we had a nice big meal and thena little bit to drink and then just it was fantastic. So this is the start of day two. So we're going to be riding again about five hours today. I'm feeling pretty sore so we'll see how that goes. But it should be fun like the landscapes have been amazing all the way. And the weather has been awesome too so I think we're going to have another really good day. Let's do this. Pup, want to come say hello. Are you feeling shy this morning?It's okay. We can be friends. We were introduced yesterday pup. Oh. Alright welcome to MTV cribs the yurt edition. Yurt edition. So we're going to show you what is going on in here. Alright. This is like the men's sleeping quarters last night so we were all sleeping here. Looks pretty messy. It is properly messy. We all just woke up. We're just getting ready for breakfast and this was the awesome stuff we had last night. We had some vodka. You guys were drinking Vodka?Yep. We didn't get any. What?We were having Vodka and we were having that special milk. Ah, the mare's milk. Yeah, that tasted a bit like alcohol. And you know what I'm noticing?It looks like three of you were cuddling over here. You know what?The three of us shared that little area and then there were two other guys here. So. Yeah, and as you can see. That is how it is when I'm away. And we could have fit a lot more in here too. Yeah. But yeah like just check out the yurt. It is pretty cool. We have natural light coming in in the morning. And yeah, we're going to be staying in a yurt again tonight. I know. Round two coming up. Okay so we're taking a little break. Time for an update. Tell us about your horse today Sam?Okay, so we went really high today. Like we went up really steep hills and my horse was really struggling. It was like ha ha. It was panting the whole way but even more so it was farting. The whole way up. And guess who was behind. I was. I got to breathe it all in. You got a few whiffs that is for sure. On our second afternoon of trekking we made it to Song Kol, our final destination. We arrived shortly before sunset, so after dropping off our packs and warming up with tea, we made our way down to the water to watch the sun work its magic. Hey pup. Hi pup. Let's be friends. So we finally made it. We arrived. So it is day two. It is the end of our horse-trek and this is Song Kol. Viola!And you know what is funny?They told us we should bring a bathing suit in case we wanted to take a dip. But as you can tell it is freezing cold and there is no way I'm going in to the water but I am going to dip my finger to see you know just how bad it is. One finger. That is all. Ah. You know what I think the air may be colder than the water. Wish you brought your bathing suit?Well, no because it would be pretty brutal when you get out and you have to dry off but this isn't so bad. Greetings from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan!Hello from Central Asia. It is our first time here and we are going to be spending a few days here in the capital. So we're going to take you on a little tour and show you fifteen things to do around Bishkek(Бишкек). It should be fun. First up, we visited Ala-Too Square (Ала-тоо аянты - Площадь Ала-Тоо),which is the central plaza in Bishkek. While there isn’t much to do here, it’s one of the city’s major landmarks, plus they also have lots of benches and water fountains where you can take a quick break. From there, we crossed the street and made our way over to the State Historical Museum. So unfortunately the state museum which you see right here behind me is closed for renovations so we won't be able to go in but I hear there is a statue of Lenin hiding out back so we're going to see if we can find that. Let's go. On an unrelated note if you've never watched the movie Goodbye Lenin you should. It is in German but it is pretty good. I just remembered that because we're visiting the Lenin statue. Another place you’ll want to visit in Bishkek is the Osh Bazaar (Ош базары). It may not be the biggest in Central Asia, but it’s a bustling maze where you could easily spend a few hours. We had no problems at the market, but we were warned by several locals to ignore the fake police who may ask to see documents and camera permits. So keep that in mind if you encounter them!It is shopping time. Next up we're at the Osh bazaar (Ош базары) and you can find everything here. We're seen fresh produce, snacks, chocolates, clothes. Right behind me we have an entire aisle dedicated to dry cheese balls. It is this really popular snack. It kind of tastes like salty goat cheese. Not my favorite but if you want to try it come here. 150. Can I get. Half a kilo of dates. Half a kilo of fresh dates. And I paid just 100 Som which roughly is about a dollar fifty. And like look how many dates I got guys. All for yourself. Because I'm not a fan of dates either. Ah. No. We're not dumb tourists. We're not dumb tourists. Maybe Sam is. Those were Sam's horrible acting skills right there. My goodness. We are going to visit an abandoned casino and nightclub. But you know what?There is a lot of people hanging out here and I feel like we're going to get kicked out because these people look like construction workers or security guards. Anyways let's try. First impressions?It smells bad. I think people hang out here overnight. Yeah, they may hang out here and do things but there is also a lot of broken things all around so I think it is going to be cool. Let's go take a look. I think graffiti as well. Ah yeah, nice graffiti over there. Okay so we just came across children playing in here. So if kids can get in I think we can too. If you do come here I would suggest closed shoes. It is all broken glass. Hello. Hello. Directly across from the abandoned casino, you’ll find Victory monument which was built to commemorate the 40th anniversary of World War 2. The three curved arcs represent a yurt, and the sculpture of a woman standing near the eternal flame is meant to symbolize her waiting for her husband and sons to return from the war. Okay so this morning we are checking out Erkindik Park. And I think this is Sam's favorite park that we've found so far. I've been going jogging here everyday sometimes twice a day. So and I've kind of come at all times of day and on weekdays and also on weekends. And this park is completely different throughout the week. Yeah, you can catch people enjoying coffee or having ice creams in the afternoon. And it is basically like these two little parallel boulevards lined with trees. It is really pretty so we're going to show you. Oh my gosh they have peanut butter. Audrey they have peanut butter. Peanut butter. This is Sam in his happy place. Ice cream and a swing. I'm here on a bit of a solo mission. Out of all the things Iv'e really wanted to do in Bishkek this is right at the top of my list. I'm going to check out a public bath. Woah. That was refreshing. So I just spent probably one or two hours in the public bath. And it was pretty awesome. It reminds me a lot of the Korean public baths in the sense that it is gender segregated. You basically go in, you take off your clothes, you put on some flipflops, you get naked andyou go check out these basically steam rooms, there is a sauna. But what was really awesome at this place it had these little hut like buildings over here. That is actually where you do basically your polar plunge swimming. And that is freezing cold water. And when I was going to go in for the first time I was kind of like tiptoeing in with the latter and this guy came by and shoved me in. So I got the full on experience of feeling really cold after being hot for a while. So yeah, it was a pretty cool experience. It cost 300 Som. So not too expensive and if you're in Bishkek (Бишкек) and you're up for this type of thing definitely check it out. So we are going rollerskating in Bishkek. And I don't know how to roller skate. Neither do I. Can't start. Can't stop. I can't roller skate but Sam seems to have picked it up. There he be. It is like Bambi on skates. This is so different from ice skating. So the question is what do you prefer?Roller skating, inline skating or ice skating?Are you kidding me. Of course inline skating and ice skating are way more familiar for me. But I have to say I'm starting to get the hang of it a little bit near towards the end. But I decided to wrap it up a bit early. Those teenagers are just way too agile for me. Yeah, don't want to break any bones today huh?No. Ha. We missed the start of opera and ballet season by just a few days, however, if you’re in the city at the right time, that’s something you could consider doing. Chilling like a villain. He be chilling like a villain. Where are we?And what are we doing?Any why are you making that face?I have no idea. We are at the Q cafe. Right over there. Q cafe. You can't really see it but it is there. This is a place where we met up for coffee with friends like two or three days ago. Yep. And it is really good so we're back again and we've got some beautiful looking lattes. Lattes. With art. And we're just waiting for cake and muffins basically. Cake and muffins. Woo hoo. Dessert is here. Yes, so I'm going to start with this. Sam's cake. It looks crumbly. I think they call it Dvorak cake. Yeah, I didn't get the name. It is like a fluffy cheesecake almost. And it is crumbly. With icing sugar on top. That is nice. Um, I am a fan of your cake Sam. Do you remember whose cake that is?You've just had a second bite. Alright since you're on like a bit of a piggy role why don't you try your muffin. Your muffin. There we go. Is that pumpkin?Ooh. Wow. Oh wow. That is strawberry. Real chunks of strawberry. That is good. With coffee. Perfect midday snack. And if you’re craving a short escape from Bishkek, you can always plan a day hike to the nearby mountains with the Trekking Union. So two funny things. We had to sign a waiver in order to join this trek and there were two particular points that kind of jumped out at us. First, we had to agree that we wouldn't run away during the hike but it is like. You know how much we like to do that so. That was almost a sticking point. Where are we going to run?And number two we had to promise we wouldn't drink alcohol. But again alcohol on a twenty five kilometer hike. I feel like that is just asking for trouble and we barely have enough water so. In other words we have to dump out the moonshine that is in my backpack, right?Ha. Ah, I got my shoe wet. Now I'm going to be hiking 25 kilometers with soggy shoes. This is not a good start. As far as food goes, there’s plenty to sample ranging from grilled meats to dumplings, and noodles to mixed rice, plus there was one drink that really left an impression on us. So we've decided to be a little bit adventurous with what we're drinking and we are having kymyz (Кымыз). We're having kumis (Кымыз). Do you want to tell us what that is?This is basically considered the national drink here in this country. In fact, the city of Bishkek (Бишкек) was named after the paddle used to churn this and it is basically it is mare's milk. It is fermented mare's milk. And that is all you're having?That little sip. It has a slight amount of alcohol. Sam. Yeah, we're taking it easy here. So. Let's try it. It has a very strong smell. Okay. Well?So imagine like the saltiest milk you've ever had that has also been slightly watered down and tastes a little bit alcoholic. You can taste a little bit of the alcohol. So that is exactly what it tastes like. And we've got a liter of that just to ourselves. Alright so Sam tell us a little bit about the food here in Bishkek. So we're standing outside a restaurant called Red Cow and this is one of the most popular places to have steak. And what we've found here in Bishkek (Бишкек) is that there is some amazing International Cuisine. We've had really good Japanese, we've had really good Korean, we've also had really good traditional food here as well. So this is a city for foodies. Tonight for dinner we're going to go to one of our favorite International food places. It is called Chicken Star. It is a Korean restaurant that specializes in Korean style chicken. And I'm all ready. I've got my Hanwha Eagles hat on. Alright go team Korea!Woo. Beer has arrived. This one is called Zhivow. But the thing is can you say cheers in Russian. That is the true test. Tell me what it is. I don't know. So no. Gumbai. So we are at Save The Ales. Save The Ales. And I am saving an ale right here. A pale ale. Yeah, an IPA. There is a really cool craft beer scene emerging here in Bishkek (Бишкек) and I can'twait to try this one. With our time in Bishkek winding down, we made a visit to Oak Park which is full of sculptures, and then we also visited nearby Panfilov Park (Панфилов көчөсү- улица Панфилова). So next up we're at Panfilov Park (Панфилов көчөсү - улица Панфилова)and this place if full of rides. We've just had a big lunch so we're debating whether or not we should get on some of these little roller coasters and other things. Oh. And that’s a wrap for our trip to Bishkek (Бишкек). As you can probably tell from this video, this city is the kind of place that you experience as opposed to ticking off attractions, so it ended up being a fairly relaxing trip after a few busy weeks of travel around Kyrgyzstan (Кыргызстан - Киргизия). As always, if you have any suggestions of things to do in Bishkek, feel free to share your tips with fellow travellers in the comments section below. See you next time!Hey guys we're at the World Nomad Games (Дүйнөлүк көчмөндөр оюндары) in Kyrgyzstan(Кыргызстан) and this is basically like the Olympics for Nomadic Games and Culture. So we're going to show you around. We're going to be hear for several days but first the Opening Night Ceremony. Things kicked off with a massive celebration at the stadium, where there was live music,dancing, and even a special appearance by Steven Seagal. The following morning we went up to the jailoo, also known as the pasture, where they had set up a folk village so visitors could wander around and learn about Kyrgyz culture. After catching the opening dance, we set out to visit the various camps, each showcasinga different region. Okay so up next we're heading into a camp that is all about Kyrgyz culture so we'regoing to be seeing some musical instruments, tapestries, games and maybe even some of the food so let's go do that. So we're seeing lots of food preparation happening across the camps here. Yeah, we sure are. We have locals preparing their own stuff. I think this guy has got a lamb going in the back. And we had a really nice lunch in the food tent. We had Plov with lamb. Basically it is like kind of rice with lamb. Yeah. Really tasty. Yum. Yum. So I think that was probably the strangest competition we've seen so far. Tell us about it. Possibly the most painful. So this guy was basically doing somersaults on broken glass. He lied down on top of it and they put like a kettle ball on his stomach and then a jackhammer came down on it. Like that's gotta hurt man. That was random. Okay guys this is day three of the event and this is the one I've wanted to watch the most. This event is called Kok Boru. Yes, so this is a really popular game in Central Asia and it is actually the National Sport in Afghanistan. And it is basically two teams competing on horses kind of like polo but instead of using a ball they're using a goats carcass. Yeah. And they're tugging at that carcass and we can't wait to show you what it is all about. Yes, definitely interesting. At the end of the match, the winning team gets to eat the goat so the animal doesn’t go to waste. It was also nice to see that some of the winning teams shared their goat with their opponents. That being said, kok-boru isn’t the only horse game at the event. There are also horse races for adults and children alike, as well as a game that closely resembles basketball on horseback, so you can take your pick. Alright, so we're back on the pasture tell us the plan for today. Back to the pasture this afternoon and it looks like we've got some cool kind of sporting events. There is going to be something with eagles and also archery, so we're thrilled to check those out. Hey pup. It is excited. Oh my it is excited. Aside from all that, in the sporting complex they had a variety of wrestling events, that were fascinating to watch. Well sadly it is over. The World Nomad Games (Всемирные игры кочевников) have ended. Yeah, it was quite the event though I mean we've been covering it here for several days and it has been awesome. And now is the closing ceremony so we're going to show you a bit of that. Yeah, so there is going to be a concert happening right over there. And that is going to be the end to the party. So it is lunchtime here in Bishkek (Бишкек), Kyrgyzstan (Киргизия) and today we are going to be having a feast. We are going to be sampling all of the traditional dishes that we've been eating over the last three weeks because that is how long we've been traveling in the country. So we're ordering a big spread. This is probably enough food for like five or six people but Sam and I are going to try and eat it all and just showcase what Central Asian cuisine is all about. So we hope you enjoy. So we've decided to be a little bit adventurous with what we're drinking and we are having kymyz (Кымыз). We're having kumis (Кымыз). Do you want to tell us what that is?This is basically considered the national drink here in this country. In fact, the city of Bishkek was named after the paddle used to churn this and it is basically it is mare's milk. It is fermented mare's milk. And that is all you're having?That little sip. It has a slight amount of alcohol. Yeah, we're taking it easy here. So. Let's try it. It has a very strong smell. Okay. Well?So imagine like the saltiest milk you've ever had that has also been slightly watered down and tastes a little bit alcoholic. You can taste a little bit of the alcohol. So that is exactly what it tastes like. And we've got a liter of that just to ourselves. The strange thing is I don't know if Sam managed to get some bread crumbs into the milk or if that actually belongs in there. No, that is just how it is. That is just how it is with brown chunks. It has some chunks in there. Brown chunks in the mare's milk. Alright. Bit of an acquired taste?Oh man. It tastes like cheese. Like salty cheese and it is fizzy. This is the one thing that we're trying for this video that is for you guys. I mean we probably wouldn't order this on our own but it is a very important part of the culture here. An acquired taste I'd say. Yeah. We'll leave it at that. Yeah. We're starting our meal with some bread. Yeah. So this is like the traditional Kyrgyz flatbread. And you can find this basically at every meal that we've had here. Bread is like a very important part of the meals. And especially when we were staying in the yurts we were eating this a lot. So let's just dip it in here. A bit of here. It looks like sour cream. Yeah. Yeah, it comes like a creamy butter actually. It is a little bit sour but not too much. Mmmm. And that bread is really good. You can tell it is homemade and fresh. Aside from the flatbread we also ordered Samsa. So I'm just going to break that open. And our Manti (манты) is coming. Look at this. Oh wow. Look at that. It kind of reminds of an empanada. So you've got like a bread exterior and it is filled with meat and chopped onions. Oh, it looks good. It is nice. How does it taste?It is really savory and peppery. Lots of ground pepper in there. So this is actually a snack that you pick up at a truck stop. It is really popular and it is super cheap as well and really filling. You can also get vegetarian ones. I had one that was filled with potatoes. Next up we got a plate full of manti (манты). It is manti (манты) time. And of all of the Kyrgyz food that basically we've had over the last three weeks this isone of my absolute favorites. It is basically like a steamed dumpling. If we take a look down here I'm going to dissect it here for you. So this one, we ended up getting pumpkin, so I don't know if you can see the orangein here. Oh, look at that. You can see the pumpkin puree in there. Well more liked diced pumpkin. More like diced pumpkin. That is true. So you can get, of course you can get a pumpkin but you can also get all kinds of differentones. Like a lot of the ones that are most popular are actually with meat. Yeah, so there is beef, lamb and you can also get potato. Yeah, so whatever you want to get it is available. Alright, so let's try this. Mmmmm. Oh my. I'm going in for a second bite. Mmmmm. Oh, it is just delicious. Such good dumplings. Like, wow. We were just in Korea not too long ago eating Mandu which was a Korean dumplings and so this is a perfect fit for me. Transitioning from there to here. So I am now moving on to the Lagman (лагман) and this is a noodle dish. Sometimes you can get it as a soup but I opted for the fried variety. I like the fried one the best. I know. This one is really good. So it comes with chopped onions and peppers and we've got some chives and meat. It is a little bit of everything. This is one of your favorite dishes isn't it?Mmmm. One of your favorite Kyrgyz dishes. Yeah, and apparently it has Chinese roots. Chinese origins. So it kind of reminds me a little bit of a stir fry. It is really good. And the beef is so tender oh my gosh. That was good. Wow, it looks like there is a lot of cut up scallions (green onion) too. And the food keeps on coming. It sure does. Next up we're basically trying the fried-rice so if you look down here we have the Plov(плов). Plov or Pilaf. Pilaf (плов) too. It is called both here. And it comes typically with meat so you see some meat here and you also see peppers. It has onions. It has carrot. It has different kinds of seasonings. Dill. It smells nice. Yeah, and it is prepared in a massive cast iron cauldron and what was really cool is when we were covering the World Nomad Games, just behind these like tent type of restaurants you could see it being prepared. And it was just like this massive cauldron. It was really cool. It is a really popular dish. We ate a lot. Really popular dish. We really have. Mmmmm. Yeah, that is really good. It is savory but it is also a little bit juicy with the different peppers. So, a really nice taste. We had nearly forgotten about the Shashlik (шашлы́к) with all of the food at thetable but is has finally arrived. And that is kind of embarrassing because really this is the star of the meal. This is what I've been looking forward to the most. So this is your classic skewered meat. This is like super popular in Kyrgyzstan. You can find actually restaurants that specialize in it. And you're classic shashlyk (шашлы́к) restaurant you're going to find like a small little restaurant outside and you'll see a guy out on a grill just whipping up a whole bunch of these. Yeah, like it also a popular street snack. You can buy it on the street. Yep. And typically it is lamb but we have ordered beef. We decided to mix it up and go with beef but the lamb one is delicious. We tried the lamb last time and it was. I'd probably recommend going with that one. So here is the beef one anyways. Mmmmm. Are you getting those smoky flavors?So smokey. It has got a lot of flavors, a lot of salt. It is a really juicy meat. And it reminds me a lot of anticuchos in Peru. Yeah. So if you've tried that in Peru then you have an idea of what this tastes like. Well, except anticuchos are organs and this is actually a really nice cut of meat. That is true. But the taste both of them is awesome. Yeah. And we also got a pot of tea since we weren't huge fans of the mare's milk. We figured we needed something to wash all of the food down. Um but yeah typically at the table the youngest person is in charge or pouring tea for everyone. So if you're having like a big family meal or you're out with friends that responsibility could fall on you depending on your age. And also while we were doing the yurt stays we realized that tea plays a huge role in hospitality here. So when you're a guest one of the first things they do is like offer you tea and they keep filling up your cup until you are about to burst. It is literally the first thing and the second you're done your cup. Like they are ready to refill, right away. The host is on top of it. On top of it. Your teacup is filled up. Hahaha. So how is the tea?It is good. It is green tea. So typically you get black tea when you're in a yurt but we went for green. So we're almost done the meal. Any particular favorites?So stuffed. Um, the shashlik (шашлы́к) was amazing. That was so so good. It was so juicy and they don't really put a lot of spices on the beef but it just haslike that natural flavor so that was really nice. It was smokey, tender flavor. Love that. It was good. And also the rice. I'm usually not a very big fan of rice but it was really good. It was like wild brown rice so that was really tasty. Yeah, those are two of my favorites as well. And I'm going to add that I really like the manti (манты). The pumpkin dumplings. Of course. Dumplings. So that wraps up our feast of feasts. It was an amazing like traditional Kyrgyz meal. We ordered so much food that we're actually taking a lot of it home. This is probably enough either for three or four people and in terms of the price it came to one thousand two hundred Som which right now is seventeen US dollars. So that was incredible value. I mean we got three different kinds of drinks, we got tea, we got a liter of Pepsi, we got a liter of mare's milk plus all of that food that we showed you including the bread, the dumplings, the meat, the rice, the noodles. So you can come here and have an epic feast and it is not going to cost you a fortune. Good morning from Kyrgyzstan (Кыргызстан). It is time for a day trip because we've been spending a lot of time at the World NomadGames and it is time to get out and get to know the country a little bit. So we're taking a day trip to Karakol (Каракол). We're going to be doing some hiking, visiting waterfalls. Yeah, it is going to be really cool. I mean we've seen quite a bit of the country but we haven't been to that area yet so we're really excited about it. Let's go. Okay, so we have been driving for about two hours and we've almost made it to Karakol(Каракол). Right now we're in the outskirts and we're stopping at the Nikolay Mikhailovich Przhevalskymuseum and basically this was a guy who wanted to be a traveler. So I can relate to him. Um, he was from Russia but at the time Russian didn't have the permission to just you knowgo off and wander around on their own. So this guy decided to join the military and he proposed to be the first person to explore Central Asia and reach Tibet and his proposal was approved so he was funded by Russia and today there is a museum dedicated to his work. After a short visit to the museum, we then continued on our drive towards Karakol (Каракол),where our first stop was the Dungan Mosque. So in order to visit the Mosque you don't just wear a scarf. You need a full cloak. This will be interesting. Alright. Let's put this on. Fancy. It is like velvet. There we go. I'm ready. Wow, cute. The mosque gets its name from the Dungan people who are Muslim, but of Chinese origin. The building is quite unique because you can see the two cultures colliding; it contains elements of a traditional mosque, but at first glance it looks more like a Buddhist temple. So now we're visiting an Orthodox Church and that was really close to the mosque so let'sgo check it out. Let's go. We then went to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, which is in the centre of Karakol (Каракол). Just remember, girls need to wear a head covering and boys must take off their hats in order to go inside. From there we continued to the Karakol Market in search of food. If there’s one dish the town is known for it’s Ashlyan Fu, a cold noodle soup with spices and jellies. There’s a whole alley in the market that specializes in this dish; so be sure to tryit. Alright so we've had a pretty busy morning of sightseeing. Now it is time for food. Yeah, we've worked up a pretty big appetite and the coolest thing is we're going to goeat inside of yurt. A yurt. For lunch we had Dumlyama: a dish with potatoes, cabbage, onions, peppers, and meat. We also had boorsok: which are little pieces of fried dough that go really nice with jam. So we've stopped off at this kind of cool scenic area that is called Jeti-Ögüz and nearby there is apparently some fantastic hiking. Yeah, and the name translates to seven bulls so I don't know do you see any bulls over there?You know I see in the rock formations. I think I see more than seven things. We had really been looking forward to hiking along here, but unfortunately, this is the part of the tour where we ran out of time. This also means we didn’t get to see the waterfalls we had heard about, so if you do decide to visit Karakol (قاراقول), don’t do it as a quick day trip like we did!Alright, so we are back in our hotel and that was a pretty busy day I have to admit. Um, the distances are quite long so we spent a lot of time in the car and we did get to see some cool places but we didn't spend as much time as we would have liked. Yeah, I think it is the kind of place where you want to give it a few days so you can see the surrounding areas and also that town is really known for hiking so if you're into outdoorsy stuff go there and explore it properly. Yeah, maybe spend like two or three days in Karakol (Каракол) see the surroundings,hike, trek and yeah really explore it. That would be our suggestion. Yep. Tata. Well good morning. It is Saturday here in Bishkek (Бишкéк) and it is our last day in the city so we figuredwhy not get out of the city get close to nature. So we're going to be doing some hiking. Yeah, it is basically a day trip. We're joining like a hiking group. Yeah, the Trekking Union. Yeah, they go every week and we're just going to be doing like I think it is a pretty leisurelyhike but it is going to be really scenic. I really hope so. Fingers crossed. So ending off here in Kyrgyzstan (Кыргызстан) on a high note hopefully. Let's go. It is go time. We have arrived at the starting point. Today we're hiking Issyk-Ata Gorge. And now get this. We signed up for what we thought was a thirteen kilometer hike. They've just told us it is twenty five and we're going to be out all day. So I feel like this is a bit extreme. We're not that fit. We're not that prepared so it'll be interesting that is for sure. I hope we have enough water. Status update. Status update. We've been hiking for like twenty minutes and it is getting really steep and we've lost our group because we're too slow apparently. So two funny things. We had to sign a waiver in order to join this trek and there were two particular points that kind of jumped out at us. First, we had to agree that we wouldn't run away during the hike but it is like. You know how much we like to do that so. That was almost a sticking point. Where are we going to run?And number two we had to promise we wouldn't drink alcohol. Haha. But again alcohol on a twenty five kilometer hike. I feel like that is just asking for trouble and we barely have enough water so. In other words we have to dump out the moonshine that is in my backpack, right?Ha. Time for a status update. So we've been hiking for a while and the weather really changed on us quickly. It started raining, the winds started coming and this is a really fast hiking group so we've really had to pick up the pace so we haven't had many updates but we're taking a little break here and the group is way ahead of us but we don't care at this point. So as far as hiking in Kyrgyzstan is concerned it is amazing. It is like world class. You have all of this rugged scenery and there is not a lot of people hiking here so it is an amazing opportunity for anyone who is looking for kind of an off-the-beaten-path type of destination. So we're actually going to start heading back now for two reasons. First of all the weather is changing rapidly and it looks like it is going to start raining. Yeah, and we've also lost our group. Yeah, they disappeared. We were a little bit slow-pokey because we were taking photos and we just got left behind and now it is time for us I think we need to head back so yeah there is a few other straddlers. Like four of us who are slowly making our way back to the van trying to retrace our steps. So I think that is it for today's outing. Overall, a really good day of hiking. Tata. So it is time for another apartment tour. Right now we're in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. We've been traveling around the country for three weeks and we've spent ten of those days here in the capital. Yes, and this happens to be our favorite spot out of the two or three different places we've stayed in the city. So we're going to show you around. Let's go. So getting in here is like going into Fort Knox. So much security but we feel really safe even with all of these keys and special magnets. Hahaha. Let's go. Beep. Beep. Key sounds. But before we give you the apartment tour we need to have breakfast and they make a delicious breakfast over here. Yeah, we've been having basically a feast every morning. Uh-huh. And today they switched it up a little bit which is cool. We've been having omelets previously and kind of rolled up crepes with jam but if you take a look down here you can see we've got fried eggs, it looks like we have some ham, tomatoes,cucumber and then we have a different style of pancake here and it looks like little dollops of jam. We have toast, we have orange juice. Juice. And coffee. Is it coffee or tea?It is coffee. Oh, it is coffee. Again they switched it up. Oooh. But yeah that is a lot of food for two people. Look at the table. And the cool thing about this type of place is that you kind of you get comforts of an apartment but we're getting a little bit of the service of a hotel. Like having breakfast prepared for us in the morning. The best of both worlds. It really is. It really is. Alright, let's dig in. Okay, grabbing some egg and a bit of ham. It is tasty. So now that we've had our breakfast it is time for the grand tour so we're going to show you around our one bedroom apartment. So come in. This is like I guess our little lobby area. Do you have a lobby area in an apartment. It is probably called something else. Hahaha. The cloakroom area. So this is where the shoes are kept. Shoes, umbrellas and you can hang up your coats over here. And then it kind of goes straight into the kitchen and we actually have a pretty nice modern kitchen. I really like it. Yeah. And we've got a washing machine. We do. That is like. When we decide to rent an apartments as opposed to staying in a hotel that is like the number one feature. It is one of the best things aside from having our own fridge of course too. So we have an electric range so we can cook. We have a kettle, no microwave but we haven't really needed that. We've mostly been eating out. Oh, guess what?We do have one. Hahaha. We haven't needed it though in all fairness because we have been eating out a lot and we've been having our breakfast served to us as well. So yeah, this is our little breakfast nook. This is where we have breakfast every morning. Yeah, as you can see the dirty dishes. Okay, next we'll show you the bathroom since it is right across from the kitchen. So here we go. Tada. So we kind of have like this walk in shower. This shower, I have to say is like. Open it up for us. It is almost like a 5 star shower. Like the quality is incredible. The water pressure. Like check out that thing. It is huge. So yeah, that is our bathroom and then I'll take you into the bedroom. This is just a one bedroom apartment so it is pretty small. Come in. So yeah, I guess you could call this like the bedroom slash living area. So we have a double bed but we also have some couches over here where we can work do our thing on the computer. Um, so yeah I mean it is enough space for two people. It is really all you need and we have a bit of storage as well. We haven't really unpacked our stuff since it is a short stay. Yeah. And the weather has been really nice so we haven't had to unpack much of our cold weather gear. We've got storage, a TV and we have a little balcony. I'll show you that. So I'll just move these away. This is actually where I put the laundry out to dry because it is pretty hot out there. And I'll show you the view. You basically look out over the courtyard which is cool. Yeah, there is like a little playground for kids and then way off in the distance here. The zoom will take a little while you can see it is kind of either an unfinished oran abandoned building. And that is kind of a major landmark because we stayed two blocks from there at a hotel before. So totally recognize that building. So that is a wrap for our little Bishkek apartment tour. Yeah, so basically it was really cool staying here because I felt like we got to a little bit of window into the culture. The Soviet Era complex apartment buildings. Like these massive buildings. We're getting to stay in here and even though we're like on the first or second level. First level. We're not near the top it is still really cool and it is just like whenever you can stay in apartments as opposed to a hotel it is always like so much better because you feel a little bit like you're at home, you have more space you have more amenities, you have kitchen where you can wash your clothes. So whenever we have that opportunity we tend to take it. Yes, oh and another important thing it is cheaper than the hotel too. So now if you're thinking of traveling to Bishkek (Бишкек) or perhaps moving here now you have a better idea of what the apartments look like. Yeah, exactly. So I hope you enjoyed this tour and if you've been to Bishkek (Бишкек) before let us know what your apartment experience or hotel experience was like. Bye.
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