Lockdown in Kyrgyzstan
DAY 2568 - DAY 2725
11.03.2020 - 15.08.2020
WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SOME GRAPHIC IMAGES OF ANIMALS
Arriving in Bishkek, one of the few places where for the moment (mid-March 2020) no one has tested positive for Covid-19, is the stuff of science fiction. As the plane inches toward the terminal, I notice two people in hazmat suits walking across the tarmac. Minutes later, they have boarded our plane and proceed to take every passenger’s temperature with an infrared gun! As I write this entry months later, wearing a mask, being sprayed with disinfectant and having your temperature taken in all public places is now standard procedure. Moreover, it seems odd and irresponsible when these things don’t happen.
Covid check on the tarmac at arrival in Bishkek
There are only a couple of foreigners at Immigration, and while it takes awhile, once they’ve determined that I have not come from a corona hot spot (only China and Korea at this time), I’m on my way. Within a few days however, foreigners arriving from all countries are quarantined in army barracks or simply denied entry. Under normal circumstances, Kyrgyzstan offers two months visa-free entry to most foreigners and staying longer is as easy as a visa run to Kazakhstan and back for a new stamp. But it is clear that normal, if/when it returns, will be different and leaving anytime soon is looking complicated as countries worldwide shut borders and impose quarantine. For now, we’re welcome to stay in the country through mid-May.
On this trip to Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek is looking less stark Soviet with several new shopping malls, many trendy cafes, shops and so many pharmacies; odd for a country with subpar healthcare. It’s a chilly 40 °F/ 4 °C but spring is starting to muscle in as daytime temps hit 60 °F/15 °C.
Ala-Too Square, Bishkek
At $17/night, Hotel T3 is an outright bargain. Pretty basic but large room, comfortable beds and a boiling hot, powerful shower. Breakfast is included but we prefer Vanilla Sky Cafe where they serve lots of fresh food options and perfect cappuccinos for pennies.
T3 Hotel, Bishkek
We met Alexey, our driver/translator/friend, here in Bishkek 5 years ago as soon as we realized that the most efficient and comfortable way to visit Kyrgyzstan is with a car, preferably an SUV, with someone who speaks Russian and Kyrgyz. To revisit that post, click here -https://spicechronicles.travellerspoint.com/36/. Within minutes of our reunion and demonstration of the latest improvements he’s made to his remarkable 2001 Toyota Land Cruiser, Alexey is hooking us up with people in his network and figuring out where to get the unusual supplies we ask for. This is THE guy to call if you want to visit Kyrgyzstan, period. Alexey Drozdov - TEL/WA +996 776 522 810.
We have come to take pics of Kok Buru, an ancient game played throughout Central Asia under various names; Buzkashi (Afghanistan), Kokpar (Kazakhstan). Westerners call it Dead Goat Polo, which is somewhat accurate given our notion that it is socially inappropriate to use a headless goat as a ball, but goat for ball is perfectly normal here. The action itself looks more like rugby on horseback. The origins of this legendary game, the national sport of Kyrgyzstan, lie somewhere between nomads hunting or defending their livestock against predatory wolves, to men and horses honing their fighting skills.
Like most countries racing to stay ahead of Covid-19, large gatherings and sporting events have been cancelled which just might be an advantage as we head to the mountains hoping to find small groups of men playing. With everything shutting down, I’m guessing most families in rural villages won’t be glued to Netflix.
Bishkek’s cluster of modern high rises diminishes quickly as we turn west on the Bishkek-Osh road. In less than two hours, the vintage, built to conquer, Land Cruiser is weaving around cars and trucks over Too-Ashuu Pass (3,180 m/10,433 ft) on two lanes carved through this stretch of the Ala-Too mountain range.
Too-Ashuu Pass
Off one of the hairpin turns at the top, a plowed path leads to perhaps the smallest ski resort on the planet that boasts one, not so reassuring, chairlift.
Too-Ashuu Ski Resort
As we descend from the pass, the entire Suusamyr Valley is carpeted white with a handful of weathered caravans on the side of the road. It’s hard to imagine that soon the ground will transmute into green fields, where locals will erect yurt camps and sell hugely popular sour cheese balls and fermented milk beverages, while their herds nibble high altitude, nutrient-rich grasses throughout the summer.
The turnoff for Talas is dominated by a double archway and towering statue of the national hero Manas. Figure of disputed origin, idealized in an epic poem recognized by UNESCO, he is solely responsible for the country’s identity.
Otmok Pass, Talas region
Driving thru Kyrk Kazyk village, we spot a group of guys on horses and one headless goat (slain with ceremony before the game) around a tai kazan (goal). Men and horses shove each other in a crush of flailing bodies stretching for the carcass being trampled beneath a knot of stomping hooves. The victor secures the dead weight under one thigh and rushes the goal kicking up clouds of dust. Trained not to fear the meter-high circular mound of molded dirt, the horses slam into the thick rubber tires attached around the exterior as the rider heaves the dead weight into the goal. It is an extremely physical and dangerous sport and not unusual to see men and horses fall, even float into the goal themselves!
Boys (I have never seen or even heard of girls participating) start playing around 4-5, riding donkeys and using a much lighter pillow made of a goat skin stuffed with hay. Thrilled that school is closed due to the coronavirus, village kids are eager to show off their skills.
We are the only guests at the Kerben Palace, the most (read only) upscale hotel in Talas. At $20/night per night, breakfast included, it’s surprisingly nice. We take the rest of our meals at Kanikei, which looks like it might also be the best in town. Outside of Bishkek, menus are pretty standard - lamb with rice or potatoes often swimming in oil. Forget anything green. I revert to a diet of shashlyk (skewered grilled meat) and tomato salad.
Kerben Palace Hotel, Talas
The next day, we’re directed to a playing field just outside of Talas. The game is being organized by a jovial local man. He explains that he has five daughters and will donate the goat for today’s match, along with a lamb as the official prize. In return, the players will wish him good fortune and many male offspring. His poor wife!
Play is scheduled for noon but in typical Kyrgyz fashion, starts much later. In the meantime, people gather for a Kyrgyz-style tailgate party with numerous vodka toasts and a fat-laden homemade kielbasa made from horse meat. Refusing would be impolite. The vodka chaser is my savior.
The riders form a semicircle around the live goat for a prayer. The animal is swiftly beheaded, and the hooves are cut off so that the carcass is less likely to be ripped apart during the fierce game. A couple of guys take it to the river nearby and wet it for extra weight while spectators lay down bets. When play begins, teams of 4 against 4, and a referee, thunder up and down the field kicking up dirt and fighting for possession of the goat. Every 10-15 minutes in this unofficial game, play breaks for water and riders rotate in/out.
Two hours later, just as it began, the game ends with a prayer. Suddenly, in a freestyle twist, one of the men swings down from his horse, scoops the goat from the ground and races off chased by everyone on a horse. There are about 60 riders from four villages. It turns out, whoever reaches his village with the animal can keep it. I should mention that the (seriously tenderized) goat is always cooked and shared among the winners after a game.
By the third week of March, rumors begin to circulate: travel between regions will soon be restricted and lockdown is under consideration. We return to Bishkek figuring it’ll be more comfortable if we get stuck.
We’re sitting at Sierra Coffee when the government announces that all cafes and restaurants with over 50 seats must close. Within minutes of the news, a truck pulls up outside and tables and chairs are removed from the restaurant. Problem solved!
There’s a fridge in our hotel room, so we rush over to the fully stocked supermarket inside Bishkek Park Mall just in case panic sets in.
For the time being, only three confirmed cases in a village far away in southwestern Kyrgyzstan have been reported. Here in Bishkek, it is business as usual. With large squares and wide avenues, there are no crowds and with never more than a few people on the street, social distancing is quite natural. We spend our days in cafes with little to no contact with others, feeling pretty safe given the chaos that is overtaking the rest of the world.
Park in central Bishkek

Bellagio Cafe, Bishkek
We are able to make one more trip to Talas the following weekend. The five-hour drive is becoming quite familiar as is cafe Kojomkul (named after another Kyrgyz legend, famous for his Herculean strength) where we always stop for lunch. The cantine, neither pretty nor good, is apparently the best option on this road in the Suusamyr Valley. In full swing, I wonder if they’ve heard there is a health crisis. But as is standard in every Muslim restaurant, there is a sink for hand washing at the entrance. As usual, only a few items on their large menu are available, not that any of it appeals to me, but it’s infuriating all the same. I settle on Kourdak - a traditional dish of lamb, potatoes and onions. There is so much fat and oil, half of it stays on my plate. To be fair, we have had delicious Kourdak in many homestays throughout Kyrgyzstan.
About an hour before reaching Talas, on a long stretch of road flanked by mountains, in the distance we see a group playing Kok Boru. We must have passed the road leading to the field but who needs a road? With no warning, Alexey veers the SUV into a field and beelines across the uneven, rocky terrain toward the game.
March 21. It is Nowruz today, the Persian New Year and spring equinox. Kyrgyzstan celebrates this day as the beginning of spring, but the usual grand festivities including the final games of professional Kok Boru have all been cancelled. However, gatherings of less than 50 are permitted and we set out in search of local games. Most villages in the Talas region have a field and we’re getting pretty good at discerning the feisty stallions used exclusively in the game. Other telltale signs include men wearing high leather boots with heels, a whip or komcha that they often hold between their teeth and the traditional tebetei or hat.
On a tip, we approach a playing field. With no one in sight we’re not feeling optimistic until several men on horseback appear on a ridge in the distance.
A tai kazan on a Kok Boru playing field
Within half an hour there are about 30 cavaliers and a bunch of spectators. The field is littered with plastic bottles and empty cigarette packs, so we start to clean up. Within a few minutes, a few men help with the task which gives me some hope that they are becoming more conscious about their own environment. More likely, they are embarrassed that a foreigner is picking up their garbage!
Kanikei, our goto restaurant in Talas, has closed. For three days, the best option appears to be takeout at Box Lagman - an Uyghur dish of noodles, meat and vegetables - served in Chinese-style takeout boxes. The routine: place our order, pick up some vodka and (Belgian!) beer at the grocery store and eat in the dining room of our hotel. For fun, we set up a vodka taste test to see if we can distinguish between brands but to our uninitiated palates, it all tastes like rubbing alcohol.
A sanitized door handle at the supermarket in Talas...

Vodka taste test

All the disinfection you need!
It’s a good thing we are checking out of the Kerben Palace today because they have been ordered to close! We’re waved through the checkpoint at the edge of the Talas region. As long as we are leaving they do not seem to care. Hours later, we’re about 30 minutes from Bishkek when our hotel there calls to say they too have been ordered to close. We scramble for an Airbnb.
Covid checkpoint entering Bishkek
The huge, fully-equipped apartment ($35 USD) is in a relatively modern building above Navat, a famous Kyrgyz restaurant. I book four nights. We end up staying six weeks!
Apartment above Navat restaurant, Bishkek

View from the living room

Nighttime view from the bedroom
Within two days, Bishkek completely shuts down. You cannot enter or leave the city without special permission and foreigners are not eligible. You can only go out for one hour and within 1km to the supermarket or pharmacy and you must carry a written itinerary and wear a mask. Restaurants are open for takeout only, parks are closed and there is a curfew from 8PM to 7AM. The routine is quick to set - we go to the supermarket at Bishkek Park every few days just to get out.
Bishkek Park Mall with only the supermarket lit and social distancing measures in place for a bank receiving one client at a time.
The rest of the time we stay home, grateful that we have so much space and everything we need. The gigantic living room becomes my gym. Online fitness classes, a 30 day yoga challenge. I’m hooked!
View of daily training at the Ministry of Defense, from the kitchen window
Every 15 days, the government makes announcements including that since the airport and borders remain closed, all visas are extended until further notice. Time flies and soon it is the beginning of June. Roadblocks are lifted and once again, Alexey drives us over the mountains to the Talas region, thankful to have perhaps the only tourists left in the country. As we wind past the ski resort on Too Ashuu Pass and stop for lunch at Kojomkul restaurant at the entrance of the Suusamyr Valley, the scenery has changed. Most of the snow has melted and we’re often slowed by herds of sheep and horses on the road moving to higher elevations for summer grazing.
We stop for dinner at Kanikei which has reopened, then check in to OUR room #12 at the Kerben Palace as if we never left.
The guy who is organizing a game in the village of Taldy Bulak, invites us into his home. As with all encounters in Kyrgyzstan, nothing happens until you’ve had tea. Kyrgyz are known for their hospitality and generosity. There is always a spread including bread, the tastiest butter, jams, honey, fresh fruit bursting with flavor, cookies, candy, etc. Handmade cushions with typical motifs are placed around the low table for comfortable seating on the floor.
A young man prepares tea to welcome us before a game
Players gather outside around the goat. A prayer is recited, the goat is swiftly slain and the group races toward the field.
When men, horses and bystanders are all exhausted, we follow everyone back to the house where the goat will be prepared for dinner. In the meantime, the brother of our host offers to show us another playing field about 10 kms away in what he describes as a stunning gorge. The car turns off the main road onto a dirt track that carves through verdant hills about 20 minutes before stopping at a river crossing. Beyond, perched on the side of a steep hill blanketed with wild flowers, are the two tai kazans (goals). We’ll need to shuffle across a narrow log over the water and walk the rest of the way. The area is indeed pretty, but massive high voltage towers nearby kill the beauty and will interfere with the drone signal. We stop to say hello to the local families that have installed their yurts nearby for the season. Before we leave a woman brings out a round loaf of bread. We are asked to each break off a small piece and eat it. This will bring them good fortune.
Proud parents at a yurt camp near Taldy Bulak
Back at the house, the goat is simmering, but will not be ready for another couple of hours, It is getting late so we decide not to stay for dinner. Can’t say I’m disappointed.
Over the next few weeks, we continue driving across the country and stopping when we spot Kok Boru playing fields. Sometimes we are lucky and a game is on. The scenery is different in every place.
Red rock formations on the Kokemeren River near Kyzyl-Oi
.Community Based Tourism (CBT) is a local association that promotes eco-friendly homestays throughout rural Kyrgyzstan. The formula is bed and breakfast for +/- $15 per person with lunch and/or dinner for a few dollars more. While most hosts do not speak much English, there is remarkable progress in communication and infrastructure compared to five years ago.

Typical Kyrgyz decor, CBT Homestay #6, Kyzyl-Oi

When he’s not driving, Alexey likes to watch movies on his phone. Everything makes him laugh!
We drive up to Song-Kol Lake - elevation 3016 m/9895 ft - to see if there are any Kok Boru playing fields in the region. We do find a couple, but with summer approaching there are no games as families are busy setting up yurt camps and most of the men are tending the herds.
Song-Kol Lake

Setting up a yurt camp at Song-Kol Lake

A Kyrgyz woman preparing the most delicious bread

Typical toilet at a yurt camp

Cemetery near Kyzart

Plowing through deep mud toward a playing field in Kyzart where we’re told a game will be played.
Mira Guesthouse, 23 eu with breakfast, Kochkor

The bedroom with private bathroom, a real luxury in rural Kyrgyzstan

Dining room at Mira Guesthouse, Kochkor

Homemade, traditional Oromo (stuffed and rolled pasta)
We’re invited to visit the animal market. The chosen goat rides back in the trunk.
The dramatic rock formation of Jeti-Oguz (Seven Bulls) is one of Kyrgyzstan’s most stunning landscapes and would certainly provide an exceptional backdrop for Kok Boru. We scout the location in search of playing fields and stumble upon a game in progress. And then it clicks, we’ll have to come back here and shoot a game in the snow... Fingers crossed.
A very young boy warms the horse up for his dad at Jeti-Oguz..
We take a day to visit the stunning alpine valley of Altyn-Arashan. The road to the top is only accessible with a 4-wheel drive or on foot. Alexey drives us up and we walk down. Some of the boulders are so big, I close my eyes as the jeep rolls over them listing dramatically from side to side. We hike down along the river lined with pine trees. It looks like an underdeveloped Switzerland.
The road to Altyn-Arashan

Pine forests of Altyn-Arashan
During the Soviet era, coal mining was much more prevalent, but there are still mines operating in Kyrgyzstan. The biggest shaft mines are in Sulukta at the southwestern tip of the country bordering Tajikistan and we plan to go there one day but for now, we decide to check the mines in the Jyrgalan Valley 60 kms east of Karakol, the largest town on Lake Issyk-Kul.
Soviet MIG on display near Tamga village, Lake Issyk Kul,

A beekeeper near Karakol

Altai Guesthouse, 35 euros with breakfast, Karakol

Karakol Ski Resort

A perfect rainbow near Karakol
We drive into a gorge and follow a dirt track past the village of Jyrgalan that eventually leads to a small working mine.
Statue commemorating miners at the entrance of the Jyrgalan Valley

Jyrgalan village
We meet four men and one vicious dog. If that chains busts, we’re in trouble. At first they are a bit reluctant to let us take any photos, but eventually, Alexey softens them up. Different from a shaft mine, in this horizontal mine, the men walk straight in about 100 meters. They scrape the coal from the walls at the end of the tunnel, fill a cart and bring it out. A truck comes every couple of days to pick up the load. One of the miners is the dedicated chef and prepares a delicious meal that we are invited to share.
We drive back to Bishkek and settle into a new apartment above the ultra chic men’s shop called Podium.
View from the apartment above Podium
Masks, temperature checks and social distancing measures are required everywhere, but cafes, restaurants and some shops are open. After a couple of weeks of traditional cooking, we welcome the variety Bishkek has to offer.
Gourmet salads at Skyberry Cafe

Salmon Tartare at Oyster Bar

Sushi at Oyster Bar

Vegetable biryani, chicken tikka and dal at Gandhi Indian restaurant
At Atrium Salon, a great haircut and color is 14 euros, pedicure 8. The exceptionally hygienic and sublime one-hour massage at Kamin Spa in our building is a mere 15 euros.
Kamin Thai massage
Around July 1st, Covid-19 cases begin to rise and the government tightens restrictions. Supermarkets, pharmacies and shops must close at 7PM, cafes and restaurants at 8. Borders remain closed and the next possible date for commercial flights to resume is Aug 1st. We hunker down and spend our days in the apartment going to the supermarket when necessary and sometimes out for a meal where there are never more than one or two other tables occupied.
Skyberry Cafe, Bishkek

Oyster Bar, Bishkek



Visors are the new normal in shops
The weather is gorgeous, and there are hardly any bugs as Bishkek sits 800 m/2600 ft above sea level.
Delightful dining on the terrace at the apartment above Podium
On July 20th with the announcement that Bishkek is the epicenter of a new spike in Covid cases, Alexey suggests a road trip to the Batken region in the southwestern part of the country to search for the bigger (shaft) coal mines. On the drive out of Bishkek, I now recognize all the turns, the bottlenecks at several open markets, the Chinese workers building new roads...
Assorted fermented beverages for sale on the street

A woman selling fresh steamed corn on the side of the road

A man hauling watermelons
The snow on Too-Ashuu Pass has melted save a few peaks with icing in the distance. Naturally, we stop for lunch at Kojomkul.
Kojomkul restaurant, Sussamyr Valley
Yurts and caravans now pepper the green fields where horses, goats and sheep graze. Rickety stands selling those sour cheese balls and various aberrations of fermented milk line the roadside. This time we bypass the turn off to Talas and continue south, stopping for the night at Kok Bel an open, empty hotel on Toktogul Reservoir. The nondescript room (21 euros) has an extraordinary view of the water. At 284 sq. kms/110 sq. miles, it is the largest manmade lake in Central Asia.
Toktogul Reservoir
As the road bends south, our search for coal mines produces only a few, small (quite likely) unofficial operations. We stop for the night in the city of Jalal-Abad famous for recording the first outbreaks of coronavirus in Kyrgyzstan in March. Hotel Sputnik is the obvious choice as much for the name as the price (21 euros). It’s super tacky and could use a better cleaning, but it’ll do.
A woman selling bread on the road between Osh and Sulukta
We’re told there are mines in Kok Jangat 20 kms away. There is absolutely no signage. On a hunch, Alexey veers off-road following the tracks of a truck we pass full of coal, bumping along up and over hills with nary a lump in sight. He stops in front of a cluster of yurts. The family, here for the summer with their animals, is happy to see some new faces. They insist on tea. You simply cannot refuse Kyrgyz hospitality. Within a minute, we’re seated on cushions in the dining yurt. The ladies rush about setting out freshly baked bread, butter, jam, cookies, cream, watermelon and tea. To be polite, I taste the koumiss, fermented mare’s milk. My lips barely touch the sour, fizzy liquid and my expression provokes a hearty laugh. I’ll have the tea thank you.
Having tea with a local family in their yurt
Eventually, we do find some coal mines, but they are small, and there are no working shaft mines. We call it and drive to Osh, the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan (population +/- 200,000) for the night. I’m looking forward to a nice hotel with a pool as temps are way into the 90s F/30s C here, but the big hotel has been requisitioned by the government to quarantine doctors after they complete their service. While they certainly deserve it more than we do, the only other option, a crummy guesthouse that could use a deep cleaning, is rather disappointing. However, dinner across the street at a restaurant with tables nicely spaced around a pretty garden compensates a bit. Vodka flows like water at every table.
Guesthouse in Osh

Brio Coffee House, Osh
Approaching Sulukta, the scenery morphs from one type of rock formation to another. A roadblock greets us. We are welcome to visit the town after a medical check. Within minutes, an ambulance arrives, but as we show no signs of illness, the medics decide to accompany us to the only guesthouse, that way they will know where to find us.
Covid checkpoint, Sulukta
One look at the place and we are all prepared to sleep in the jeep. We decide to look for mines before spending the night in this unattractive town. Tourists don’t usually come this way, and the lady pumping gas is intrigued. Turns out her friend owns a coal mine. She makes a call and 20 minutes later, as is customary, we are sipping tea on a ridge overlooking this man’s vast mining operation.
We’re welcome to take photos but we’ll have to wait a few days. In the meantime, he offers to set us up with an apartment in town. Believe me, this was a hundred times better than the guesthouse...
Apartment complex, Sulukta


The two restaurants in town are closed. We survive the three days on instant noodles until finally we can take photos at the mine.
It takes several days to drive back to Bishkek.
Lunch stop in the small town of Arslanbob

On the list of worst toilets on the road ever!

Hotel Altyn (24 euros) in Karakul, on the road from Osh to Bishkek
Oh the luxury of our apartment above Podium! The owners are happy to have guests, people in our favorite cafes seem genuinely happy to see us and the lady selling delicious fruit on the corner is relieved to hear that we did not have Covid.
Our dedicated fruit vendor
Although restrictions are still in place, life in the city seems to be slowly coming back and within a few days we hear that while the borders are still closed, a few commercial flights are starting. We walk over to the Turkish Airlines office where they are receiving people at the window. The agent is extraordinarily helpful and books us a flight to Europe for mid-August. We leave Kyrgyzstan dragging our feet. We came in March, planning to spend a month and ended up staying for five. It was starting to feel like home. For the most part, whenever we talk about Kyrgyzstan, people cannot pronounce it or locate it on a map and have no idea why you would want to visit. Stunning nature, phenomenal hospitality, fascinating history, incredible value and hardly any tourists. That about sums it up.
Posted by SpiceChronicles 06:11 Archived in Kyrgyzstan Comments (9)