Turkish Airlines and Aeroflot offer direct flights to Manas International Airport in Bishkek (approx. 30km northwest of the city) from Istanbul and Moscow respectively. Additionally, British Airways offers a service (operated by BMed) from London to Bishkek, with a brief refueling stop at Tbilisi. In October 2007, BMed will be taken over by the UK-based airline British Midland Airways. In the short term, BMI intends to maintain a three flights a week schedule for the Bishkek-Almaty-London flight.
In the past driving in Kyrgyzstan was, by Western standards, dangerous. It still is! However, the government has invested millions upon millions of dollars in reconstructing a core network of roads that now rival the highways in many western nations. The principal highway from Bishkek to Osh is an engineering marvel through the mountainous region. Further, the highway from Osh to the Chinese border at Irkeshtam and from the village of Sary Tash to the Tajikistan border is being reconstructed in stages to international standards. Many other highways are likewise being rehabilitated as funding permits. In addition, the maintenance roads that feed into the core network are being improved as funds become available. Likewise, maintenance is being privatized on an experimental basis. This is not to say that driving in the Republic is easy. But given the limited economic resources progress is being made.
In the cities and outlying areas locals have become used to missing road drain covers, dry dusty roads (where water tankers sometimes sprinkle water to keep dust down) and generally bad roads that are not effectively maintained.
Interesting usage of main and large roads: If your side is too damaged to drive fast then is quite normal to use the other side of the road.
If you get stopped by the police it's likely to cost some money.
Watch out for mini buses pulling out too.
'''Journey times''':
Bishkek also has a trolley bus system which is less extensive and generally slower. They only stop at designated bus stops. Travelers enter at the back door and leave at the front, paying the four som fare on the way out.
There are several private taxi firms in Bishkek that you can easily reach through their three digit numbers including: 150, 152, 154, 156, 166, and 188. Daytime taxis throughout the city are a flat rate of 75 soms and 100 soms past 10PM. There are also numerous "gypsy cabs" situated at nearly every intersection. While most travelers and long-time expats report no problems, you are cautioned to be aware, especially at night and near nightclubs.
The languages of Kyrgyzstan are Russian and Kyrgyz, a Turkic language related to Uzbek, Kazakh, and, of course, Turkish. Kyrgyz is more common in rural areas whereas Russian is the urban language of choice (in fact it's not uncommon to meet ethnic Kyrgyz people in Bishkek who cannot speak Kyrgyz). English, while becoming more popular, is still rarely spoken so in order to effectively communicate one must at the very least learn a few basic words (yes, no, please, thank you, etc.) in Russian or Kyrgyz, depending on the location.
Like most of the rest of the former Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which can present a problem for Western travelers. However, the characters are not too hard to learn and once that is done you'll find that many of the words are familiar. For example, "___u_________p_~" is pronounced, "rest-o-ran," which means, "restaurant."
See the Wikitravel Russian phrasebook for more information.
Exchange rates, as of December 21, 2008 are as follows:
:{| width=50% border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="background: #f9f9f9; border: 3px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" ! align="left" nowrap | Currency !! align="left" | Rate
Changing money is relatively straightforward. Banks will accept a variety of major currencies while the money-changing booths that are ubiquitous in urban areas will typically only deal with US Dollars, Pounds, Euros, Roubles and Kazakh tenges. Note, however, that neither banks nor money changers will accept any foreign currency that is torn, marked or defaced in any way, or is excessively crumpled, so be sure to carefully check any notes you intend to bring into the country for defects.
There are a growing amount of ATM's connected the major services like Cirrus. Both Kazakkommerz Bank and Halyk Bank have several ATM's throughout the city. You can either withdraw USD or Kyrgyz Som. If withdrawing som, you will receive the interbank exchange rate, which is better than what the local exchange offices will give you.
KazakhKommerz Locations-
and more locations coming; Halyk Bank- TSUM (Eastern Staircase)
Besh barmak (_gfive fingers_h) is the national dish of Kyrgyzstan. For preparation, a sheep or horse is slaughtered and boiled in a large pot. The resulting broth is served as a first course. The meat is then divided up between those at the table. Each person in attendance receives the piece of meat appropriate to their social status. The head and eyes are reserved for guests of honor. The remaining meat is mixed in with noodles and, sometimes with onions, and is traditionally eaten from a large common dish with the hands, although nowadays more often with a fork or spoon.
Most other dishes encountered in Kyrgyzstan are common to the other countries of Central Asia as well. Plov or osh is a pilaf dish that at a minimum includes julienne carrots, onion, beef or mutton, and plenty of oil. Manti are steamed dumplings that normally contain either mutton or beef, but occasionally pumpkin. Somsa are meat (although sometimes vegetable) pies that come in two varieties: flakey and tandoori. Flakey somsa are made with a phyllo dough while tandoori somsa have a tougher crust, the bottom of which is meant to be cut off and discarded, not eaten. Lagman is a noodle dish associated with Uyghur cuisine. The basic ingredients of lagman (plain noodles and spiced vegetables mixed with mutton or beef) can be fried together, served one on top of the other, or served separately. Shashlik (shish kebabs) can be made of beef, mutton, or pork and are normally served with fresh onions and vinegar.
Almost any Kyrgyz meal will be accompanied by tea (either green or black) and a circular loaf of bread known as a lepeshka. The bread is traditionally torn apart for everyone by one person at the table. In the south of Kyrgyzstan, this duty is reserved for men, but in the north it is more frequently performed by women. Similarly, tea in the north is usually poured by women, while in the south it is usually poured by men.
At the end of a meal, Kyrgyz will normally perform a prayer. Sometimes some words are said, but more often the prayer takes the form of a perfunctory swipe of the hands over the face. Follow the lead of your host or hostess to avoid making any cultural missteps.
Kyrgyz have their own cognac distiller, which produces excellent, albeit highly sweet cognac, with the preferred brand being "Kyrgyzstan Cognac", which the locals sometimes call ''Nashe Cognac'', meaning "our cognac".
No trip to Kyrgyzstan wouldn't be complete without trying '''Kumys''', pronounced "Qu-mys" (don't mix it up with Komus, a traditional music instrument) made of fermented horse mare's milk. Many roadside stalls in the spring sell this sour beverage to passers-by. Most Kyrgyz will claim outrageous health benefits to drinking it.
You can also find an excellent selection of local and imported beers as many Kyrgyz have been taking to drinking beer versus harder liquors. Locally produced beers include Arpa, Nashe Pivo, and Karabalta. Arpa is highly recommended by beer connoisseurs. While being considered a common person's beer, its style is somewhat similar to an American Pale Ale (less hoppy than its Indian counter-part).
There are also a multitude of bottled waters (carbonated or still) from various regions of the country. Especially popular with southerners is the slightly saline "Jalalabad Water". There are also numerous stands selling non-alcoholic fermented grain drinks highly popular with the locals, called Shoro.
Although [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bride_kidnapping bride kidnapping] is illegal in Kyrgyzstan, it is still common, particularly in rural areas, so women should be very careful - it would therefore be preferable that women travel with male family members or other men who they can trust to keep them safe. According to the United States Embassy, two American women were bride-knapped in rural Kyrgyzstan in 2007 [http://bishkek.usembassy.gov/december_10_2007.html], and you certainly don't want to be one of them.
Some friction exists between the Kyrgyz people and ethnic Russians and travelers on these lonely passes may be mistaken for Russians and have their cars stoned. Villages are generally safe but are best avoided. Especially avoid driving in a rented car from Kyrgyzstan to Kazakhstan. The border area can be subject to roadblocks where carjackers impersonate security officials. The border zones are somewhat akin to a wild frontier and are best crossed in a tour bus. Even seasoned Kyrgyz travelers approach these areas with extreme caution.
On the other hand, Lake Issyk-Kul is a well developed tourist area as is the nearby Tien Shan mountain range and they can be approached on standard byways with little threat of carjacking or rock attack or ambush.
The Osh Market in Bishkek is known for false policeman who try to get money from tourist. Don't show them any of your notes if they ask.