A year in Kyrgyzstan, hostels and bungee jumping

I spent one year of university in Kyrgyzstan on an exchange program, at the Kyrgyzstan Turkey Manas University in Bishkek.

Because I came on exchange, I only had 2 classes there. I took the rest of my classes online from my school in Kazakhstan. I had class 2 days a week, and those 2 classes added up to about 2 hours. The rest of the days I was out all the time.

After Ahmet Yesevi University, Manas University felt like medicine to me. I don't want to trash my own university, everyone can only take what they're able to take. But in many ways Manas was far better than the university I studied at.

To make use of my free time, I started hanging out with a tour company called Kettik Tour. Almost every weekend I joined a different tour.

Back then I wasn't the person I am today. Hitchhiking didn't even cross my mind. Going places on my own, getting lost in streets I didn't know, talking to strangers, all of that felt very far from me.

Trying a hostel

I usually stayed in the dorm. Once I left the dorm to try staying at a hostel, and I loved the atmosphere. People from different countries, conversations in the common area, suddenly becoming friends with someone you've never met. I thought to myself, this is where I'm actually supposed to be.

Bungee jumping

I did a bungee jump in Kyrgyzstan. The moment I jumped I wanted to jump again. Years later I felt the same thing once more, after swimming with whale sharks in Oslob in the Philippines.

What you need to know before going to Kyrgyzstan

Visa

Turkish citizens can go to Kyrgyzstan visa free and can currently stay up to 30 days. Check the rules for your own passport. Rules can change, check with the consulate before you go.

Exchanging money

• The currency of Kyrgyzstan is the som. Dollars are the easiest to exchange, euros and rubles work too. If you're coming from Kazakhstan you can exchange tenge as well.
• Your bills should be clean and not worn. 50 and 100 dollar bills sometimes get a slightly better rate.
• In Bishkek exchange offices usually give the best rate. The offices at the entrances of the Tsum shopping center are well known.
• Stay away from people who come up to you on the street offering to exchange money, and from the money changers at the market.
• Banks ask for your passport when you exchange. You can exchange at the airport too, but the rate is a bit worse.

Cards and ATMs

• There are plenty of ATMs in Bishkek and Osh, few in small places and none in the mountains. Take enough cash before you leave the city.
• Most ATMs don't charge extra for foreign cards. If a fee shows up on the screen, cancel and try another ATM. Find out your own bank's foreign fee before you go too.
• The amount you can withdraw at once is limited and depends on the ATM.
• When paying by card or withdrawing cash, if it asks whether to charge in your home currency or som, always choose som.
• Cards usually work in big supermarkets and hotels. In small shops, markets and guesthouses you need cash.

SIM card and internet

• The operators are Beeline, O! and MegaCom. Beeline has the widest coverage, O! is a bit cheaper, MegaCom is the cheapest.
• There are Beeline and O! counters at Manas Airport.
• You have to register the SIM with your original passport within 30 days. If you bought it at the airport they usually register it right there.
• In mountain areas like Song Kol there's no signal. Download offline maps before you leave the city.

Taxis and maps

• In Bishkek and Osh people use Yandex Go for taxis.
• In the city 2GIS is very good, it shows bus routes and shops too. For hiking Maps.me is more useful.

Language

People speak Kyrgyz and Russian. If you know Russian, things get much easier.

Where to stay and tours

• Finding a hostel in the capital Bishkek is easy. I recommend trying a hostel at least once.
• Weekend tours are an easy way to get to know Kyrgyzstan. If you don't have the courage to travel on your own, start with a tour, that's how I started too.
• I went on tours with Kettik Tour almost every weekend, I recommend them.

Places to see

Issyk Kul, Song Kol and Ala Archa National Park near Bishkek. At Song Kol you can stay in yurts in summer.