Bokonbayevo to Bishkek

Travelled from our yurt camp to the nearby town of Bokonbayevo where we would stay for a couple of nights. We had originally planned to come here to do an eagle hunting demonstration and hiking, but as we had already done one offered by our yurt camp, we just explored the village. Cass woke up feeling very unwell and weak so we spent the day in bed at our guesthouse.

The next day was another long, painful travel day from Bokonbayevo back to Bishkek. We opted to take a shared taxi (shared 8 person car) instead of a marshrutka so we could complete the 6 hour journey with some comfort and hopefully a shorter time. The ride did not end up being any shorter (due to the car breaking down), nor was it any more comfortable because of the very high maintenance elderly Kyrgz lady sitting next to Mike. We eventually made it to the edge of Bishkek, where our driver asked us to take a taxi or bus the rest of the way because his car couldn't make it. We were hassled by a taxi driver who initially offered us 500som for the short journey to our hostel, and then settled on 300som. He then proceeded to FaceTime his friends while driving, showing his friends the 'Americans' he had in his car. We normally wouldn't have minded, but after spending the whole day in the car with the demanding elderly Krygz lady, we were worn out and just ready to get to our hostel.Read more