Lost in Translation in Central Asia
On September 29th, I have crossed another country from the list of country I haven’t visited yet- Kyrgyzstan. It was a low-key three day trip to this small Central Asian country, but it was a totally different experience.
The trip wasn’t initially planned, since I have applied to participate in a hackathon in Tbilisi. This one never took place, but I was given an option to participate in one held in Bishkek. With just a few emails, I already had the tickets booked and bought by org committee.

So we landed in Manas Aiport. It was named after the national hero. It was a cozy and small airport- a good opportunity not to get lost.
Bishkek was a city of contrasts. Originally it was a caravan stop for people travelling via Silk Road. It turned into a major city only during Soviet times, renaming into Frunze.
There are a lot of typical Soviet type governmental buildings, as well as small 4–5 stared buildings mostly. But in addition to this you will find post-modern monuments and structures, as well as some influence from Greco and Nestorian periods.

We stayed at the local hotel called Olive Hotel. It was not far from city center. You can walk to all important buildings or take a taxi, which is very cheap here. All you need to do is download Yandex Taxi application for taxi or GIS for local walking tours. Luckily the geolocation app will work also offline.

The local food includes a lot of fat, so if you are on a diet, this is not exactly what one can look forward. You can try on regional food at Arzou. Here you can find dishes typical for Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The main meat basis of the food over here is lamb/mutton. You should start either with manty (steamed dumplings with meat, fat and onions) or paloo (local version of plov)- meet, veggies and rice.
The courageous ones can try tasting Beshbarmak, which is a beef/mutton dish, prepared for a few hours with noodles. Served with parsley.
The local drinks can be tasted around every major corner. You will see a local sitting at the crossroad selling kymyz ( alcoholic drink made by fermenting mare’s milk), kvas (Russian type drink ) and chalap (drink made of sheep’s milk .or qurut)
There are a few European/American style restaurants in Bishkek, whereas the abundance of steak houses is not a surprise- locals loooove good meat. The most popular one is called Red Cow. The prices are a bit higher than in other locations, but it is still good to give it a try. Looking for burgers and fast food, then have a visit to Asia Mall. Once in this mall, you will forget that you’re in Central Asia, since stores here are similar to any other European spot.
What you can and should try on instead is Chinese Food. There is a totally awesome restaurant called Chinatown. The menu will surprise you with an abundance of Chinese dishes. And if you are fond of spicy food, then this is your foodie spot.

You’re more about Korean food? You can fill the spirit in the town, it is worth to mention, that you can find lots of Korean dishes around every corner and every restaurant. It is due to the fact that lots of Koreans lived in Soviet Union and moved to Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan after the end of Soviet era. There are over 20! Korean spots in Bishkek.
And there is something fun for the pub lovers- pub “No Name”. It serves all sort of drinks and you can try local beer over there. The place is cozy, no WiFi. The staff and interior is awesome.
Do not forget to live your mark on the wall of fame — the marker is given, the inspiration is all over the wall.


And finally no Bishkek visit should be left without a chance to visit Ololohouse shared workspace. It’s a total combination of local traditions with modern solutions and creativity. We held our hackathon over there and there was no place, that could help and inspire more.



Pro-tip: While in Kyrgyzstan make some time to have a visit to Issyk-Kul- a lake resort for leisure and health tourism.
