Cycling Day 2 - Akterek (Kz) to Bishkek (Kr)

 I woke up at the crack of dawn - about 4AM. I slept hard, but was about as rested as one can be after sleeping next to a highway with trucks rolling by all night.

I gathered my things, ate some of the bread and an apple that was brought to me the night before warming up and heading out. I was hoping to beat the heat and get into Bishkek by around noon.

Leaving the Almaty Oblast (like a province) and entering the Jambyl Oblast in Kazakhstan

My legs were not as fresh as the day before. Actually they were already feeling like jelly when I started. I rode the gravel on the side of the highway for about 10 miles before I hit the construction zone, after which the road went back to 4-lanes on cement blocks. This was the last leg of the A-2 until I got to Kenen, the turn-off town for Bishkek. I was very happy to get off the highway and onto a road with 90% less traffic. Of course, heading south, I had to cross the mountain range separating Kazakhstan from Kyrgistan. It was probably the lowest point in the range and what amounted to a 1500ft climb, but I had to push my legs to keep up at this point. Plus, after submitting, I still had 50 miles to Bishkek. Mercifully, the climb was relatively short and the descent was very long and steady. I was able to cruise at over 20mph for the next 30 miles to Korday, the border town between Kazakhstan and Kyrgistan.

Wind turbines at the top of the mountain range

 Although I had to wait some time at the border, this was far less sketchy than some previous control points that I’ve been through. The lines were disorderly and I had to basically thrust my passport through the window amidst other people clamoring and waving their IDs, vying for the precious stamp of approval.

Crossing into Kyrgistan. Sorry for the photo quality, I try to be discrete at borders since guards can sometimes be sensitive about snapping photos in military zones

The time spent at the border meant it was now later in the day - around 1:00PM, and it was hot. The day had been mostly cloudy up until this point, and I even had a few raindrops on me here and there. Since I couldn’t really see the sun, I likely underestimated the heat and UV index, and kept draining my water bottles every few miles. I’m drinking well over 3 gallons per day. Bishkek is still 10 miles from the border - when I saw it on the map, I didn’t think about it too much, what’s 10 miles? But in my depleted state, this may have been my most grueling 10-mile ride to date. Traffic also got predictably heavier, the closer to the city I got. 

I took a break at a convenience store and sat on the ground, in the shade. A little boy rode up to me on his bike, it looked like he was running some errands. He started checking out my bike and walked to the front of it to see the brand. He also wanted to know my gearing, showing me that his bike had 3 in the front and 6 in the back. He liked my 3/10 setup. He started asking me a bunch of things but I couldn’t understand him. I must have also been a sight for sore eyes because other people began approaching me. One man demanded that I stand up and took me back into the store, picking food off of the shelves and asking me if I wanted it. I relented and allowed him to buy me a bottle of water. I was really just trying to cool off and relax in the shade, but that proved to be difficult. Another man noticed me and asked if he could drive me into Bishkek, because I wasn’t looking too good. Another woman came by to ask me if I was sick. I appreciate the kindness and willingness of people to show such care and concern for me. But I also did not have the language or wherewithal to properly explain my position, so I rode off.

I have a Couchsurfing host here, but they live on the far south side of the city, and I rode in from the north. That meant more uphill climbing in traffic through a busy metro area. Not the most ideal conditions and I suffered through it. However, when arriving in Kyrgistan, my cell phone no longer worked - the Kazakh network did not transfer. I had told my host I would be there around 12:30 or so, but I didn’t arrive until close to 4. They live in a large block of apartments, known as a “micro district,” and after searching and asking a couple of people, I found their apartment. But no one was home. I borrowed someone’s cell phone but my hosts had left and wouldn’t be back for a few hours. A man coming out of the building with his two kids overheard my conversation and started asking what I was going to do, before telling me that he was heading to do some errands with his kids and that I could come with them and put my bags in his car. Although I really needed to shower, and I was very overheated from the ride, I accepted, as this seemed like the best option to get to some air conditioning and drink more water. 

His name is Emil, a Kyrgistan native. He’s an international lawyer and worked at the Kyrgistan embassy in Washington DC for 5 years, and his English was very good. Currently, he is the principal advisor to the minister of energy and travels extensively to world economic forums and helps secure funding for energy projects in Kyrgistan, specifically joint projects involved with selling electricity to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. He said just last week, he managed to get a $5-8 billion dollar commitment from the Asian Development Bank, Arab Development Bank, World Bank and European Development Fund to build a second, huge hydroelectric power plant in the mountains to supply more energy to the region. He said this kind of investment is a sign that international banks are seeing decreased corruption in Central Asia and that it is becoming a safe place to invest with a lot of economic sectors on the rise.

We took his son to get a gi, since he has been training judo for the past several years. Then we went to a mall in the center of town that had a large, indoor play area for kids - a giant ball pit, slides, Ferris wheel, etc. we sat in the food court with a friend of his and had some Turkish iskender and kebap, and I drank a lot of water.

Keep in mind, at this point I still had not had a chance to shower, or even change out of my bike clothes. I must have looked pretty wild with my sweat-caked jersey and helmet hair. I washed up a little bit in the restroom but was fairly self-conscious about my appearance.

When we got back to the building, my host had gone out to run an errand, so his mom, who lives a couple of buildings down, came down to meet me and I went to her apartment for an hour. At least I was able to shower and change and she was nice enough to have me as an impromptu guest, although she was a little out of sorts, since she did not expect any company. 

My hosts are Artëm (pronounced Artiom) and Olesia. They have a 7-year old named Vladimir. Since I didn’t get to their place until 9, I was closer to dead than alive at that point. Olesia gave me some Borscht and watermelon and I mustered through some conversation before finally crawling into bed at 11. I have my own room, which is a Couchsurfing luxury, and I’m looking forward to spending some time in Bishkek tomorrow.

Arrival in Bishkek