Back to Bishkek

To get back to Bishkek, I elected to drive the south side of Issyk Kul since the north side had a lot of road work. This proved to be the right decision, as the south side is even more scenic. I made it to the most god-forsaken train station I have ever seen, and of course, discovered (after the taxi drove away) that the train only ran on weekends (it was a Tuesday). So, with great trepidation, I set out to test the theory of “every car a taxi in the former USSR”. And, sure enough, the first car I hailed pulled over, which seems lucky, but it worked for me. It was the newest Mercedes I had seen in Kyrgyzstan, which is to say it had things like a car-phone and a TV in the dash (late 90s top-line trim, I suppose?). The driver was pleasant enough and I got to Bishkek without problems. The drive was very scenic and it would have been nice to take the train, but having a responsible driver and a comfortable car was all I could ask for. First hitchhiking experience: success. 

The lake

Saddest train station ever

                Tomorrow, it’s 73 hours to Moscow. I already grabbed a bottle of the local “Issyk-Kul” vodka…