#spring is my favorite season of the year. mainly because after months of 3 hours of sunlight springs feels like being resuscitated

[mxwhore]

spring has come and with that, a new blog banner! this one is a staple of the place i was born: el ñirre (Nothofagus antarctica) growing proud and strong in spite of the unforgiving climate...

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[astormyjet]

Winter of 2018 - Summer of 2021 TIME FILES WHEN YOU’RE IN YOUR 20s!!!!

OH BOY. It’s been three years (or more) since I updated this. “Time is a weird soup!” to quote a fave. I guess I quit tumblr around the time there was a purge of content and creators and a smack down on a lot of the fandom communities. Tumblr has always been something of a crapshow though so I’ve been more productive with my time than I was in some ways, but I’ve also found other ways to waste my time. *cough twitter/netflix/youtube/MTGArena cough*.

General Life Achievements since 2018 -JLPT N3 GET in 2019! -Blackbelt GET in 2018! -TESOL 120 Hour and BE 50 Hour Cert from online provider GET in 2021 -STUDENT LOAN BANISHED (Thank you grandparents) -Survived Apartment flooding in early 2020. -Mystery anxiety related illness and chronic pain in my left leg from early 2020 - Present. -A mythical 6th and 7th year on the JET Programme. -Started posting on Instagram a lot more about my wanderings around Matsuyama/Uwajima. Mainly old buildings and stray cats. @astormyknight -Surviving so far in Japan with old rona-chan.

2018 was rough. I was given an additional school in the first semester (March to July) as we had someone find a better job. I enjoyed it, but it was a bit of a rough go especially when I was transferred that August after three fantastic years at Tsubaki JHS and ES and only a semester there. I legit went through the five stages of grief - which I think is another reason I stopped blogging. I was given my current base school along with four other schools. Going from 2(3) to 5 schools was a bit of an adjustment. I still feel a bit spread out.

That said, I keep running into teachers and students who were at the Tsubaki’s. The teachers shuffle around every April, so it's always a lottery with which new faces are going to be old friends (or enemies…). A couple of kids moved and transferred into my current schools from Tsubaki too. So I have one kid I can say I've been teaching for 6 out of the 7 years I've been here!

One of the kids who was in JHS 3rd grade when I first got here (in 2015!) hangs out around one of my favorite cafes, so I got chatting with him recently. He's in his second year of nursing school - his class nearly broke me in the first year, it was really a trial by fire with those kids. I was 22 then, and he’s 20 now, so it was interesting chatting to him about that first year of teaching. His younger sister was one of my favorite students too, she was in the group of kids that graduated in the March of 2018, the year group that went through Tsubaki JHS with me - they’re newly minted University students now!

This Thursday morning when I was cycling in to work, a kid who was 2nd year JHS when I left  (so 2nd or 3rd year JHS now) pulled up with their Mum in a van and got their mamachari out of the back to bike to school. The franticness of it all was hilarious. Their Mum legit sat on the horn until I pulled over. I was so happy to run into this kid, even at social distance and both of us late to work/school - because we both remembered each other and as they were going around the corners they were yelling each time they turned and humming the old elementary school directions chant and pelting me with questions about what I’ve been up to.

I've had so many students and schools now, that everything is kind of running into a blur. I remember flashes of kids faces and voices, random memories of in class or out of class shenanigans out of the blue. Also, I now, more than ever, have issues remembering kids' names, but I still know their faces (even with their masks), whose homeroom class they were in, who their friends were and which club they were in. I get random flashbacks to past conversations with them when I see them on the street or we run into each other. I feel bad because the first thing former students ask is ‘Do you remember my name?’ and I always have to be like, ‘Honestly, no, but I remember you did this on x day, x month in x classroom’.

Socially in 2018 -2019 - a few of our friends went home and things shook up a little. Our DnD group changed a bit - one of our players stepped into the role forever DM (THANK YOU RALPH). From memory the newbies were great - some of them just went home at the start of last month and it’s weird not seeing them around (JESS DO YOUR BEST!). I think we only have one or two people left from that rotation. There’s no 6th year ALTs, and only two 5th years.

Aug 2018 - Aug 2019 was the year of Hiura - my mountain school. Dang man, they were so cool. The students of the JHS and the ES combined barely hit 30, so each class was between 3-10 students depending on the grade. It was easier to get to know the kids, their abilities and their goals than it has been for me at other schools. I miss it so bad, being in nature once a week did my country-kid heart so good! The bugs! The frogs! The river! The mountain! The monkeys! The lizards! The dilapidated houses and hidden shrines!!!! The random crabs in the English room...I forgot that there was such a thing as freshwater crabs, and being right next to a river, the invasion wasn’t as out of place as I first thought...  

The area is so picturesque and calming. Every week up there was a small adventure (after getting over my motion sickness from the bus ride up). The kids were constantly pranking either myself or the main English teacher. There was always some new weird bug or lizard in a tank to be educated about. There were chickens on the way to the JHS that used to escape from their cardboard box prisons to run riot on the gardens. There were old people to freak out with my youth and foreignness! The kids also got to do a lot of extra classes, sumiyakai (making charcoal the traditional way), planting and maintaining rice paddies, setting up vegetable gardens, raising fireflies, conserving a special breed of fire lily (only found in this particular mountain valley) and another rare flower, wilderness training ect.

I wish I could have stayed there a lot longer but SOMEONE (read...the BoE) decided that schools had to be shuffled again(thank goodness the dude who has it now was able to keep it from the 2021 shuffle, he's the best fit for the school). I had so many good memories from there, I wish I had been more consistent in writing it down. I do have a bunch of photos and videos from there though, so that's nice. The only thing I don’t miss is the bus trip up and down - not only was it motion sickness, there was a healthy dose of fear each ride as the driver brought us perilously close to the edge of the mountain drop…

2019 - 2020 was interesting. With the school I got given instead of the Hirua’s I was roped into more demonstration lessons which was a lot of pressure because I was also involved quite heavily with the JHS observation and training lessons too. They were somewhat rewarding, the third graders are now super smart 5th graders, but the teachers  who need to embrace the new curriculum and ways of teaching really haven’t taken on anything from the lessons....

Outside of work as well, I was given the chance, thanks to an ALT buddy of mine, to join in with the local festival. It's been one of the biggest highlights of my time here, and I am gutted it’s been cancelled for the last two years, but I understand the reason…. I was able to travel to Okinawa too during that summer for an international Karate seminar with the Dojo I train with. I met the head of the style I currently practice and a bunch of people from around the world. I also got to see Shuri castle before it burned down. So that was a stroke of luck. One of the places I want to go when/if we get out of this pandemic is Okinawa. I want to see more of those Islands so bad. Just before the whole pandemic thing too - I managed to see the Rugby World Cup, a Canada vs NZ match, I even ran into Tana Umanga in Oita city!!!

2019 - 2020 was supposed to be my last year on JET, so I was frantically Job hunting. I went to the Career Fair in Osaka in early Feb/Late January 2020. I applied and got interviewed for a position in Sendai in early Jan 2020. In the end though - the Rona hit. We started hearing whispers of it around the end of 2019, then the cruise boats happened, and then Japan refused to cancel the Olympics...every holiday season there is a new wave of infections, my nurse friends in Tokyo are struggling....my teacher friends in more populous areas of Japan are struggling…

JET couldn't get new ALTs for 2020-2021, I took the extra year when it was eventually offered, as the one job I had managed to get a serious offer for was hesitating because with the rona setting in, things were uncertain. There was a lot of time spent adjusting to the new rules surrounding what we could do in class with the kids as well as textbook change. Schools shut on and off during the spring months. 

I also got a reminder of my mortality mid May with an unrelated illness which is still smacking me around a bit - stress/age, it does things to the human body it has no right to. It's only been in the last three months I’ve been able to exercise like I used to, I’ve put on a bunch of weight I can't shrug off (one part medication, another part diet) My relationship with food needs to change, and I really need a kitchen that allows me for more than one pan meals. I also need to figure out what to do with a left leg that is in constant pain from the knee down and a heart that misses beats when stressed out (mentally and physically…). 

My apartment also got flooded by the guy upstairs at one point, I spent most of late February/early March living in a hotel while my walls and floor got redone - I think this was one of the things that really stressed me out and kicked my anxiety right up a notch, it was right when things were getting REALLY bad with rona-chan in Hokkaido and schools were shutting down here as it was filtering into the prefecture and so Japan closed schools for the first time…

Classes in covid times have been weird. We’ve been wearing facemasks full time since the early stages of the pandemic (March 2020) - so I admit that I get a bit pissed off seeing both Americans and New Zealanders back home bitching about just having to start wearing them full time in public. I have asthma and have been suffering with the things on during the 30*C plus with high 90s humidity summers. Teachers were offered vaccines late July 2021, just days before the Olympics were open - and I finished my two shots in the middle of August. But the overall distribution and take up of the jab has been slow.  As mentioned above, we can't play a lot of the games we used to play with kids in classes anymore, and a lot of the activities outlined in the textbook curriculum need to be adjusted too, so we’ve had to be creative. We use hand sanitizer a lot more too. One of the things I miss the most though, is eating lunch with the kids.

Socially from summer 2020 - now 2021 we played a lot of DnD and board games, both online and in person when we could. There were no new ALTs again for the 2021-2022 JET year, and those of us who were in 6th year were offered a 7th. Four out of six of us took it. As a whole we’re down from a peak of 38 ALTs for Junior High and Elementary school to 22 for now. We hopefully will get a new person at the end of September, and 4 more in November. Which will bring us to 27. This has led to ANOTHER round of school shuffles.

Summer vacation has been weird the last two years. With rona-chan, we haven’t really been able to travel. All the summer festivals (all the Autumn and Winter ones too!) have been cancelled, so the changing of seasons just feels, wrong. I dunno. There is so much we all miss from pre-rona-chan, and so much that doesn’t happen that makes this just feel like one long long unending year of sadness, coldness, raininess, unbearable heat and repeat. I’m tired. Time is going so fast, but so.dang.slow.

I lost my favorite school (AGAIN GDI!!!) and gained the school I taught a semester at in 2019....I had my first day there on Wednesday. Schools actually started back on September 1st so there was some drama as the BoE didn’t communicate fast enough about our school changes. We legit got told on the 27th of August (on a Friday) our schools were changing effective September 1st, but somehow some of our schools found out on the Monday 30th August. In July we were told we would be changing schools at the end of September, so.a lot of ALTs and schools were left short changed, not having opportunities to say goodbye to co-workers or students/having their planning for the semester more or less thrown out the window too. I love my job. I really dislike the way the BoE treats us, the Japanese assistant language teachers and our schools.

The new school I have is used to having an ALT there twice a week, who plans all the lessons and executes them. I’m at three elementary schools. I'm only at each once a week, I want to plan, but being that I miss an entire lesson in between visits, it's going to be difficult to do so. Not impossible, but being that I'm already doing it for two other schools, who are at two different places in the textbook ah…….. From what I have talked to my new supervisor about though, it sounds like the teachers have taken on more of the lesson planning and I'll be able to contribute ideas when I'm there. I just want to and wish I could do more without being confused all the time. (This is all usually done in my second language too, not in English so extra levels of confusion and miscommunication abound).

 I feel like this at my JHS too a lot of the time. I want to contribute more, but even with constant communication with my main in school supervisor (who is a badass and pretty much on the same page about everything with me) I still feel about as useful as tits on a bull. Especially now that classes have been cancelled and or shortened, there's less time to do stuff. Any game or activity I plan is usually cut in favor of making up time in the textbook. When I'm in class, I'm back to being a tape recorder, the fun police and general nuisance.　

Also in the last week...my two of my schools were  shut due to students testing positive for the rona. This is the second time my schools have had a scare in the last 8 months. And by shut, I mean the students were all at home, but the teachers  all had to come into the office. Because why not I guess….. I mean,  the cases increasing is really not unexpected with the amount of people who were travelling over obon and the increase of cases due to the Olympics/Japan being slow on vaccinating/delta being the dominant strain/Japan's leaders doing relatively little except asking shops and restaurants to limit people coming in at one time and closing before 8pm. I know my schools weren't the only one shut either - but still High Schools were having their sports days this week. I kept on seeing groups of kids hanging in the park after, so that was a little bit nerve wracking.

It's just frustrating - we’ve been on half days to “minimize the risk of infection” for kids and teachers, as if only being at school from 8am through to 1pm is going to reduce the risk.  My schools have only just started testing out Microsoft teams and Zoom lesson equipment. Thankfully our school’s run in this time was contained real quick, the family was super good about informing us when they got their results back, and the fact they needed to be tested. The homeroom teacher and the students from the same class were the only ones tested, and they all came back clear, which was nice. But the information came back so SLOW. 

I’m a little irritated because I found out on Wednesday night what was going on, and even if I am vaccinated, I am super worried that I will end up being the covid monkey due to being at different schools three days out of five. I think other than being worried that I will catch it myself and get real sick, my biggest fear is that I will be protected from bad symptoms from the vaccine, but still be able to pass it onto some of my more vulnerable friends and students. The whole thing is a mess.  

Other than Covid and BoE drama, life is good. I’ve had a couple of other big changes - both fantastic and not so great, but yeah.  I have my health (and health insurance!) for now. I have a job, for now. I have a sense of existential dread for the next 12 months, but we’ll see where we end up. Life post JET is going to be way less cushy and I am TERRIFIED. I mean, I have a BA in Eng/Ling and no idea what to do with it…..because I am NOT suited for academia.

TLDR: Love my job. Don’t like the system. What is life? Future scary. 

[intricately-silly]

Get to Know Me Tag

I was tagged by @thesimparrot

Ok. So this was sitting in my drafts waiting for the picture for about three years, and I didn’t want to NOT post it. So here it is, very very very late. It did give me a reason to update my simself though. 

Thank you for tagging me friend! <3 <3 <3 Also, omg that’s so many questions... Who is really going to want to know all this about me?

Rules: Post a pic of your simself with your traits and answer the questions!

Traits:  goofball + perfectionist + loner

Honestly, how am I supposed to only pick three traits? I’m a complicated individual. I’m intricately silly. Anyway... 

1. What is your full name? Skye. That’s all you get. 

2. What is your nickname? Well actually, Skye is technically my nickname...

3. When is your birthday? August 8th.

4. What is your favorite book series? Hmm... I don’t know. I tend to like individual books rather than series. Although I read the Hunger Games series a while back and I liked that one. 

5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts? I mean, there’s nothing to disprove it. But I wouldn’t say I fully believe in them either. 

6. Who is your favorite author? I don’t really have one. 

7. What is your favorite radio station? I really like a station on Pandora called Summer Hits of the 90′s.

8. What is your favorite flavor of anything? It depends on what it is. 

9. What word do you often use to describe something great or wonderful? Amazing. I think it’s the only word I use. I should expand my “something great” vocabulary. 

10. What is your favorite song currently? Love Somebody by Maroon 5. It’s been my favorite since it came out and it still is.  

11. What is your favorite word? Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

12. What is the last song you listened to? Otherside by Red Hot Chili Peppers. 

13. What TV show would you recommend everyone to watch? White Collar I guess. 

14. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down? I tend to listen to music when I’m feeling down. But Rush Hour. Or Shrek. 

15. Do you play video games? Nope, not at all... Such a silly question.

16. What is your biggest fear? I have a lot of fears. I have anxiety, so it comes with the territory. But I guess it would be being shut out from everyone and being alone. 

17. What is your best quality in your opinion? I’m a very accepting person. 

18. What is your worst quality in your opinion? Oof. Well...

19. Do you like cats or dogs better? Dogs. I’ve always loved dogs. Cats are great too though.

20. What is your favorite season? Autumn. The colors, the cute clothes, the ability to hide under three blankets. 

21. Are you in a relationship? Yep. For a year and a half now. 

22. What is something you miss from your childhood? Insouciance.

23. Who is your best friend? Rori, my six month old puppy. 

24. What is your eye color? Blue.

25. What is your hair color? Dark, dark brown. 

26. Who is someone you love? Family, friends, animals. So many.

27. Who is someone you trust? Trust is a hard thing for me. So only those very close to me. 

28. Who is someone you think about often? My boyfriend.

29. Are you currently excited about something? I dunno. Am I?

30. What is your biggest obsession? Anything made by Apple. It’s such a beautiful company.

31. What was your favorite TV show as a child? When I was two, Dora. I would sit and watch it, purposely giving the wrong answers to her questions. When I got asked why, my answer was “she’s just going to do the right thing anyway.”

32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to? My boyfriend. 

33. Are you superstitious? Kinda sometimes. 

34. Do you have an unusual phobias? I have a fear of ladders. Not heights, ladders. 

35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? Definitely behind.

36. What is your favorite hobby? Video games is the only constant one, all my other hobbies constantly change. 

37. What is the last book you read? It was online and I can’t remember the name to be honest. 

38. What was the last movie you watched? Aquaman.

39. What musical instruments do you play? I played the clarinet when I was younger. Then I played the guitar. Now I’m trying to teach myself to play piano. I’ve always loved the piano. 

40. What is your favorite animal? All of them. But lions and tigers are gorgeous animals. 

41. What are your top five favorite Tumblr blogs? You think I can narrow it down to five?

42. What super power do you wish you had? Teleportation. 

43. When and where do you feel most at peace? When my dog is cuddling with me.

44. What makes you smile? When my puppy is playing.

45. What sports do you play? I played softball when I was younger. 

46. What is your favorite drink? I don’t know. Shirley Temples. Ginger Ale with Lemonade is really good too. 

47. When was the last time you wrote a handwritten letter or note to someone? I can’t remember. So a while ago.

48. Are you afraid of heights? No.

49. What is your biggest pet peeve? I have a lot. But my biggest I think would be people who walk in front of you so slowly that you trip over your own feet. 

50. Have you ever been to a concert? Yep. Maroon 5 was the last one. I hope to go to more too.

51. Are you vegetarian or vegan? No.

52. When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up? A veterinarian.

53. What fictional world would you like to live in? The world from Avatar. That’d be cool. 

54. What is something you worry about? Anything and everything. 

55. Are you scared of the dark? Depends on my mood.

56. Do you like to sing? Yes, I just wish I could say I was good at it.

57. Have you ever skipped school? No. 

58. What is your favorite place on the planet? My bed.

59. Where would you like to live? Not where I’m living now. I’m so over this town. It’s pretty clean and safe though, so I appreciate that aspect of it. 

60. Do you have any pets? Two cats and a puppy. Oh, and five chickens. 

61. Are you an early bird or a night owl? Night owl. I want to be an early bird, but I’m naturally more awake at night.

62. Do you like sunrise or sunsets better? Sunsets because you can see the stars after! <3

63. Do you know how to drive? I do.

64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? Earbuds. Although headphones sound better. 

65. Have you ever had braces? Yes.

66. What is your favorite genre of music? I tend to like specific songs instead of genres. But I really like 90′s music. 

67. Who is your hero? I have no idea.

68. Do you read comic books? No.

69. What makes you the most angry? So many things. I’m a little hotheaded. But mainly when people are illogical. 

70. Do you prefer to read real books or on an electric device? Real books!

71. What is your favorite subject in school? It was always math.

72. Do you have any siblings? Two. A brother and a sister. 

73. What was the last thing you bought? Coffee...

74. How tall are you? 5′ 5″

75. Can you cook? Psh. Not really. But I’m trying to learn.

76. What are three things that you love? Playing games, watching movies with my boyfriend, and training my dog. 

77. What are three things that you hate? It changes daily.

78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends? Female.

79. What is your sexual orientation? Bisexual.

80. Where do you currently live? Neverland. 

81. Who was the last person you texted? My boyfriend. 

82. When was the last time you cried? I think it was a week ago.

83. Who is your favorite youtuber? I haven’t had the time to watch YouTube lately. So I don’t know. 

84. Do you like to take selfies? Not in the slightest. The closest thing I’ll do to taking a selfie is make an edit of my simself. 

85. What is your favorite app? Netflix.

86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like? I’ve always been close with my parents. I’ve always been really close with my siblings too.

87. What is your favorite foreign accent? British.

88. What is a place that you’ve never been to but want to visit? All of Europe. But specifically Paris.

89. What is your favorite number? Five. Always has been.

90. Can you juggle? For three seconds. 

91. Are you religious? I am.

92. Do you find outer space or the deep ocean to be more interesting? They’re both so interesting though! Outer space is so pretty and very interesting. But we know absolutely nothing about our oceans. It does peak my curiosity. 

93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? Every once in a while.

94. Are you allergic to anything? Pollen. Grass. Dust. Spring is like death. 

95. Can you curl your tongue? No, and everyone else I know can and they all tease me about it. Meanies. 

96. Can you wiggle your ears? No... I can’t do anything cool OK? 

97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something? When it’s clear that I’m wrong, then I’ll admit it. 

98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach? I love them both. Oooh! A forest near the beach so I can be by the trees but still hear the ocean.

99. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you? "Breathe.”

100. Are you a good liar? I am an awful liar. Like awful awful. I don’t lie, but sometimes I’ll do white lies playfully with my boyfriend and he’ll just laugh because I’m so bad at it.  

101. What is your Hogwarts house? Hufflepuff.

102. Do you talk to yourself? I used to. Now I just talk to my dog.

103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? An introvert who loves talking and meeting new people. But at the end of the day, I have to be alone to refill my energy.  

104. Do you keep a journal or a diary? Nope. 

105. Do you believe in second chances? I guess it technically depends. But we’re all human and we all make mistakes. It’s unfair to not give more than one chance. Unless it’s PURPOSELY harming someone else. That’s not ok. No second chances with that. 

106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do? I would take it to the nearest business. Hopefully the person comes looking. 

107. Do you believe that people are capable of change? With most things. If they really wanted to. 

108. Are you ticklish? Yeah...

109. Have you ever been on a plane? I have.

110. Do you have any piercings? I have my standard lobe piercings. Then on my right ear I have a forward helix and upper lobe piercing. On my left I have a helix piercing. And my nose is pierced. 

111. What fictional character do you wish was real? Donkey from Shrek.

112. Do you have any tattoos? Yes, just one.

113. What is the best decision that you have made so far? Rescuing my dog, she means the world to me.

114. Do you believe in karma? Yeah, I think so.

115. Do you wear glasses or contacts? I wore glasses when I was younger, but I don’t need to wear them anymore. My eyes magically improved, I don’t know.

116. Do you want children? I’ve always wanted two.

117. Who is the smartest person you know? I know a lot of smart people.

118. What is your most embarrassing memory? This one time...

119. Have you ever pulled an all nighter? Probably too often. Then I got my puppy, and I haven’t since. Puppies are exhausting. 

120. What color are most of your clothes? Maroon. Or blue. I have a lot of grey I think too.

121. Do you like adventures? Yes! “ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!”

122. Have you ever been on TV? Nope.

123. How old are you? 19.

124. What is your favorite quote? I have so many favorites, but... "You’re only given a little spark of madness, you mustn’t lose it.” - Robin Williams.

125. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods? Savory. But sweet is sometimes welcome too. 

I tag: anyone who wants to... since this is forever late

[travellingczechia]

Ekologický Záhradnictví (Gardening, cooking, and generally living green in the Czech Republic)

(above: some herbs and garlic on my host family’s kitchen counter.)

HERE’S something I’ve been meaning to write about for awhile: environmentalism in the Czech Republic, and in Europe in general.

Now, the Czech Republic doesn’t have the eco-friendly reputation that some European countries like France or Austria do. However, from the perspective of someone from the US, the lifestyle is still a LOT greener. Here are some differences I’ve noticed:

1. Transportation. Mainly, public transportation. For a city of 100,000 people, České Budějovice has a remarkably convenient and efficient bus network, one vastly superior to the one in my home city of over 800,000. The whole country is well connected by trains (yeah, there are delays sometimes, but it’s better than nothing) so I could travel to any city in the country or even abroad for a pretty low price. South Bohemia also has fantastic bicycling paths, which in many cases are as well marked and maintained (if not better) as the roads. 

Speaking of roads, Czechs don’t like to drive. So when possible, they make use of all these public services, as well as private bus lines. (Also, shoutout to neighboring Slovakia, which provides free train service for students. Good idea Slovakia.) 

(above: some vegetable leavings in the compost box.)

2. Waste

Czechs are so, so diligent about how they handle waste. With a few exceptions, almost every Czech household I have been in has sorted out plastic, paper, and biodegradeables. Even when a household doesn’t have its own compost, there is often a city-provided compost box to dump your stuff in. However, my second host family composted their own, and used the wonderfully rich soil in their garden. 

Another way that Czechs (and Europeans in general) reduce waste is by simply not buying as much. Rather than always trying to be stocked up on everything and anything, they buy ingredients as needed. The only time this can result in a loss is with fresh bread. Almost no one eats packaged sandwich bread, bread is NEVER frozen, and so a fresh loaf often goes stale before it gets eaten. However, all my host families have then saved that bread, dried it out, and fed it to birds or given it to people they know with farm animals. 

3. No electric dryer.  I thought it would bother me, but honestly, I don’t mind at all hanging clothes outside (especially with my view now- spot the castle turret in the background.) In the winter, we hung our clothes on a rack next to the fireplace. 

4. Gardening culture! This one is my favorite. 

One of the very few pieces of information I picked up before coming to the Czech Republic was that Czechs like to garden. When I arrived in August this didn’t seem to hold true, but now that spring has come, it certainly does. Gardening just looks a little different here. Rather than rows of identical houses with a big green lawn and a large rectangular planter for colorful, decorative flowers, Czech gardens feel more practical. Many avid gardeners live in city apartments, and hold property elsewhere for gardening. For example, my host grandmother lives in a flat, but bicycles about half an hour to her garden near our house. This allows the garden to be much bigger than if it were tucked onto a city street.

And rather than filling planters with frilly, brightly colored seasonals, most Czech gardens I have seen have been mostly edible. (Don’t get me wrong, seasonal flowers are beautiful. But I personally like the Czech way better, because if I’m going to go to all the trouble of cultivating a plant, it’s much more rewarding to have something to eat in the end.) On their garden plots, Czechs grow cabbages, cucumbers, zucchini, sweet peppers, lettuce, potatoes, pumpkins, raspberries, blueberries, currant fruits, strawberries, and apples. They plant herbs and spices to use in the kitchen, and then they actually use them in the kitchen. (My family has a bay leaf plant in the living room. I had no idea what it was until my host mom told me to go get some of it for the soup.) 

I recently read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, and it has given me a lot to think about. But I think many of his ideas would seem painfully obvious to a Czech grandmother. Pollan argues that gardening and preparing fresh food inevitably improves both the quality of what we eat and the impact we have on the environment. I am convinced, after reading his book and after helping in gardens here, that it would be a thousand times easier to make people care about soil and water quality and climate, if those people were paying attention to all those factors and how they affected the raspberries they wanted to put on their waffles. 

This year in the Czech Republic, the winter was extremely mild and spring came early. Everything is blooming and becoming ripe a full month in advance. This is a big deal, because people expect to eat things when they are fresh. Last week, cherries became ripe, and I immediately noticed that every fifth person seemed to be carrying an enormous number of cherries down the street with them. Before that, it was strawberries. Soon, Czechs will go out to the forests to harvest blueberries, and in the fall, mushrooms. 

(above: freshly picked mini-strawberries and some early forest blueberries on a poppyseed cake.) 

I’ve found it difficult to express this observation of greater connection to nature to Czechs. Much of the younger generation, for one, doesn’t garden or forage, and isn’t nearly as interested in the seasons as their parents or grandparents. When I have gushed to older Czechs my admiration for the freshly cooked meals, the carefully tended gardens, the bakeries with cheap, whole grain bread, and the composts, their reactions are generally along the lines of, “um... thanks?” To most Czechs I’ve spoken to, local, unprocessed food isn’t some kind of hipster luxury- it’s just what makes the most sense. That isn’t to say that Czechs don’t import pineapples year round or eat processed things, they definitely do. But there is a recognition that what is better for the environment is also healthier and tastier. I firmly believe that, for the long-term health of the planet, that is a subtle culture difference which matters. 

5. Forests. Disclaimer: Slovaks will laugh at me for being impressed by Czech forests. Also, I googled “Czech forests” to find statistics for this post, and this was one of the first results: http://www.radio.cz/en/section/panorama/environmentalists-ringing-alarm-bells-over-ailing-czech-forests

That said, the World Bank estimated that in 2015 34.5% of Czech land was forest, and that percentage is increasing. Numbers aside, Czech forests are great because they are accessible. Trails are numerous and well marked. Every castle I have visited- and there are many, many castles- have at least a small woods around them which someone living in the castle used as hunting grounds at some point. It is never difficult to get to the woods, living in South Bohemia. That is something I appreciate a lot, not just for the climate benefits. 

[ayeletinthemountains]

2019 in Mountains

I’m hopping on the bandwagon and reflecting on a year in review. I don’t make time to write trip reports much these days (I fell off the bandwagon on our van trip, when we were constantly doing cool trips and I just couldn’t keep up [poor me]), so seeing my friend Nikhil write a post summing up his outdoor exploits for the year seemed like a great idea.

Skiing

Since learning to ski in the 2016-17 season, each year has gotten more fun. Typically in winter I focus on the Ogul peak list (a list of peaks in Tahoe, so pretty accessible since most of the roads are plowed; I’m at 35/63 currently), but I’ve learned that seeking summits often doesn’t make for the best skiing. One thing I love about lists though is that it takes me to new places I’d never go otherwise. Some highlights:

Mount Elwell: I wrote a full trip report on this here. This was one of my favorite new areas I got to see. It’s about an hour north of Tahoe, so sees far less visitors, which is always a treat. We saw no one else our whole day in the backcountry, and the views from the summit were spectacular. Plus, we learned about the Plumas Ski Club’s longboard races and checked em out! So much fun. Track

Mount Mildred: Also wrote a trip report on this one here. This peak is behind Alpine Meadows ski resort (where I had a pass this year). It was a pretty long day in terms of mileage for me on skis, so I love seeing the progress I’m making in that regard. Track.

Pyramid/Jacks Desolation Traverse: In late April, given that the big snow year still left good coverage, I did a traverse from Pyramid Peak to Jacks Peak in Desolation Wilderness with friends AJ, Jamie, and Chris. AJ wrote about it here. This was also a long and challenging day for me, being the weakest downhill skier in the group. I didn’t ski the tippy-top of Pyramid (too spooky), but I did manage to ski a bit further down. This day really showed me how great spring skiing can be (and it lends better to summits). Track.

Mount St Helens: Since my older sister Dafna had skied Mount St Helens in the past, I’d had it on my radar and been excited to ski it once I was ready, and this was the year. The skiing is really moderate, the crater is beyond cool, and we made it a family affair! My sisters Ephrat (at 3 months pregnant!) and Dafna joined, along with their partners, Luca and Gil (a first real summit for him! Hiking up on snowshoes, snowboarding down). Mount St Helens is an awesome summit for the hiker/mountaineer learning to ski. I’d happily repeat it someday. Track.

Resort skiing: In 2019 I had the Ikon Pass, which meant mainly skiing Squaw/Alpine. It was my first time skiing at either, and it was a lot of fun, but the traffic was a total nightmare. I had many days where I struggled, sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic not moving at all, feeling so trapped and frustrated that we live so far from the mountains. This year I’m back on Epic, and I’m hoping it will be less miserable. Leo and I also took advantage of some of the other resorts on the pass, making trips to Revelstoke, Lake Louise, Banff Sunshine (all in Canada), Alta, and Snowbird.

Rogers Pass: My first (and only) day backcountry skiing in Canada, at such an amazing location. I survived the cold! Track.

I was sick for a good month in winter, which really put my year off to a rocky start and felt like it brought down my fitness a lot. I thought I was getting better and pushed myself really hard for a few days in the backcountry (climbing Anderson Peak with my friend Brice, track), but then I found myself sick again for another two weeks (making me nervous I might not be healthy enough for our Canada trip). I relearned the importance of rest and taking care of yourself.

Ice Climbing

New skill for 2019! Well, technically it started in December 2018 with a trip to the Bozeman Ice Fest, which was an amazing way to learn the basics of the sport. Leo and I both liked it so much that we did three more days of it in Canmore, even hiring a guide to take us up Louise Falls (a 3 pitch climb). Originally I thought I should just know the utmost basics of the sport, but now I find I actually enjoy it and would love to do more of it. I think I could potentially even… lead someday? Which is something I feel pretty defeated about doing in rock climbing. It’s interesting to think about why this doesn’t scare me when rock climbing does. I think it is because in rock climbing I get nervous moving for holds I can barely reach, as opposed to in ice climbing, you can make a hold almost anywhere you like. Leading is still a long ways off for me, of course, but it’s cool to think this might be possible in the future.

Mountaineering/Alpine Climbing

Mount Rainier: After learning the aforementioned basics of ice climbing, we put them to the test on Rainier. Leo and I had attempted Rainier in 2017 with our friend Ryan, but turned back at 13k ft due to bad conditions. This time, Leo, Nikhil, and I climbed the Kautz Glacier route in mid-June. We did a one night trip, camping at 12k feet, right below the Kautz ice section, carrying our gear over the following day and descending the DC. A lot of thoughts on this trip: The most challenging thing for me probably were the stats combined with carrying a very heavy pack. Heavy packs are definitely my biggest weakness and something I’d like to train this year. Our group members and I still all have a lot to learn in terms of glacier navigation and travel. Rainier is a big mountain, and definitely a step above most California summits. I definitely wouldn’t be comfortable climbing it in adverse conditions (California fair-weather climber here!), and it shows the edges of where I can develop more skills to increase my safety margin. The mountain also really showed me why it is such a great training ground for future expeditions. It was a tough trip, but I’d like to back again for more routes. (Plus, we didn’t make it to the high point of the crater! Gotta go back). I felt pretty wrecked for over a week after this trip, really surprised at the recovery time I needed. Track 1, 2.

Arete des Cosmiques: Leo and I made our first trip to Chamonix this year, and it truly is a dream playground. We were lucky to overlap with our friend Chelsea and Michael by coincidence, so we all warmed up by climbing the world-famous Arete des Cosmiques together. We had great weather and it was just all around fun. Track.

Pyramide du Tacul: Also in Chamonix. This was just a good, fun climb in a spectacular setting. Alpine starts in Chamonix are beyond gorgeous. Track 1, 2.

Aiguille de la Republique: This is called the pointiest, most exposed summit in Chamonix! With a description like that, how could we not check it out? To tackle this, Leo and I spent two nights in the Refuge des Envers, which is a decent hike. We got to walk on our first dry glacier, which was beyond cool. The peak itself was pretty challenging, and we technically bailed about 50 feet below the summit, but I was proud of the effort. There was a little bit of everything: glacier approach, spicy scrambling, glorious hand jams, great exposure. It was a long and challenging day, but a good way to push myself. Track 1, 2.

Me touching the point of the Aiguille de la Republique in the first picture, the day before we hiked in.

Mont Blanc: Our last outing in Chamonix was Mont Blanc. After trying and failing many times to get spaces at the Gouter Hut, we had given up on climbing it. A record heat wave for our whole visit had made climbing Mont Blanc via the other main route, Trois Monts (three mountain route), too dangerous, due to a lot of steep snow and passing below seracs. However, at the end of our trip the heat wave passed and we had a great day for a summit. We climbed the Trois Monts route from the Cosmiques Hut (an amazing place to stay! At 11k ft on a glacier with warm food and excellent wifi). It was quite crowded (in my opinion), but the sunrise and views were spectacular. And a new elevation PR for both Leo and me! It was a really special way to close out the trip. Track.

Sierra

So many great adventures in the “backyard” this summer, despite my fitness limiting me. After losing a bunch of fitness at the start of the year, I had another setback by developing some pain in my left knee (patellofemoral pain syndrome). This meant I took nearly 6 months off from running, one of my main ways to keep in shape. I also limited my mountain excursions, usually only doing one day of long hiking/scrambling per weekend, to not push my knee too much. Some Sierra highlights:

Morgan N & Stanford linkup: This really is a lovely day in the Sierra. The mileage is a bit long, but it really doesn’t feel very sloggy at all. The terrain is quite solid 90% of the time, and you get to descend the “greatest sand slope in the Sierra”, coming down from Stanford. Did this peak with new friends Sarah, Peter (who are both also SPS-ers :D), Rob, and Alexandra, and it was a blast. Track.

Banner Peak: A fun one! Took advantage again of the good snow year to climb the snow route up the Ritter-Banner saddle. Got to do this with Leo, which was his first time in Ansel Adams Wilderness. Excited to finish off the pair, since I’d climbed Ritter a number of years ago. Now it won’t feel as incomplete when I look at the Mammoth skyline. Hoping to go back for Clyde Minaret this year with Leo via the climbing route. Track.

Williamson & Tyndall: An overnight with Emily and a new friend, Alex. We hiked in day 1, climbed both peaks day 2, and hiked out day 3 before having some BBQ at the US’s best restaurant in Big Pine. I found both peaks to be really fun (and incredibly popular! Was shocked by the number of people we saw). Aside from sleeping a bit cold at night in my bivy sack, this was mostly a Type 1 fun trip with fun humans, bring my CA 14er count to 13. Shepherds Pass was not as bad as I expected, I’m very happy to say (since, well, I’m going to have to hike it many more times). Track 1, 2, 3.

Labor Day peak extravaganza: Inspired by this Bob Burd trip report, Leo and I planned an excellent “compromise” trip, which was maybe my favorite trip of the summer. We planned to tackle some peaks in the high country of Sequoia/Kings Canyon (SEKI), but chose to enter from the East side, unlike Bob, due to fear of our inability to get permits for Labor Day Weekend (our East side TH had 20 or 30 walk up permits available — the West side had 6 [shared with the very popular Rae Lakes trailhead]). Leo and I hiked in Friday evening, hiking 9 miles to camp near Charlotte Lake. The next morning, we rose early to head over to Charlotte Dome. We climbed the 50 Classic Route on the dome, seeing only one other party (in perfect weather on a 3 day weekend??), climbing it quickly enough to unlock the rest of the trip. We had set a time for ourselves, that if we didn’t summit by a certain time, the rest of the trip wasn’t in the cards. Leo did a great job leading on probably too skinny of a rope and with too little gear… but you make gear tradeoffs when you’re carrying it 40+ miles in a weekend. From Charlotte Dome we hiked up a pretty awful slope to the Gardiner summit ridge. We dropped our packs and did the fun 4th class ridge to the true summit. We then reversed our steps back to our packs, and hurried down the other side of the peak, making camp in the dark. The next day was another hard one. We left camp as is, and hiked over to Clarence King, a peak with one of the more challenging summit blocks in the Sierra. We climbed another miserable loose slope, and found ourselves at the summit block. Leo, again, led it in good style. My height made it really hard for me to pull the very exposed move on to the summit block, and I nearly gave up. But, Leo found a way to safely belay me with the rope running over the summit block itself as an “anchor”, and I managed to summit! From there we hiked back over near camp, and I managed to pull together the energy to summit our fourth and final summit of the trip, Mount Cotter. This was a really fun class 2 scramble, that I was really thankful I found the energy for, since it’s ~30 mi round trip from the trailhead. We made it back to camp right before dark, and slept like rocks. The next day was a looong hike out ending in a downpour/thunder storm, before driving the long way back home. This trip felt like such an amazing way to really get out there in the Sierra and explore some epic spots, covering a lot of ground and carrying as little gear as possible. I’d love to do more overnights entering Friday evening after work this year. Track 1, 2, 3, 4.

Middle Palisade: A really fun day with Emily. This type of day is pretty much my favorite way to spend a day in the mountains – moving quickly over interesting terrain in a gorgeous setting. I’d been nervous that this would just be a total slog, but it was far from it. Very little of the terrain sucked, the scrambling was fun, and of course the views were great. I’m really excited to come back for the other peaks in the area now. Brought my CA 14er count to 14/15! Track.

Mount Hooper: Holy smokes the western Sierra is also awesome. I had only ever been to this area when I hiked through it on the JMT. I’d never driven the crazy Kaiser Pass road out into the west side. Leo and I had an excellent “compromise” weekend hiking Mount Hooper, visiting Mono Hot Springs, and doing some climbing on Tollhouse Rock. Again, new places that my list took me that ended up being really special. Really excited to go back. Track.

East Buttress of Middle Cathedral: My fifty classic for the year! But really, at least once a year I need to go to Yosemite Valley and climb something fun with Leo. It’s a good way to make me appreciate rock climbing and spend time doing something Leo loves. Plus, well, Yosemite has some pretty good climbs I guess. 😜 This was a really fun one with excellent climbing on it, and with only 3 parties on it on a gorgeous weekend day! One of them including Hans Florine, who was very nice. 😄 Rock climbing isn’t so bad sometimes.

Desert

Not too much time in the desert this year, unfortunately, aside from a JTree trip over Memorial Day Weekend, and a week in Sedona over Thanksgiving (though it rained/snowed half the time). Sedona is another awesome playground that I’m surprised doesn’t see more climbers. The towers are endless and stunning. I love the crazy features that form there. Given the poor weather, we didn’t get to do too much, but our climbs of The Fin as a group of 5 (track), and of Queen Victoria with Daiyi (track) both stand out as really fun outings.

Personal mountain philosophy

To the outside, it probably seems like I go on endless trips effortlessly, but that’s definitely not the case. I have an amazing partner, but our outdoor interests don’t fully line up, and that caused me a lot of frustrations in 2018. I hadn’t done a great job of fostering outdoor friendships, so it put a lot of pressure on my relationship with Leo, feeling like he was my only partner and we had to spend every weekend together. In winter, it’s great, since we both love to ski (though Leo is a much stronger skier than me, so I sometimes hold him back), but in summer it was a problem. Leo’s favorite activity is climbing, and climbing hard. When we climb together, it really limits the grades and objectives he can go after. On top of that, I don’t have nearly as much of an interest in hard climbs, and am all about long scrambles. We also both have a lot of our own mountain goals, and we weren’t able to accomplish them by spending most weekends together.

This summer, I made a concerted effort instead to spend less time with Leo and develop friendships with others. It was scary to put myself out there, reaching out to folks on social media or asking other friends to introduce me, but it definitely paid off in the end. I added some people I really clicked with to my network, and got to have some really great days with them in the mountains. I still enjoy solo days in the mountains as well, but I see a lot of value in seeking out others to share those experiences with whenever possible. I think it’s still good for me to do at least one solo trip a summer, but, generally, spending all those hours driving and hiking alone is something I want to avoid when possible. On top of having more friends I’ve connected with, I also enjoy the weekends I do spend with Leo more now, not feeling the stress that “oh no, this weekend I’m not accomplishing my goal again”. It also made me appreciate when we reconnect at the end of the weekend, swapping stories of how our trips went and cheering each other on. I feel more balanced and fulfilled, and I want to keep chasing that.

Also one weekend we took an offer from a photographer to do a free “elopement” photo shoot, to help build her portfolio. Cue me having to explain to everyone that we are not engaged or married, we just did a fun, different thing in the mountains for once.

Things I am excited about in 2020:

Making more mountain friends, spending more time with my current ones.

I just left my job, and won’t be starting my new one till the end of March! I’m spending a few weeks in Ecuador starting in late January, aiming to climb some of the high volcanoes there. I see this as great training for future expeditions like Denali. Hoping for good weather!

For the aforementioned trip, I’ve been training quite hard for the first time in my life. I am nervous, since my knee really prevented me from keeping up my fitness in 2019, and I’m not fully back from that yet. I am doing one of the pre-made training plans from Uphill Athlete, and it’s been the first time I’ve had a focused training plan. I am impressed with just how much cardio I can squeeze into one week :-P I’m excited to keep it up this year, and hopefully have a very strong summer season.

Getting better at skiing. And a hut trip to ski in the Selkirk mountains in Canada in March at the Bill Putnam hut, before starting my new job.

Spending some days at the Sierra Challenge. I’ve never participated before, but it’s about time I make the time to check it out!

Clyde Minaret via the 5.8 50 Classic.

Lone Pine Peak via the North Ridge.

Split Mountain! Ideally via the St Jean Couloir, but if not, then via the summer route. This would be my last California 14er :)

Boundary Peak (the highest peak in Nevada, on the border between California and Nevada (you see what they did there?). I drove past it last week and am now enamored with it.

Reaching 100 peaks on the SPS list (currently at 85/100).

A potential Orizaba trip over the winter holidays!

….maybe a big wall with Leo.

Something else you want to climb together??

[yuniesan]

Girl Meets Season 4 - Episode 22

Girl Meets Season 4 - The Continuing Saga of Riley and her friends as they tackle their Sophomore year in High School. The ups, the downs, and everything in between. What will their sophomore year be like? Read and find out.

Episodes [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

A/N: This is the fluffiest thing I could ever write!!!!!!

22. Girl Meets Promposal

Lucas and Farkle sat inside of Farkle’s bedroom trying to come up with a plan, the dance was less than a month away and both of them were planning on how to ask their girlfriend’s to the Spring Formal. Lucas didn’t want to mess this up especially after the disaster that was the semi-formal in eighth grade. Farkle already had his way of asking Smackle to the dance, by using science that Lucas couldn’t understand and honestly didn’t want to understand. All he knew was that at some point something was going to blow up during science class and he was going to ask her that way.

For Lucas on the other hand he needed a way to top Charlie freaking Gardner’s attempt to ask Riley out in the eighth grade and he honestly couldn’t figure out how he was going to pull it off without having to write in the sky.

“Did you figure it out yet?” Farkle asked him for the seventh time that night and all he could do was sigh.

“No, I can’t seem to figure out how to do it,” he said more to himself than to his genius friend. “Why is it that Zay had it easy?”

“Because everything is still new with Cassie, all he had to do was ask,” Farkle said smiling at him. “It’s going to be their first date so in a way Zay has a lot more pressure than we do.”

“Farkle, Zay’s favorite movie is the Notebook, he lives and breathes romantic movies because of his mother, trust me he has it easy,” Lucas said trying not to feel like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

“You just need to think of a place where you and Riley have a lot of memories,” Farkle said to him. “Like the Bay Window.”

“I don’t think her father would like for me to sneak into her room to set up a way to ask her to the dance, especially after the way he found me climbing down the window not too long ago trying to get away so we wouldn’t get caught… I haven’t been in her room since that day, and if I go in there I have to have supervision at all times.”

The two of them talked for another hour before they both gave up and Lucas went home, he didn’t know what to do. He wanted her to feel special but it’s impossible when he’s already called her a princess while on a horse.

“Wait a minute,” he said as the realization his him, the perfect way to ask her to the dance was to do what he had in the seventh grade. The horse and everything, with one difference, he needed to dress up as a prince, white horse and everything. To him she deserved to be swept off her feet, she had helped him through so much he needed to show how much he appreciated that, and how much she meant to him.

Instead of going home he walked back to Farkle’s place and barged into his room just as the genius was getting ready for bed.

“I know what I want to do,” he said startling his friend and making him jump up in the air.

“Geez Lucas couldn’t this have waited?”

“No because I need your help, I want to dress up as a prince,” Lucas said smiling. “As the beast from Beauty and the Beast, well minus the Beast part, but the same outfit from that scene in the ballroom. Riley loves that movie and showing up at school dress like that with a single rose would be perfect.”

“You have no idea how perfect it would be, I’ll ask my mother in the morning so that she can help with the clothes.”

“Thanks Farkle, you have no idea how much this means to me,” he said before turning around and heading towards the door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Just let me sleep a little before you show up, it’s Saturday,” Farkle yelled at him as he left.

He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of doing this, and wondering if he would be able to pull it off especially since he had to plan the exact moment he could do it. The horse was out of the question because he didn’t want to get in trouble for bringing a horse to school on Monday.

  When he woke up the next morning it was after nine, his mother had been calling him downstairs for breakfast. When he got there he saw Zay stuffing himself with his mother’s signature blueberry pancakes and talking to her about Cassie. Lucas was happy that Zay was finding someone he really liked. For the last few weeks the two of them had gotten closer, although some of their “not dates,” didn’t end very well because Cassie’s parents would call her in the middle of their time together and make her go home to babysit.

“She’s perfect Mrs. Friar I swear, she likes the same music I do, and even gives me Spanish music she thinks I would like. She’s going to teach me to do the bachata,” he said excited to talk to someone about this wonderful girl. “Her mother’s Dominican so she knows all of these things, and her father is Puerto Rican but they travel to Spain all of the time.”

“Lucas, thank heaven,” his mother said dragging him into the kitchen. “I know you have plans with Farkle today, but please take Zay.”

“He’s a little much isn’t he,” Lucas said only to laugh when his mother shook her head.

“You have no idea, I mean I’m glad he’s found a girl that he likes but he hasn’t stopped talking, and I need to finish here before I go meet your father.”

“Don’t worry I got this,” he said as he took his seat next to his childhood friend, as his mother rushed off in the other direction.

“Did I say something?” Zay asked when he noticed that Lucas’ mother rushed off.

“Zay, my mother loves you but you can’t overwhelm her so early in the day.”

“I know it’s just that I’m so excited,” Zay said smiling at him. “What’s happening at Farkle’s?”

“Oh he’s helping me with asking Riley to the dance,” Lucas couldn’t help but smile. “Its three weeks away and I want it to be perfect.”

“I bet considering how much the last time you didn’t even ask her,” Zay said before looking at Lucas’ shocked face. “Sorry dude, I’m so sorry it just came out.”

“It’s okay,” Lucas said to him but the guilt starting eating away at him. “Anyway, let’s finish up breakfast and head over to Farkle’s.”

“Cool, I’ll play some games and you two can plan whatever it is you’re planning. I don’t want to know anything because in the end I’ll tell Cassie, and she’ll tell Riley and it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

“You really like her don’t you?”

“Yeah actually I do, and I’m glad Riley introduced us. It’s slow going but I kinda like it that way because we’re getting to know each other, we talk all of the time and it makes me happy. I now understand why you wanted to wait when it came to Riley, because talking really is the best thing we could do.”

“Plus you start learning all of her weird little quirks, and while everyone else thinks it’s weird you find yourself smiling every time she does something.”

“God, when did we become girls?”

“Nah, I think it’s normal when you like someone so much you can’t help but talk about them to other people. This is a good thing.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Zay said before eating his food.

When they reach Farkle’s place an hour later, and walk through the door, Mrs. Minkus quickly grabs Lucas and drags him into a room he had never seen before. Farkle right behind them, Zay quickly walks off towards Farkle’s room so that he could ignore what was happening.

“Explain please,” Lucas said looking at Farkle.

“My mother found the costume and she wants you to try it out so she could check the measurements,” Farkle said while his mother smiled at them.

“Farkle doesn’t let me do these kinds of things,” Mrs. Minkus said smiling.

“Yup, she’s a little crazy when it comes to costuming, and since my dad and I won’t indulge her she became excited when I talked to her about it after you left last night,” Farkle said smiling at him. “I’ll leave you two here and go get some food because I’m starved.”

“Bye sweetie,” Mrs. Minkus said before turning to Lucas. “Okay now put this one and come out here so that I can figure out how to make the adjustments.”

She handed him the outfit and Lucas was just astonished at how well made it was, it looked just like the one in the live action movie and he wondered how Riley would look in the Belle dress. He went to the dressing area and got dressed as quickly as he could, the costume itself fit perfectly with minor areas that needed work so when he walked out he saw Mrs. Minkus smiling.

“I knew I had it right, come here so I can fix your collar,” she said pulling him towards a pedestal, and working on outfitting him.

“Can I ask you a question?” he said because now he really wanted to see Riley in the Belle dress.

“Go ahead.”

“How well do you know Riley’s size?”

“You want the Belle dress for her don’t you?” she said surprising him. “I knew the minute I had this delivered this morning that Riley was going to need that dress, and I had my friend who works on those types of movies send me on in her size, Riley’s easy to dress, she actually likes coming in here.”

“You have no idea how much I owe you,” he said smiling at his best friend’s mother.

“Oh please I’m just happy that I got to help, my boys as much as I love them only indulge in certain parts of what I like to do so it’s nice to actually do this, plus it helps me when I’m working on designs.”

“Can I ask what you do? I mean I know what your husband does because Farkle talks about it so much but I don’t know what you do.”

“Oh I work in costume design, mainly for Broadway and Hollywood films but I’m only good at alterations, I have people who work on everything else after the designs are done.”

“Well you’re very talented and I think that Farkle and your husband should be very proud of you,” Lucas said smiling at Mrs. Minkus who had tears in her eyes. Farkle loved his mother but Lucas needed to tell him to ask for her help in these things more often. “I have an idea, maybe you can help Farkle and Smackle with their clothes for the dance too. You need to bond with them, I know that much.”

“Well if you convince him, then I will do it,” she said smiling.

They worked together for another hour, as she told Lucas how to care for the outfit, Lucas told her that he would wear it to the dance as long as Riley wears the Belle dress. By the time they were done, Riley’s dress was packed up in a box with a giant bow on the top for his promprosal, and his outfit was in a garment bag. They decided that Farkle would help sneak it into the school before lunch so that no one knew what was happening.

  “Maya,” Riley said on Monday morning as she felt déjà vu starting all over again. “Why hasn’t Lucas asked me to the Spring Formal?”

“Oh god,” Maya groaned. “Not this again, we’ve been through this haven’t we. I mean didn’t you guys decide a long time ago that you didn’t need to ask each to dances?”

“Yeah but a girl still wants to be asked,” Riley sighed. “I mean Farkle asked Smackle during science using chemicals, and although it was weird it was very them. They’re so cute and here I am waiting. What if another Charlie Gardner shows up and I mess things up again.”

Maya grabbed Riley’s face and squished her cheeks. “Riley, everyone in this school knows that you two are a thing, no one is going to ask you. Now can we go to lunch because I’m starving and as much as I would love to deal with your little freak out, well honestly I’m hungry and I don’t care.”

“Hey,” Cassie said catching up to them. “I need some help… Zay asked me to the dance and I don’t have anything to wear.”

Maya and Riley both looked at each other and smiled. “We can help with that,” Maya said pulling Cassie close.

“Hello,” Smackle said looking at the trio. “I too need help with this dilemma.”

“Aww,” Riley said. “See they have dates, what about you Maya?”

“Well… um… Josh wants to take me,” Maya said making Riley squeal.

“How did he ask you?” Cassie asked knowing only the small details of Maya’s relationship with Josh.

“He showed up at my bedroom window, with a bouquet of flowers,” Maya said blushing. “They were lilies, and he asked me if he could take me.” 

“See, this is what I want, a small gesture, something, anything,” Riley said throwing her hands up in the air.

The four girls made their way through the lunch line as Riley wondered if she should be the one doing the asking since Lucas hadn’t. When they sat down at their regular table she had all but given up on the idea while they discussed dress shopping. Farkle and Zay both sat down with them a few minutes later.

“Isadora,” Farkle said stealing his girlfriend’s attention. “My mother wants to help us with our outfits for the dance.”

“That sounds interesting,” Smackle said making Riley smile. “I would greatly appreciate her input on what we should wear to the dance.”

“Aww, you guys are so cute,” Cassie said smiling at them. “I ship this.”

“Cass, we all do,” Zay said smiling at her which only made her blush.

“Hey where’s Lucas?” Riley said when she realized that she hadn’t seen her boyfriend at all.

“Your dad held him back for a minute he should be here soon,” Farkle said while looking at his girlfriend.

All of a sudden instrumental music began playing in the cafeteria making Riley look around to see where it was coming from, only to see the doors open and reveal Lucas standing on the other side wearing an outfit that looked out of a movie. It took Riley a minute to realize that it was the same outfit that the Beast wore in the live action Beauty and the Beast movie.

“Oh… my… god…” she said as the rest of her friends turned to look at the doors. Farkle smiled at Riley as if he was in on the ruse, and now Riley understood what was happening. She could hear girls squealing throughout the cafeteria as he walked towards her. His eyes were on her and her alone, making her forget that she was in a room full of her classmates and instead she felt like a princess waiting for her prince. Holding a single rose Lucas kneeled in front of her and smiled.

“Riley Matthews,” he said as his green eyes met her brown ones. “It would be a great honor to be your date to the Spring Formal.”

Riley was speechless as she smiled at him, all she could do was nod and smile, as he took her hand and placed the flower on her palm before standing up and kissing her on the lips.

“Yes, Lucas I will go with you to the dance,” she finally said making him smile as he picked her up and twirled her around. She hadn’t noticed when Farkle had walked away and came back handing Lucas a box, wrapped in gold sparkly paper with a giant ribbon on the top.

“What’s that?” Maya asked as Lucas handed Riley the box.

“It’s something I would like Riley to wear to the dance,” he said smiling.

All of the girls in the room giggled around them as Riley slowly opened the box to reveal a yellow and gold dress that looked like Belle’s dress from the movie. She looked down at the dress and back to Lucas and then back down to the dress.

“How?”

“I had a little help from Mrs. Minkus,” he said smiling.

“This is so beautiful,” Riley said as she held the dress close. “So does this mean that we’re going to be Beauty and the Beast for the dance?” she asked as she placed the dress down on the chair.

“If you wouldn’t mind?”

“It’s perfect, I love it,” she said as she jumped into his arms and kissed him on the lips. He smiled at her once she pulled away, she couldn’t be happier.

“If they’re going as Beauty and the Beast I want to go as Cinderella,” Maya said making Riley laugh.

“Do you think your mom would be willing to make us all into Princesses?” Cassie asked Farkle soon afterwards.

“I wouldn’t mind this either,” Smackle said.

“Lucas you’re making my life hard here man,” Zay said smiling at Cassie. “But if it makes the girls happy, we should go for it.”

“I think my mom would love it,” Farkle said smiling at his friends.

[powderedwhiteviolets]

1 through 97

You play a fair game anon

1. What’s your middle name?

Wednesday. I no kidding. That is my bonafide middle name. And it’s not after the day. It’s after Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family.

2. What are you listening to right now?

Scream and Run Away - The Gothic Archives

3. What was the last thing you ate?

About three tiny snack bags of Dorito’s

4. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?

I never use my phone for it’s intended purpose - instead i just use it to go through Tumblr whenever i don’t have my laptop.

5. Do you drink?

I’m underage, so no. Even if i was the legal age i wouldn’t, that shit tastes gross.

6. Do you smoke?

Nope.

7. What is the first thing you noticed in someone?

I’m confused by this question - the first thing i notice in people in general or the first thing i noticed in the people i now call my friends? If it’s the former, then i barely notice anybody else in this world as it is. I live cut off from everyone else.

If it’s the latter, then i don’t know what exactly was the thing that makes me think “wow your actually worth my time”.

8. What is your hair color?

An ugly and startling shade of brown with this fast disappearing blonde streak that i had dyed back in Year 8.

9. What is your eye color?

Brown.

10. Do you wear contacts/glasses?

Only fake hipster glasses. Otherwise i have no need for them.

11. Dogs or cats?

CATS FTW

12. What’s your favorite animal?

CATS

13. What’s your favorite television show?

At the moment it’s the ASOUE Netflix series, but it’ll probably change to Star once Season 3 premiers.

14. What’s your favorite movie?

It’s well-known that i love Anastasia and Big Hero 6, so i’m going to share something different for a change. Some of my other favourites include Wreck-It Ralph, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, and When Marnie Was There.

15. What’s your favorite band/singer?

Melanie Martinez.

16. How old are you?

15, 16 at the end of next month though.

17. Do you have a crush on anyone?

Yes, i do. I’d rather not talk about it though.

18. What’s your sexual orientation?

Heterosexual.

19. What’s your favorite color?

Silver

20. What was your most embarrassing moment?

I already give myself such a hard time late at night about all the embarrassing shit i’ve done i don’t need to broadcast it to the world

21. Do you ever wish you were someone else?

Not necessarily someone else, but somewhere else. 

22. What were you like when you were a kid?

Take any classic bratty child (Pacifica Northwest, Veruca Salt, ect) and there you have me. 

23. What would your dream house be like?

Big, spacious, has a lot of unnecessary rooms i just keep because i feel like it, with plenty of room for the cats to roam. Ideally, it would be in a city.

24. What last made you laugh?

I don’t remember.

25. What is your favorite word?

“Inordinate”

26. What is your least favorite word?

“Excess” . I always think of something gross whenever i hear the word.

27. What turns you on?

Being as crazy (or crazier) than i am (evil is just an added bonus), looking a very specific way as well, and not being afraid to call the shots. 

28. What turns you off?

Anything that is not the above, but most notably becoming super uncomfortable with any gore. I mean, leave me to be the one who faints over this stuff. 

29. What is your star sign?

Gemini.

30. What are your favorite books?

As i stated before, i don’t tend to read anymore but there are a couple of books i’ve enjoyed over the years.

31. Do you have any siblings?

No.

32. Do you like to dance?

I used to like dancing before a particularly embarrassing moment back in 5th Grade made me uncomfortably realise i’m actually shit at it.

33. What is your definition of cheating?

Hacking a game just so you can win and rub it in your friends faces.

34. Have you ever cheated on someone?

There’s no-one to cheat on, never has been.

35. Do you regret anything?

*looks at my long list* how about we don’t

36. Do you have any phobias?

I do but i’m too smart to reveal them here.

37. Ever broken any bones?

Nope.

38. Ever come close to death?

The multiple times i tried to commit suicide back in 2015, plus a close call with a car that if it weren’t for dumb luck i would have died. 

39. What is your religion, if any?

I’m not religious.

40. Have you ever been to a psychiatrist/therapist?

One years ago during that period of time where i couldn’t shut the fuck up about how much i loved this one boy at my former school. As well as it being a depressing chapter in my life, it’s also kinda cringey. The psych i saw wasn’t very good at his job. Many people have said i need to go see someone now but i think they’ll just try and stop me.

41. Are looks important in a relationship?

Yes. Call me shallow, but i have to be attracted to something, personality is just an added bonus.

42. Are you more like your mom or your dad?

I don’t consider myself to be like either.

43. What is your favorite season?

Spring.

44. Do you have any tattoos?

No, and i don’t like needles so i’ll never get one.

45. Do you have any piercings?

Nein.

46. How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had?

Depends on who you count as a boyfriend.

47. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

48. Who is your celebrity crush?

Don’t have one.

49. Are you a virgin?

Underage, so yes. I’ll probably stay a virgin.

50. Do you get jealous easily?

Yes, even over petty things.

51. What is your favorite type of food?

Japanese food.

52. Do you ever want to get married?

(Copy ‘N Pasted from an earlier ask)

Yes, but it’s extremely unlikely for this to happen. I’ll be the 60 year old spinster who hides in her massive mansion still obsessing over a game that came out 46 years ago (in that time)

53. Who was your first kiss with?

Never have kissed anyone, unless you count the brother of a friend many years ago, but since i was 5 and it seems more like assault looking back on it, i don’t. 

54. Have you ever been cheated on?

No.

55. What is your idea of the perfect date?

It happens with the person i want it to happen with.

56. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Introvert, though i become extroverted around the people i’m comfortable with.

57. Do you believe in aliens or life on other planets?

Never really thought about it. I’ve spent to much time thinking of how much better alternate universe versions of me are doing right now (to be honest, apart from one specific thing in life i’m doing kinda fine)

58. What talent do you wish you’d been born with?

A good singing voice

59. What is your saddest memory?

That ties in with most traumatic memory, which is something i do not ever wish to recount as i’ve spent most of my life blocking it out.

60. Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yes.

61. Do you believe in soul mates?

I guess?

62. Have you ever dyed your hair?

See question 8.

63. Has someone ever spread a nasty rumour about you?

Of course. I was always regarded as the crazy one throughout my years of school, though i haven’t been doing much to help it with my crazy escapades and talk that disturbs those around me.

64. Would you go against your moral code for money?

My moral code involves money a lot, so no.

65. What are three things most people don’t know about you?

I have a tendency to faint, but a few specific things have to happen for me to pass out. I have to have not eaten anything all day, gotten minimum sleep at night and have a trigger that sets it off (eg: overt descriptions of blood or drugs). Though if you’ve ever been in a Health class with me you’d already know this.

I’m not an empathetic person.

And finally, when i was little i once ate a flower in a bowl of flour because i thought it would turn me into a fairy.

66. Who are you jealous of?

Alternate versions of me, and people who have a Snow Miku.

67. Do you sleep with a stuffed toy?

Yes, mainly a rabbit named Silver and a Kyubey plushie.

68. How long was your longest relationship?

A week.

69. Is the glass half empty or half full?

It’s empty because i drank it all.

70. What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you?

Just plainly pin me against a wall and do whatever you want with me. I just like the idea of being forced.

71. Who is your most loyal friend?

My long time friend Ella, who’s been with me through thick and thin, even after years ago in Year 3 i sent her a bunch of mean messages on Moshi Monsters because i was jealous of all the stuff she had.

72. Are you in a relationship?

No, i wish i was.

73. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, what is your favorite thing about him/her?

N/A  

74. Are you a bad person?

Yes.

75. Are you a lover or a fighter?

A fighter. Definitely a fighter.

76. What did you do on your last birthday?

I went to get Korean Fried Chicken and see Alice Through The Looking Glass (great film btw). It was pretty awesome.

77. What is your favorite quote and why?

“I defeat Brazilian Night” - Hameru, Meduka Meguca because of the meme

78. If your best friend died, what would you do?

If they were murdered, enact vengeance, if they died by accident i would be a super hermit for awhile.

79. If you had to go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

I would get all my dolls and hide them at my Dad’s future house.

80. If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do?

Admit all the horrible things i’ve done or almost done, probably bang some random guy, hug a bunch of cats, watch my favourite series’ and eat everything.

81. What is the strangest dream you’ve ever had?

So i posted this on Reddit ages ago but to date it’s my weirdest dream (even weirder than the one with Kizana and Usami).

It started off with me, some internet friends and kids created by my subconscious hanging out in the town i used to live in. We ran into my Dad and i said hi to him and he told me that he’ll be getting home from work early today to celebrate New Years Eve.

We then went to an Italian restruant and i ordered some spaghetti. Then for some reason we all split up and left before eating. I went with this girl named Bessie and we ended up walking around in some dark suburb. I acquired a car so we went driving around for awhile but we drove past my former stepmother who was loudly complaining about some kid at her work. I freaked out, so we both abandoned the car and took a train to Craigieburn instead.

The train had this really nice old-timey look to it and you could order food and beverages. The train stopped at this one station, and this old fat guy got on the train and sat next to me. This demented weirdo thought i was Jesus Christ (what) and tried to make advances on me. I stood up and was like “that ain’t happening” and he followed me. He insisted that i was god but i just kept saying “No, i’m a girl named Luna and i’m an atheist. Leave me alone”. (my name isn’t Luna in real life) Bessie and some other passengers told him to leave me alone and he kinda skulked off after that. I had a nice conversatuion with Bessie about the New Year and checked my phone for the time. It was 9:40 so i still had time to make it to Nana’s house to see Dad.

So up until this point. the dream hasn’t been overtly crazy. At this point, we had finally arrived at Craigieburn station and everyone left the train. I stayed back to clean up the various plates and cups (totally unlike me by the way) and then the doors just shut. A few other straddles were on the train at the time too. The train started moving and everyone freaked out because they didn’t want to be there, but instead of the train just looping around like it should have, it went UP. Then we ended up on a tram track and were fine for a little while until we collided with the tram. Somehow i survived all of this and woke up in hospital.

And congrats if you read that all.

82. Are you happier single or in a relationship?

I’d be happier ina relationship, but only with the right person.

83. Who were you in a past life?

Probably some irrelevant fuck.

84. What is your happiest childhood memory?

I don’t remember to be honest.

85. Have you ever experienced unrequited love?

FUCK YES that whole bullshit in 2015/half of 2016 as well is because the guy i liked wasn’t interested and was frankly creeped out by my constant stalking.

86. Have you ever had an imaginary friend?

I don’t remember one in particular but apparently when i was younger i used to talk to people who weren’t actually there. I still kinda do,

87. If you were the president, what would you do?

Forcibly cancel Teen Titans Go and PPG2016.

88. What is your ideal career?

Writer/Director of animated films and television series’

89. What is your political affiliation?

As of right now and for the foreseeable future, i remain apolitical.

90. Are you conservative or liberal?

I don’t give a crap about politics anymore.

91. Is the male or female body closest to perfection?

Neither is perfect. Perfection unfortunately doesn’t truly exist in this world.

92. Do you like kissing in public?

Theoretically, no.

93. If you could change one thing in the world, what would you change?

I would make fictional characters real for one.

94. Where would you like to live?

Not in this world.

95. Where would you go on your dream vacation?

Japan or St Petersburg

96. Describe yourself in one word.

Materialistic

97. Describe yourself in one sentence.

“Yeah, Anya? She’s many things. Arrogant, Selfish, Materialistic, Obsessive, Insane, Lazy, Idiot, Brat, Loser, Sadsack, Psycho, Weak, Sick”.

That’s enough of my pity party

[themanuelruello]

How to Use a Grain Mill to Make Your Own Flour from Wheat Berries

Someday I’m gonna tell my grandkids about the Great Flour Shortage of 2020.

I don’t think any of us expected a global pandemic to result in an extreme shortage of toilet paper, yeast, and flour…

Strange times, man. 

Even though our grocery stores are a little better stocked than they were several months ago, supply on many of the items are still a bit sketchy…

Which is making me more determined that ever to have a pantry stocked with ingredients that enables me to not be 100% dependent on a volatile supply chain. 

Over the past few months I’ve been flooded with emails from those of you who are working on stabilizing your own personal food supply and you’re curious how to address the flour issue.

Honestly, flour can be slightly tricky because it’s tough to store-long term. Not only does it tend to go stale or rancid after a little while, it’s also susceptible to bugs.

So while pre-ground flour might not be your best option for long-term pantry storage, wheat berries are pretty much magical. Here’s the scoop:

What are Wheat Berries?

Wheat berries are the edible part of wheat kernels, and include the germ, bran, and endosperm of wheat. It is the grain before it undergoes any processing and only the inedible outer layer of the wheat has been removed.

Basically– if you walk out to the middle of a wheat field, pick a stalk and shake out the wheat head, what comes out are the berries.

They have a similar appearance to brown rice or other whole grains and have a chewy texture and nutty flavor. Since wheat berries have not been processed, the berries retain all of the grain’s vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

Why Bother with Wheat Berries?

1. Wheat Berries have a Long Shelf Life.

If stored properly (see below for more tips on storage), wheat berries can last for decades in storage. While ground flour loses nutrients and shelf life relatively quickly, like other whole nuts or seeds, wheat berries will stay fresh in their whole-form for a looooong time.

As I mentioned in my podcast episode about wheat berries that I had a long-forgotten bucket of wheat berries in a corner of our basement. They were still fresh and viable, even though I had ignored them for years, which was super handy when the flour shortage hit.

2. Wheat Berries are Versatile.

Beyond grinding wheat berries to make your own flour, you can also use them like you would many other grains. You can make oatmeal or porridge with them for breakfast. You can use them as an alternative to rice as a side dish; you can pop them like popcorn; and you can even make sprouts with them (check out my Guide to Growing Sprouts for instructions) for a crunchy and nutritious topping to your salads and sandwiches.

Whole wheat can also be used to feed your livestock by making fodder (I was originally going to feed my wheat berries to the chickens, but with the recent flour shortage, I was super happy that I still had them available to make flour instead).

3. Wheat Berries are Good for You.

Since wheat berries are not processed, they retain their nutritional value much better than ground flour from the store. Wheat berries are an excellent source of fiber, protein, iron, several vitamins, and minerals. And when you grind the wheat berries for immediate use as flour, that flour contains more nutrients than store-bought ground flour since it’s so fresh and has not had any edible parts removed. You can learn more about the health benefits of whole wheat in this article.

Types of Wheat Berries

There are a few different types of wheat berries and it can be a bit confusing when you see all the names and descriptions. The different names are based on a few factors: the color (red or white), the growing season for the wheat berries (winter or spring), and the gluten content (hard or soft).

Hard vs. Soft

Hard varieties generally contain more protein and gluten, while soft varieties usually contain more starch. Soft wheat berries are usually used for pastries and cakes while hard wheat berries are more often used in bread. Hard wheat berries often need a bit of extra time to cook into porridges and other such meals as well.

The good news though is that hard/soft wheat berries can almost always be used interchangeably, but it’s still nice to understand the differences.

P.S. Hard and soft wheat looks and feels practically the same when you look at it in berry-form– you won’t be able to tell the difference unless you have a trained eye.

Red vs. White

1. Red Wheat Berries

Red wheat berries are darker in color than white wheat berries and are used to make whole wheat flour (not to be confused with whole white wheat flour, which comes from white berries). They have a slightly higher protein content and is best used in hearty and heavy bread recipes. People who try to make whole wheat breads with 100% red wheat can sometimes be disappointed because the loaves usually turn out darker and denser.

Hard red wheat berries (both winter and spring varieties) are the classic wheat used in many yeast breads. They can be more difficult to digest due to their  heavy nature and since they are hard, they have a higher gluten content.

2. White Wheat Berries

White wheat berries are used to make whole white wheat flour. They are also slightly lighter in color than red wheat berries. White wheat berries are a good place for bread-making newbies to start, you’ll tend to get a lighter bread with white berries compared to red. However, keep in mind that white wheat flour is still whole wheat— it will not be as fluffy as all-purpose flour, which has been processed and sifted.

Hard white wheat berries are great for making all-purpose white wheat flour and works great for yeast bread recipes. It is also what is most often used in home beer-brewing.

Soft white wheat berries are the lightest colored wheat berries. They are most often used to make pastry flour and are best used in pie crusts, pastries, and cookies.

How Can Wheat Berries Be Used for Cooking?

I mainly use my wheat berries to grind into fresh flour (check the next section below for details on that).

But wheat berries have plenty of other uses, too. Basically, you can use them however you might use rice or other whole grains.

Here are the basics to cooking with wheat berries:

Cooking Wheat Berries:

This is similar to how you cook rice, quinoa, or other grains. Rinse 1 cup of raw wheat berries in a colander in the sink. Bring 2.5 cups water to a boil, add 1 cup of raw wheat berries. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour (or until wheat berries are tender). Drain and fluff with a fork.  This will make approximately 2.5 cups of cooked wheat berries.

Just like with rice or other grains, you can also use your pressure cooker or crockpot to cook wheat berries and save time in the kitchen.

Toasting Wheat Berries:

This is optional, but it can help bring out the nutty flavors of the whole grains. Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Spread the wheat berries on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until lightly colored.

You can also easily store cooked wheat berries in the refrigerator.  If not using them right away, store the cooked wheat berries in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.  Gently reheat in a frying pan over low heat until hot, or serve at room temperature.

Here are a few basic recipes/ideas for using wheat berries:

Breakfast Porridge:

Make cooked wheat berries and add your favorite porridge flavors, such as milk, diced apples, cinnamon, and honey.

Breakfast Parfait:

Top yogurt (homemade yogurt is amazing!) with layers of fruit, nuts, and cooled cooked wheat berries.

Soups:

Use cooked wheat berries in place of rice or lentils in your favorite soup recipes.

Salads:

Add texture and extra protein to your salads with a scoopful of warm or cold cooked wheat berries.

Dinners:

You can add the cooked wheat berries to stuffed peppers, as a side (like you would use rice) with stir-fries, in taco recipes as a topping, and more.

How to Grind Your Own Flour

Freshly-ground whole wheat flour contains more nutrients than whole wheat flours you’ll find at the grocery store since grinding up whole nuts/seeds/grains causes them to lose their quality quickly.

HOWEVER, freshly ground flour does have a few learning curves. For example, depending on the wheat berries you have, it can produce a denser, heavier bread if you don’t know what you’re doing.

If you’ve only ever baked with all-purpose flour, a quick switch to 100% whole wheat can be quite the shock (and leave you with loaves that double as bricks.)

When you grind the wheat berries, the resulting flour is full of air from shooting out of the grinder so measuring freshly ground wheat can also be a bit tricky. Try letting the flour settle for about 30 minutes to let it settle before using it.

It’s best to only grind wheat berries right before you plan to use the flour, as freshly ground wheat berries can go rancid very quickly. Store-bought flours are usually treated or processed in a way to prevent the oils in wheat from turning rancid after grinding so they can be shelf-stable.

Therefore, as tempting as it may be, I don’t suggest grinding 30 pounds of wheat flour to use for later. (One exception to this is if you have room in your freezer to store the fresh flour– freezing helps to slow down the oxidation process.)

It’s wise to only grind enough wheat berries for what you need in your current recipe or for the baking you plant to do that week.  If you do want to grind a little extra, store the freshly-ground flour in the freezer or refrigerator.

How many wheat berries equals one cup of flour?

It’s hard to make a completely accurate ratio, since it depends on the how finely you grind your wheat berries and there will also be extra air in the freshly-ground flour. However, a good rule of thumb is that 1 cup of wheat berries will produce slightly less than 2 cups of flour.

Choosing a Grain Mill for Grinding Wheat Berries

There are plenty of different types of grain mills on the market. Some are stand-alone appliances while others are attachments for your mixer or attach to your counter. There are also vintage hand-cranked ones and electric ones.

It really depends on what works best for you and your kitchen. For example, I started with a huge grain mill that couldn’t fit in my kitchen cupboards before purchasing this smaller Nutri-Mill grain mill that fits better in my kitchen (both stylistically and size).

Lehman’s, my favorite online store for kitchen supplies, has a bunch of grain mill options, varying from hand-cranked to electric on their website.

Keep these things in mind while making your grain mill purchase:

Do you have to feed a large family? If so, you might need a larger grain mill so you can make multiple bread loaves at a time. Otherwise, a smaller one like I have can work great.

What type of space do you have for grain mill in your kitchen? You might only have space for an attachment for your Kitchen-Aid mixer instead of a stand-alone grain mill.

Do you love decorating your kitchen with vintage-looking kitchen pieces? If you like to decorate with your kitchen appliances and/or you have a LOT of patience, you might want a hand-cranking grain mill.

What Other Grains Can Be Ground into Flour with a Grain Mill?

Grain mills can also grind rye, corn, rice, barley, oats, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, lentils, dried beans, seeds, and nuts.

You can even grind popcorn in your grain mill to use as an alternative for corn meal (which I spread on the bottom of my Dutch Oven when I’m making homemade sourdough bread).

Where to Buy Wheat Berries

Eh, it’s normally pretty easy to buy wheat berries, but a lot of locations are sold out right now. However, sometimes you can find wheat berries at normal grocery stores and apparently, even Walmart carries wheat berries from time to time (this probably depends where you live).

Otherwise, check your local natural food store or try to contact a local organic mill (check out my tips here for finding local food sources).

If you can’t find them at local stores, you can also purchase them online. Azure Standard is an online option for many parts of the United States, and they often carry wheat berries. You can also find wheat berries at True Leaf Market and I found some Hard Red Winter Wheat Berries at Lehman’s store.

We have a local organic wheat farmer in our area, and I will be making my future purchases from them.

Don’t want to grind your own wheat, but yet still want to feed your family wholesome flour? There are many great sources for purchasing organic, unbleached flour, both online and most likely local to your area as well.

How to Store Wheat Berries

As long as you store wheat berries properly, they can stay fresh for at least a year or longer.

Store wheat berries in a cool, dry place in an air-tight container with a well-fitting lid.

I store mine in food-grade 5-gallon buckets in our basement, and keep a smaller jar upstairs that I refresh when needed. Something like these would work well.

Cooked wheat berries store very well in the freezer, so you can prepare them in advance so you have quick meals ready as needed. Simply cook them like normal (instructions in an above section), then let them cool completely. Store them in your freezer in a freezer-safe container for 3 months (or a little longer if you like).

All in all, I think a generous supply of whole wheat and a grain mill is a fantastic addition to any everyday preparedness pantry. It’s one of the best ways to protect yourself from future flour shortages, and only expands your homestead skill repertoire.

Happy milling, friends!

More From-Scratch & Heritage Food Tips:

My Heritage Cooking Crash Course will help teach you how to make from-scratch recipes without spending hours in the kitchen

Troubleshooting Sourdough (your questions answered on sourdough troubles)

My super easy & versatile Bread Dough Recipe (for bread, pizza, cinnamon rolls, and more)

The Ultimate Guide to Canning Safety

How to Use a Fermenting Crock

Listen to the Old Fashioned On Purpose podcast episode #107 all about grain mills, flour shortages, and whole wheat:

The post How to Use a Grain Mill to Make Your Own Flour from Wheat Berries appeared first on The Prairie Homestead.

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10 Tips on Staying Healthy with Water

Water is essential year-round, especially throughout the hotter, drier months of summer season, and if we're staying fit with workout and sweating, we need to maintain our hydration. The more water material foods we consume (such as vegetables and fruits which contain minerals) the much better hydrated we are. Let's examine the secrets to healthy water balance.

1. Proper hydration with water is essential. Most of us need a minimum of six to 8 8-ounce glasses of good, clean drinking water, daily. Coffee, alcohol, sodas or other sweet drinks do not count toward our daily two quarts of liquids as they do not hydrate our tissues well and typically have the opposite effect, causing dehydration. Water is the very best option for correct hydration. However, natural teas and fresh juices do count because of their high water material; moreover, fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet do contribute to our water intake. Water is second in value to air, which we need by the minute. We can make it through just about a week without water, whereas most of us can live as long as 6 weeks without food. Water supports our body immune system and flushes toxic substances from the lymph system and body, which is in fact composed of about 70% water-- that's about 10 to 12 gallons! In reality, muscle and brain include about 75% water and blood is 85% water material. Except for bone and fat tissue, the majority of our body is water!

2. Finding the right water balance for each people is likewise essential. This is based upon our body size, level of exercise, exercise and sweating, the local environment, and our diet. A diet that is high and dry in fats and proteins creates a need for a lot more water to flush these foods healthfully through our system. The average American beverages only 4.6 cups of water a day, or 36 ounces. That is a bit shy, specifically when most of us do not consume our share of fresh fruits and veggies. Water drinking ought to be a practice, something we do without needing to think of it. Only one third of Americans claim they drink eight glasses of water a day; 28% have three or less portions and nearly 10% state they don't drink water at all. The most regular factor offered by Americans for not consuming water is lack of time, as reported by 21% in a current survey. Like anything, preparation saves time and enables us to engage in these healthier routines. Focus on water hydration and during hot weather, beverage 2 to 3 glasses more than typical. When we have a cold, or for lots of illnesses and symptoms like headaches and allergies, it is practical to hydrate the body completely with water and organic teas. We can understand this by our urinary output, typically every couple hours during the day.

3. Exercise! Unless unable or injured, it's constantly essential to move your body, so create a constant and often difficult program for your health. Keep in mind that when you work out routinely and sweat, you will require more fluid replacement. When; instead consume anyway, be sure to consume cool to room temperature level water and do not depend on thirst to inform you! Take your strolls, go on walkings, ride a bike and work out with weights in the house or at a fitness center. Even try something new, like a yoga class. Stretch out your body and stay younger and flexible. Prior to and during workout, drink fluids, particularly water, to minimize body temperature, moderate cardiovascular tension and improve efficiency. After a strenuous workout, it's crucial to change the fluids you've lost. The late Jack LaLanne states: "Exercise is king, Nutrition is queen." Put them together and you have a healthy kingdom.

4. Excellent, tidy water is not an offered. Many city waters and even wells are suspect for contamination with microbes and chemicals. It is a good idea to invest in a proper filtering system considering that water is such a crucial part of our body. The best is a reverse osmosis (RO) unit or a strong carbon block type filter. What is most efficient for your house use depends upon what your water concerns are and how much water you require. Lots of people also buy mineral water from natural springs, or water bottled after filtering, and some individuals are welcoming alkaline water systems. Consuming water that is more alkaline or contains included bicarbonates (might include calcium and magnesium salts) might offer some balancing, healing results, although this needs to be more looked into. Inspect it out by calling the business and asking for a report if you utilize a constant drinking water brand. Prevent over consumption of water saved in plastic bottles as we have concerns about this, even though we do not truly know its long-term impacts yet.

5. Dehydration is a really common issue that nearly every one people experiences at a long time. All cells in our body needs water to work-- to bring in nourishment and carry away wastes. When these functions aren't carried out completely (due to dehydration), a series of symptoms can happen. At even 1% dehydration, most people get thirsty, which is the body's warning sign. Dehydration can cause dry mouth, flushed skin, fatigue, lightheadedness, headache, or impaired physical performance, as well as lapses in concentration. Headache may signify increased toxicity. Other issues from more chronic dehydration include constipation and poor digestive function, itchy and dry skin, a reduction in urine output, and even an increased occurrence of painful kidney stones. Among my favorite slogans is "Dilution is the solution to contamination." So, drink your water!

6. Add some nutrients to your water as it may make it healthier and more tasty for you. Some folks do not like to drink plain water; they just have distaste for it. If so, try different mineral water to see if there is one you like. Include some lemon, lime, or a tea bag to offer it some flavoring. Water can likewise be seasoned with a little orange or apple juice, or some nutrient powders like Power-Paks, Emergen-C or other vitamin-mineral mix available at your shop. I add trace element ionic concentrates to my water drink in the morning and for exercise; my family starts every day with nutrient-rich water with a little juice. Warm beverages include green and natural teas, lemon water, chai, and veggie broth. Starting the day with a cup of hot water can awaken you and your digestion; some individuals like a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar. Warm water sipped throughout the day is a popular treatment for illness in Asia.

7. The very best time to consume water is first thing in the early morning, preferably two or 3 glasses. I also motivate people to drink in between meals instead of excessive while eating, as increased fluids dilute the strength of our digestive juices and lower the performance of food digestion and assimilation. For those working to reduce weight, consuming a couple glasses of water about 30 minutes before meals will hydrate the tissues, suppress the cravings, and likely lower the quantity of food consumed. Water is likewise so essential for healthy skin, good blood circulation and remaining healthy and young.

8. Water and weight-loss is an important topic, so here is some more info. Focus mainly on vegetables and other wholesome foods and stay away from processed and sweetened high-calorie foods and treats. Absolutely change to pure water from the calorie, sugary drinks. Drink a number of glasses of water when occurring and 30-60 minutes prior to prepared meals. Make this fun, yummy and a top priority. Evaluation idea numbers 6 and 7 above for further ideas, plus number 3 for your exercise inspiration. Bring water with you so it's readily available. Likewise, be sure to consume a couple fruits daily, plus try to take in and make homemade veggie soups.

9. Kids require water too. Kids do not handle heat and dehydration as well as adults, and the younger they are, the greater the issue. Diarrhea and subsequent dehydration and malnourishment might be the top cause of death in kids throughout the world. Elders require water too. They are really sensitive to dehydration and the effects of hot weather. Cooling and heating of the body can be achieved with cool or warm beverages and foods. This is a natural disposition, yet it might require to be established in this world where kids (as well as everybody) are exposed to ruthless advertising. Consuming warm/hot water and teas is a good practice for those living in the colder environments. Including splashes of juice is practical in getting kids to consume water instead of sweet beverages. Likewise, adding a nutrient powder, a number of which are nicely seasoned, offers a good start to a child's day, or as replenishment after an active or busy time. For children who are overweight or who are fixated on sodas and sugary drinks, it will be a great life time health benefit to switch them to water and lighter drinks, such as juice and carbonated water combinations. Set a fine example for your teenagers by consuming your water too!

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75 Useful tips for traveling to Kyrgyzstan

From first-class treks to a very accessible nomadic culture, horse riding and hospitable people, Kyrgyzstan is the ultimate destination for those seeking an off the beaten track (but easy) adventure.

After spending two entire months traveling in Kyrgyzstan, I have compiled all the necessary information that will help you plan your trip, from visas and bureaucracy to accommodation, transportation and plenty of cultural facts.

By the way, if you want to keep a track of all my photos and travels, remember to follow @againstthecompass on Instagram. 

This guide contains all the practical information. For places to visit, read: Backpacking in Kyrgyzstan – 1 to 4-week itinerary

    What will you find in this article?

Visa for Kyrgyzstan Travel insurance for Kyrgyzstan When to visit Kyrgyzstan How to get to Kyrgyzstan Is it safe to travel to Kyrgyzstan? Top 5 experiences in Kyrgyzstan Tours in Kyrgyzstan Books for traveling to Kyrgyzstan The country, people, and culture Nomadic life Horses Trekking Food and alcohol Money Accommodation Transportation Internet & SIM card More information

Total transparency – If you like my website and found this post useful, remember that, if you buy anything through any of my links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. These earnings help me maintain and keep Against the Compass going! Thanks

Do you know what a VPN is? A Virtual Private Network allows you to access blocked sites when you travel, as well as it lets you access content only available in your home country (like Netflix), plus it prevents hackers from stealing your personal data. Learn here why you should always use a VPN when you travel

  Visa for Kyrgyzstan

1 – The most liberal visa regime in Central Asia – Most nationalities get a 60-day free visa on arrival, both at the airport and overland.

If you want to renew it, you just need to cross the Kazakh border (1 hour from Bishkek) and come back on the same day.

These countries are: EU/EFTA (except for Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania), Australia, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Kuwait, Monaco, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City. Japan and Russia can get an indefinite stay. 

2 – Other nationalities can apply for an e-visa – Since September 2017, most of the remaining countries can apply for an e-visa through the official portal. It takes around 1 week and costs 63USD. 

Moreover, if you are in possession of an e-visa, you can travel to Kyrgyzstan both via land and air. 

The countries which are eligible to the e-visa and don’t need LOI are: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Indonesia, Israel, Macedonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Oman, Philippines, Romania, San Marino, South Africa, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela.

If you are not on any of the above lists, read the Kyrgyzstan visa section of Caravanistan for further information on visas.

3 – Extending your visa does not seem to be possible anymore – We tried to extend our visa in August 2017 and they said that, since May 2017, extensions aren’t possible anymore. We tried to extend it in both Karakol and Bishkek. 

It is easier to travel to Almaty and come back. 

4 – Overstaying can be expensive – According to what the authorities told us when we couldn’t extend our visas, if we overstayed, the fine could be up to 200USD.

A horse grazing in the middle of the Alay Valley – Kyrgyzstan travel guide

  Travel Insurance for Kyrgyzstan

5 – Get proper travel insurance – If you visit Kyrgyzstan, travel insurance is a must, as accidents do happen in the mountains. Actually, during a horse trek in Tash Rabat, I fell off the horse and had to stay in bed for two weeks.

It was a pretty bad (and scary accident).

I had to go to the hospital, all the way to Bishkek, where they carried out different kinds of tests on me which, in the end, turned out to be expensive.

Luckily, I had World Nomads, the best travel insurance company out there because:

It is the only company that gives unlimited medical coverage

It covers a big bunch of adventure activities, including trekking in high altitudes

Pretty much any nationality can get it

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE QUOTE FROM WORLD NOMADS

If you want to know more options, read how to find the best backpacking insurance

  When to travel to Kyrgyzstan

6 – My favorite month: September. Why?

July & August would be the ideal season for trekking, especially if you plan to go high in the mountains as, during these two months, the weather is warmer and the likelihood of raining is lower.

However, in 2019, Kyrgyzstan is becoming a popular destination, which means that some areas may be crowded. In September, nevertheless, most crowds will be gone, and the weather will still be warm enough for trekking, and that is why I consider September to be the best month for visiting Kyrgyzstan.

  High season (mid-June to Mid-September) Shoulder season (Spring and Autumn) Low season (mid-November to March) PROS Best season for trekking, loads of nomads In late spring and early autumn, you can do some cool treks Winter landscape, snow, no people CONS Crowded, plus it can be really hot in Bishkek and other low-altitude areas High mountains may be not accessible, unpredictable weather No trekking, no nomads

This was during the first week of July (Archa Tör Pass)

  How to get to Kyrgyzstan

7 – How to travel to Kyrgyzstan by air – Getting to the International Airport of Bishkek is fairly easy, as it has quite a few connections with several airports in Europe. Moreover, you should also check Pegasus, a budget airline from Istanbul with daily flights to Bishkek. Alternatively, check out the flights to Almaty, as they are usually cheaper and it is very close to Bishkek. 

8 – How to travel to Kyrgyzstan by land

China – There are 2 open borders, Irkeshtam and Torugart. Crossing at Torugart requires having a special, expensive Chinese permit. Crossing via Irkeshtam is fairly easy and you can read the full report here. 

Tajikistan – There are 6 border crossings and 4 of them are open to foreigners. The most obvious is the Kyzyl Art border crossing, which is the one that follows the Pamir Highway. For more information, read the latest Caravanistan updates.

Kazakhstan – There are like 7 border crossings, but the easiest ones are Karkara and Kordai. For more information, read the latest Caravanistan updates. 

Uzbekistan – There are nowadays 4 borders but only 3 are open as of 2019. For more information, read the latest Caravanistan updates. 

Kyzyl Art Pass, between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

  Is it safe to travel to Kyrgyzstan?

9 – Something you need to know:

The term Stan doesn’t mean a place is dangerous, but Stan means land, so Kyrgyzstan means the land of Kyrgyz. 

Kyrgyzstan is a safe destination. Period. 

I mean, just check the FCO advice and you will see that all they say is that Kyrgyzstan is a very safe country, and here you need to take into account that the FCO advice is always absolutely biased, meaning that tends to see danger where there is not, especially in the Middle East.

Solo travelers will be just fine and whereas I can’t speak for women, I know many women who have been there, and all they told me was positive experiences. 

The only potential danger you may hear about is that Bishkek used to be infamous for its after-midnight crime, mainly targeting drunk people on their way home from the bars. The situation, however, has dramatically improved but, if that is a concern for you, just take a taxi when you go back home.  

  Top 5 experiences in Kyrgyzstan

Remember that, for a complete itinerary, including all the places to visit, plus accommodation & transportation tips, don’t forget to check my Kyrgyzstan guide for the independent traveler. 

Stay with Kyrgyz nomads

Experiencing the nomadic life is one of the greatest Kyrgyz experiences. From staying in a yurt to helping them preparing kurut, their local cheese, during our 2-month journey across the country, we met loads of nomads with we had awesome experiences. 

However, with the tourism increase, some nomadic camps have become too commercial, and what I recommend is that you try to find the most authentic ones. How? Well, by getting off the beaten track but also, if you go to Song Kul, instead of staying at the CBT camp where everybody stays, just go across the lake. 

A really offbeat nomad camp, somewhere in the southern Pamirs

Watch nomad games, but try to find out where the local games happen (don’t go to the touristic ones)

The ancient nomad sports in Kyrgyzstan are just crazy, and bizarre.

From horse wrestling to playing polo with a dead goat instead of an actual ball (Ulak tariysh), the nomadic games of Kyrgyzstan are, definitely, a must-see. 

Every summer, some tourist organizations, like CBT, organize nomad games for tourists, in Song Kul and places like that, but I recommend you find the local ones, as the vibe is just great, plus they do a larger variety of sports. 

To be very honest, I didn’t manage to see a local game in Kyrgyzstan, but I did in Tajikistan, near the Kyrgyz border (where most Tajiks are ethnically Kyrgyz), and it was just awesome.

Go trekking on a horse

Many people may feel bad for riding a horse, but the truth is that Kyrgyzstan is the land of horses and even today, in the rural areas, they are the preferred way of transportation.

Those horses are really used to go over high altitude mountain passes, and you definitely get a different experience, and perspective than going on foot. 

Climbing the Tash Rabat pass – 4,000 meters

Go trekking in some of the most mind-blowing mountains ever

I truly believe that, in a matter of years, Kyrgyzstan will become the trekking destination of reference, competing directly with Nepal and Argentina, and the reason is that its mountains are absolutely jaw-dropping, plus they are much more accessible than any other destination I know. 

Visit the remotest Silk Road Heritage sites

Kyrgyzstan has only a small bunch of Silk Road Heritage sites, but the few it has are truly epic, remote and placed in the most epic locations. 

The most epic Silk Road Heritage site in Kyrgyzstan: Tash Rabat

Something you must know: Kyrgyzstan is about nature and nomadic life  With very few Silk Road Heritage sites compared to its neighbor Uzbekistan, in Kyrgyzstan, there’s not much to do besides wandering around its gorgeous mountains and experiencing the nomadic life. The truth is that, with the exception of Bishkek and Arslanbob, most towns in Kyrgyzstan are pretty boring as there is no distinctive architecture, soul and social life, as Kyrgyzstan has been a nomadic land for many centuries. When you travel in Kyrgyzstan, you will see that towns are merely used as a base to explore the mountains or take a rest from them.

Read: 75 Useful tips for traveling to Uzbekistan

  Tours in Kyrgyzstan

I am sure you already know that I am not really into tours, but if you are short in time and why not, you feel safer and more comfortable with a group or a professional guide, these are some really trips offered by GetYourGuide, a company I like to recommend because you can book budget tours online with just one click. 

7-day Highlights of Kyrgyzstan – 1 week exploring the best of Kyrgyzstan. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Burana Tower – Day trip to One of the very few Silk Road Heritage sites in Kyrgyzstan. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Ala Archa Park + Eagle Hunting – A trip to the closest National Park to Bishkek combined with the classic ancient nomad way of hunting. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Bishkek City Tour – A walking tour around the capital. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Following nomads – A full day following a group of nomads to learn about their way of living. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Song Kul Lake – Trip to one of the most epic lakes in Kyrgyzstan. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL TOURS TO KYRGYZSTAN

Burana tower, one of the few Silk Road heritage places in the country

  Books for traveling to Kyrgyzstan

Besides my blog, you may wanna check some book guides:

10 – Kyrgyzstan Guide by Bradt – By far, the best and most complete book guide to Kyrgyzstan. Bradt writes the most awesome guides, as they are always filled with great cultural insights and personal experiences. I always buy their Kindle version for whatever country I go to.

 CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST PRICES ON AMAZON 

  11 – Central Asia Guide by Lonely Planet – A classic. If you are traveling throughout the region, this might be a more economical option, rather than buying one guide oer country.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST PRICES ON AMAZON 

  11 – Russian-English phrasebook – No need to say how useful being able to speak in Russian is.

 CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST PRICES ON AMAZON 

  Country, people and culture

12 – Kyrgyzstan used to be part of the Soviet Union – It acquired its independence in 1991, with the collapse of the USSR.

13 – The origin of the Kyrgyz – Kyrgyz people are an ethnic nomadic group which is believed to have come from a region within Siberia, during the 10th and 15th centuries.

Originally, they used to have red hair but, over the centuries, they have mixed with all kinds of groups, especially Mongols and Turks.

14 – Kyrgyz make up 66% of the population – The biggest minority are Uzbeks (15%), followed by Russians (10%).

15 – It’s a Muslim country. Well, not really – Like in most Soviet countries, religion is not a big deal anymore, especially in the north of the country.

In the south, people tend to be more traditional, so you may see more mosques or men with beard and Muslim hats, but nothing relevant. During Ramadan, I was in Bishkek and didn’t see any sign of people fasting.

Alcohol is available everywhere and there is no sex segregation. You will see that women of all ages will always come to you to start a conversation.

16 – However, Saudi Arabia wants to reverse this – They are funding the construction of mosques across the country.

Read: 35 Tips for traveling to Kazakhstan

A very Muslim, nomadic man, which is very rare to see. His wife wears a niqab

17 – Kyrgyz is the national language but Russian is widely spoken – Kyrgyz, a Turkic language, is the country’s official language.

Russian is spoken by most of the population, except in the south of the country, which has a significant Uzbek population who, for some reason, don’t really speak it.

18 – English is a problem – Communicating with people is one of the biggest issues in Kyrgyzstan, as very few people speak English. 

19 – At least, you must learn the Cyrillic alphabet – Extremely useful, especially when it comes to reading restaurant menus and bus directions.

20 – Bishkek is surprisingly Westernized – When you arrive in Bishkek and discover all those restaurants and bars where local people hang out, who dress incredibly well, you realize that this is not what you were expecting.

21 – The rest of the country is more traditional – Outside of Bishkek, most people still live a traditional life, where people’s main life goal is getting married and having children as early as possible. I met several 20-year old women who already had two kids.

22 – Kidnapping brides is still a big deal – And what do I mean by kidnapping brides? In Kyrgyzstan, a man can take a random woman who is just walking on the street to his house and, if both parents agree, he can marry her and the woman can’t say anything.

I know, it’s not a real kidnapping but it’s a crazy tradition and, even today, some locals told me that this is practiced by 20% of the population, especially in small, rural villages.

If you want to know more about, check out this video (2019)

23 – The most hospitable people in Central Asia – In this region, the Kyrgyz are famous for their hospitality. When we went trekking in the mountains, I remember that there was not a single day when someone didn’t invite us to his or her yurt to have some tea and bread with home-made jam and butter.

Traveling in Kyrgyzstan is very pleasant, as the Kyrgyz people, who will always bless you with their smiles, are kind and hospitable by nature.

24 – You can’t believe how clean they are – When you visit Kyrgyzstan, you will realize that these people have a real obsession with cleanliness.

Even in youth hostels, sometimes I could never go to the toilet because there was someone cleaning it. In guest houses and home-stays, women spend the entire day mopping the floor and cleaning the kitchen.

I don’t know whether it’s true or not but, a Russian man told me that, during Soviet times, Kyrgyz people had a bad reputation for being dirty. In order to change this general opinion, they became obsessed with cleanliness.

25 – Girls are pretty, very pretty – Kyrgyz women are stunning, especially in Bishkek. On the other hand, all foreign women say that, in general, Kyrgyz men are not very handsome.

26 – Always remove your shoes – You must always remove shoes when you enter any house, yurt and even hostels and guesthouses.

Read: 70 Tips for traveling to Pakistan

A cute, nomadic girl

  Nomadic life

27 – The most accessible nomadic life in the world – From time immemorial, the ethnic group known as the Kyrgyz have been a nomadic people who tend to move continuously throughout the mountains and valleys of the region with their cattle.

Today, a large proportion of the Kyrgyz population still live a nomadic, traditional life, not very different from their ancestors.

In summer, which is from June to September, you will find hundreds of nomad camps everywhere, either next to the road or in the remotest mountains, where they settle so their horses, cows and sheep can graze freely.

28 – It’s their summer job – During the summer months, Kyrgyz nomads move from cities to the mountains, so their herds of cows, sheep, goats and horses can graze freely.

When the season is over, they sell some of these animals, as well as dairy products and meat. This is the only source of income most of them rely on.

29 – They live in yurts – Yurts are perhaps the most iconic symbol of Kyrgyzstan. These cozy skin-made tents, which can be seen all across the country, can be incredibly warm during the freezing nights.

A yurt camp in Song Kul

30 – You can always stay with them, no matter where you go – Whether you just want to get a warm meal or spend the night, wherever you go trekking, the nomads will always welcome you, at least in my experience.

But remember that, even if they don’t ask, they may expect you to pay something.

31 – Get off the beaten track because the touristic areas are too commercialized – If you go to popular places, such as Song Kul for example, most nomad families have spare yurts, which have been built for tourists.

Whereas there is nothing wrong with staying there, the experience won’t be very authentic.

If you have a chance, try to find yurts around the Alay Valley, the Pamirs or even in less popular treks around Karakol. In these yurt camps, you may sleep in the same yurt as the family and even join in with their daily tasks.

Enjoying some shorpo with a nomadic woman – Kyrgyzstan travel guide

  Horses

32 – It’s the land of horses – Horses are as much part of their culture as the yurts. From epic horse treks over 4,000-meter mountain passes to herds of tens of horses grazing in stunning meadows, if you like horses, you are going to love Kyrgyzstan.

33 – They learn how to ride a horse at the same time as walking – When you are in the mountains, you will see plenty of kids (including little girls) riding big horses.

34 – You must go horse trekking – Trekking over high mountain passes, riding one of those beautiful beasts is one of the highlights of Kyrgyzstan.

Ah, in case you are wondering, no, you don’t need any previous riding experience. A guide will always come with you.

35 – But be careful! – Horses are no joke. They are dangerous so don’t try to gallop if you don’t have any experience.

I actually had a pretty bad accident, felling off a horse in Tash Rabat when I tried to gallop (I am a stupid, inexperienced man). I had to stay in bed for two weeks and fully recovered after one month. I could have been much, much worse, so be careful.

Riding a horse in Tash Rabat

36 – Hiring a horse is cheap – It costs around 700KGS ($10) a day plus 1,000KGS ($15) for the guide, which can be split between several people. If they try to charge you more, they are ripping you off.

37 – But be aware that they eat them! – When you see a herd of horses grazing over a dreamy meadow, don’t get too much in love with them because many of them will end up in a butchery!

38 – Horse games – Horses are so rooted in their culture that they are also main protagonists in their national sports. Among many others, Ulak Tsrtysh is the most popular game, which is a form of polo where they play with a dead goat which is beheaded right before the game begins. Violence in any match is more than guaranteed.

For more information on horses, read: Horse riding in Tash Rabat, Kyrgyzstan

Horse wrestling

  Trekking

39 – Around 90% of the of the country is above 1,500 meters – I’ve told you everything already.

40 – First world-class hikes – For decades, travelers with a slight sense of adventure, who wanted to savor some first-class hikes, used to go to Argentina, Switzerland, and Nepal.

However, just a couple of years ago, the most intrepid travelers quickly realized that trekking in Kyrgyzstan could easily rival Patagonia and the Himalayas.

41 – Some treks I did:  Tien Shan mountains around Karakol, Trekking from Tash Rabat to Chatyr Kul Trekking from Kyzylart to Song Kul  Trekking to Lenin Peak Base camp

For more information on trekking in Kyrgyzstan, read my guide: 

Trekking in Kyrgyzstan, everything you need to know

On my way to the advanced base camp of Lenin peak

  Food and alcohol

42 – Food is not amazing but it’s OK to fill your stomach – You will not love it but, after traveling in Kyrgyzstan for 2 months, I was not especially bored of it.

43 – The typical food – Lagman (a hearty noodle soup), manty (meat dumplings) and shorpo (meat broth) are the staple food.

44 – But don’t trust mantys – While traveling in Kyrgyzstan, the only day I got slightly sick was after eating some street mantys. Be careful where you order them, as the meat they are filled with may have been outside of the fridge for days.

45 – In small towns and villages, only staple food – In bigger towns, you can easily find more choices, like salads, kebab or Western food. However, in villages, you’ll have to fill your stomach with lagman and mantys.

46 – You are expected to know what to order from the moment you enter the restaurant – It’s your first day in Kyrgyzstan, the first time you enter a restaurant, holding a menu written in an alphabet which you’ve never seen before.

However, they will expect you to know what to order within 10 seconds of giving you the menu. If you tell them to wait for 5 or 10 minutes, they won’t really understand you and will stand next to you. It’s very weird but you’ll get used to it. 

47 – If you are vegetarian, you are fucked – It’s said that Kyrgyzstan is the country with the highest consumption of meat per capita in the world.

At most restaurants, it’s extremely difficult to find vegetarian dishes and, when you ask for something vegetarian, they kind of freak out.

Even sometimes, when I ordered a salad, it came with pieces of cooked beef in it. True story.

48 – Even chicken is difficult to find – If you find chicken on a menu, just order it!

49 – Beer and vodka are available everywhere – Welcome to the ex-Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan! Despite being a Muslim country, alcohol consumption is present everywhere, even in small villages and towns.

50 – Get used to people being completely smashed at 9am – You’ll definitely meet Kyrgyz men who are massively wasted, who can barely walk, quite early in the morning.

51 – You must try kymys – If you go to the mountains and stay with nomads, ask for kymys, which is fermented milk. Most people don’t like it, as it has a weirdly sour, strong taste.

It has some small percentage of alcohol. However, if you don’t like it the first time, give it another chance. I tasted it in four different places and in two of them it was surprisingly good.

52 – Kyryt is the snack in fashion – Kyryt are some sort of cheese and yogurt balls which are available all across Central Asia but Kyrgyzstan is where they are most prevalent.

Again, some people don’t like them but, like kymys, some of them were good, some of them weren’t.

53 – A fruit paradise – If you come during the season, markets are filled with all kinds of fruits, incredibly tasty and ridiculously cheap. In summer, you will find plenty of nectarines, watermelon, strawberries, raspberries and much, much more!

Some very nice girls selling kyryt, the national snack in Kyrgyzstan

  Money

54 – Kyrgyz SOM is the official currency – 1USD = 68KGS

55 – It’s cheap, really cheap – You can easily find home or yurt stays for 10USD a day, including dinner and breakfast. Meals cost around 1-2USD in local eateries and between 2-4USD in mid-range places.

Public transportation within cities costs 15c and buses between nearby towns, less than 1USD. You can live like a king for less than 20USD a day.

56 – ATMs are easy to find and you can withdraw USD – ATMs are available everywhere and, in many of them, you can select the option that you want to cash out USD, instead of KGS.

In my experience, the maximum I was able to get was 200USD at a time.

57 – I’ve never seen so many exchange offices – In Bishkek, there are exchange offices in absolutely every corner. In the rest of the country, it’s also easy to exchange money.

58 – Except for taxi drivers, people don’t tend to rip you off – Perhaps, because mass tourism hasn’t arrived here yet but I didn’t feel anyone trying to rip me off, except for taxi drivers of course.

59 – Expect to pay 10-15% extra for service in any good restaurant – Except in cheap, local eateries, you will always pay an extra 10-15% for service when the bill comes.

Song Kul at sunrise

  Accommodation

60 – Everybody has a home stay – Kyrgyzstan has the peculiarity that, no matter where you go, locals offer their houses to foreigners for home stays. 

Whether it is a remote village or a touristic destination, as soon as you arrive, women will approach you, asking if you want to stay at their house. 

61 – Homestays are superb – They are always comfortable, clean and nicely decorated. You will not want to leave!

62 – They always expect you to pay – Remember that, even if you are in a very remote village and you get randomly invited by someone to stay, even if they don’t ask you for money, they are expecting you to give something.

63 – Price is always per person – If you travel alone, Kyrgyzstan is a good place for you, as price is always per person, not per room.

64 – You must stay in a yurt – Go to the mountains and stay in a yurt with a Kyrgyz family!

A woman preparing our dinner at her house

  Transportation – Kyrgyzstan travel guide

65 – Hitchhiking – Extremely easy and common among the locals. However, remember that, in Kyrgyzstan, everybody is a taxi driver so if you are looking for a free ride, you will need an extra dose of patience.

66 – Mashrutka is the way to go – Mashrutkas are some kind of vans and mini-vans that connect all cities and towns in Kyrgyzstan.

They are extremely cheap and it’s very easy to move around with them, as you can find a station (or more) at every bazaar in absolutely every town.

You just need to get on at the station and say which city or town you want to go.

67 – Shared local taxis – Late in the evening, for long distances or in very remote towns, marshrutkas don’t run that often, so you will have to take a local shared taxi.

They are more expensive but, definitely, faster than marshrutkas. However, some drivers are completely nuts and may drive at over 120km per hour along narrow mountain roads.

68 – Old women have the power – In any bus, marshrutka or taxi you go, women can choose any seat they want, even if you arrived one hour before them. In city buses, always give up your seat to any women over 40-50 years old. If you don’t, they will tell you to stand up.

When I fell off the horse and had to stay in bed for 2 weeks, I was sitting in a marshrutka on the way to the hospital.

I could barely stand up and, when a woman entered and told me to move and I couldn’t explain why I couldn’t, I created a lot of trouble until she understood.

69 – At 40ºC, windows are still closed – Kyrgyz are afraid of air currents and no matter what time of the year it is, even if it’s the peak of the summer and 40ºC outside, they like to travel with the windows closed and the AC switched off.

Sometimes, you can negotiate with the men but, if there are old ladies, forget about it.

70 – Remember to be patient – Ninety percent of Kyrgyzstan is composed of high mountains which means that, every time you want to go from town to town, you will have to cross them, making your journey particularly slow.

In addition, in some more remote destinations, shared taxis and marshrutkas leave once they are full and, sometimes, it takes some time to fill them. Just keep in mind that traveling in Kyrgyzstan can be particularly slow.

Read: Things to do in Astana, Kazakhstan

A yurt camp in Song Kul

  Internet and SIM cards

71 – The best internet in Central Asia – High-speed Wi-Fi is available almost all across the country, even in high altitude towns such as Sary-Mogol and Sary-Tash.

72 – 3G also works pretty well – If you get a local SIM-Card, 3G is also quite fast.

73 – SIM Card – Get a mobile company called O! For just a few dollars, they offer weekly deals for both internet data and calls. This mobile company has street stalls all over the country.

  More information

74 – What is CBT? – CBT (Community Based Tourism) is a very popular tour agency in Kyrgyzstan that can arrange any kind of activity you want to, from yurt stays to trekking, taxis, permits and anything you can think of.

CBT has offices all over the country and it is so popular because, despite being a tour agency, they offer very cheap and competitive prices.

However, bear in mind that, of course, it will always be cheaper to arrange things on your own.

75 – All my articles about Kyrgyzstan – Find them here:

Backpacking in Kyrgyzstan: The ultimate travel itinerary Horse riding in Tash Rabat A beginner’s guide to trekking in Kyrgyzstan Trekking in Karakol China-Kyrgyzstan border crossing Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border crossing 10 Reasons to visit Kyrgyzstan Trekking independently to Song Kul (Planet D guest post) Lenin Peak base camp (Nomadasaurus Guest post)

More articles about Central Asia – Check all my guides and articles about Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.

You are traveling to a neighboring country – Check my guides to Iran or Azerbaijan.

    source http://cheaprtravels.com/75-useful-tips-for-traveling-to-kyrgyzstan/

[lindyhunt]

How Winter Beauty Routines Differ Around the World

Ever look out your office window, mid-winter, and feel a sinking sense of blah? Why is it dark enough to be cocktail hour at 2pm? And on that note, why are we not sipping on cocktails at 2pm? A feeling of despair due to winter darkness is a real thing, but Canadians are far from the only ones suffering. Getting through the dreary season is made easier with some products and treatments, and thanks to a few friends from similarly frozen nations around the world, we’ve gathered a few tips and tricks to keep us cushy ’til spring. Click through for winter beauty rituals from around the world, from Russia to Morocco to Japan.

A photo posted by Moscow Views (@moscowviews) on Mar 9, 2014 at 8:55am PDT

Russia

Ksenia Makhaniova, Spa Administrator at the Purovel SPA & Sport at the Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy Moscow

During the winter, I really love a chocolate body wrap. Chocolate can increase your sense of happiness and well-being, which everyone needs a boost of in the cold, dark months. (According to the Medical Wellness Association, “Chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, natural hormones produced by the brain, that generates feelings of pleasure and promotes a sense of well being.”)

The treatment not only lifts your spirits, but also makes skin really soft, supple and boosts its natural glow thanks to the chocolate’s nourishing properties. It also increases circulation, so you’ll look and feel good enough to eat!

Another popular treatment for wintertime is a paraffin wax manicure. Starting with an exfoliating scrub to get rid of dry, dead skin, we then use a rich mask to soften and condition hands. After that, the paraffin wax treatment is applied. Paraffin wax is extra important in the winter as its thermotherapy increases circulation and helps renew tissue, and deeply moisturizes from the inside out.

A photo posted by Visit Luxembourg (@visit_luxembourg) on Jul 11, 2015 at 1:25am PDT

Luxembourg

Mélissa Sfredda, half-French, half-Luxembourger beauty aficionado

Although Luxembourg doesn’t have extremely cold temperatures in the winter, I still need to switch up my beauty routine and add extra moisturizing products. My hands get especially dry, and Neutrogena’s Original Hand Cream is the absolute best. Rich in super-moisturizing glycerin, this highly concentrated cream instantly soothes and hydrates my hands.

For my lips, I love French favourite Nuxe’s Rêve de Miel Lip Balm. A winter staple, this delicious honey and grapefruit-scented balm is rich and repairs even the driest and most delicate lips.

Another winter must-have for me is Clarins Delectable Self-Tanning Mousse. It’s nice to have a natural-looking glow in the winter, and this makes skin the perfect shade of tan without looking at all fake. The mousse is also really beautiful to apply; it feels really light, smells divine and moisturizes skin, too. You can also use it anywhere, on the face or body, which is another reason why I like it better than other self-tanning products.

A photo posted by visitnorway (@visitnorway) on Aug 8, 2015 at 11:55am PDT

Norway

Line Schrøder, PR and marketing manager, and Jasmin Jacobsen, a skin therapist at Artesia Spa & Skincare in Olso

During the cold and dry winter in Norway, it’s especially important to re-hydrate skin, so we like to use products and have treatments that focus on moisturizing and protecting the skin from cold weather and snow.

We especially like using rich facial creams, hydrating serums, or even facial oils, paying special attention to skin at night when the skin repairs itself best. The Lagoon series from Carita is one of our favourites, as are the rich facial creams and hydrating serums from Elizabeth Arden PRO.

At the spa, we love our Artesia Facial, which is tailored to each client’s individual needs. Generally, during the winter, we incorporate extra hydrating products, mainly from Murad. And we always stress the importance of an at-home program post-treatment to achieve the best and longest-lasting results.

There’s no point in spending hundreds of dollars (or kroners, as we use here) on treatments if you don’t continue to care for your skin everyday. It would be like going to the gym and running on a treadmill for an hour once a month, and expecting to run a marathon in a few weeks. It doesn’t work like that! A good hydrating boost you can do at home is Carita’s Biological mask. It’s very moisturizing and really makes skin glow; perfect for a Christmas party complexion boost.

Above all, we also remember that the skin is a reflection of your insides, so we make sure to eat healthy and drink lots of water to hydrate from the inside out.

A photo posted by Fleur De Force (@fleurdeforce) on Nov 23, 2015 at 2:49am PST

Japan

Linda Dong, Designer

While living in Japan, my absolute favorite go-to product for keeping my skin hydrated and soft in the winter was Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion. Its ingredients actually help absorb other lotions you layer on top of it, so on really dry winter days, I would apply this lotion and then put on a Japanese face mask (SK-II’s was one of my favourites) and the lotion would help pull all the extra goodness into my skin.

I love removing makeup with cleansing oil because it’s so gentle and moisturizing for my face, as opposed to the harsh and drying alcohol cleansers, and Three Balancing Cleansing Oil is my favourite. I liked how Three sources it’s cleansing oil from all-natural organic ingredients found only in Japan. I used this paired with a Japanese Konjac sponge to gently exfoliate my face.

To keep my hair smooth and hydrated during the winter without weighing it down, I used Shiseido’s Tsubaki Damage Care Shampoo and Conditioner. It has Camellia oil, otherwise known as green tea oil, which is a very popular Japanese skincare ingredient and it smells fantastic.

On really cold days, my favourite thing to do was go to an onsen (hot springs) and soak in the hot mineral water for a couple of hours, it was the perfect way to warm up and left my skin really soft and lovely. I try to replicate that now with a long soak in the tub using Japanese bath salts, like Bath Roman Yakusen Japanese Bath Salts.

A photo posted by Visit Bulgaria (@visitbulgaria) on Sep 11, 2013 at 10:23am PDT

Bulgaria

Neli Korkinova, product junkie

For my naturally curly hair, I like to use MOA Argan+ Hair Treatment, which is extra moisturizing in the dry winter season — it’s formulated with Melaleuca, Omega-3 and Argan Oil for a triple dose of hair nutrition. My hair feels soft, easy to style and maintains a natural look and feel after using it.

Because I have normal to combination skin, I don’t need to go crazy with heavy face creams. Once a week during the winter, I just replace my night cream with coconut oil, which is very popular in Bulgaria at the moment.

For my lips, I love Greenland’s lip balm. It’s a Dutch brand that uses all natural ingredients in their products. This lip balm’s formula is made with cocoa butter, jojoba oil, Shea butter and beeswax to nurture and hydrate lips. They have a lot of yummy flavours; right now I’m using the papaya one.

One thing that does need extra care in the winter for me is my skin. To fight dry skin on my body, I use Cattier Paris Beurre de Karité Honey Fragrance. It’s made with 100 % organic shea butter, and it’s suitable for your face, hair and hands. It keeps my skin soft and elastic, and I also use it as my hand cream.

A photo posted by @chiletravel on Nov 13, 2015 at 4:18am PST

Chile

Marcela Ortega, Head of Tierra Atacama’s Spa

During the winter, the night’s here get pretty cold, and being in the desert means year-round dryness. To combat this during the harshest season, I love a full-body scrub, followed by a yellow clay mud mask, a local thermal mud rich in minerals.

In Chile, we are lucky to have mineral-rich crystal salts that are extracted from mines in the Atacama Desert. 100% natural, they gently scrub away dry, dead skin cells. Exfoliating is especially important in the winter to reveal the softer skin underneath. It also preps skin to better absorb moisture, which is why we use yellow clay right after the salt scrub.

Chilean yellow clay is extremely good at moisturizing skin, as it has hydrating and restorative properties. But it does so much more than that: it’s highly concentrated and nutrient-dense, which allows the clay to improve circulation, tone and tighten skin, relax muscles and alleviate joint pain, and has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Dry, tired, winter skin is restored and has the ability to retain moisture.

A photo posted by Travel Visit Morocco (@travel_visit_morocco) on Aug 28, 2015 at 10:56am PDT

Morocco

Touria, a sales assistant, and Mbarka, a hammam therapist at the Kasbah Tamadot

Touria: I start my mornings every day by washing my face with warm water, then rinsing with cold water to firm my skin. After washing in the winter, I apply a rose cream all over my clean face and use a little sunscreen, too; the rose cream is extra moisturizing in the colder months, and sunscreen is important in Morocco all year round.

To seal in hydration when it’s cold, I apply sweet almond oil, which is a great source of nurturing Vitamin E, all over and gently massage it in to my skin. Once a week, I apply Argan oil — it’s very rich, so once a week is enough to reap its replenishing and softening benefits. Also done weekly, I apply a homemade mask for my rosacea. I mix some milk powder with cucumber juice and leave it on my skin for 30 minutes. It helps soothe my skin and reduce redness.

Mbarka: I work in the hammam, so I need to moisturize my skin, face often— dryness is exaggerated in the winter when I’m in the hammam all the time. In the morning, I wash my face with a lavender soap, followed by patting on a little Argan oil. I do the same at night, and I apply the oil all over my body and a tiny bit in my hair to help keep my skin and hair nourished in the drying winter.

[jessicakehoe]

How Winter Beauty Routines Differ Around the World

Ever look out your office window, mid-winter, and feel a sinking sense of blah? Why is it dark enough to be cocktail hour at 2pm? And on that note, why are we not sipping on cocktails at 2pm? A feeling of despair due to winter darkness is a real thing, but Canadians are far from the only ones suffering. Getting through the dreary season is made easier with some products and treatments, and thanks to a few friends from similarly frozen nations around the world, we’ve gathered a few tips and tricks to keep us cushy ’til spring. Click through for winter beauty rituals from around the world, from Russia to Morocco to Japan.

A photo posted by Moscow Views (@moscowviews) on Mar 9, 2014 at 8:55am PDT

Russia

Ksenia Makhaniova, Spa Administrator at the Purovel SPA & Sport at the Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy Moscow

During the winter, I really love a chocolate body wrap. Chocolate can increase your sense of happiness and well-being, which everyone needs a boost of in the cold, dark months. (According to the Medical Wellness Association, “Chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, natural hormones produced by the brain, that generates feelings of pleasure and promotes a sense of well being.”)

The treatment not only lifts your spirits, but also makes skin really soft, supple and boosts its natural glow thanks to the chocolate’s nourishing properties. It also increases circulation, so you’ll look and feel good enough to eat!

Another popular treatment for wintertime is a paraffin wax manicure. Starting with an exfoliating scrub to get rid of dry, dead skin, we then use a rich mask to soften and condition hands. After that, the paraffin wax treatment is applied. Paraffin wax is extra important in the winter as its thermotherapy increases circulation and helps renew tissue, and deeply moisturizes from the inside out.

A photo posted by Visit Luxembourg (@visit_luxembourg) on Jul 11, 2015 at 1:25am PDT

Luxembourg

M��lissa Sfredda, half-French, half-Luxembourger beauty aficionado

Although Luxembourg doesn’t have extremely cold temperatures in the winter, I still need to switch up my beauty routine and add extra moisturizing products. My hands get especially dry, and Neutrogena’s Original Hand Cream is the absolute best. Rich in super-moisturizing glycerin, this highly concentrated cream instantly soothes and hydrates my hands.

For my lips, I love French favourite Nuxe’s Rêve de Miel Lip Balm. A winter staple, this delicious honey and grapefruit-scented balm is rich and repairs even the driest and most delicate lips.

Another winter must-have for me is Clarins Delectable Self-Tanning Mousse. It’s nice to have a natural-looking glow in the winter, and this makes skin the perfect shade of tan without looking at all fake. The mousse is also really beautiful to apply; it feels really light, smells divine and moisturizes skin, too. You can also use it anywhere, on the face or body, which is another reason why I like it better than other self-tanning products.

A photo posted by visitnorway (@visitnorway) on Aug 8, 2015 at 11:55am PDT

Norway

Line Schrøder, PR and marketing manager, and Jasmin Jacobsen, a skin therapist at Artesia Spa & Skincare in Olso

During the cold and dry winter in Norway, it’s especially important to re-hydrate skin, so we like to use products and have treatments that focus on moisturizing and protecting the skin from cold weather and snow.

We especially like using rich facial creams, hydrating serums, or even facial oils, paying special attention to skin at night when the skin repairs itself best. The Lagoon series from Carita is one of our favourites, as are the rich facial creams and hydrating serums from Elizabeth Arden PRO.

At the spa, we love our Artesia Facial, which is tailored to each client’s individual needs. Generally, during the winter, we incorporate extra hydrating products, mainly from Murad. And we always stress the importance of an at-home program post-treatment to achieve the best and longest-lasting results.

There’s no point in spending hundreds of dollars (or kroners, as we use here) on treatments if you don’t continue to care for your skin everyday. It would be like going to the gym and running on a treadmill for an hour once a month, and expecting to run a marathon in a few weeks. It doesn’t work like that! A good hydrating boost you can do at home is Carita’s Biological mask. It’s very moisturizing and really makes skin glow; perfect for a Christmas party complexion boost.

Above all, we also remember that the skin is a reflection of your insides, so we make sure to eat healthy and drink lots of water to hydrate from the inside out.

A photo posted by Fleur De Force (@fleurdeforce) on Nov 23, 2015 at 2:49am PST

Japan

Linda Dong, Designer

While living in Japan, my absolute favorite go-to product for keeping my skin hydrated and soft in the winter was Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion. Its ingredients actually help absorb other lotions you layer on top of it, so on really dry winter days, I would apply this lotion and then put on a Japanese face mask (SK-II’s was one of my favourites) and the lotion would help pull all the extra goodness into my skin.

I love removing makeup with cleansing oil because it’s so gentle and moisturizing for my face, as opposed to the harsh and drying alcohol cleansers, and Three Balancing Cleansing Oil is my favourite. I liked how Three sources it’s cleansing oil from all-natural organic ingredients found only in Japan. I used this paired with a Japanese Konjac sponge to gently exfoliate my face.

To keep my hair smooth and hydrated during the winter without weighing it down, I used Shiseido’s Tsubaki Damage Care Shampoo and Conditioner. It has Camellia oil, otherwise known as green tea oil, which is a very popular Japanese skincare ingredient and it smells fantastic.

On really cold days, my favourite thing to do was go to an onsen (hot springs) and soak in the hot mineral water for a couple of hours, it was the perfect way to warm up and left my skin really soft and lovely. I try to replicate that now with a long soak in the tub using Japanese bath salts, like Bath Roman Yakusen Japanese Bath Salts.

A photo posted by Visit Bulgaria (@visitbulgaria) on Sep 11, 2013 at 10:23am PDT

Bulgaria

Neli Korkinova, product junkie

For my naturally curly hair, I like to use MOA Argan+ Hair Treatment, which is extra moisturizing in the dry winter season — it’s formulated with Melaleuca, Omega-3 and Argan Oil for a triple dose of hair nutrition. My hair feels soft, easy to style and maintains a natural look and feel after using it.

Because I have normal to combination skin, I don’t need to go crazy with heavy face creams. Once a week during the winter, I just replace my night cream with coconut oil, which is very popular in Bulgaria at the moment.

For my lips, I love Greenland’s lip balm. It’s a Dutch brand that uses all natural ingredients in their products. This lip balm’s formula is made with cocoa butter, jojoba oil, Shea butter and beeswax to nurture and hydrate lips. They have a lot of yummy flavours; right now I’m using the papaya one.

One thing that does need extra care in the winter for me is my skin. To fight dry skin on my body, I use Cattier Paris Beurre de Karité Honey Fragrance. It’s made with 100 % organic shea butter, and it’s suitable for your face, hair and hands. It keeps my skin soft and elastic, and I also use it as my hand cream.

A photo posted by @chiletravel on Nov 13, 2015 at 4:18am PST

Chile

Marcela Ortega, Head of Tierra Atacama’s Spa

During the winter, the night’s here get pretty cold, and being in the desert means year-round dryness. To combat this during the harshest season, I love a full-body scrub, followed by a yellow clay mud mask, a local thermal mud rich in minerals.

In Chile, we are lucky to have mineral-rich crystal salts that are extracted from mines in the Atacama Desert. 100% natural, they gently scrub away dry, dead skin cells. Exfoliating is especially important in the winter to reveal the softer skin underneath. It also preps skin to better absorb moisture, which is why we use yellow clay right after the salt scrub.

Chilean yellow clay is extremely good at moisturizing skin, as it has hydrating and restorative properties. But it does so much more than that: it’s highly concentrated and nutrient-dense, which allows the clay to improve circulation, tone and tighten skin, relax muscles and alleviate joint pain, and has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Dry, tired, winter skin is restored and has the ability to retain moisture.

A photo posted by Travel Visit Morocco (@travel_visit_morocco) on Aug 28, 2015 at 10:56am PDT

Morocco

Touria, a sales assistant, and Mbarka, a hammam therapist at the Kasbah Tamadot

Touria: I start my mornings every day by washing my face with warm water, then rinsing with cold water to firm my skin. After washing in the winter, I apply a rose cream all over my clean face and use a little sunscreen, too; the rose cream is extra moisturizing in the colder months, and sunscreen is important in Morocco all year round.

To seal in hydration when it’s cold, I apply sweet almond oil, which is a great source of nurturing Vitamin E, all over and gently massage it in to my skin. Once a week, I apply Argan oil — it’s very rich, so once a week is enough to reap its replenishing and softening benefits. Also done weekly, I apply a homemade mask for my rosacea. I mix some milk powder with cucumber juice and leave it on my skin for 30 minutes. It helps soothe my skin and reduce redness.

Mbarka: I work in the hammam, so I need to moisturize my skin, face often— dryness is exaggerated in the winter when I’m in the hammam all the time. In the morning, I wash my face with a lavender soap, followed by patting on a little Argan oil. I do the same at night, and I apply the oil all over my body and a tiny bit in my hair to help keep my skin and hair nourished in the drying winter.

The post How Winter Beauty Routines Differ Around the World appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

How Winter Beauty Routines Differ Around the World published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[thejpfdude-blog]

Initial Impressions of the Summer 2017 Season

Well it’s that time of the year. Christmas The initial impressions of the season post! As always:

Every show I’ve watched has aired at least 3 episodes, so it’s the time to post what I think is good so far (”so far” being key: shows can get good in the middle/end, and good shows can drop off), complete with lists of random stuff!

Before I get into the rankings and awards, I want to talk about the season so far. It’s still really early to declare whether a season is good or not, but so far this season’s been looking pretty good. After the poor Spring season and the okay Winter season I’m hoping there’s at least one “great” show out there somewhere (solid 8 to 9). And to this point, there’s been a few shows that have the potential to be that. It’s interesting to see the people who declare this the worst season of the year: then again there’s always gonna be people like that, so whatever. And with that, here’s the rankings so far for the season, complete with initial scores and # of episodes watched so far as of the time this post was typed out, which is Friday (yes I know there were episodes I didn’t watch, but I’ll get to them):

Rankings:

1. New Game!! (8.5/10) [3/12]

2. Kakegurui (8/10) [4/12]

3. Princess Principal (7.5/10) [3/?]

4. Tsurezure Children (7.5/10) [4/?]

5. Boku no Hero Academia 2nd Season (7/10) [16/25]

6. Isekai Shokudou (6.5/10) [4/?]

7. Ballroom e Youkoso (6.5/10) [3/24]

8. Sakura Quest (6/10) [16/25]

9. Centaur no Nayami (5/10) [3/12]

10. Nana Maru San Batsu (5/10) [3/12]

Awards:

Best Anime: New Game!! (HM: Kakegurui)

Knock on wood, but (so far) this has been one of the few cases where one of my more hyped-up shows ends up being as good, if not better than I expected. We’re only a quarter of the way through the show, but New Game S2 has been one of the best airing shows I’ve seen in a while. The characters I love are back, and with the introductions already done in season 1, there’s more character development and interactions done in season 2 that are super fun to watch. From Hifumi (my best girl of 2016 and maybe 2017?) overcoming her social anxiety to Aoba learning to ways of the character designer, to the growing relationship between Nene and Umiko (I’ll let you decide how to take that statement), there’s a lot of depth for a show I’ve heard people dismiss as moe bait. The best part so far is the more serious scenes don’t take away from the funny moments, something that I feel like a lot of recent second seasons I’ve watched have struggled with. Though having said that it’s still way too early in the season to say these things conclusively, so take all of it with a grain of salt. And though there are still a million ways this show could go wrong (increased fanservice moments, too much drama, new characters suck), I’ll just be enjoying my Tuesdays with this show and a certain show about some love-struck children.

Shoutout to Kakegurui, the most creepy and disturbing show of the season, filled with some grotesque faces and insane people. Yet it works. When combining everything I mentioned before with gambling and high stakes, it works well. What normally would sound like a show I never would watch comes together to form an... experience. One that’s a whole lot of fun, albeit scary at times. And if last episode is anything to go off, it should get a whole lot crazier from here. This is something to look out for in the next few weeks.

Worst Anime: Nana Maru San Batsu (HM: Any of the shows I’ve dropped)

I mean unfortunately it had to get this award. I don’t really want to give this award to this show, but it’s how the cards fell. Not that it’s a bad show: if it was then I wouldn’t be watching it anymore. But Nana Maru San Batsu, in the nicest way possible, is a old-fashioned sports shounen. That means there’s a lot of shounen-y tropes, tropes I’m not really about. Stuff like the wimpy protagonist growing into a “man” thanks to the sport, the rival that’s a protege, the explanation for every little thing, etc. Not that the last point is unnecessary: especially for a show like this about a subject most people don’t know about (quiz bowl), it’s pretty interesting to learn about the intricacies of something I never really did during high school. But the characters could be a little more... unique? I don’t know, they’re not really anything to write home about. It’s more of the subject of quiz bowl that interests me about this show, and the reason why I plan on finishing this show in the next few weeks.

Also shoutouts to all 10-ish shows I dropped for being either boring, annoying, or just plain not my thing (cough cough Made in Abyss).

Best Surprise: Kakegurui and Princess Principal

Going into this season I didn’t have either of these shows on my plan to watch list. So you could say that I didn’t have any expectations for them. And after watching their first episodes, I was... intrigued. And after about 3 or so episodes of them, I can say they’ve both been wild rides so far. It was hard to decide between the two for this award, so I decided to just give it to both of them. After all, they’re both equally good, and they both came from equal standing in terms of expectations. So there you have it.

Worst Disappointment: Isekai Shokudou (HM: Sakura Quest)

This award was given to this show only because the second episode was great, but the last two episodes haven’t been up to par. The animation’s been questionable, and the stories have gotten more and more boring, to the point where even the food presentation is lackluster. Having said that this show’s still wholesome and nice to relax to, but at the end of the day I don’t think it’ll be anything more than that. Chalk this up to unrealistic expectations.

Shoutouts to a show from last season that hasn’t taken that extra step to greatness (for lack of a better term). It hasn’t stagnated: it’s just there. But if it doesn’t do something quick with the plot, I don’t think I’ll have good things to say when the end of season awards comes up in a few months.

Best Girl: Hifumi Takimoto (New Game!!) with HM to Ririko Oribe (Sakura Quest) and Nozomi Gokuraku (Centaur no Nayami)

Easiest. Award. Ever.

And the best part is that she’s gotten 10 times better in the second season. Her whole journey towards overcoming her social anxiety is pretty commendable, while also being too cute (serious look at this. LOOK AT IT).

Shoutouts to Ririko for still being the best grill in Sakura Quest for being relatable (yay introverts) and quirky. Also to Nozomi for being the tomboy character that makes Centaur no Nayami decently fun to watch. Just... less of the yuri undertones. Specifically undertones. Yuri’s fine I guess.

Best Guy: The Chef Dude (Isekai Shokudou)

Well this seems to be the hardest award to give during these awards, because unless a guy character is amazingly good, I usually don’t really care about them. So I had to dig deep to find somebody, and here he is. Chef Dude is a pretty Cool Dude. From being very welcoming towards new customers to taking in Aletta, he’s just seems like a nice person. Would hang out with to learn cooking tips.

Worst Girl: Yoshiko Hanabatake (Aho Girl) with HM to Hotaru Mizushina (Netsuzou TRap) and Akashi (Centaur no Nayami)

The sole reason why I dropped Aho Girl. Well that and the jokes came 100 miles per hour and actually gave me a headache. The funny thing is the manga isn’t that bad: I actually read some chapters after experiencing the anime, and I enjoyed it. I think having a voice for the character of Yoshiko really emphasizes the annoying, and I just couldn’t handle it. Just not my type of comedy apparently, and that’s cool. Can’t be for everybody.

Shoutouts to another character that made me drop a show, the girl who has questionable actions towards her “friend” and gives the show the famous NTR it’s known for. Also shoutout to Akashi, who besides her blackmailing is the teasing character I generally don’t like very much (Ami from Toradora comes vividly to mind).

Worst Guy: Touya Mochizuki (Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni.)

One word: GENERIC. He just... doesn’t have any personality. It’s like KonoSuba, only if Kazuma got a lobotomy. That’s what this character and this show was like. He didn’t stand out at all other than his OP-ness, which wasn’t really that fun to watch anyway. Just thinking about his face puts a frown on my face. Meh.

Best OP: “STEP by STEP UP↑↑↑↑” (New Game!!) with HM to “The Other Side of the Wall“ (Princess Principal), “Aimai Moko“ (Tsurezure Children), “One In A Billion” (Isekai Shokudou) and “On My MiND“ (Nana Maru San Batsu)

So recently I made a chart of my 25 favorite OPs and EDs, all color coded and stuff (here). In the OP list is New Game’s OP, mainly because it was a really fun, colorful watch. But to this point of the season, I believe the second season’s opening is better. Song-wise they’re both equally good, but the visuals of the second season’s OP are a lot better. In particular, the scenes with the individual characters singing their parts. It’s really really well animated and my favorite part of the OP. All in all, the visuals just flow well and before I know it it’s already been 90 seconds and it’s time to start another episode.

Shoutouts to the following OPs:

Princess Principal’s OP being a close second for the epic song and the accompanying visuals that grab your attention and prepare you well for the journey that is the show.

Tsurezure Children’s OP, only because it’s the exact mood of the show. I don’t know how to further explain that, it’s just the song fits well with the love stories that the show features.

Isekai Shokudou’s OP mainly for the song (I’m fully in idol hell now), but also kinda for the food shots. Random side note: this was my favorite OP until the show fell off.

Nana Maru San Batsu’s OP only for the song: I love the violin in the song and the small pauses during the climax are a unique touch.

Best ED: “JUMPin' JUMP UP!!!!” (New Game!!) with HM to “Taiyou ga Kureta Kisetsu“ (Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun) and “Datte Atashi no Hero.“ (Boku no Hero Academia 2nd Season)

This category is a bit more bare than the OPs, but there were still some decent EDs. In the end New Game!! also takes the ED crown for it’s chibi characters and cute song.

Shoutouts to Aoyama-kun’s ED for capturing the classic old-school anime OP/ED style and to BnHA’s 2nd ED for it’s fun RPG-style character visuals.

Bonus Awards:

The following three awards are for me to shill about my favorite series so far...

Best Animation: New Game!!

Best Art Style: New Game!!

Best Character Design: New Game!!

Credit Doga Kobo for continuing to add so much to this show. I’ve said before that the character design for this show is some of the best I’ve seen in anime, and they continue that with the new characters that they haven’t introduced yet (but are in the OP). And even beyond characters, the art style overall is super colorful and fun to the eyeballs. I’m not an expert in the fields of analysis of anime, but the vibrant colors sure do help make the show pop more and adds to its fun nature. And finally, the animation of this show is top-notch. I don’t see a single mistake with the characters or their movements or really anything. I’ve been trying to be more diligent with noticing animation recently, but if I actually notice anything that’s usually not a good sign seeing as how I’m still pretty inexperienced with this stuff. Doga Kobo’s pretty good with their animation though, and I’m glad that along with arranging the plot of the show well (adding new scenes that help make the show flow better), the animation staff is doing their part to make it an enjoyable watching experience. Good stuff.

Worst Character Design: Koi to Uso

FISH EYES. The only reason why I decided to drop this show. I mean, look at this. Even when I expect the big eyes, I still get scared opening the image. That’s something I can never get used to.

Best Guilty Pleasure: Kakegurui

I mean I wouldn’t tell a normal person I watch this show. I’m even kinda hesitant to tell people who watch anime that I watch this show. It’s wrong in so many ways. But it’s also fun in so many ways. Well at least it isn’t Eromanga-sensei levels of disturbing (damn unnecessary burn).

The TheJPFDude Happy Show of the Quarter-Season: Tsurezure Children

I’m a sucker for romance, so of course this show’s gonna get this award for being the happy show of the season. Isekai Shokudou was close, but this show’s just too much sometimes with the cute moments that some of the couples offers. Plus some of the couples (like the one I’ll talk about next award) have some pretty funny scenes to them. Excited for more couples and their stuff.

Best Couple in Tsurezure Children: Chiaki x Kana

There’s a lot of couples in this show, and out of all of them I’ve enjoyed this one the most so far. Their dynamic together was hilarious, and the latest episode with them was freaking glorious especially with the mom coming in not once but twice. They strike a nice balance between comedy and actually being in a relationship (unlike a certain couple with some misunderstandings...)

And that’s all! Thanks for reading all of that good stuff. It’s been a good season. I’m enjoying a lot of shows, and though most of them’ll honestly probably fall off within the next few weeks, at least we have some potential good ones.

Well, until next time, I’ll see you in the next post!

[topfygad]

75 Useful tips for traveling to Kyrgyzstan

From first-class treks to a very accessible nomadic culture, horse riding and hospitable people, Kyrgyzstan is the ultimate destination for those seeking an off the beaten track (but easy) adventure.

After spending two entire months traveling in Kyrgyzstan, I have compiled all the necessary information that will help you plan your trip, from visas and bureaucracy to accommodation, transportation and plenty of cultural facts.

By the way, if you want to keep a track of all my photos and travels, remember to follow @againstthecompass on Instagram. 

This guide contains all the practical information. For places to visit, read: Backpacking in Kyrgyzstan – 1 to 4-week itinerary

    What will you find in this article?

Visa for Kyrgyzstan Travel insurance for Kyrgyzstan When to visit Kyrgyzstan How to get to Kyrgyzstan Is it safe to travel to Kyrgyzstan? Top 5 experiences in Kyrgyzstan Tours in Kyrgyzstan Books for traveling to Kyrgyzstan The country, people, and culture Nomadic life Horses Trekking Food and alcohol Money Accommodation Transportation Internet & SIM card More information

Total transparency – If you like my website and found this post useful, remember that, if you buy anything through any of my links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. These earnings help me maintain and keep Against the Compass going! Thanks

Do you know what a VPN is? A Virtual Private Network allows you to access blocked sites when you travel, as well as it lets you access content only available in your home country (like Netflix), plus it prevents hackers from stealing your personal data. Learn here why you should always use a VPN when you travel

  Visa for Kyrgyzstan

1 – The most liberal visa regime in Central Asia – Most nationalities get a 60-day free visa on arrival, both at the airport and overland.

If you want to renew it, you just need to cross the Kazakh border (1 hour from Bishkek) and come back on the same day.

These countries are: EU/EFTA (except for Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania), Australia, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Kuwait, Monaco, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City. Japan and Russia can get an indefinite stay. 

2 – Other nationalities can apply for an e-visa – Since September 2017, most of the remaining countries can apply for an e-visa through the official portal. It takes around 1 week and costs 63USD. 

Moreover, if you are in possession of an e-visa, you can travel to Kyrgyzstan both via land and air. 

The countries which are eligible to the e-visa and don’t need LOI are: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Indonesia, Israel, Macedonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Oman, Philippines, Romania, San Marino, South Africa, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela.

If you are not on any of the above lists, read the Kyrgyzstan visa section of Caravanistan for further information on visas.

3 – Extending your visa does not seem to be possible anymore – We tried to extend our visa in August 2017 and they said that, since May 2017, extensions aren’t possible anymore. We tried to extend it in both Karakol and Bishkek. 

It is easier to travel to Almaty and come back. 

4 – Overstaying can be expensive – According to what the authorities told us when we couldn’t extend our visas, if we overstayed, the fine could be up to 200USD.

A horse grazing in the middle of the Alay Valley – Kyrgyzstan travel guide

  Travel Insurance for Kyrgyzstan

5 – Get proper travel insurance – If you visit Kyrgyzstan, travel insurance is a must, as accidents do happen in the mountains. Actually, during a horse trek in Tash Rabat, I fell off the horse and had to stay in bed for two weeks.

It was a pretty bad (and scary accident).

I had to go to the hospital, all the way to Bishkek, where they carried out different kinds of tests on me which, in the end, turned out to be expensive.

Luckily, I had World Nomads, the best travel insurance company out there because:

It is the only company that gives unlimited medical coverage

It covers a big bunch of adventure activities, including trekking in high altitudes

Pretty much any nationality can get it

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE QUOTE FROM WORLD NOMADS

If you want to know more options, read how to find the best backpacking insurance

  When to travel to Kyrgyzstan

6 – My favorite month: September. Why?

July & August would be the ideal season for trekking, especially if you plan to go high in the mountains as, during these two months, the weather is warmer and the likelihood of raining is lower.

However, in 2019, Kyrgyzstan is becoming a popular destination, which means that some areas may be crowded. In September, nevertheless, most crowds will be gone, and the weather will still be warm enough for trekking, and that is why I consider September to be the best month for visiting Kyrgyzstan.

  High season (mid-June to Mid-September) Shoulder season (Spring and Autumn) Low season (mid-November to March) PROS Best season for trekking, loads of nomads In late spring and early autumn, you can do some cool treks Winter landscape, snow, no people CONS Crowded, plus it can be really hot in Bishkek and other low-altitude areas High mountains may be not accessible, unpredictable weather No trekking, no nomads

This was during the first week of July (Archa Tör Pass)

  How to get to Kyrgyzstan

7 – How to travel to Kyrgyzstan by air – Getting to the International Airport of Bishkek is fairly easy, as it has quite a few connections with several airports in Europe. Moreover, you should also check Pegasus, a budget airline from Istanbul with daily flights to Bishkek. Alternatively, check out the flights to Almaty, as they are usually cheaper and it is very close to Bishkek. 

8 – How to travel to Kyrgyzstan by land

China – There are 2 open borders, Irkeshtam and Torugart. Crossing at Torugart requires having a special, expensive Chinese permit. Crossing via Irkeshtam is fairly easy and you can read the full report here. 

Tajikistan – There are 6 border crossings and 4 of them are open to foreigners. The most obvious is the Kyzyl Art border crossing, which is the one that follows the Pamir Highway. For more information, read the latest Caravanistan updates.

Kazakhstan – There are like 7 border crossings, but the easiest ones are Karkara and Kordai. For more information, read the latest Caravanistan updates. 

Uzbekistan – There are nowadays 4 borders but only 3 are open as of 2019. For more information, read the latest Caravanistan updates. 

Kyzyl Art Pass, between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

  Is it safe to travel to Kyrgyzstan?

9 – Something you need to know:

The term Stan doesn’t mean a place is dangerous, but Stan means land, so Kyrgyzstan means the land of Kyrgyz. 

Kyrgyzstan is a safe destination. Period. 

I mean, just check the FCO advice and you will see that all they say is that Kyrgyzstan is a very safe country, and here you need to take into account that the FCO advice is always absolutely biased, meaning that tends to see danger where there is not, especially in the Middle East.

Solo travelers will be just fine and whereas I can’t speak for women, I know many women who have been there, and all they told me was positive experiences. 

The only potential danger you may hear about is that Bishkek used to be infamous for its after-midnight crime, mainly targeting drunk people on their way home from the bars. The situation, however, has dramatically improved but, if that is a concern for you, just take a taxi when you go back home.  

  Top 5 experiences in Kyrgyzstan

Remember that, for a complete itinerary, including all the places to visit, plus accommodation & transportation tips, don’t forget to check my Kyrgyzstan guide for the independent traveler. 

Stay with Kyrgyz nomads

Experiencing the nomadic life is one of the greatest Kyrgyz experiences. From staying in a yurt to helping them preparing kurut, their local cheese, during our 2-month journey across the country, we met loads of nomads with we had awesome experiences. 

However, with the tourism increase, some nomadic camps have become too commercial, and what I recommend is that you try to find the most authentic ones. How? Well, by getting off the beaten track but also, if you go to Song Kul, instead of staying at the CBT camp where everybody stays, just go across the lake. 

A really offbeat nomad camp, somewhere in the southern Pamirs

Watch nomad games, but try to find out where the local games happen (don’t go to the touristic ones)

The ancient nomad sports in Kyrgyzstan are just crazy, and bizarre.

From horse wrestling to playing polo with a dead goat instead of an actual ball (Ulak tariysh), the nomadic games of Kyrgyzstan are, definitely, a must-see. 

Every summer, some tourist organizations, like CBT, organize nomad games for tourists, in Song Kul and places like that, but I recommend you find the local ones, as the vibe is just great, plus they do a larger variety of sports. 

To be very honest, I didn’t manage to see a local game in Kyrgyzstan, but I did in Tajikistan, near the Kyrgyz border (where most Tajiks are ethnically Kyrgyz), and it was just awesome.

Go trekking on a horse

Many people may feel bad for riding a horse, but the truth is that Kyrgyzstan is the land of horses and even today, in the rural areas, they are the preferred way of transportation.

Those horses are really used to go over high altitude mountain passes, and you definitely get a different experience, and perspective than going on foot. 

Climbing the Tash Rabat pass – 4,000 meters

Go trekking in some of the most mind-blowing mountains ever

I truly believe that, in a matter of years, Kyrgyzstan will become the trekking destination of reference, competing directly with Nepal and Argentina, and the reason is that its mountains are absolutely jaw-dropping, plus they are much more accessible than any other destination I know. 

Visit the remotest Silk Road Heritage sites

Kyrgyzstan has only a small bunch of Silk Road Heritage sites, but the few it has are truly epic, remote and placed in the most epic locations. 

The most epic Silk Road Heritage site in Kyrgyzstan: Tash Rabat

Something you must know: Kyrgyzstan is about nature and nomadic life  With very few Silk Road Heritage sites compared to its neighbor Uzbekistan, in Kyrgyzstan, there’s not much to do besides wandering around its gorgeous mountains and experiencing the nomadic life. The truth is that, with the exception of Bishkek and Arslanbob, most towns in Kyrgyzstan are pretty boring as there is no distinctive architecture, soul and social life, as Kyrgyzstan has been a nomadic land for many centuries. When you travel in Kyrgyzstan, you will see that towns are merely used as a base to explore the mountains or take a rest from them.

Read: 75 Useful tips for traveling to Uzbekistan

  Tours in Kyrgyzstan

I am sure you already know that I am not really into tours, but if you are short in time and why not, you feel safer and more comfortable with a group or a professional guide, these are some really trips offered by GetYourGuide, a company I like to recommend because you can book budget tours online with just one click. 

7-day Highlights of Kyrgyzstan – 1 week exploring the best of Kyrgyzstan. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Burana Tower – Day trip to One of the very few Silk Road Heritage sites in Kyrgyzstan. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Ala Archa Park + Eagle Hunting – A trip to the closest National Park to Bishkek combined with the classic ancient nomad way of hunting. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Bishkek City Tour – A walking tour around the capital. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Following nomads – A full day following a group of nomads to learn about their way of living. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Song Kul Lake – Trip to one of the most epic lakes in Kyrgyzstan. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL TOURS TO KYRGYZSTAN

Burana tower, one of the few Silk Road heritage places in the country

  Books for traveling to Kyrgyzstan

Besides my blog, you may wanna check some book guides:

10 – Kyrgyzstan Guide by Bradt – By far, the best and most complete book guide to Kyrgyzstan. Bradt writes the most awesome guides, as they are always filled with great cultural insights and personal experiences. I always buy their Kindle version for whatever country I go to.

 CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST PRICES ON AMAZON 

  11 – Central Asia Guide by Lonely Planet – A classic. If you are traveling throughout the region, this might be a more economical option, rather than buying one guide oer country.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST PRICES ON AMAZON 

  11 – Russian-English phrasebook – No need to say how useful being able to speak in Russian is.

 CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST PRICES ON AMAZON 

  Country, people and culture

12 – Kyrgyzstan used to be part of the Soviet Union – It acquired its independence in 1991, with the collapse of the USSR.

13 – The origin of the Kyrgyz – Kyrgyz people are an ethnic nomadic group which is believed to have come from a region within Siberia, during the 10th and 15th centuries.

Originally, they used to have red hair but, over the centuries, they have mixed with all kinds of groups, especially Mongols and Turks.

14 – Kyrgyz make up 66% of the population – The biggest minority are Uzbeks (15%), followed by Russians (10%).

15 – It’s a Muslim country. Well, not really – Like in most Soviet countries, religion is not a big deal anymore, especially in the north of the country.

In the south, people tend to be more traditional, so you may see more mosques or men with beard and Muslim hats, but nothing relevant. During Ramadan, I was in Bishkek and didn’t see any sign of people fasting.

Alcohol is available everywhere and there is no sex segregation. You will see that women of all ages will always come to you to start a conversation.

16 – However, Saudi Arabia wants to reverse this – They are funding the construction of mosques across the country.

Read: 35 Tips for traveling to Kazakhstan

A very Muslim, nomadic man, which is very rare to see. His wife wears a niqab

17 – Kyrgyz is the national language but Russian is widely spoken – Kyrgyz, a Turkic language, is the country’s official language.

Russian is spoken by most of the population, except in the south of the country, which has a significant Uzbek population who, for some reason, don’t really speak it.

18 – English is a problem – Communicating with people is one of the biggest issues in Kyrgyzstan, as very few people speak English. 

19 – At least, you must learn the Cyrillic alphabet – Extremely useful, especially when it comes to reading restaurant menus and bus directions.

20 – Bishkek is surprisingly Westernized – When you arrive in Bishkek and discover all those restaurants and bars where local people hang out, who dress incredibly well, you realize that this is not what you were expecting.

21 – The rest of the country is more traditional – Outside of Bishkek, most people still live a traditional life, where people’s main life goal is getting married and having children as early as possible. I met several 20-year old women who already had two kids.

22 – Kidnapping brides is still a big deal – And what do I mean by kidnapping brides? In Kyrgyzstan, a man can take a random woman who is just walking on the street to his house and, if both parents agree, he can marry her and the woman can’t say anything.

I know, it’s not a real kidnapping but it’s a crazy tradition and, even today, some locals told me that this is practiced by 20% of the population, especially in small, rural villages.

If you want to know more about, check out this video (2019)

23 – The most hospitable people in Central Asia – In this region, the Kyrgyz are famous for their hospitality. When we went trekking in the mountains, I remember that there was not a single day when someone didn’t invite us to his or her yurt to have some tea and bread with home-made jam and butter.

Traveling in Kyrgyzstan is very pleasant, as the Kyrgyz people, who will always bless you with their smiles, are kind and hospitable by nature.

24 – You can’t believe how clean they are – When you visit Kyrgyzstan, you will realize that these people have a real obsession with cleanliness.

Even in youth hostels, sometimes I could never go to the toilet because there was someone cleaning it. In guest houses and home-stays, women spend the entire day mopping the floor and cleaning the kitchen.

I don’t know whether it’s true or not but, a Russian man told me that, during Soviet times, Kyrgyz people had a bad reputation for being dirty. In order to change this general opinion, they became obsessed with cleanliness.

25 – Girls are pretty, very pretty – Kyrgyz women are stunning, especially in Bishkek. On the other hand, all foreign women say that, in general, Kyrgyz men are not very handsome.

26 – Always remove your shoes – You must always remove shoes when you enter any house, yurt and even hostels and guesthouses.

Read: 70 Tips for traveling to Pakistan

A cute, nomadic girl

  Nomadic life

27 – The most accessible nomadic life in the world – From time immemorial, the ethnic group known as the Kyrgyz have been a nomadic people who tend to move continuously throughout the mountains and valleys of the region with their cattle.

Today, a large proportion of the Kyrgyz population still live a nomadic, traditional life, not very different from their ancestors.

In summer, which is from June to September, you will find hundreds of nomad camps everywhere, either next to the road or in the remotest mountains, where they settle so their horses, cows and sheep can graze freely.

28 – It’s their summer job – During the summer months, Kyrgyz nomads move from cities to the mountains, so their herds of cows, sheep, goats and horses can graze freely.

When the season is over, they sell some of these animals, as well as dairy products and meat. This is the only source of income most of them rely on.

29 – They live in yurts – Yurts are perhaps the most iconic symbol of Kyrgyzstan. These cozy skin-made tents, which can be seen all across the country, can be incredibly warm during the freezing nights.

A yurt camp in Song Kul

30 – You can always stay with them, no matter where you go – Whether you just want to get a warm meal or spend the night, wherever you go trekking, the nomads will always welcome you, at least in my experience.

But remember that, even if they don’t ask, they may expect you to pay something.

31 – Get off the beaten track because the touristic areas are too commercialized – If you go to popular places, such as Song Kul for example, most nomad families have spare yurts, which have been built for tourists.

Whereas there is nothing wrong with staying there, the experience won’t be very authentic.

If you have a chance, try to find yurts around the Alay Valley, the Pamirs or even in less popular treks around Karakol. In these yurt camps, you may sleep in the same yurt as the family and even join in with their daily tasks.

Enjoying some shorpo with a nomadic woman – Kyrgyzstan travel guide

  Horses

32 – It’s the land of horses – Horses are as much part of their culture as the yurts. From epic horse treks over 4,000-meter mountain passes to herds of tens of horses grazing in stunning meadows, if you like horses, you are going to love Kyrgyzstan.

33 – They learn how to ride a horse at the same time as walking – When you are in the mountains, you will see plenty of kids (including little girls) riding big horses.

34 – You must go horse trekking – Trekking over high mountain passes, riding one of those beautiful beasts is one of the highlights of Kyrgyzstan.

Ah, in case you are wondering, no, you don’t need any previous riding experience. A guide will always come with you.

35 – But be careful! – Horses are no joke. They are dangerous so don’t try to gallop if you don’t have any experience.

I actually had a pretty bad accident, felling off a horse in Tash Rabat when I tried to gallop (I am a stupid, inexperienced man). I had to stay in bed for two weeks and fully recovered after one month. I could have been much, much worse, so be careful.

Riding a horse in Tash Rabat

36 – Hiring a horse is cheap – It costs around 700KGS ($10) a day plus 1,000KGS ($15) for the guide, which can be split between several people. If they try to charge you more, they are ripping you off.

37 – But be aware that they eat them! – When you see a herd of horses grazing over a dreamy meadow, don’t get too much in love with them because many of them will end up in a butchery!

38 – Horse games – Horses are so rooted in their culture that they are also main protagonists in their national sports. Among many others, Ulak Tsrtysh is the most popular game, which is a form of polo where they play with a dead goat which is beheaded right before the game begins. Violence in any match is more than guaranteed.

For more information on horses, read: Horse riding in Tash Rabat, Kyrgyzstan

Horse wrestling

  Trekking

39 – Around 90% of the of the country is above 1,500 meters – I’ve told you everything already.

40 – First world-class hikes – For decades, travelers with a slight sense of adventure, who wanted to savor some first-class hikes, used to go to Argentina, Switzerland, and Nepal.

However, just a couple of years ago, the most intrepid travelers quickly realized that trekking in Kyrgyzstan could easily rival Patagonia and the Himalayas.

41 – Some treks I did:  Tien Shan mountains around Karakol, Trekking from Tash Rabat to Chatyr Kul Trekking from Kyzylart to Song Kul  Trekking to Lenin Peak Base camp

For more information on trekking in Kyrgyzstan, read my guide: 

Trekking in Kyrgyzstan, everything you need to know

On my way to the advanced base camp of Lenin peak

  Food and alcohol

42 – Food is not amazing but it’s OK to fill your stomach – You will not love it but, after traveling in Kyrgyzstan for 2 months, I was not especially bored of it.

43 – The typical food – Lagman (a hearty noodle soup), manty (meat dumplings) and shorpo (meat broth) are the staple food.

44 – But don’t trust mantys – While traveling in Kyrgyzstan, the only day I got slightly sick was after eating some street mantys. Be careful where you order them, as the meat they are filled with may have been outside of the fridge for days.

45 – In small towns and villages, only staple food – In bigger towns, you can easily find more choices, like salads, kebab or Western food. However, in villages, you’ll have to fill your stomach with lagman and mantys.

46 – You are expected to know what to order from the moment you enter the restaurant – It’s your first day in Kyrgyzstan, the first time you enter a restaurant, holding a menu written in an alphabet which you’ve never seen before.

However, they will expect you to know what to order within 10 seconds of giving you the menu. If you tell them to wait for 5 or 10 minutes, they won’t really understand you and will stand next to you. It’s very weird but you’ll get used to it. 

47 – If you are vegetarian, you are fucked – It’s said that Kyrgyzstan is the country with the highest consumption of meat per capita in the world.

At most restaurants, it’s extremely difficult to find vegetarian dishes and, when you ask for something vegetarian, they kind of freak out.

Even sometimes, when I ordered a salad, it came with pieces of cooked beef in it. True story.

48 – Even chicken is difficult to find – If you find chicken on a menu, just order it!

49 – Beer and vodka are available everywhere – Welcome to the ex-Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan! Despite being a Muslim country, alcohol consumption is present everywhere, even in small villages and towns.

50 – Get used to people being completely smashed at 9am – You’ll definitely meet Kyrgyz men who are massively wasted, who can barely walk, quite early in the morning.

51 – You must try kymys – If you go to the mountains and stay with nomads, ask for kymys, which is fermented milk. Most people don’t like it, as it has a weirdly sour, strong taste.

It has some small percentage of alcohol. However, if you don’t like it the first time, give it another chance. I tasted it in four different places and in two of them it was surprisingly good.

52 – Kyryt is the snack in fashion – Kyryt are some sort of cheese and yogurt balls which are available all across Central Asia but Kyrgyzstan is where they are most prevalent.

Again, some people don’t like them but, like kymys, some of them were good, some of them weren’t.

53 – A fruit paradise – If you come during the season, markets are filled with all kinds of fruits, incredibly tasty and ridiculously cheap. In summer, you will find plenty of nectarines, watermelon, strawberries, raspberries and much, much more!

Some very nice girls selling kyryt, the national snack in Kyrgyzstan

  Money

54 – Kyrgyz SOM is the official currency – 1USD = 68KGS

55 – It’s cheap, really cheap – You can easily find home or yurt stays for 10USD a day, including dinner and breakfast. Meals cost around 1-2USD in local eateries and between 2-4USD in mid-range places.

Public transportation within cities costs 15c and buses between nearby towns, less than 1USD. You can live like a king for less than 20USD a day.

56 – ATMs are easy to find and you can withdraw USD – ATMs are available everywhere and, in many of them, you can select the option that you want to cash out USD, instead of KGS.

In my experience, the maximum I was able to get was 200USD at a time.

57 – I’ve never seen so many exchange offices – In Bishkek, there are exchange offices in absolutely every corner. In the rest of the country, it’s also easy to exchange money.

58 – Except for taxi drivers, people don’t tend to rip you off – Perhaps, because mass tourism hasn’t arrived here yet but I didn’t feel anyone trying to rip me off, except for taxi drivers of course.

59 – Expect to pay 10-15% extra for service in any good restaurant – Except in cheap, local eateries, you will always pay an extra 10-15% for service when the bill comes.

Song Kul at sunrise

  Accommodation

60 – Everybody has a home stay – Kyrgyzstan has the peculiarity that, no matter where you go, locals offer their houses to foreigners for home stays. 

Whether it is a remote village or a touristic destination, as soon as you arrive, women will approach you, asking if you want to stay at their house. 

61 – Homestays are superb – They are always comfortable, clean and nicely decorated. You will not want to leave!

62 – They always expect you to pay – Remember that, even if you are in a very remote village and you get randomly invited by someone to stay, even if they don’t ask you for money, they are expecting you to give something.

63 – Price is always per person – If you travel alone, Kyrgyzstan is a good place for you, as price is always per person, not per room.

64 – You must stay in a yurt – Go to the mountains and stay in a yurt with a Kyrgyz family!

A woman preparing our dinner at her house

  Transportation – Kyrgyzstan travel guide

65 – Hitchhiking – Extremely easy and common among the locals. However, remember that, in Kyrgyzstan, everybody is a taxi driver so if you are looking for a free ride, you will need an extra dose of patience.

66 – Mashrutka is the way to go – Mashrutkas are some kind of vans and mini-vans that connect all cities and towns in Kyrgyzstan.

They are extremely cheap and it’s very easy to move around with them, as you can find a station (or more) at every bazaar in absolutely every town.

You just need to get on at the station and say which city or town you want to go.

67 – Shared local taxis – Late in the evening, for long distances or in very remote towns, marshrutkas don’t run that often, so you will have to take a local shared taxi.

They are more expensive but, definitely, faster than marshrutkas. However, some drivers are completely nuts and may drive at over 120km per hour along narrow mountain roads.

68 – Old women have the power – In any bus, marshrutka or taxi you go, women can choose any seat they want, even if you arrived one hour before them. In city buses, always give up your seat to any women over 40-50 years old. If you don’t, they will tell you to stand up.

When I fell off the horse and had to stay in bed for 2 weeks, I was sitting in a marshrutka on the way to the hospital.

I could barely stand up and, when a woman entered and told me to move and I couldn’t explain why I couldn’t, I created a lot of trouble until she understood.

69 – At 40ºC, windows are still closed – Kyrgyz are afraid of air currents and no matter what time of the year it is, even if it’s the peak of the summer and 40ºC outside, they like to travel with the windows closed and the AC switched off.

Sometimes, you can negotiate with the men but, if there are old ladies, forget about it.

70 – Remember to be patient – Ninety percent of Kyrgyzstan is composed of high mountains which means that, every time you want to go from town to town, you will have to cross them, making your journey particularly slow.

In addition, in some more remote destinations, shared taxis and marshrutkas leave once they are full and, sometimes, it takes some time to fill them. Just keep in mind that traveling in Kyrgyzstan can be particularly slow.

Read: Things to do in Astana, Kazakhstan

A yurt camp in Song Kul

  Internet and SIM cards

71 – The best internet in Central Asia – High-speed Wi-Fi is available almost all across the country, even in high altitude towns such as Sary-Mogol and Sary-Tash.

72 – 3G also works pretty well – If you get a local SIM-Card, 3G is also quite fast.

73 – SIM Card – Get a mobile company called O! For just a few dollars, they offer weekly deals for both internet data and calls. This mobile company has street stalls all over the country.

  More information

74 – What is CBT? – CBT (Community Based Tourism) is a very popular tour agency in Kyrgyzstan that can arrange any kind of activity you want to, from yurt stays to trekking, taxis, permits and anything you can think of.

CBT has offices all over the country and it is so popular because, despite being a tour agency, they offer very cheap and competitive prices.

However, bear in mind that, of course, it will always be cheaper to arrange things on your own.

75 – All my articles about Kyrgyzstan – Find them here:

Backpacking in Kyrgyzstan: The ultimate travel itinerary Horse riding in Tash Rabat A beginner’s guide to trekking in Kyrgyzstan Trekking in Karakol China-Kyrgyzstan border crossing Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border crossing 10 Reasons to visit Kyrgyzstan Trekking independently to Song Kul (Planet D guest post) Lenin Peak base camp (Nomadasaurus Guest post)

More articles about Central Asia – Check all my guides and articles about Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.

You are traveling to a neighboring country – Check my guides to Iran or Azerbaijan.

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75 Useful tips for traveling to Kyrgyzstan

From first-class treks to a very accessible nomadic culture, horse riding and hospitable people, Kyrgyzstan is the ultimate destination for those seeking an off the beaten track (but easy) adventure.

After spending two entire months traveling in Kyrgyzstan, I have compiled all the necessary information that will help you plan your trip, from visas and bureaucracy to accommodation, transportation and plenty of cultural facts.

By the way, if you want to keep a track of all my photos and travels, remember to follow @againstthecompass on Instagram. 

This guide contains all the practical information. For places to visit, read: Backpacking in Kyrgyzstan – 1 to 4-week itinerary

    What will you find in this article?

Visa for Kyrgyzstan Travel insurance for Kyrgyzstan When to visit Kyrgyzstan How to get to Kyrgyzstan Is it safe to travel to Kyrgyzstan? Top 5 experiences in Kyrgyzstan Tours in Kyrgyzstan Books for traveling to Kyrgyzstan The country, people, and culture Nomadic life Horses Trekking Food and alcohol Money Accommodation Transportation Internet & SIM card More information

Total transparency – If you like my website and found this post useful, remember that, if you buy anything through any of my links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. These earnings help me maintain and keep Against the Compass going! Thanks

Do you know what a VPN is? A Virtual Private Network allows you to access blocked sites when you travel, as well as it lets you access content only available in your home country (like Netflix), plus it prevents hackers from stealing your personal data. Learn here why you should always use a VPN when you travel

  Visa for Kyrgyzstan

1 – The most liberal visa regime in Central Asia – Most nationalities get a 60-day free visa on arrival, both at the airport and overland.

If you want to renew it, you just need to cross the Kazakh border (1 hour from Bishkek) and come back on the same day.

These countries are: EU/EFTA (except for Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania), Australia, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Kuwait, Monaco, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City. Japan and Russia can get an indefinite stay. 

2 – Other nationalities can apply for an e-visa – Since September 2017, most of the remaining countries can apply for an e-visa through the official portal. It takes around 1 week and costs 63USD. 

Moreover, if you are in possession of an e-visa, you can travel to Kyrgyzstan both via land and air. 

The countries which are eligible to the e-visa and don’t need LOI are: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Indonesia, Israel, Macedonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Oman, Philippines, Romania, San Marino, South Africa, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela.

If you are not on any of the above lists, read the Kyrgyzstan visa section of Caravanistan for further information on visas.

3 – Extending your visa does not seem to be possible anymore – We tried to extend our visa in August 2017 and they said that, since May 2017, extensions aren’t possible anymore. We tried to extend it in both Karakol and Bishkek. 

It is easier to travel to Almaty and come back. 

4 – Overstaying can be expensive – According to what the authorities told us when we couldn’t extend our visas, if we overstayed, the fine could be up to 200USD.

A horse grazing in the middle of the Alay Valley – Kyrgyzstan travel guide

  Travel Insurance for Kyrgyzstan

5 – Get proper travel insurance – If you visit Kyrgyzstan, travel insurance is a must, as accidents do happen in the mountains. Actually, during a horse trek in Tash Rabat, I fell off the horse and had to stay in bed for two weeks.

It was a pretty bad (and scary accident).

I had to go to the hospital, all the way to Bishkek, where they carried out different kinds of tests on me which, in the end, turned out to be expensive.

Luckily, I had World Nomads, the best travel insurance company out there because:

It is the only company that gives unlimited medical coverage

It covers a big bunch of adventure activities, including trekking in high altitudes

Pretty much any nationality can get it

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE QUOTE FROM WORLD NOMADS

If you want to know more options, read how to find the best backpacking insurance

  When to travel to Kyrgyzstan

6 – My favorite month: September. Why?

July & August would be the ideal season for trekking, especially if you plan to go high in the mountains as, during these two months, the weather is warmer and the likelihood of raining is lower.

However, in 2019, Kyrgyzstan is becoming a popular destination, which means that some areas may be crowded. In September, nevertheless, most crowds will be gone, and the weather will still be warm enough for trekking, and that is why I consider September to be the best month for visiting Kyrgyzstan.

  High season (mid-June to Mid-September) Shoulder season (Spring and Autumn) Low season (mid-November to March) PROS Best season for trekking, loads of nomads In late spring and early autumn, you can do some cool treks Winter landscape, snow, no people CONS Crowded, plus it can be really hot in Bishkek and other low-altitude areas High mountains may be not accessible, unpredictable weather No trekking, no nomads

This was during the first week of July (Archa Tör Pass)

  How to get to Kyrgyzstan

7 – How to travel to Kyrgyzstan by air – Getting to the International Airport of Bishkek is fairly easy, as it has quite a few connections with several airports in Europe. Moreover, you should also check Pegasus, a budget airline from Istanbul with daily flights to Bishkek. Alternatively, check out the flights to Almaty, as they are usually cheaper and it is very close to Bishkek. 

8 – How to travel to Kyrgyzstan by land

China – There are 2 open borders, Irkeshtam and Torugart. Crossing at Torugart requires having a special, expensive Chinese permit. Crossing via Irkeshtam is fairly easy and you can read the full report here. 

Tajikistan – There are 6 border crossings and 4 of them are open to foreigners. The most obvious is the Kyzyl Art border crossing, which is the one that follows the Pamir Highway. For more information, read the latest Caravanistan updates.

Kazakhstan – There are like 7 border crossings, but the easiest ones are Karkara and Kordai. For more information, read the latest Caravanistan updates. 

Uzbekistan – There are nowadays 4 borders but only 3 are open as of 2019. For more information, read the latest Caravanistan updates. 

Kyzyl Art Pass, between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

  Is it safe to travel to Kyrgyzstan?

9 – Something you need to know:

The term Stan doesn’t mean a place is dangerous, but Stan means land, so Kyrgyzstan means the land of Kyrgyz. 

Kyrgyzstan is a safe destination. Period. 

I mean, just check the FCO advice and you will see that all they say is that Kyrgyzstan is a very safe country, and here you need to take into account that the FCO advice is always absolutely biased, meaning that tends to see danger where there is not, especially in the Middle East.

Solo travelers will be just fine and whereas I can’t speak for women, I know many women who have been there, and all they told me was positive experiences. 

The only potential danger you may hear about is that Bishkek used to be infamous for its after-midnight crime, mainly targeting drunk people on their way home from the bars. The situation, however, has dramatically improved but, if that is a concern for you, just take a taxi when you go back home.  

  Top 5 experiences in Kyrgyzstan

Remember that, for a complete itinerary, including all the places to visit, plus accommodation & transportation tips, don’t forget to check my Kyrgyzstan guide for the independent traveler. 

Stay with Kyrgyz nomads

Experiencing the nomadic life is one of the greatest Kyrgyz experiences. From staying in a yurt to helping them preparing kurut, their local cheese, during our 2-month journey across the country, we met loads of nomads with we had awesome experiences. 

However, with the tourism increase, some nomadic camps have become too commercial, and what I recommend is that you try to find the most authentic ones. How? Well, by getting off the beaten track but also, if you go to Song Kul, instead of staying at the CBT camp where everybody stays, just go across the lake. 

A really offbeat nomad camp, somewhere in the southern Pamirs

Watch nomad games, but try to find out where the local games happen (don’t go to the touristic ones)

The ancient nomad sports in Kyrgyzstan are just crazy, and bizarre.

From horse wrestling to playing polo with a dead goat instead of an actual ball (Ulak tariysh), the nomadic games of Kyrgyzstan are, definitely, a must-see. 

Every summer, some tourist organizations, like CBT, organize nomad games for tourists, in Song Kul and places like that, but I recommend you find the local ones, as the vibe is just great, plus they do a larger variety of sports. 

To be very honest, I didn’t manage to see a local game in Kyrgyzstan, but I did in Tajikistan, near the Kyrgyz border (where most Tajiks are ethnically Kyrgyz), and it was just awesome.

Go trekking on a horse

Many people may feel bad for riding a horse, but the truth is that Kyrgyzstan is the land of horses and even today, in the rural areas, they are the preferred way of transportation.

Those horses are really used to go over high altitude mountain passes, and you definitely get a different experience, and perspective than going on foot. 

Climbing the Tash Rabat pass – 4,000 meters

Go trekking in some of the most mind-blowing mountains ever

I truly believe that, in a matter of years, Kyrgyzstan will become the trekking destination of reference, competing directly with Nepal and Argentina, and the reason is that its mountains are absolutely jaw-dropping, plus they are much more accessible than any other destination I know. 

Visit the remotest Silk Road Heritage sites

Kyrgyzstan has only a small bunch of Silk Road Heritage sites, but the few it has are truly epic, remote and placed in the most epic locations. 

The most epic Silk Road Heritage site in Kyrgyzstan: Tash Rabat

Something you must know: Kyrgyzstan is about nature and nomadic life  With very few Silk Road Heritage sites compared to its neighbor Uzbekistan, in Kyrgyzstan, there’s not much to do besides wandering around its gorgeous mountains and experiencing the nomadic life. The truth is that, with the exception of Bishkek and Arslanbob, most towns in Kyrgyzstan are pretty boring as there is no distinctive architecture, soul and social life, as Kyrgyzstan has been a nomadic land for many centuries. When you travel in Kyrgyzstan, you will see that towns are merely used as a base to explore the mountains or take a rest from them.

Read: 75 Useful tips for traveling to Uzbekistan

  Tours in Kyrgyzstan

I am sure you already know that I am not really into tours, but if you are short in time and why not, you feel safer and more comfortable with a group or a professional guide, these are some really trips offered by GetYourGuide, a company I like to recommend because you can book budget tours online with just one click. 

7-day Highlights of Kyrgyzstan – 1 week exploring the best of Kyrgyzstan. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Burana Tower – Day trip to One of the very few Silk Road Heritage sites in Kyrgyzstan. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Ala Archa Park + Eagle Hunting – A trip to the closest National Park to Bishkek combined with the classic ancient nomad way of hunting. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Bishkek City Tour – A walking tour around the capital. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Following nomads – A full day following a group of nomads to learn about their way of living. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Song Kul Lake – Trip to one of the most epic lakes in Kyrgyzstan. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL TOURS TO KYRGYZSTAN

Burana tower, one of the few Silk Road heritage places in the country

  Books for traveling to Kyrgyzstan

Besides my blog, you may wanna check some book guides:

10 – Kyrgyzstan Guide by Bradt – By far, the best and most complete book guide to Kyrgyzstan. Bradt writes the most awesome guides, as they are always filled with great cultural insights and personal experiences. I always buy their Kindle version for whatever country I go to.

 CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST PRICES ON AMAZON 

  11 – Central Asia Guide by Lonely Planet – A classic. If you are traveling throughout the region, this might be a more economical option, rather than buying one guide oer country.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST PRICES ON AMAZON 

  11 – Russian-English phrasebook – No need to say how useful being able to speak in Russian is.

 CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST PRICES ON AMAZON 

  Country, people and culture

12 – Kyrgyzstan used to be part of the Soviet Union – It acquired its independence in 1991, with the collapse of the USSR.

13 – The origin of the Kyrgyz – Kyrgyz people are an ethnic nomadic group which is believed to have come from a region within Siberia, during the 10th and 15th centuries.

Originally, they used to have red hair but, over the centuries, they have mixed with all kinds of groups, especially Mongols and Turks.

14 – Kyrgyz make up 66% of the population – The biggest minority are Uzbeks (15%), followed by Russians (10%).

15 – It’s a Muslim country. Well, not really – Like in most Soviet countries, religion is not a big deal anymore, especially in the north of the country.

In the south, people tend to be more traditional, so you may see more mosques or men with beard and Muslim hats, but nothing relevant. During Ramadan, I was in Bishkek and didn’t see any sign of people fasting.

Alcohol is available everywhere and there is no sex segregation. You will see that women of all ages will always come to you to start a conversation.

16 – However, Saudi Arabia wants to reverse this – They are funding the construction of mosques across the country.

Read: 35 Tips for traveling to Kazakhstan

A very Muslim, nomadic man, which is very rare to see. His wife wears a niqab

17 – Kyrgyz is the national language but Russian is widely spoken – Kyrgyz, a Turkic language, is the country’s official language.

Russian is spoken by most of the population, except in the south of the country, which has a significant Uzbek population who, for some reason, don’t really speak it.

18 – English is a problem – Communicating with people is one of the biggest issues in Kyrgyzstan, as very few people speak English. 

19 – At least, you must learn the Cyrillic alphabet – Extremely useful, especially when it comes to reading restaurant menus and bus directions.

20 – Bishkek is surprisingly Westernized – When you arrive in Bishkek and discover all those restaurants and bars where local people hang out, who dress incredibly well, you realize that this is not what you were expecting.

21 – The rest of the country is more traditional – Outside of Bishkek, most people still live a traditional life, where people’s main life goal is getting married and having children as early as possible. I met several 20-year old women who already had two kids.

22 – Kidnapping brides is still a big deal – And what do I mean by kidnapping brides? In Kyrgyzstan, a man can take a random woman who is just walking on the street to his house and, if both parents agree, he can marry her and the woman can’t say anything.

I know, it’s not a real kidnapping but it’s a crazy tradition and, even today, some locals told me that this is practiced by 20% of the population, especially in small, rural villages.

If you want to know more about, check out this video (2019)

23 – The most hospitable people in Central Asia – In this region, the Kyrgyz are famous for their hospitality. When we went trekking in the mountains, I remember that there was not a single day when someone didn’t invite us to his or her yurt to have some tea and bread with home-made jam and butter.

Traveling in Kyrgyzstan is very pleasant, as the Kyrgyz people, who will always bless you with their smiles, are kind and hospitable by nature.

24 – You can’t believe how clean they are – When you visit Kyrgyzstan, you will realize that these people have a real obsession with cleanliness.

Even in youth hostels, sometimes I could never go to the toilet because there was someone cleaning it. In guest houses and home-stays, women spend the entire day mopping the floor and cleaning the kitchen.

I don’t know whether it’s true or not but, a Russian man told me that, during Soviet times, Kyrgyz people had a bad reputation for being dirty. In order to change this general opinion, they became obsessed with cleanliness.

25 – Girls are pretty, very pretty – Kyrgyz women are stunning, especially in Bishkek. On the other hand, all foreign women say that, in general, Kyrgyz men are not very handsome.

26 – Always remove your shoes – You must always remove shoes when you enter any house, yurt and even hostels and guesthouses.

Read: 70 Tips for traveling to Pakistan

A cute, nomadic girl

  Nomadic life

27 – The most accessible nomadic life in the world – From time immemorial, the ethnic group known as the Kyrgyz have been a nomadic people who tend to move continuously throughout the mountains and valleys of the region with their cattle.

Today, a large proportion of the Kyrgyz population still live a nomadic, traditional life, not very different from their ancestors.

In summer, which is from June to September, you will find hundreds of nomad camps everywhere, either next to the road or in the remotest mountains, where they settle so their horses, cows and sheep can graze freely.

28 – It’s their summer job – During the summer months, Kyrgyz nomads move from cities to the mountains, so their herds of cows, sheep, goats and horses can graze freely.

When the season is over, they sell some of these animals, as well as dairy products and meat. This is the only source of income most of them rely on.

29 – They live in yurts – Yurts are perhaps the most iconic symbol of Kyrgyzstan. These cozy skin-made tents, which can be seen all across the country, can be incredibly warm during the freezing nights.

A yurt camp in Song Kul

30 – You can always stay with them, no matter where you go – Whether you just want to get a warm meal or spend the night, wherever you go trekking, the nomads will always welcome you, at least in my experience.

But remember that, even if they don’t ask, they may expect you to pay something.

31 – Get off the beaten track because the touristic areas are too commercialized – If you go to popular places, such as Song Kul for example, most nomad families have spare yurts, which have been built for tourists.

Whereas there is nothing wrong with staying there, the experience won’t be very authentic.

If you have a chance, try to find yurts around the Alay Valley, the Pamirs or even in less popular treks around Karakol. In these yurt camps, you may sleep in the same yurt as the family and even join in with their daily tasks.

Enjoying some shorpo with a nomadic woman – Kyrgyzstan travel guide

  Horses

32 – It’s the land of horses – Horses are as much part of their culture as the yurts. From epic horse treks over 4,000-meter mountain passes to herds of tens of horses grazing in stunning meadows, if you like horses, you are going to love Kyrgyzstan.

33 – They learn how to ride a horse at the same time as walking – When you are in the mountains, you will see plenty of kids (including little girls) riding big horses.

34 – You must go horse trekking – Trekking over high mountain passes, riding one of those beautiful beasts is one of the highlights of Kyrgyzstan.

Ah, in case you are wondering, no, you don’t need any previous riding experience. A guide will always come with you.

35 – But be careful! – Horses are no joke. They are dangerous so don’t try to gallop if you don’t have any experience.

I actually had a pretty bad accident, felling off a horse in Tash Rabat when I tried to gallop (I am a stupid, inexperienced man). I had to stay in bed for two weeks and fully recovered after one month. I could have been much, much worse, so be careful.

Riding a horse in Tash Rabat

36 – Hiring a horse is cheap – It costs around 700KGS ($10) a day plus 1,000KGS ($15) for the guide, which can be split between several people. If they try to charge you more, they are ripping you off.

37 – But be aware that they eat them! – When you see a herd of horses grazing over a dreamy meadow, don’t get too much in love with them because many of them will end up in a butchery!

38 – Horse games – Horses are so rooted in their culture that they are also main protagonists in their national sports. Among many others, Ulak Tsrtysh is the most popular game, which is a form of polo where they play with a dead goat which is beheaded right before the game begins. Violence in any match is more than guaranteed.

For more information on horses, read: Horse riding in Tash Rabat, Kyrgyzstan

Horse wrestling

  Trekking

39 – Around 90% of the of the country is above 1,500 meters – I’ve told you everything already.

40 – First world-class hikes – For decades, travelers with a slight sense of adventure, who wanted to savor some first-class hikes, used to go to Argentina, Switzerland, and Nepal.

However, just a couple of years ago, the most intrepid travelers quickly realized that trekking in Kyrgyzstan could easily rival Patagonia and the Himalayas.

41 – Some treks I did:  Tien Shan mountains around Karakol, Trekking from Tash Rabat to Chatyr Kul Trekking from Kyzylart to Song Kul  Trekking to Lenin Peak Base camp

For more information on trekking in Kyrgyzstan, read my guide: 

Trekking in Kyrgyzstan, everything you need to know

On my way to the advanced base camp of Lenin peak

  Food and alcohol

42 – Food is not amazing but it’s OK to fill your stomach – You will not love it but, after traveling in Kyrgyzstan for 2 months, I was not especially bored of it.

43 – The typical food – Lagman (a hearty noodle soup), manty (meat dumplings) and shorpo (meat broth) are the staple food.

44 – But don’t trust mantys – While traveling in Kyrgyzstan, the only day I got slightly sick was after eating some street mantys. Be careful where you order them, as the meat they are filled with may have been outside of the fridge for days.

45 – In small towns and villages, only staple food – In bigger towns, you can easily find more choices, like salads, kebab or Western food. However, in villages, you’ll have to fill your stomach with lagman and mantys.

46 – You are expected to know what to order from the moment you enter the restaurant – It’s your first day in Kyrgyzstan, the first time you enter a restaurant, holding a menu written in an alphabet which you’ve never seen before.

However, they will expect you to know what to order within 10 seconds of giving you the menu. If you tell them to wait for 5 or 10 minutes, they won’t really understand you and will stand next to you. It’s very weird but you’ll get used to it. 

47 – If you are vegetarian, you are fucked – It’s said that Kyrgyzstan is the country with the highest consumption of meat per capita in the world.

At most restaurants, it’s extremely difficult to find vegetarian dishes and, when you ask for something vegetarian, they kind of freak out.

Even sometimes, when I ordered a salad, it came with pieces of cooked beef in it. True story.

48 – Even chicken is difficult to find – If you find chicken on a menu, just order it!

49 – Beer and vodka are available everywhere – Welcome to the ex-Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan! Despite being a Muslim country, alcohol consumption is present everywhere, even in small villages and towns.

50 – Get used to people being completely smashed at 9am – You’ll definitely meet Kyrgyz men who are massively wasted, who can barely walk, quite early in the morning.

51 – You must try kymys – If you go to the mountains and stay with nomads, ask for kymys, which is fermented milk. Most people don’t like it, as it has a weirdly sour, strong taste.

It has some small percentage of alcohol. However, if you don’t like it the first time, give it another chance. I tasted it in four different places and in two of them it was surprisingly good.

52 – Kyryt is the snack in fashion – Kyryt are some sort of cheese and yogurt balls which are available all across Central Asia but Kyrgyzstan is where they are most prevalent.

Again, some people don’t like them but, like kymys, some of them were good, some of them weren’t.

53 – A fruit paradise – If you come during the season, markets are filled with all kinds of fruits, incredibly tasty and ridiculously cheap. In summer, you will find plenty of nectarines, watermelon, strawberries, raspberries and much, much more!

Some very nice girls selling kyryt, the national snack in Kyrgyzstan

  Money

54 – Kyrgyz SOM is the official currency – 1USD = 68KGS

55 – It’s cheap, really cheap – You can easily find home or yurt stays for 10USD a day, including dinner and breakfast. Meals cost around 1-2USD in local eateries and between 2-4USD in mid-range places.

Public transportation within cities costs 15c and buses between nearby towns, less than 1USD. You can live like a king for less than 20USD a day.

56 – ATMs are easy to find and you can withdraw USD – ATMs are available everywhere and, in many of them, you can select the option that you want to cash out USD, instead of KGS.

In my experience, the maximum I was able to get was 200USD at a time.

57 – I’ve never seen so many exchange offices – In Bishkek, there are exchange offices in absolutely every corner. In the rest of the country, it’s also easy to exchange money.

58 – Except for taxi drivers, people don’t tend to rip you off – Perhaps, because mass tourism hasn’t arrived here yet but I didn’t feel anyone trying to rip me off, except for taxi drivers of course.

59 – Expect to pay 10-15% extra for service in any good restaurant – Except in cheap, local eateries, you will always pay an extra 10-15% for service when the bill comes.

Song Kul at sunrise

  Accommodation

60 – Everybody has a home stay – Kyrgyzstan has the peculiarity that, no matter where you go, locals offer their houses to foreigners for home stays. 

Whether it is a remote village or a touristic destination, as soon as you arrive, women will approach you, asking if you want to stay at their house. 

61 – Homestays are superb – They are always comfortable, clean and nicely decorated. You will not want to leave!

62 – They always expect you to pay – Remember that, even if you are in a very remote village and you get randomly invited by someone to stay, even if they don’t ask you for money, they are expecting you to give something.

63 – Price is always per person – If you travel alone, Kyrgyzstan is a good place for you, as price is always per person, not per room.

64 – You must stay in a yurt – Go to the mountains and stay in a yurt with a Kyrgyz family!

A woman preparing our dinner at her house

  Transportation – Kyrgyzstan travel guide

65 – Hitchhiking – Extremely easy and common among the locals. However, remember that, in Kyrgyzstan, everybody is a taxi driver so if you are looking for a free ride, you will need an extra dose of patience.

66 – Mashrutka is the way to go – Mashrutkas are some kind of vans and mini-vans that connect all cities and towns in Kyrgyzstan.

They are extremely cheap and it’s very easy to move around with them, as you can find a station (or more) at every bazaar in absolutely every town.

You just need to get on at the station and say which city or town you want to go.

67 – Shared local taxis – Late in the evening, for long distances or in very remote towns, marshrutkas don’t run that often, so you will have to take a local shared taxi.

They are more expensive but, definitely, faster than marshrutkas. However, some drivers are completely nuts and may drive at over 120km per hour along narrow mountain roads.

68 – Old women have the power – In any bus, marshrutka or taxi you go, women can choose any seat they want, even if you arrived one hour before them. In city buses, always give up your seat to any women over 40-50 years old. If you don’t, they will tell you to stand up.

When I fell off the horse and had to stay in bed for 2 weeks, I was sitting in a marshrutka on the way to the hospital.

I could barely stand up and, when a woman entered and told me to move and I couldn’t explain why I couldn’t, I created a lot of trouble until she understood.

69 – At 40ºC, windows are still closed – Kyrgyz are afraid of air currents and no matter what time of the year it is, even if it’s the peak of the summer and 40ºC outside, they like to travel with the windows closed and the AC switched off.

Sometimes, you can negotiate with the men but, if there are old ladies, forget about it.

70 – Remember to be patient – Ninety percent of Kyrgyzstan is composed of high mountains which means that, every time you want to go from town to town, you will have to cross them, making your journey particularly slow.

In addition, in some more remote destinations, shared taxis and marshrutkas leave once they are full and, sometimes, it takes some time to fill them. Just keep in mind that traveling in Kyrgyzstan can be particularly slow.

Read: Things to do in Astana, Kazakhstan

A yurt camp in Song Kul

  Internet and SIM cards

71 – The best internet in Central Asia – High-speed Wi-Fi is available almost all across the country, even in high altitude towns such as Sary-Mogol and Sary-Tash.

72 – 3G also works pretty well – If you get a local SIM-Card, 3G is also quite fast.

73 – SIM Card – Get a mobile company called O! For just a few dollars, they offer weekly deals for both internet data and calls. This mobile company has street stalls all over the country.

  More information

74 – What is CBT? – CBT (Community Based Tourism) is a very popular tour agency in Kyrgyzstan that can arrange any kind of activity you want to, from yurt stays to trekking, taxis, permits and anything you can think of.

CBT has offices all over the country and it is so popular because, despite being a tour agency, they offer very cheap and competitive prices.

However, bear in mind that, of course, it will always be cheaper to arrange things on your own.

75 – All my articles about Kyrgyzstan – Find them here:

Backpacking in Kyrgyzstan: The ultimate travel itinerary Horse riding in Tash Rabat A beginner’s guide to trekking in Kyrgyzstan Trekking in Karakol China-Kyrgyzstan border crossing Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border crossing 10 Reasons to visit Kyrgyzstan Trekking independently to Song Kul (Planet D guest post) Lenin Peak base camp (Nomadasaurus Guest post)

More articles about Central Asia – Check all my guides and articles about Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.

You are traveling to a neighboring country – Check my guides to Iran or Azerbaijan.

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