Kyrgyzstan
Start of my 1.5 year travel around the world
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Johan Kruseman
Updated on 23 August 2024
Updated on 23 August 2024
Still at Amsterdam Lelylaan station, I faced my biggest challenge, almost jeopardizing my trip. I didn’t feel like carrying my public transport card around the world for a year, so I left it at home, thinking I could make the short journey to Schiphol Airport without checking in for this unique occasion. However, it turns out that my home station is now hermetically sealed for system avoiders like me: there was no way to reach my train without the transport card. After a long search, I finally found a forgotten machine that was willing to print a paper ticket for me. And so, with an unplanned clear conscience, my world journey began!
At Schiphol, I had one last meal with my sister, dad, and mom before heading to Kyrgyzstan with a layover in Istanbul. Due to my backpacker instincts, I naturally booked only cheap-ass flights, which were delayed, causing me to miss my connection and spend my first night in a hotel that no backpacker had ever seen from the inside.
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Traveled route: Bishkek, Ala Archa National Park, Kockkor, Song-Kul lake, Beltam Yurt Camp, Fairytale Canyon Skazka, Karakol, Altyn-Arashan, Cholpon-Ata, Jalal-Abad, Kazarman
× Start of my 1.5 year travel around the world
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Using compass and counting steps to find my hostel
The next day, I arrived in Bishkek, where the second challenge awaited me: “find your hostel!” My biological clock was still in the Netherlands, my iPhone was still on Turkish time, and in Bishkek, everyone thought it was three hours later than i
Kyrgyzstan
Did this story inspire you to go to Kyrgyzstan? Read more on what Kyrgyzstan has to offer, what the best months are for visiting and check the handy links for backpacking there.
