Kyrgyzstan What is faster, a horse or a bus?
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Johan Kruseman
Updated on 2 November 2024
Updated on 2 November 2024
Before taking the bus back to Bishkek on Sunday, a few of us quickly visited the animal market. The most expensive horse (US$4,000) was showcased for sale by galloping at top speed through the crowd, with the sales pitch that this horse could gallop non-stop to Bishkek in three hours (425 km...).
By the way, there are police checkpoints every 10 km on the roads around Bishkek. This means a fixed ritual: hold the seatbelt diagonally across your body and slam on the brakes to just barely stay within the speed limit, even with all the luggage and passengers pressed against the windshield. For me, this meant being thrown forward every 5 minutes. Later, I found out that there are multiple techniques. The tough technique is to just drive at full speed with a relaxed tune playing. The police wave a stick to signal you to stop, but they are so awkwardly positioned with a 30-year-old Lada that it’s pointless to chase after them, and noting down the license plate is also futile because most cars still have the license plate from the country they were imported from. The other technique is to obediently stop and have a friendly chat. Sometimes a small bribe is required, but if the conversation is amusing enough, it may be waived.
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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
What is faster, a horse or a bus?
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Photographed by: Johan Kruseman
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