Though I do enjoy Bishkek, the best thing about Bishkek is perhaps not Bishkek itself. Rather, perhaps the best part of the Kyrgyz capital city is the amazing and immediate access to cool things out of town.Though I perhaps didn’t take as much advantage of this as I should have, easily my favorite trip out of Bishkek is to the canyons of Ala-Archa National Park.Within an hour or so ride out of town, I could be up in the mountains hiking into a gorge that eventually leads to mountaineering cabins, waterfalls, and icy mountain peaks.I never did pull together the equipment I need to camp in the cold of late fall in Kyrgyzstan, but no fear! I’m going back to Bishkek this time with sleeping bags and tents, enough to stay warm in even the inclement weather of the Kyrgyz mountains.If nothing else, I suppose I could always keep warm by chasing down those ubiquitous horses that run around the Kyrgyz countryside.On this particular trip, however, it was back to town for school and studies. Alas!
