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I was so Nervous about Traveling Alone to Kyrgyzstan Until I Met This Little Grandma

Kyrygzstan: My Dream!

Although it had been my dream for a long time, I always thought I needed to be completely prepared before pulling the trigger and traveling alone to Kyrgyzstan. I needed to read every book about it. I needed to learn how to speak Kyrgyz. I needed to know about every possible place to visit and how to visit it and how much it would cost. This expanded and settled into an obsession with the former Soviet Union. I made more barriers and blocks. In addition to knowing everything about Kyrgyzstan, I also needed to know everything about the Soviet Union before I would ever let myself to set foot there.

traveling to kyrgyzstan
Would you like to take this plane to Kyrgyzstan? This is in Osh.

This was, of course, all on top of the fact that a flight ticket to Kyrgyzstan can be insanely expensive!

I am a big supporter of learning a lot about a place before going there, but I also think that this can easily become a pile of excuses that actually prevent  one from making the trip. Sure I dove into speaking Russian (it’s easier if you are going to be crossing borders since Tajik, Kyrgyz, and Kazakh suddenly become a lot of languages to learn…), but I had the impression that I needed to be able to read the Brothers Karamazov in original Russian before I would be prepared to go.

Oh yeah, also did you see the price of those plane tickets??? I thought I should mention it again.
But…

One day, as I was browsing flights to faraway places for no particular reason, I found it: a flight to Bishkek for $150. Thank you, Pegasus Airlines!

But I wasn’t ready! I didn’t own proper mountain climbing gear! My backpack wasn’t big enough. I didn’t have good hiking shoes…

I would never be ready.

I bought the ticket. I could read every book ever written about Kyrgyzstan but that would still be nothing compared to actually going there!

Fast forward to the airport

 The day finally came and here I was, traveling alone to Kyrgyzstan.

I checked in at the airport and waited to go through the security line. A little Kyrgyz grandma caught my attention. She waved her ticket at me to show me she was also, well, traveling alone to Kyrgyzstan.

She was literally half my size, a pattern of glittering sequins accented her black hijab. I blasted her with questions in my newly learned Russian, but she motioned to me that she couldn’t speak Russian. I pointed her in the direction of our gate and wandered off the other way to find something to eat.

In the restaurant I noticed her walking by-that’s funny, our gate was in the other direction. I went to the bathroom and bumped into her again as I washed my hands. She gave me a worried look.

Oh, I get it, she can’t find the gate.

Her family must have dropped her off at the airport because she seemed uncomfortable to be traveling alone.

So the Kyrgyz grandma and I went to find our gate together. Her earnestness calmed me down; I was really nervous about traveling alone to Kyrgyzstan!

Sleeping on the ground is supposed to be good for your back, right? Solo camping in Kyrgyzstan.

After some trouble we finally found our gate and soon after we loaded onto the bus to go to the airplane. The bus was overcrowded , but I made sure that grandma got a seat and I stood up next to her, trying not to clobber her with my backpack.

I felt a firm tug and suddenly I found myself, heavy  backpack and all, sitting right in her lap!

Grandma didn’t seem to like the idea of me standing with a backpack while she sat down. I kindly said “nyet, nyet” with a smile, but she insisted. So, my solo  journey to Kyrgyzstan started with me sitting on the lap of a sweet woman literally half my size.

Sure, the people around us shot me some weird glances, but  I didn’t feel so alone anymore. This kind of absurdity actually made me really happy. If this how my experience traveling to Kyrgyzstan was going to begin, then what would happen once I actually arrive?

When we arrived in Bishkek, she  dragged me to meet her children. Their warm greetings just fueled my energy, so we said a warm hello and goodbye and then went our separate ways.

Welcome to Kyrgyzstan! What in the world do I do now?

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Hello and thanks for visiting! I’m Babeesh, a Michigander who loves solo and adventure travel. I spent several years living abroad in France and Norway and now I'm back in freezing cold Michigan. I’m obsessed with eating raclettes and I have had the honor of visiting over 100 countries. Want to learn more? Check out my about me page!

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