Greetings nomads and curious minds! I'm capping off one month in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and wanted to write about what the flight was like and my preparations in coming here.
The 21 Hour Journey
I flew Turkish Airlines from Toronto, Canada to Istanbul, Turkey, then to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I left Toronto at 10:35 pm for a 10 hour flight to Istanbul. After a 6 hour layover at the Ataturk airport, I boarded a second plane to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
I left Toronto on Thursday and arrived in Bishkek on Saturday morning at 5:35 am.
The first 8 hour flight actually flew by (har har). And the layover at the airport was not too bad either. The airport is huge with lots to see and buy. The lounge isn't too shabby either (more on how to get into lounges later).
The airport was quite hot. A good tip would be to wear a t-shirt because it didn't feel like there was air conditioning (although I'm sure there was). The gate to Bishkek was downstairs in a smaller and less busy part of the Ataturk airport. I'd suggest getting your meal and shopping done in the more busy area upstairs before heading down to the Bishkek gate.
ALSO, I could not get any wifi at Ataturk airport other than at a lounge. The airport wifi requires you to have a cell phone number and my Canadian one did not work perhaps because it was not local. This combined with the heat, I beelined for the Primeclass Lounge where the wifi was plentiful and fast. You could also get wifi on Turkish airlines on the plane but you have to pay.
I could immediately tell that I was headed to the right place because the people waiting at the gate looked like local Kyrgyz people. Before we headed out onto a bus, the stewardesses stamped and scanned our tickets. There was no formal line. It was a crowd of people that filters like a funnel. I think this is the local way. The bus took us to the tarmac where we walked onto the plane.
The second leg was more painful. It was nearly midnight Bishkek time when we boarded the flight. For some reason, they kept the lights on and didn't finish serving meals until about 1 hour before we landed (4 am Bishkek time).
I was grateful for the meal but it was strange that the Business class folks got to sleep the whole time.
Upon arrival, Manas airport is small. There are one or two luggage turnstyles. In the luggage area, there is a desk where you can get a taxi into the city (Bishkek). Total walking time (not including waiting for luggage) from airplane to parking is 15 minutes or less. Then from the airport to the city it's about a 30 minute drive on a main road.
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