16th of November, 2023.
Hitchhiking in Kyrgyzstan.
Google says that it is about 16 hours driving to Osh. It is only 600Km but almost all the way is through the mountains, so the roads are quite tortuous.
I don’t know exactly what I am thinking. Will I get a lift straight to Osh? Will I get there today? After that direct lift from Karaganda all the way to Almati, I believe in everything. Besides, if I don’t arrive today in Osh, my students will understand that at least I tried.
The driver of a mini-bus try to charge me more for the trip. I told him I only have 11 Soms. I don’t think he was trying to tricks me, no. It is another bus number than the one I was planning to take (perhaps that’s why the different price), but it was saying the same thing on the board of the bus. When I ask the driver about my bus stop, he tells me to get in, but once I was inside and told him I had only the 11 Soms, he didn’t let me get out when I try it, so I think he was just being nice.
He drops me further away than my bus stop. Not a problem per se but I just needed to figure out where to start hitchhiking.
A car stops. A lovely young man is going to work. He offers to drive me a bit further away and I accept anyway. There is a left turn, just before a town called Kala-Balta, and from there my chances are much better, because from there it is a straight way to Osh. That’s the reason why I am whiling to get small lift until I get to the turn.
This very nice young man is extremely surprised about my journey. He offers to drive me all the way to Kala-Balta. I try to refuse but he insists. He says it is fine and he wants to help me. How kind!
Some cars pass by but nobody is stopping. All of a sudden, a white mini-van stops and the driver ask me where I am going. I show him my sign and his expression seem to be saying that he is not going there. I am talking with a truck driver when he comes back and tells me he was mistaken: He is going to Osh! What? Yeah, baby! He is going ALL THE WAY to Osh! Yupi!
This nice man is travelling with his two young boys back home, in Osh. They are coming from the Airport. I can barely believe it!
We get some really bad weather for quite a long time. Lots of snow and everybody driving very slowly. After that, the way it is absolutely mesmerizing!
What a beautiful country Kyrgyzstan is! They do have 94% of its surface covered in mountains! Now I believe! Actually, what ever type of mountains you want, they got it! From tall and fatty mountains to small hills. Is it different colours that you want? They got it! And my favourite type is the light brown colours, with little snow on top, which look just like this English cake we have in Brazil, with icing sugar on top. Yummy!
Mountains and more mountains. Lines and lines of mountains, one after another. Unstoppable range of mountains. I love it!
We pass by the Toktogul Reservoir. Wow! It is so beautiful! I haven’t seen IzzyKul but this one is gorgeous! I wish we had stopped so I could take some photos.
He buys some Kurt and we keep snacking on that all the way. I eat some of my fruits and a sandwich I made in Bishkek. There is Kyrgyz music playing all the way and I think that it is pretty cool: a proper Kyrgyz trip.
There are many containers spread all over the way. Single and solitaire containers, or a few together in some ghost container villages. And they are all strong, sharp colours, like blue sky or turquoise.
We arrive in a small town around 8 p.m. If I am not mistaken, it is Guzar, located about one hour from Osh.
When we call my student, Aisel, she tells the driver to get a taxi and she will pay once we arrive at her house. I refuse! I tell her that the driver can help me to hitchhike and get in a car for free. She accepts and so he starts trying. In about only 3 minutes, a car stops and the driver accepts to take me to Osh.
Let’s just talk about this for one moment. In Brazil, and most of countries in the world, we have this idea that, countries in Central Asia are, first of all, Arabic countries, and that they are extremely dangerous, full of terrorist and criminals. The simplest idea of going there would be already crazy, but travelling by hitchhiking, as a female solo traveller? Suicide. Now, here I am, at night, getting a lift with an unknown man, and then he picks up another two guys from the road, who also want to go to Osh. To almost everybody in this planet, this would be a very stupid thing to do, a suicide mission. Perhaps even these men are thinking: what the hell is she doing? But do you know what I see and feel? In my own country, we would never do such a thing. People don’t ask for lifts to go from here to there. And definitely not for free. They don’t trust. Perhaps they are right. Perhaps they are wrong. Perhaps nobody would harm anyone if we just start trusting in each other, helping each other. What I can say for sure is: I felt safe with those guys. The driver helped me to contact Aisel and drove me all the way to her home. I felt safe in Kyrgyzstan. Safe enough to travel at night by hitchhiking, knowing in my heart that nothing bad would happen to me. Perhaps that is the truth to any country in the world.
10 Years Around the World 