Train to Balykchy
Are you looking to travel differently this summer? Kyrgyz Railways is here to serve you on a relaxing train journey through the countryside. Experience the country from your cabin window with views of the Tian-Shan mountain range and the Chu river that separates the great republics of Kyrgyzstan from Kazakhstan. For just a low price of 150 soms, you can ride in style on a five hour journey from Bishkek to Balykchy.
I would be surprised if my persuasiveness was enough to make you purchase a ticket five minutes before the trains scheduled departure time. This was the type of decision making I got my friends into on an early weekend morning. It was a chance to explore another town on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. The town of Balykchy. The Kyrgyz word which means fisherman.
I had never been on a true passenger train before. Only those Thomas the Tank Engine rides that circle the theme parks. However, those childhood moments at the theme parks had me incredibly motivated to ride my first actual train. I spent hours online looking at departure times for the right train. It didn’t really matter that the website was translated from Russian to English, the whole spreadsheet of departure times was a mess. I was a bit skeptical of the information I pieced together from the spreadsheets but I decided to trust the time and stick with it. I just needed to catch the 7:30am train and I would be on my way.
A few of my friends had agreed to join me for the adventure the night before. 6:30am rolled around and no body was actually awake but myself and my friend John. I went to the store to fill up on water and snacks for the ride while John made sure everyone was getting up. Sure enough 7:15am rolled around and everyone was quick to pack their bags knowing we had fifteen minutes to board. A race against time ensued with the nearest train station being a twenty minute walk from the dormitory. We started running down the street passing by the early birds who were probably questioning our motives at this time of day. A few elderly gentlemen took part in our race shouting,“Begi bystreye!” in Russian. “Run faster!” Sure enough the 7:30am departure time was true. I could see the green passenger cabins through the thin patch of trees separating the road from the tracks. It was laughable hearing the locomotive and thinking it might depart without us. Out of breathe and in need of water, we managed to purchase our tickets at the booth with just five minutes to spare. I don’t even think Francis Bourgeois, the famous train enthusiast on social media would have been as motivated as I was to make it on board. Yet, thats exactly who I felt like once I was on the train.
Bishkek-2 Rail Station which first opened in 1938
TE10 is a family of diesel locomotives. The engines used in Kyrgyzstan were most likely built in the late 1970’s.
Bishkek views from the train
The interior of this particular passenger cabin is fairly simple. The right side of the cabin has individual tables while the left side has open booths with two beds located above. The seats provide enough cushioning and the top section of the booth window opens inward.
The conductor came around to offer food and cold drinks a few moments after departure. I bought a peach drink which was half frozen and consisted of at least eighty grams of sugar. I think I drank no more than a few teaspoons.
Kant Train Station
Tokmok Station. The railway was extended to this town in the early 1940’s.
The mountains of Kazakhstan in the distance
My friend getting a better look at Kazakhstan
Most of the agriculture in the country is located around Bishkek. A majority of the crop appears to be corn.
Bystrovka Station. This is the last stop before passing through the Boom Gorge.
A bus stop built to look like a Kalpak. A traditional Kyrgyz hat worn by men.
The Chu River
Passing through the Boom Gorge. The train operates its route to the lakeside town every day during the warmer months before the gorge becomes too dangerous to pass through via train. The tracks run alongside the A365 highway which is basically the only route between Bishkek and Lake Issyk-Kul.
The clouds above the gorge opened up leaving the bathroom inside the train a complete mess. The window had been left open causing the rainwater to cover the entirety of the bathroom. Little did I know this was just a small foreshadowing of what was really to come.
Our train arrived at Rybachye station in Balykchy right around lunch time. Perfect timing for a stomach filled with a few pieces of bread and sugared drinks. For some reason Yandex does not provide services this far from Bishkek. Luckily a few taxi drivers were posted up in the parking lot of the station. We asked a driver to take us to a main street in hopes of looking for a place to eat.
Our driver dropped us off in front of a restaurant we picked out of chance.
We sat down inside a small restaurant with maybe twelve tables. Two of which were occupied by a younger family. The order was made easy. Laghman all around with a pot of black tea to share. Laghman is a Uighur dish consisting of noodles, vegetables, and your choice of meat. I’m no critic but this plate was perfect. Perfect. Everything…down to the last minute details. For this reason the name of the restaurant shall remain a secret. Only the most worthy of individuals shall be granted its name….Just kidding I actually forgot the name but I could find it in person again.
After finishing up our Laghman, we started our exploration of the town. Luckily for us, the rain clouds had retreated into the gorge. The town was formally named Rybachye, the Russian word for fishing. During the Soviet Union the town was known for its fishing economy. Today its seen as a decaying town offering nothing but a place for tourists to fill up on gas while visiting the Issyk-Kul region. I view the opposite. While growing old in appearance, it remains a lively destination. Especially in the summer time. There are many activities along the lake. People here are friendly and understand the value of helping each other through difficult times. I believe the town will make a comeback in the near future. It wont be because of fishing but rather something related to tourism.
Lenin statue placed in a school courtyard
Calisthenics everywhere we go
Al’ Amin Mosque
This large factory is the tallest structure in the city. We thought maybe it would be possible to explore inside, however, the local communication providers use it as a cell tower. In Soviet times, the factory was most likely used to process fish and other commodities before being placed in a rail car and sent to Bishkek.
A plaque found inside an old administration building for the seaport/factory. The top reads, “For our Soviet homeland! Issyk-Kul Shipping Company Employees. Participants of the Great Patriotic War.”
“For peace. For the happiness of peoples on planet Earth!”
The shipping port once operated two cranes. One of which was commandeered by Bald and Bankrupt himself in one of his episodes. Today, the port looks like a great place to weld scrap metal together. At least that was the only activity I saw going on inside.
A public beach with an entry fee of 100 soms shares the shoreline with the port. A group of gentlemen listening to 50 Cent on the radio had noticed our entry and invited us over to talk. We had about an hour to spend before catching the departing train to Bishkek so we bought a round of Baltika brew and exchanged a couple of laughs with our new friends.
The clouds rolled back over the lake once more with the frequent sounds of thunder signaling that our time in Balykchy was coming to an end. We said our goodbyes with a couple of group photos and followed the tracks back to the station.
TEM2 Diesel-electric Locomotive built in the 70s
Russian Orthodox church
Our new friends from the beach, Djoki and Belek, happened to drive by and offered to drive us to the station. We managed to pack six people inside this Lada. No easy task.
There was only one small problem. Two men were standing at the entrance of the station to tell us the bad news. The departing train to Bishkek was closed for three days due to a massive mudslide in the Boom Gorge. The tracks were completely covered. We hopped back into the Lada and drove to the bus station only to receive news that the highway was shutdown for at least four hours. Thousands of people were looking for a way back to Bishkek. Our only option was to wait it out in the restaurants but most places were running out of food with the sudden influx of tourists. Luckily a small classroom sized restaurant away from most of the commotion was still serving. Our friends even gave us a few apricots from their garden to eat before our plates of Laghman were served. Two or so hours went by and we received word that the highway was beginning to open back up. We pulled up near a group of drivers offering to take us in their private van. The price negotiations were quick thanks to Belek and Djoki. We only paid around sixty dollars.
The ride back took around ten hours. Five hours longer than usual due to the sudden halt in traffic. The traffic halts lasted up to forty minutes at a time. People started turning off their vehicles to walk down the highway like it was some sort of festival. Everyone would run back to their vehicle once the cars started to move like it was 24 hours at LeMans. It was obvious that some cars may have paid their way to have the police escort them on the other side of the highway to skip the traffic. People were definitely upset about that.
We finally reached the site of the mudslides and saw dozens of trucks transporting dirt out of the gorge. Surrounded by dirt and mud was the very same mosque I had seen earlier from the train. It was practically untouched. How about that!
Shout out to Belek Ermkov and Djoki for all of the help. I will see you this summer my friend!