Buying snow Bishkek

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Buying snow Bishkek

Bishkek brims with shopping outlets. From large shopping malls to tiny kiosks and its traditional bazaars, from antiques to the latest fashions, this guide hopes to introduce you to some of the best opportunities that students on SRAS programs in Bishkek have found! Globus many locations all over town or Alma in TsUM have the largest selection of food in western style supermarket formats. For a discount store, try Narodniy or Fix Price. For vegetarian and health foods, try Ecoland just across the street from London School or Goin , a Chinese market where you can buy tofu, soy sauce, produce, and lots of loose-leaf teas. For any other tips on eating and shopping meat-free in Bishkek, check here. See our Packing Guide for things you should bring with you. For higher-end clothing and shoes, try boutiques nestled into the colonnade near Ala-Too square. Asia Mall is also a new, westernized mall with a luxury Frunze grocery store on the bottom floor and many nicer shops above. Dordoi Plaza is a fairly new and upscale mall. The bazaars are favorites of the locals for having generally higher quality products at lower prices. They tend to offer just about everything — from fresh produce and meat to electronics, clothing, and construction materials. They are also considerably removed from what most westerners are used to in terms of consumer culture and thus make for unique cultural experiences for students as well. If you want to hone your bargaining skills, head to Osh Bazaar or Orto-Sai Bazaar which offer a whole bunch of things: clothes, shoes, cheap plastic goods, DVDs that may or may not be pirated, and souvenirs. The Planeta Elektroniki has some electronics and offers computer repair. There are several small electronic stores in Vefa and TsUM has almost a whole floor devoted to electronics. There is an authorized Apple retailer in town too. For everyday electronic needs phone chargers, USB cords, power strips , large grocery stores and most bazaars will have everything for your more basic needs. For kitchen appliances and home electronics try stores like grocery stores like Globus, the aforementioned Planeta Elektroniki, or you guessed it the bazaars. There are cheaper Russian-language books on the fourth floor of TsUM. Having fallen in love with the local culture, you are bound to want to take something tangible home to show your friends and family who likely know next to nothing of this small but incredible country. Head to Osh Bazaar for best prices and selection. Today I decided that I needed to experience something that I have long wanted to. Today I decided to go to my first real bazaar in Central Asia, and frankly, in the entire world. As a little boy, like anyone else, I had musings of traveling to the orient, filled with far-away people speaking strange languages, hustling and bustling, selling, bartering and buying anything they could. I imagined this electricity in the air and constant movement. It also does not have a proper street address. This is not so uncommon in Kyrgyzstan and most of the locals do not find this strange. My worries were all short-lived, because everything I saw superseded my expectations. I left the dorms at around one, and snow was falling from the sky. There was a slight breeze that caused the snow to fall diagonally, which for some reason added to the theatricality and excitement I felt. I hopped a cab right outside school and told him where I wanted to go. After a quick ride over, I noticed the closer and closer we got to the bazaar, the more and more people I was seeing. I was excited. I paid the fare, hopped out and headed toward the bazaar. The first thing I immediately noticed was the temperature. There was everything here, and it was everything that I imagined. From traditional Uzbek clothing, to traditional Kyrgyz rugs, to Kyrgyz military surplus gear, to power tools, to a seemingly endless emporium of dried fruits and foods where everyone was trying to get you to buy what they were selling. And this was only in the first few minutes of me being there. These people are tough, and I love that. There are elderly women who work selling items at the bazaar and probably stand outside all day in the weather, even if it is 5 degrees or slightly warmer. It is an entirely fast-paced experience. People are constantly pushing past you trying to get where they need to get to. This was not grocery shopping as we imagine it in the West, where we go to an immaculate super market, with relaxing music playing, where we have ample amounts of personal space and everything we purchase is wrapped in some sort of sterile container. Not in the slightest. This is way more fun. There is a constant struggle inside the bazaar. Heck, I felt like I was in a competition just walking through there, and I loved it. It is a labyrinth of narrow corridors and walkways, each with different sections that had their own sections within them that fanned out like the delta of a river, which led into other sections and corridors of their own. I felt slightly out of place, so I started walking quicker than I would normally, being the only male there. I decided to just head back the way I came with my tail between my legs. After I realized finding direction was futile, I decided to just pick a direction and walk straight until I found an exit. This worked. After hopping another cab with a friendly cabbie named Osman, I studied the nice little rugs I bought. In all honesty, I felt like a kid again. I felt like Marco Polo or some explorer who decided to go and spend time in the orient. Today was a good day. There are two major bazaars in Bishkek, Osh and Dordoi. Both are to the north, but Dordoi is farther from the London School though also much larger. I never made it to Dordoi in my time in Bishkek, but Osh has everything you need when looking for souvenirs. Stands with bread and other food, covered by umbrellas, line the street. You have to walk past fruit and clothing stands to find the aisles with souvenirs. Everything in Osh is loosely clustered by the type of item food, clothes, home improvement items, military gear, etc. Many souvenir stands are together, but their clusters are spread across many aisles. Osh Bazaar has the cheapest souvenirs in town. You can find tons of different magnets, keychains, and other trinkets. You can also purchase traditional clothing and felt carpets or wallhangings. There are traditional keepsakes like postcards, and more unusual ones like horse whips. If you like collecting patches, the military section has all kinds of patches and even some Soviet pins. For history buffs, Soviet hats can also be found at Osh. Besides the sheer number of gifts to peruse, another benefit to Osh is the option to haggle. Keep in mind that not all stands are open on all days — and seem to keep their own schedules. I went back on a Monday to finish up buying gifts, and only one stand with souvenirs was open. I stumbled across the top floor of Tsum by pure chance. My friend and I decided to shop around Tsum because we were in the area, and we found that the entire top floor is dedicated to souvenirs. Tsum is easier to get to than Osh and far more relaxed, but everything is generally more expensive. Like at Osh, the stands in Tsum have an abundance of keychains, magnets, and other yurt-themed curios. The women working the stands will often pick up something and point out that it is in the shape of or sports a yurt. Anything that is made of felt can be purchased for less at Osh, such as boxes, hats, or slippers. Tsum has a couple stands of Soviet things. Where Osh mostly has Soviet military gear, Tsum has everything from pins to artwork to household items. At these stands, you can also find interesting things like work from modern artists. Regardless of where you end up going for souvenirs in Bishkek, there are plenty of small, affordable keepsakes. I ended up giving my younger cousins leftover som, and most of my relatives received a magnet. But I still had fun going around the city and sifting through the stands that were chock full of colorful mementos. Dordoi Bazaar is a sprawling complex of mostly clothing and textile sellers working under a massive metal roof perched upon walls made of old shipping containers. Located about 8 kilometers north of the city center, Dordoi is a bit out of the way. However, for a truly local experience and some of the best prices on clothing, it is a recommended outing. Dordoi can be reached by taxi, will take about minutes from London School depending on the time of day and how much traffic there is. The bazaar can also be reached via bus or marshrutka. On a sunny Monday morning, I and few friends caught a taxi to the massive bazaar, considered the largest in Central Asia, where we could walk around and explore and maybe even find some cool souvenirs. You will know when you arrive as the traffic intensifies in the immediate areas surrounding the bazaar. Our taxi driver told us it would be faster if we simply got out and walked as we reached its busy outskirts. He was right. We exited the taxi and walked around meters to an entrance to the bazaar. Walking into the bazaar you will immediately see rows and rows of stacked containers for as far as the eye can see. Most of the containers are double stacked with storage on the top and a small booth selling items below. The containers are masterfully stacked in a wondrous configuration and connected with a metal roof overhead that protects you from the elements. It is truly a one of a kind experience. In terms of finding things around the bazaar, I did not have any ideas as to where to start so I simply started walking. The Dordoi Bazaar serves as a distribution hub for many other bazaars throughout Kyrgyzstan, the rest of Central Asia, and beyond. Goods are often sent here and then resold at wholesale and carried out again. I walked for an hour and was able to find all sorts of different kinds of clothes, from traditional Kyrygz attire to western suit coats. Dordoi has a full selection of clothes, jeans, t-shirts, shoes of all kinds, socks, and accessories ranging from belts and bags to basic jewelry. Some areas are packed with people and carts moving en masse, people buying and selling, and even kids playing. Other parts of the bazaar are nearly silent and occupied by only single shop vendors and their wares. There are also food carts sporadically making their way through the crowd as well as drink vendors. As a word of advice, I received word from some of the locals before-hand to avoid eating at Dordoi because it does not have great sanitation facilities. The bazaar is great for clothing, but only eat there if you have a mighty strong stomach. In the parts of the bazaar that are busy, you will often notice people with giant carts often packed to the brim with goods. It is also possible to practice your Russian by negotiating with the vendors — this is often expected. The Dordoi Bazaar is a great place to visit because it is something you can really only experience in person. The bazaar comes alive with people in what feels like a never ending maze of stacked containers and clothing. It is easy to get lost and is fun to explore. I left the bazaar with a really cool experience but no physical souvenirs because I was not in the market for clothes at the time, but Dordoi would make a great place to find a extra sweater, pair of jeans, or even a new belt if you find the need for one while in Bishkek! Just two miles south of the city center, the Orto-Sai bazaar is well known by locals for being one of the best bazaars to buy fresh ingredients from, especially sour cream, melons, and berries. It also has a wonderful weekend flea-market with great antiques, souvenirs, and especially books! The bazaar has two parts, each with its own schedule. The central part is open 8 AM to 8 PM all week. This part of the bazaar is located on the sidewalks just outside of the central bazaar and is formed when locals lay out a blanket and put whatever they are willing to sell on top of it, set out a chair or squat and wait. They have books in all different languages about all sorts of things. It really makes you wonder how these things ended up here. Remember to barter at Orto-Sai bazaar! Especially with clothing from the central part of the bazaar, a good rule of thumb is to look at the price and offer half. They intentionally price things higher expecting people to negotiate and bargain them down. Rather, most of the time they are fun, and you can always say no thanks and walk away with no problems. Bartering for the antiques on weekends can be a little more stressful, but is doubly necessary. Here, you want to pay a fair price but if they notice you are a foreigner, some of the vendors will ask for prices far above the value and drive a hard bargain. Around you will be more hustle and bustle than usual and may take place on a busy sidewalk. Use common sense as there are no hard and fast rules for antiques, but know that the first offer will almost always be on the high end. For food, the prices are not very high so bargaining here is not done as often. However, they will often let you sample their products happily to make sure you are getting what you want. Perhaps most challenging is finding the right volume, as you will often need to ask for a certain number of grams for the seller to put in the bag. This is not something that most Americans are used to. However, you can usually ask for a bag to fill yourself if you prefer. The Orto-Sai bazaar should be one of the first bazaars you visit during your time in Bishkek as it has so much to offer and help you get settled with common things that you might need. The people are friendly and helpful, it is great to explore, and offers a unique insight into bazaar culture and local life. Visiting on the weekends is a must but visiting during the week can be just as fun. To get there, you can take a cab, bus, or marshutka, and be there in under 25 minutes when coming from one of the central districts. Dordoi Plaza opened in Bishkek about a year ago. Bishkek has seen several new malls opened in the past couple of years. As a new mall, it has attracted quite a crowd. Also increasingly common in Kyrgyzstan and across Eurasia are events that showcase Chinese culture. As Chinese investment has spread, China has also invested in cultural diplomacy and often supports such events. The event was highly interactive and included several giveaways. Giving away free items is something that we see much more of in the US. In part, that is probably what made this event so successful. It was busy the entire time I was at the mall, which was over the course of a few hours. They were going quickly. Other tables were set up with stations where you could design and paint your own lantern, paint a Chinese character using stencils, and try on traditional Chinese outfits. While people were checking out these activities, an event host was making announcements from a stage at the front of the event. He introduced each new performer and raffled off prizes. Performances included singers singing in Russian, Kyrgyz, and Chinese. These showed famous Beijing landmarks and information about them. At some point I decided that I really wanted a picture in traditional Chinese clothing. Some of the people running the event helped me to properly put on the outfit and headpiece. One of the event staff then came to photograph me. I was instructed as to how to pose and he said the only condition was that I smile widely. After trying this on, I spoke to another event worker who had one of the Charming Beijing bags hanging from her shoulder. She was would give me a bag if I told her what I liked most about the event. I liked that it was a cultural event and I thought that trying on the traditional Chinese outfit was the best part. She gave me the bag and I inspected its contents, which turned out to be tourism pamphlets. Interestingly, half were in Russian, and the other half in English. A Russian pamphlet covered places to visit in Beijing, including a subway map and routes to visit them. Another explained how to get a VAT tax refund after shopping in Beijing. The English pamphlets included sites inside and outside of Beijing. Another covered medical tourism for Chinese traditional medicine. The last told about religious sites and popular tourist attractions. Although I had never considered going to Beijing as a tourist before, this event did make me much more interested in traveling to Beijing to explore its culture and historical sites. Kyrgyzstan also has a population of Uighur Muslim and is itself a majority-Muslim nation. Despite these geopolitical tensions, however, the local Kyrgyz in mall seemed to be enjoying the well-organized, eye-catching, and very friendly cultural event. She is studying Russian and Central Asian culture in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for five weeks this summer. She aims to improve her Russian in an immersive environment, to explore a lesser-known country that is bursting with beautiful scenery, and to understand better how our beautiful planet works and how people live their lives each day. She intends to explore as much of our world as possible! View all posts by: Daphne Letherer. View all posts by: Nick Cappuccino. Contents hide. Posts not found. Share on Social Media.