Getting around by train Bichkek

Kyrgyzstan, which is very mountainous, is rather poorly served by the railway network. A single inland line crosses the country from east to west through Bishkek: it stops in Balykchy on the shores of Lake Issyk Kul, and goes as far as Kazakhstan if you take it west. But the trains are slow, tend to make incursions into various countries to get from one point to another and are not known for their comfort. The main international destination is of course Moscow, connected to Bishkek three to four times a week.