TOKTOGUL PARK

This park located along the river seems to serve as a spillway for the bazaar which is just a stone's throw away. It is very lively, the chaikhanas are full almost all day long, and one can join the chess players in hard games. The other stands are classics of Central Asia: rifle shooting, merry-go-rounds, punching-ball... The chaikhanas in the central square mainly serve ice cream, pastries and cold drinks. Set back, under the trees, others have paid more attention to comfort by having attractive sofas and serving compound dishes like simple chachlyks all day long. In the evening, the stands are full until 10pm, with groups of friends, young couples in love, lost tourists, aksakals and babushkas watching the time go by without getting tired of it for a second! In the centre, a Yak 40 seems to be stranded at the top of the waterfalls, and attracts all the kids in the park who regularly test the strength of its wings. This is the version, repainted in blue, and now harmless, of the old Yakovlevs that once linked Bishkek to Osh: a tight flight between the mountains. The only reassuring thing to know as you climbed in is that only Afghanistan veterans were able to fly them! It was scrapped some time ago and replaced by much safer Boeing. The park is a good place to feel the general atmosphere of the city while breathing a breath of fresh air along the river.