Bishkek

Bishkek is the capital of Kyrgyzstan

Hitching out

North to Kazakhstan

The main road towards the border from Bishkek runs north from the Ala Medina Bazaar, but nearly all drivers stopping along this road are going only to local villages and, what is more, demand money. An easy option is to take a a cheap shared taxi from the Eastern Bus Station to Korday, the Kazakh town on the border. The shared taxi will drop you off before the border, which you can then cross on foot. From Korday, you can easily hitch on to Shymkent or Almaty, or to other directions in Kazakhstan through those cities.