Travel vlog by Kara and Nate Buchanan documenting an unexpected trip from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan to cover the World Nomad Games as media. The hosts recount meeting a fellow vlogger, applying and being approved as media, short flights and long drives to the Games, arrival in Bishkek (their 82nd country), lodging at a compact hotel near a large lake/resort complex, and attending the opening ceremonies and competitions (including kokboru). The transcript includes local logistics (customs, press conference, volunteer support) and event history: the Kyrgyz government started the World Nomad Games in 2014 to preserve nomadic culture; the inaugural games featured competitors from 19 countries and by this edition had entrants from over 80 countries.
Questions this video answers
They were approved as media for the World Nomad Games.
They arrived in Bishkek, which Nate says was their 82nd country.
2014.
19 countries.
Over 80 countries.
Chapters
It has been a whirlwind of a weekend. We spent 24 hours in Azerbaijan on Friday. 24 hours in Kazakhstan.
Where are we? Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan.
And now we are about to head to the airport to fly to Kyrgyzstan. Three countries that I never thought I would go to, all in 72 hours.
We will be in Kyrgyzstan for more than 24 hours.
Thankfully, Kyrgyzstan is kind of the whole reason that we came to this region of the world world. And we're super excited to share why with you soon after the coffee kicks in.
All right, we made it to the airport, but in order to explain why we're going to Kyrgyzstan, we need to back up to April of this year to when we were in Bali and we met this guy named Richard.
Richard is a travel vlogger and he was telling us this story about how he had applied to be media at this thing called, called the World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan and the World Nomad Games. What we understand is like this competition of nomadic sports and people from all over the world come to compete in. So later that night, on a whim, I just went ahead and sent in my application. Totally forgot about this application that I had sent in. And then a couple months ago, I received an email that said we had been approved as media for the World Nomad Games.
We're still not really sure what that means.
They told us, they told us they would put us up in a hotel, they would give us food and we could cover the games.
So here we are flying to Kurdistan.
I mean, just like, try to wrap your mind around this. A country that we never in our lives thought we would go to. We're just like showing up to having no clue what to expect.
I can't think of a better way to experience Kyrgyzstan than in the wilderness with nomads.
I could not be more excited. There's going to be eagles.
Headless goat. It's going to be fire.
This is where we recorded that video. All right, time to go to the lounge.
Beautiful. This lounge is super weird. You have to pay for everything except for the WI fi.
Our light's boarding, but I stocked up on candy bars with our leftover money.
The local time is 20 minutes to 8pm and now the temperature is 27 degrees above zero centigrade. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for choosing to fly Udora Sana and wish you wonderful stay in Bishkek. We very much look forward to seeing you on board again soon. Goodbye. Thank you for your attention.
Alright, 50 short minutes later, we have arrived in Bishkek our 82nd country.
I think that's the shortest flight we've ever been.
It was like we didn't even get up to cruising altitude before the cabin attendants were coming around and telling everybody to get ready for landing, landing, descending, descending the plane to landing.
Okay, so far so good. We got to go through a special line at customs. We got whisked away to a room with food in it. We've been given these, these gifts. And now we're about to get on a bus and drive four hours to where the games are being held.
The volunteers for the World Nomad Games are the sweetest.
Ladies. Everything is happening so quickly.
It.
Sucks. Oh, I can't move my legs.
After many, many hours of driving in an extremely bumpy van, it is 2:30 in the morning. We have finally arrived somewhere. Oh, it's so cold here.
We just got our hotel room. It's so tiny.
There's literally nowhere for our bags to open.
There's only one outlet for us to charge all of our stuff. Breakfast is at 7am It's 2:45. What are we doing?
We still don't know what's going on. There's a press conference after breakfast.
Okay. Time to go to sleep.
Yeah. Good night.
After about four hours of sleep, we are on a bus heading to a press conference.
Just for the record, we still haven't learned any new information since last night. We still have no idea what we're doing, but I think that's what press conferences are for.
Waiting to get a badge. Get it.
Okay, our first press conference is officially over. Some very important looking people said some important sounding stuff in a different language, and we are none the wiser.
We just sat there.
The only thing that I learned, I think that was helpful is that we are not the only ones who are clueless. It seems like nobody knows what's going on. We're all just going with the flow. I think we're about to go back to like, the hotel complex. I'm gonna just start calling it Olympic City. We're going back to Olympic City.
It is just this big complex that we think was probably built for the Games. I need more coffee.
All right, we'll keep you updated.
We're back. This is world Nomad Village. How cute is my vest?
Prince.
All right, where's your bag?
We're gonna be here for the next seven days. Oh, man.
We're all up there. Okay. Our goal for the next hour is to figure out how to organize six bags of stuff into this tiny living space.
Our Stuff is going on the balcony.
We're gonna have to store half of it outside.
No.
All right.
I think we're getting close.
This is not at all what I expected in Kyrgyzstan. The hotel that we're staying at is right next to this massive lake that's so big you would think it was the ocean. There's waves, you can't see the other side.
A huge beach, water slides.
It's like a resort. There's a Ferris wheel, all kinds of people in bathing suits. Bunch of people dressed up on that boat.
I love the World Nomad game too.
Cool.
All right, it's time to head back to the Hippodrome, which is the place where all the games are happening.
We got to the Hippodrome two hours ago. We were just waiting for the opening ceremonies to start. We've just been watching the tractors go back and forth, getting the hill ready for tonight.
The opening ceremony doesn't start for two more hours, so we thought we would. What we've learned about the Nomad Games, apparently the Kyrgyzstan government started them in 2014 in order to preserve their culture, which I think is so cool, because I feel like a lot of countries only try to move forward and not, like, remember their heritage and where they came from. And like, 100 years ago, everybody here was nomads. I just think that's the coolest.
And it's grown so much in five years. So the very first year in 2014, they had people from 19 different countries competing. And this year they have people from over 80 different countries competing, including two.
Teams from the U.S. they're playing Kokburu, which is the sport that everybody is so excited about. It's basically rugby. Holding a goat's body on top of a horse.
It just sounds like the most insane sport ever. We cannot wait to watch it.
And the waiting continue.
Two more hours.
Dear participants and guests of the opening ceremony of the Third.
World Known Games present of the C. Republic. Jesus.
This is absolutely amazing. All of the men riding on the horses, running so fast, some of them are on their heads, hanging off to the side. It's incredible.
We got so many people.
That was fantastic. However good it looked, multiply it times five, because I'm sure it was impossible to capture. Just like the feeling in this stadium.
Everybody was so passionate about their country. It was so beautiful.
And the horses were absolutely incredible. Incredible. And the guys riding the horses. I've never seen anything like that.
I love Kyrgyzstan.
This has made me so excited for this week.
I think it was coffee. I thought it was like a splash of coffee. Then they're volung down.
It's been a long day. Okay, take it with us.
Wow.
So banging. We have to go to Brazil.
Sonic.
Right now, it's what we're looking most for.
Using a ball as a goat, Using.
A boat as a ball. A goat as a ball.
That too.
Taking a break from Snickers, trying to tweak south.
