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Communications
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Telephone
It is possible to
make international phone calls from post offices marked "Kyrgyz
telecom".
From these places you can also send international faxes relatively
cheaply (note that you are charged by the minute and not by the page).
The process of placing an international call may seem a bit daunting to
the uninitiated, but really it is quite simple. First, go up to
the counter / window marked "касса", and tell
them what country you are going to call and how many minutes you want to speak.
They will tell you how much that costs, and after you give them that amount,
they will assign you a booth. From the booth, you may place your
call (there are generally instructions in Russian, Kyrgyz and
English on how to dial internationally), and talk for as many minutes as
you have paid for. At the end of your call
you return to the kassa and collect your change.
You can also make
international calls from some internet cafes, where the cost can be as
low as 5 som / minute to call to the US or UK.
Internet
There are numerous internet cafes around Bishkek; keeping in touch
through e-mail will not be a problem. Look for a sign that says "ИНТЕРНЕТ".
Most places charge around 30 som / hour (~$0.80), plus extra for
downloading information (charged per megabyte).
Mail Services
As with much of the former Soviet Union, the postal service is
notoriously slow and unreliable both into and out of Kyrgyzstan.
It is essentially impossible to send a package out of Kyrgyzstan.
FedEx and DHL services are available, but these are extremely
expensive--a half-kilo parcel to the US would run around US$30-50.
The main post office (Главный почтампт)
is located on the southeast corner of Prospect Chui and Ul. Sov'etskaya.
Look for the big clock tower and the sign reading "KYRGYZTELECOM".
There are also two branches on Prospect Chui.
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