Kyrgyzstan

Whilst Uzbekistan had been very interesting, and exotic, in a man-made way with its Mosques and Medressa's, a lot of the group had been looking forward to Kyrgyzstan because of its stunning natural beauty and the opportunity to get close to it.

The border crossing was relatively easy, with our new guide Begaim appearing like Lara Croft to save the day from the officious border guards. The truck made it through in record time, although the driver had to wait to get his visa, therefore the rest of us got to know some local children who pointed out which berry's were good to eat, and Steve made friends with a lady in one of the border shops in order to get some hot water for tea and coffee whilst we waited, all very civilised!

What struck us all immediately was the friendliness of the people, Jason and Jordan were already being hugged by some very friendly locals as we stopped to change money, and then when we had our first bush camp that evening, the farmer came along and cleared the cow dung away from our camp area for us! This theme was to continue all through Kyrgyzstan as we have been waved at and greeted with “hellos” by young and old alike.

Our first stop was Arslanbob for a home stay for a night and a hike in a 11,000 hectare walnut forest. According to the Lonely Planet (or Lying Planet as it is fondly known) it is the largest walnut forest on earth. Begaim led most of the group for a swift 10km walk (according to Lorri and Cal's trusty GPS) through the forest and the village. It was lovely walking through the relatively cool temperatures of the walnut grove after being in heat and desert for the last few countries.

Walnut forest walk

I want that Lada

Green doggy house

The outstanding memory for most of us of these home stays, of which there would be a few, was the lovely food and friendly hosts. One house on this occasion also got entertained by a mother cat and her three gorgeous kittens through dinner (and breakfast the next morning). It was hard to convince Louise that the truck did not need a kitten, and her bags were checked thoroughly before leaving.

Bishkek is the capital of Kyrgyzstan and our next stop for the night. It is a large city with a Russian/Soviet feel about it, and therefore not as beautiful as those we have seen previously. People used the opportunity to collect any last cold weather gear that they were missing as we were warned that we were about to get cold.

After travelling on roads, which compared to those in Uzbekistan, were lovely and flat, we stopped for some white water rafting on the way to Issyk-Kol, the second highest alpine lake in the world. Most of the group decided to face the grade 2+ rapids (according to our very official certificates) and were captained down stream by some Russians who on first impressions seemed serious Putinesque characters, but turned out to be quite fun, encouraging both boats to splash each other as much as possible when they came close and allowing Daniel to face-plant... sorry I mean backflip into the water near the end.

Ready for rafting

Paddles up!

We had two bush camps overlooking Issyk-Kol, one on the side of a near-by mountain and the other on the lake shore.

Many scenic drives in Kyrgyzstan

Bush camp in the mountains

We were once again reminded of the random nature of bush camping whilst camping on the near-by mountain about 20mins from the nearest village and an hour from the nearest town, when out of nowhere a taxi arrived. Our guide was scaling a mountain at the time with Jason and Nico, and was therefore unable to translate, but the taxi driver said hello to us all, shook our hands and sat down to wait... about 10 minutes later a man appeared on the horizon. Apparently he had called the taxi, after a swift game of charades we established he had walked over the mountains where he had been shooting goats (or possibly deer?! But thankfully not our guide, Jason or Nico). After another round of hellos and goodbyes, the man who had walked over the mountain hopped in his taxi and zoomed off. I guess Calypso acted as a handy landmark.

Issyk-Kol is approximately 170km long by 70km wide and is bordered one side by Kazakhstan and the other by snow capped mountains. We arrived by the lake late morning, and were therefore able to relax and enjoy the sunshine. Our guide immediately and very quietly went for a dip in the lake, she showed grace and not a twitch to show how cold the lake was. Later when the remainder of the group went for a swim, I am sure that the border guards on the Kazak side heard the screams. Great fun was had by all. The group were also excited to see an otter swimming through the lake.

Another bush camp

Blow-up mattress

Rafting awards

More rafting awards

Dave caught the moon

Begaim explaining the petroglyphs

Sailors at the petroglyphs

Cal

Begaim

Dave & T-Money pointing out the petroglyphs

After a relaxing afternoon and relatively late start we drove to Karakol, the largest town on the shores of Issyk-Kol and home to one of the few Chinese Muslim populations in Kyrgyzstan, which meant that the food in Karakol was slightly spicier and a little different from that is the remainder of Kyrgyzstan. Karakol also has an amazing coffee shop which sells buckets (well large glasses) of iced latte and home cooked brownies. I believe Teresa might have had three lattes in one day, but that is just a rumour. Our main reason for being in Karakol was to leave trusty Calypso and travel to Altyn Arashan a mountain location with hot sulphurous springs on some 16 seater ex-military jeeps.

It became clear as we bounced and slid up the 4WD tracks that the jeeps were necessary as 2.5hrs later we arrived a little bumped and only slightly bruised at our hostel for the next two nights. Tina, Teresa, Mel, Louise and Luke took advantage of the hot springs on the night of arrival and Luke even dipped himself in the ice-cold stream afterwards. The girls were happy to enjoy the hot springs.

Old Russian truck

The other Old Russian Truck

Altyn Arashan

The next morning at 6am, most of the group set off for what would be an 11.5hr hike to an alpine lake high in the mountains above Altyn Arashan, led by Begaim and Nico. The views on the walk were well worth the tired legs the day after, and the antics of the local marmot population kept them entertained whilst walking. Steve and Wayne were also lucky enough to enjoy the hospitality of a local who invited them in for tea, home made jam and some vodka. Needless to say that when the group returned the hot springs were very busy and much appreciated.

Those who chose not to do the extreme walk, enjoyed hiking along the river valley which also offered some amazing scenery and beautiful clean air. All in all it was an active day for the group, who all slept well that night.

Going up

Sexy Wayne

Sexy Bruce

Almost half-way rest stop

We're going there!

Sexy Wayne

Panorama with Bruce

Boys having a rest just after half-way

Let's check the map

Looking down on a 3500masl frozen lake.  What a view!

Following our trip to Altyn Arashan, we bush camped for three nights in Jety Ouguz (Seven Bulls) in the Valley of the Flowers near some yurt camps and by an alpine stream with opportunities to hike and horse ride. The only way in is by five wooden bridges which although Calypso could cross, it is better for everyone to be off for the crossing, therefore each bridge we got off, and watched Calypso creep her way across the bridges. 

The Seven Bulls cliffs

Will it hold?

The horses believe so...

Steve, Wayne & Lorri relaxing

Horse riding

Jordan

The things that made our stay at Jety Ouguz special was the spit roast sheep which Mikkel, Nico and Teresa and Cook Group 4 (Luke, Lorri, Bruce and Mel) tended throughout the day (once it had been despatched, butchered and delivered) so that we had an excellent dinner to go with the fancy dress party that we had all been looking forward to.

Dinner on the way

Have you done this before?

Power tools in the kitchen

Sand mats have multiple uses!

Local boys

Dave was the fire guy in Kyrgyzstan

We had picked names out of a hat as far back as Bishkek and had to spend no more than $5 on our intended victim... sorry fellow passenger. It was all to be done in secret and the bazaars at Karakol saw some very strange purchases it seems.

Lou and Begaim in fancy dress

Dave (aka Tina) and Luke

Mel with a fashionable hat, and Ma

Wayne is?

Hehe… Jason is a baby

Captain Kyrgyz and ?

Our fairy godmothers

Pyromaniac

Naughty as

Sexy beast Jordan

Let's destroy this lamb - Steve is hungry!

Dave encouraging the pyro

Whaaaoh!

Not sure who looks better in a dress?

I think the photos speak for themselves, but needless to say, a great night was had by all, and a number of the boys (Dave, Jason, Jordan, Luke and Daniel) realised that just because you wear a dress doesn't mean you instantly walk or sit like a lady! I think some of the local children who joined us for the party and took the fancy dress in their stride may have struggled to make themselves believed when they got home that night!

There were a number of sore heads the next morning, and it didn't help that a horse with a bell round it's neck woke most of us up at 6.15am as it grazed through the camp, making sure it stood next to nearly all of the tents to ensure it's inhabitants got the full benefit of the bell. The group divided its time either sitting soaking up the sun, hiking or horse riding, lead by one of the local nomads. It was lovely to stop and take breath in a beautiful location for a couple of days, but we were all ready to move on to our final main destination in Kyrgyzstan, Son-Kol, an alpine lake at 3,000m above sea level.

Lunch!

After stocking up on food in the dusty town of Kochkor, the group attended a felt making demonstration. Some of them, especially Lorri who has a keen interest in all things fabric helped beat and stamp on the wool to make the felt. The end piece (for those who can't guess) shows a mountain scene with a yurt, some flowers and a couple of marmots fighting (thanks to Dave)...

Our lovely felt maker expressed some rather extreme views about us travelling and staying in Son-Kol for three nights, mostly making clear that we would be very cold, and were perhaps slightly mad for going there. Despite this, the group looked forward to staying at the lake and once again having the opportunity to hike in the stunning Kyrgyz scenery and even upgrade to a yurt, if we so desired.

Camp at Song Kul

We celebrated two birthday's at this time, Cal who had a low key birthday, but still suffered the group singing to him, and Jordan who was turning 25 and looking forward to a high-altitude party, with a lot of the local cheap vodka to keep him warm. Despite it being a crisp, clear night, the vodka, cake and fire ensured that the group did not suffer the cold too much – although the affects of alcohol at high altitude were certainly felt by some – Jordan apparently thinks he had a good birthday party, but isn't quite sure.

The next afternoon, the group were treated to a game of goat polo. This game is a local speciality where two teams fight for control of a headless, legless goat carcass which they hitch to the side of their saddles and ride hell for leather to drop the goat on a sack, whilst the other team try to stop them and steal the goat. The winning team gets the goat on the sack the most number of times. We watched a demonstration of great horsemanship by the two teams (the hats and non-hats) on a wide ranging, and non-defined pitch, sometimes having to move when the game came to us. Keith almost got run over a couple of times, clearly they wanted to impress him! What was most interesting was the fact that whilst it was set up as a demonstration game for us, a sizeable number of locals also came to watch and enjoy the game. Including an elder who considered himself the unofficial coach and took to the pitch to berate the players on their technique, and seemingly offer some useful suggestions to the players – we could tell even though we couldn't understand him.

Goat polo

Whilst at Son-Kol, the group once again took to the hills, hiking around the lake shore and up the mountain ranges behind the lake. Whilst Alicia, Dave and Louise followed Bruce up one mountain (although he was to travel across the top and come down a different one), Luke, Wayne, Steve, Jason, Nico and Begaim climbed another, with Nico and Begaim making it to the summit of the mountain before coming back in time to start cook group. Cal, Lorri, Keith enjoyed the lake shore and the varying storms which safely stayed on the other side of the lake.

That night a number of the group upgraded to yurts and enjoyed the hospitality of the family who ran the yurt camp with homemade bread, jam, cream and tea before bed.

Song Kul yurts

By this stage, even the most previously uninterested members of the group had started to have birding/twitching tendencies and Cal became one of the most popular men on the truck as he had a bird identification book, and Kyrgyzstan had some amazing birds, like the European Roller, and the huge and spectacular Lammergeier (sheep vulture) which stands at 1.2m tall and has a wingspan of up to 2.8m he still looked big from about 500m away!

After saying goodbye to Son-Kol and making our way to the Chinese border, our last stop was in some yurts near Tashrabat, run by a crazy Russian who had a home-made sauna. As the group had not bathed for three nights, Jason, Tina, Teresa, Alicia, Dave, Steve, Jordan and Nico decided to get clean for the Chinese officials by steaming themselves, beating each other with birch sticks and throwing themselves into the alpine stream (before repeating). The rest of us stayed warm and dirty to bid a fond farewell to Kyrgyzstan.

All in all, Kyrgyzstan will be high on the favourite list of a lot of the group for its amazing scenery, interesting fauna and flora and the friendliness of the people and our guide Begaim who imparted her love of walking and her country to all of us.