 Our yurts, Song Kol Lake |
 Seven Bulls, Jeti-Oghuz |
Day 6 (August 31, Friday): Karakol – Jeti-Oghuz Valley (30km)
Karakol founded on July 1, 1869 is the best place for exploring the lakeshore, the Terskey alatau and the central Tien Shan. It has a central square and the streets are laid out in a European-style checkerboard. It is peaceful and green with many colonial buildings and Russian gingerbread cottages.
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 Orthodox Church, Karakol |
As it was Kyrgyzstan’s Independence Day, the town was in a festive mood. Billy took us to the main street to watch the parade with many floats. Many Kyrgyz people were dressed up in their traditional costume.
We first went to the Chinese mosque which was built without nails and completed in 1910. But we could not enter as no visit is allowed on Friday after 4pm. We then walked to see the Russian Orthodox Church, a fine wooden cathedral with five onion-domes first completed in 1895. The Bolsheviks turned it into a club in the 1930s. Reconstruction has been going on since 1960s and today, the Cathedral has regained its former glory. I love wandering in the local markets. A young man stopped me and tried to speak Chinese with me. Though he has only been learning Chinese for a few months, he can carry on a simple conversation! I also sampled the local cold noodle and bread which are cheap but most delicious. I visited the Park Pobeda which has a memorial for those killed in the great Patriotic War (WW2) with a sculpture of Mother Russia.
 Broken heart |
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The group set off for shopping at 2:30pm before heading to the Jeti-Oghuz Valley. My cook group had a busy time shopping as we had to prepare three meals the following day.
We saw some photogenic red sandstone cliffs at the mouth of the Jeti-Oghuz Canyon which have become the trademark for Lake Issyk-Kol. One also finds a splintered hill known as the Broken Heart and then the Seven Bulls (named after the seven main bluffs).
The valley is picturesque with a fast – running river, cliffs and mountains with pine trees and pastures. We had to cross several wooden bridges before reaching our campsite at Svetov Dolina. The truck is too heavy for these old wooden bridges. We therefore walked for about 2km instead of getting on and off the truck four times.
Our campsite is fantastic with a river on one side and hills covered with pine trees on the other. We sat by the fire and had a lovely dinner with beef stew prepared by cook group 1. As Al warned us the night would be cold, I put on all my clothes and socks. It was not that cold. I was warm and had a great sleep!
Day 7 (September 1, Saturday): Jeti – Oghuz Valley
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Al told our cook group to get breakfast ready by 8am. I reluctantly got up at 7am to join Duncan, Angie and Helen to prepare breakfast. As the gas cooker did not work properly, we could not prepare toast and fried eggs. We could only offer cereal, milk and bread.
The alpine scenery is serene and beautiful. There are many yurt homes as well as guesthouses in the valley. We had many things to do including horse-riding, hiking and do-nothing. I joined Finn, Mark. Hortensia, Gabbi and Helen and took a leisure walk to the waterfall. Billy showed us the way and it took us about an hour to reach the waterfall. We had nice view of the valleys and some far-away mountains. We were back to the campsite before 1:30pm.
 Hortensia (L), Finn, Helen, Billy, Gabbi, Mark (R) |
 Hortensia at waterfall |
I spent the whole afternoon reading The Girl Who Played With Fire by the late Steig Larsson. At 6pm, I joined my cook group to prepare dinner. Duncan and Angie had brought lamb the day before spent the whole day digging up a pit for BBQ and marinating the lamb. I chopped vegetables and then put the lamb cubes, onions, peppers and eggplant on skewers. The lamb was tasty, juicy and tender. I had a hearty meal!
Day 8 (September 2, Sunday): Jeti-Oghuz Valley – Kochkor (250km)
We set off at 8am and arrived at the Fairy Tale Canyon at noon. Bill took us to see this small but interesting canyon with red and yellow sandstone. I had a quick dip in the southern shore of the Lake Issyk-Kol in my clothes before having a quick bite!
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 Billy swimming in Issyk-Kol Lake |
We arrived in Kochkor after 5pm and visited a local souvenir shop. Most of them got something and I only brought a pair of oven gloves made with felt. Kochkor is a sleepy Kyrgyz village and we stayed with four families and and had a great home-made dinner with noodles, salad and fruit. I spent the rest of the evening sorting out my photos and had an excellent sleep.
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My host is a nice lady of 26 years old with three children. Her husband has just been offered a job at the customs service in Bishkek. They are filled with joy and pride.
Day 9 (September 3, Monday): Kochkor – Song Kol Lake (250km)
At 9am, we went to see a folklore show for some 3 hours. First came a group of nomads searching for their campsite. Then they set up a yurt which is fascinating and looks like art work. The musicians came and sang some folk songs including a young boy citing a poem about Manas, the legendary hero. After that, we saw the weaving and making of a felt carpet by two women. Finally we had a nice tea in a yurt!
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We then went to the market to get bread and meat for lunch. The weather turned bad and it rained! Al stopped the truck in a picturesque pass for lunch. It was so windy and cold that most of us stayed in the truck to finish our sandwich.
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The road leading to the Lake Song Kol has dozens of hair-pin turns. It is beautiful. I sat in the roof and had a fantastic view. But it was so cold and grey that I did not take many pictures. We arrived at our yurt hotel at 6pm. It is the first time I stayed in a yurt. I had another good night sleep.
I always enjoy meeting the local people. Hence though I cannot speak their language, I invited myself to the kitchen yurt and had a nice time chatting with the chefs and the cooking team in sign language and broken English. I took a few pictures for them and they take me as their friend.
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Day 10 (September 4, Tuesday): Song Kol Lake
I had not ridden a horse for years. But the scenery is perfect for horse riding and I had a tame horse for three hours. It took me to the lakeshore. I enjoy the tranquility and barren scenery as there are no trees at all. The rolling hills were dotted with thousands of sheep, horses and cows and dozens of yurts. Very scenic!
 Me and my horse, Song Kol Lake |
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In the afternoon, I took another walk to the lakeshore. I did not do much but felt very peaceful and satisfied.
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 A stuffed sheep stomach |
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Day 11 (September 5, Wednesday): en route to Bishkek (220km)
We set off after breakfast and spent an hour at the other end of the lake. Then we were back to Kochkor at 3pm for shopping as our group had to prepare breakfast the following day.
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 Darren in the lake |
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We spent a night bush camping en route to Bishkek. I wish we could arrange things differently and went straight back to Bishkek and stayed in a hotel for the night.
Day 12 (September 6, Thursday): Bishkek (160km)
I got up at 6am and joined my cook group to prepare for breakfast after taking down my tent. We set off for Bishkek at 7:45am and arrived at the capital before 1pm.
It was so nice to be back in a comfortable hotel. The first thing we all did was to wash our dirty clothes. I had another leisure day doing very little! Tomorrow, we would be departing for Kazakhstan at 6:45am!
Remarks
I have spent altogether 19 days in Kyrgyzstan. However, I have made best use of my time. Had I not wasted three days on my Uzbekistan visa, I would have spent almost a week to visit southern Kyrgyzstan including Osh and the Fergana Valley (where China’s first explorer Zhang Qian spent 13 years from 138-119 BC) or to join a trip to the Lenin Peak (7,134m) Base Camp.
In any case, the group members are great. Duncan and Angie have done so much for my cook group and I feel ashamed that I have done so little. My tent-mates (first Katrien and later Hortensia) have been kind and most caring.
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I love the mountainous Kyrgyzstan and the people. There are also a few nice surprises. First, the Ala-Archa National Park with its spectacular rugged mountains and canyons is worth visiting. I find the mountains and glacier valleys impressive. Second, I enjoy meeting nice people like Penny, Tim and Ryoko and hope to meet them again. Third, though I prefer modest but comfortable hotels or home-stay, I am glad that I can still manage to stay in a guesthouse and share a tiny room with three young people. Fourth, I love to spend time with local people and eat local food. I am therefore glad to stay at a yurt and in a normal home in Kochkor.
As I have not seen the best of the Tien Shan Mountains and the Pamir Alay and have not set foot in the Fergana Valley, the Torgart Pass (3752m) or the Irkeshtam Pass, I hope to visit these places on my next visit (though I do not know when!).