12 nights in an amazing country, the border crossing was relatively straight forward and much more relaxed once we got past the Chinese final checkpoint, following which we could stretch our legs and enjoy some lunch, more bread and tomatoes and cucumber and last of the squirrel (the dodgy processed meat that haunted us in China, thankfully we'll get lots of cheese now!)
The scenery is spectacular with massive mountain ranges (dominated by the Tian Shan range in the southeast), valleys, gorges and alpine lakes.
An early onset of snow 2 weeks prior to our arrival meant the nomads had left the area so unfortunately staying in Yurts was out of the question! Instead we were camping out at altitudes around 3,000m in freezing cold conditions at night where icicles formed on the inside of tents and water bottles froze.
A couple of home-stays and an unplanned farm stop gave some respite from the cold, still a number of us were out buying warm clothes once we got to Bishkek. A fleece was just not adequate!
Our first night was at a delightful home stay in Naryn and our first taste of the traditional hospitality with a huge spread of food on the table, mutton soup, kofte, mash, dried fruits, nuts and biscuits. Fed up by now with bland Chinese food and hungry from a long days drive, we scoffed it down. Breakfast the next morning was equally good with pancakes, cheese, bread, local jams and fresh yoghurt. Later in the week our guide Saed told me he was worried looking at us eating and thinking truck food was not going to be good! I picked up some fur lined leather boots at the market for USD20!
Off to our first bush camp, a spectacular location just after the Dolon Pass, colours are amazing with green and brown hills dotted with sheep and ice capped mountains a little further away. A shame about power lines overhead (hoping for a storm not,) but don't detract from a clear and cold night away from light pollution and we sat around the camp fire gazing up at the milky way where a number of constellations could ll.lbe seen.
Next day travelling on the Kalmak-Ashuu Pass, 3450m high, we had to use snow chains on the truck to get us through to the valley at Lake Song Kol, a beautiful location in central Kyrgyzstan with an alpine lake. Well I can only imagine what this place is like in season with herds of animals grazing the grassland, yurts to stay in and horses to be rode, alas not for us! 3 nights here may just be a little long...
Brrr, heck the first night was freezing with temperatures at best -5 degrees and I'm sleeping in almost all my clothes!
Needing to keep warm, 3 of us completed the 14km trek down to the lake and back over some boggy ground, about a 3 hour round trip. By the lake was an old boat with 2 homemade oars, not the time for some sailing, parts of the lake was iced over.
Back in time for lunch and later some scones, badminton and frisbee to take our minds off the cold.
After 2 nights enough was had and time to head back over the pass again with the snow chains and it's starting to snow, the sky in the distant mountains looking ominous. A quick trek for an hour up the valley for me carefully avoiding the large marmot holes before heading back to pack up my tent.
Off then to a home stay in Kochkor for a couple of nights, I could have stayed under the hot shower for hours but after some food it was good to climb into a warm bed.
The next morning we went to a felt making factory, to see a shyrdak womens cooperative, traditional hand made felt making, it takes 800 sheepskins to make just one wall of a yurt, not enough time for us to see a one being made as takes months, however, we did design a felt pad using our truck as the motif and enjoyed some rather interesting singing and dancing!
After lunch Jacqueline, Nigel H, Andrew E, Ann H and I went with Saed up to the mountains for a 3 hour horse trek. Hmm no helmets, dodgy saddles and my horse didn't want to do as it was told, I guess she knew I was inexperienced lol, this was my first time ever on a horse.. The guide gave me his horse to ride and all was well even when she stumbled on the rocks down the steep hill, I managed to stay on.
Next up more bush camping for 4 nights and it's still freezing! But some pumpkin soup and mulled wine to keep us warm, just a shame I was feeling nauseous hmmm.
A drive up to Jeti Oghuz, which is a beautiful gorge formed of red sandstone cliffs, the entrance through a splintered cliff called Razbitoye Serdtse (broken heart) and seven main bluffs. A 5km drive up over 5 bridges which we had to get off the truck to walk across up to our camping spot which was at the flattish Svetov Dolina (valley of flowers) but was devoid of poppies and other people!
A fancy dress party was had on our second night where we dressed up in costumes bought by other people. I got off, I think pretty lightly, but I did have to wear a rather large purple velour dress. I dressed Norm as an Arabian bumble bee (the warm tights went down very well with him and were apparently kept on that night!)
Next morning, I set off to trek 12 km along the river in the gorge for about 3 hours, up over yet more bridges and through the pine forest, was so nice to spend some time on my own sat down next to the river listening to my iPod.
The ranger had arranged for us to buy a sheep from a local shepherd, this was slaughtered at the camp site and put on a makeshift spit to roast over the camp fire. Then it rained!
Our next camp site was by Lake Issyk Kol. At 170km long, 70km wide, 700m deep, this is the second largest alpine lake in the world. It is normally calm and still, however a wind was blowing a gale on the night we were meant to bush camp on its southern shore, so heading slightly inland to get some shelter from the trees and about to camp in a farmer's field, we carelessly got bogged down in a muddy river pool blocking his driveway. 90 minutes later and by now people are totally hacked off. The farmer was due to have a party that night but cancelled his guests and 8 of us piled into his living room, I didn't get much sleep but at least it was warm and the money we gave him would be very handy for his family over the winter.
On our travels towards Bishkek we stopped to see an Eagle hunter, he was dressed up in full costume and had with him a golden eagle called 'Tamara' and an albino white rabbit to demonstrate the skills of the eagle hunting for food, the rabbit didn't stand a chance!
Next stop Bishkek and back in an hotel 'The Alpinist'. I would cry if it was not so ironic!
Had a relaxed time here for 2 nights, wandering around the town during the day and shopping in the state run department store TsUM to replace the car charger for my phone which broke before I could even use it and to get a card reader so I have at least half a chance of putting pics on this blog! Followed by a night of culture to see the Kyrgyz epic of Manas, a legend of the hero's formation of a homeland for his people.
Now for the border crossing to Kazakhstan.
The scenery is spectacular with massive mountain ranges (dominated by the Tian Shan range in the southeast), valleys, gorges and alpine lakes.
An early onset of snow 2 weeks prior to our arrival meant the nomads had left the area so unfortunately staying in Yurts was out of the question! Instead we were camping out at altitudes around 3,000m in freezing cold conditions at night where icicles formed on the inside of tents and water bottles froze.
A couple of home-stays and an unplanned farm stop gave some respite from the cold, still a number of us were out buying warm clothes once we got to Bishkek. A fleece was just not adequate!
Our first night was at a delightful home stay in Naryn and our first taste of the traditional hospitality with a huge spread of food on the table, mutton soup, kofte, mash, dried fruits, nuts and biscuits. Fed up by now with bland Chinese food and hungry from a long days drive, we scoffed it down. Breakfast the next morning was equally good with pancakes, cheese, bread, local jams and fresh yoghurt. Later in the week our guide Saed told me he was worried looking at us eating and thinking truck food was not going to be good! I picked up some fur lined leather boots at the market for USD20!
Off to our first bush camp, a spectacular location just after the Dolon Pass, colours are amazing with green and brown hills dotted with sheep and ice capped mountains a little further away. A shame about power lines overhead (hoping for a storm not,) but don't detract from a clear and cold night away from light pollution and we sat around the camp fire gazing up at the milky way where a number of constellations could ll.lbe seen.
Next day travelling on the Kalmak-Ashuu Pass, 3450m high, we had to use snow chains on the truck to get us through to the valley at Lake Song Kol, a beautiful location in central Kyrgyzstan with an alpine lake. Well I can only imagine what this place is like in season with herds of animals grazing the grassland, yurts to stay in and horses to be rode, alas not for us! 3 nights here may just be a little long... Brrr, heck the first night was freezing with temperatures at best -5 degrees and I'm sleeping in almost all my clothes!
Needing to keep warm, 3 of us completed the 14km trek down to the lake and back over some boggy ground, about a 3 hour round trip. By the lake was an old boat with 2 homemade oars, not the time for some sailing, parts of the lake was iced over. Back in time for lunch and later some scones, badminton and frisbee to take our minds off the cold.
After 2 nights enough was had and time to head back over the pass again with the snow chains and it's starting to snow, the sky in the distant mountains looking ominous. A quick trek for an hour up the valley for me carefully avoiding the large marmot holes before heading back to pack up my tent.
Off then to a home stay in Kochkor for a couple of nights, I could have stayed under the hot shower for hours but after some food it was good to climb into a warm bed.
The next morning we went to a felt making factory, to see a shyrdak womens cooperative, traditional hand made felt making, it takes 800 sheepskins to make just one wall of a yurt, not enough time for us to see a one being made as takes months, however, we did design a felt pad using our truck as the motif and enjoyed some rather interesting singing and dancing!
After lunch Jacqueline, Nigel H, Andrew E, Ann H and I went with Saed up to the mountains for a 3 hour horse trek. Hmm no helmets, dodgy saddles and my horse didn't want to do as it was told, I guess she knew I was inexperienced lol, this was my first time ever on a horse.. The guide gave me his horse to ride and all was well even when she stumbled on the rocks down the steep hill, I managed to stay on.
Next up more bush camping for 4 nights and it's still freezing! But some pumpkin soup and mulled wine to keep us warm, just a shame I was feeling nauseous hmmm.
A drive up to Jeti Oghuz, which is a beautiful gorge formed of red sandstone cliffs, the entrance through a splintered cliff called Razbitoye Serdtse (broken heart) and seven main bluffs. A 5km drive up over 5 bridges which we had to get off the truck to walk across up to our camping spot which was at the flattish Svetov Dolina (valley of flowers) but was devoid of poppies and other people!
A fancy dress party was had on our second night where we dressed up in costumes bought by other people. I got off, I think pretty lightly, but I did have to wear a rather large purple velour dress. I dressed Norm as an Arabian bumble bee (the warm tights went down very well with him and were apparently kept on that night!)
Next morning, I set off to trek 12 km along the river in the gorge for about 3 hours, up over yet more bridges and through the pine forest, was so nice to spend some time on my own sat down next to the river listening to my iPod.
The ranger had arranged for us to buy a sheep from a local shepherd, this was slaughtered at the camp site and put on a makeshift spit to roast over the camp fire. Then it rained!
Our next camp site was by Lake Issyk Kol. At 170km long, 70km wide, 700m deep, this is the second largest alpine lake in the world. It is normally calm and still, however a wind was blowing a gale on the night we were meant to bush camp on its southern shore, so heading slightly inland to get some shelter from the trees and about to camp in a farmer's field, we carelessly got bogged down in a muddy river pool blocking his driveway. 90 minutes later and by now people are totally hacked off. The farmer was due to have a party that night but cancelled his guests and 8 of us piled into his living room, I didn't get much sleep but at least it was warm and the money we gave him would be very handy for his family over the winter.
On our travels towards Bishkek we stopped to see an Eagle hunter, he was dressed up in full costume and had with him a golden eagle called 'Tamara' and an albino white rabbit to demonstrate the skills of the eagle hunting for food, the rabbit didn't stand a chance!
Next stop Bishkek and back in an hotel 'The Alpinist'. I would cry if it was not so ironic!
Had a relaxed time here for 2 nights, wandering around the town during the day and shopping in the state run department store TsUM to replace the car charger for my phone which broke before I could even use it and to get a card reader so I have at least half a chance of putting pics on this blog! Followed by a night of culture to see the Kyrgyz epic of Manas, a legend of the hero's formation of a homeland for his people.
Now for the border crossing to Kazakhstan.
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