2014-09-05-Kyrgyzstan

Central Asia has always amused me with its interesting and bloody history, various empires conquering it and then disappearing in the sands of time, the mystic of the overland Silk Route from Europe to India, China etc. So finally I decided to take the plunge and see this amazing land for myself.

Kyrgyzstan – the land of high mountains, glacial lakes, Yurts, vast pastures with Horses, Sheep, Yaks, the nomadic herdsmen, not to forget the ever smiling and helpful people with the amazing Kyrgyz cuisine of bread, soup, mutton, momo’s, dry fruits, fresh milk cream, Kumis (fermented Mare’s milk) and lastly the lively mountain music which the locals listen to. This is the place where kids learn to ride horses before they can barely walk. With our driver Norden who became our friend and the Yurt stay owners and trek guides – thanks to them we had an amazing 8 days driving / trekking in this central Asian republic. Not to forget Tarun – without who’s encouragement and company half the itinerary would not have been possible or not as much fun, and lastly Marrat from Advantour who made the initial planning of this trip almost a breeze. Enjoy the photographic journey to Kyrgyzstan in this album, and here’s to the next adventure in Tajikistan and hopefully the amazingly remote Afghan Wakhan corridor in future and a dream fulfilled. Amin. Photo links and detailed write-up below.

Full set à https://picasaweb.google.com/zenosh/20140905Kyrgyzstan#

Some photos on Facebook à 4 links

Set 1: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152678402071181.1073741865.595556180&type=1&l=69af72daa8

Set 2: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152678414591181.1073741866.595556180&type=1&l=729ff40700

Set 3: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152678427571181.1073741867.595556180&type=1&l=ea469be6ca

Set 4: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152678441006181.1073741868.595556180&type=1&l=55ca20d78a

Those who have time or inclination can read the more detailed version below.

What a way to start my central Asia adventure in Kyrgyzstan. I missed my connecting flight to Bishkek from Istanbul due to delay in flight from London. Spent the whole day in Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport CIP lounge waiting for the next Pegasus flight to Bishkek at 8:00 PM. I had some tense moments at the airport since the airline staff was not super helpful and no one new proper English. Finally one female attendant gave me a suggestion of not trying to go out of the airport and spending on VISA but just staying put at the airport Lounge, with all expenses paid by Pegasus. I am more comfortable getting lost in the mountains rather than at an airport in the artificial cocooned atmosphere with no one understanding proper EnglishJ Next steps – I quickly called up Tarun to tell him about my one day delay. I was lucky enough to get him since he was just going to switch off his cell to board his flight from Dubai. He did a great job of getting everything done while at Bishkek, shopping for food, coordinating with Marrat for change of plans etc.. Also called up home to inform about this fiasco.

I won’t bore you with the details on how I spent one full day inside the airport – one thing for sure – now I have a good map of the airport in my mind by taking walks around the whole area accessible to transit passengersJ. I did not have any games on my cell phone – so went to Google Play and found a game recommended by Harsh Vardhan called “Hill Climb Racing”. That game was a savior for me and I spent some good hours trying to while away time and getting good scores there J Harsh – are you listening.

Anyways people say – when travelling to Central Asia take everything with a pinch of salt, and this experience did teach me to be a bit more calm in such situations which are very much possible when you travel to destinations with less flight connections.

Reaching Bishkek on 7^th Sept, a day late at 4:30 AM, taxi driver waiting for me. His name was Obek and spoke broken English, but he did his best to make me feel at ease in this new land. I reached USSR Hostel at around 6:00 AM, hugged my friend Tarun who was half asleep and myself crashed on the bed, only to be rudely woken up at 9:30 AM, Marat and driver waiting downstairs with the car, ready for our trip. After wrapping up stuff with Marat (coordinator of Advantour) we went by car to a mall where we did my SIM card recharge, brunch etc and we were all set to leave Bishkek and step into wilderness.

We had not done any day wise planning before the trip and that held true even when on the road / trek, our plans sometimes changed on hourly basis and our driver being pretty flexible with that. Instead of night stay at Kochkor (a small mountain town 200 km from Bishkek) we decided to directly go to Song Kol lake – an alpine lake 3000 meters above sea level south west of Kochkor. The road from Bishkek to Kochkor was very good and hence we reached there in 3 hours giving us time to move ahead in daylight. Once we left the main road at Sary Bulak the real fun started. The road turned into a dirt road and the barren mountain scenery in full view, the vast green pastures, shepherds and their large herds, small villages, river valleys, and finally the top of the Kalmak Ashuu pass giving us amazing views all around.

Some time after the pass we got the first view of Song Kol lake with its turquoise blue waters. Nearing it was much more fun – getting off the main dirt road we were driving on the vast pasture land with distant yurt camps visible. On top of a small hump in the flat terrain and we got the most amazing sunset we have ever seen. Sky orange and reflecting the same colour in the lake – words cant describe. We reached our Shepherd Life Yurt just before dark, settled and had dinner with group of Swiss tourists. Our first brush with the traditional Kyrgyz food of soup, meat, bread, dry fruits, fresh cow milk cream, jam etc. Sleeping in the Yurt was a good and comfortable experience with nicely decorated walls and colourful warm blankets and mattresses – it was like sleeping in a large luxurious tent.

Next morning perfect clear sky, chilly winds and nice views of the turquoise blue Song Kol lake, vast pasture land, handful of Yurts and horses. For some time I forgot that I am in Kyrgyzstan, thinking I have reached Mongolia instead J

We had breakfast inside a Yurt consisting of bread, porridge, jam, fresh cream, dry fruits, tea and  listening to local Kyrgyz music – felt like heaven, time standing still, no thoughts in mind, just enjoying the moment. After breakfast we decided to give horse riding a try – first time for both of us, and it was a total flop show J The owner refused to come with us to guide us, and we were on our own after some basic instructions. So Tarun’s horse refused to move at all, my horse did go ahead which was very good, but when I gave him a signal to turn right or left, he stopped and started grazing J And in the vast grass land I did not want to go too far out in a straight line. So we just leapt off our horses and instead went by the lake side for a walk. Weather turning bad in a jiffy we decided to have a quick lunch and there came our first sudden change of plan. Instead of staying here for one day, we decided to leave for At-Bashy so that we can spend more time at Tash Rabat.

We decided to go back to the main road via a different route from Song Kol – that was via Kara Ungkur village. This route was much more scenic than the standard Sary Bulak route we took while coming to Song Kol. This was very clear within no time we left Song Kol.

The route initially climbed up a bit towards the mountains giving us a very good view of the wide pasture lands and the mountains all around with the Song Kol river also visible. We could also see the 32 hairpin bends which our route would take down into the valley. Spending good amount of time at such amazing view points and soaking the amazing views and sunshine, we finally reached the river valley. Refilled our water supplies and took some rest by the river side. After that it was a pretty much non stop drive to At-Bashy reaching there at around 9:30 PM with the roads not being in good shape, broken and very dusty. We wasted some time in trying to get our night stay done at a very good Nomadic Yurt camp at At-Bashy but the owners were at Naryn so the plan went kaput.

Norden our driver was very helpful today. He helped us find a nice hotel at At-Bashy at the dead of the night where there were not many people to help and those who were there did not know English. We found Hotel Tash Rabat near the huge Horse’s head statue with clean and big rooms but no food. The hotel owner was kind enough to open his kitchen for us and allowed us to use his stove and utensils for us to cook food. He had a nice dinner party of soup, bread, MTR (Chana masala and Palak Paneer) and Dal in the big kitchen.

Next morning I got up early and went for a short walk, and At-Bashy did not disappoint me. It was just the way described in the guide book – small town surrounded by mountains with nothing much to do and that’s what the charm of this place is. Clear sky and cool morning breeze made this a very pleasant walk. Was able to visit the old Muslim cemetery on the mountain ridge which gave good views of At-Bashy and the vast wide valley through which the main road to China passes. The cemetery is different than what we see elsewhere – there are small house like structures built around the graves and look very elegant to view and the whole place when looked from far gives you an impression of a miniature sized town in the mountains. We had nice filling brunch of cutlets, rice, gravy, bread and tea at a local café in the nice bazaar of At-Bashy.

On the way to Tash Rabat we also saw the ruins of Koshoy Korgon – 15 km inside from the main road from Kara Suu village. The ruins were in bad shape but definitely worth a visit along with the museum which has text written in English as well and give good information of the whole Naryn Province, the old scriptures found engraved on the rocks in the mountains, old archaeological remains, weapons and some great paintings which give you a peep in the rich and vibrant history of the region.

The road from At-Bashy to Tash Rabat is a treat to drive on. Vast desert land visible on both sides with high mountains far away and the straight road visible for miles ahead inviting you. Finally we come across the dirt  road diversion to Tash Rabat. The road winds through a narrow valley surrounded by mountains with green pastures around. This was the place I was waiting for. We reached the CBT yurts 1 km before Tash Rabat. The coordinator there Tursun was very helpful and pleasant to talk to. Within no time she arranged the guide and horse for our trek to Chatyr Kol lake near China border next day.

The place was absolutely amazing. Yurts surrounded by high mountains and lush green valley, with a stream flowing close by giving company, horses grazing around in the pastures. We had a nice time doing nothing – just soaking in the amazing atmosphere around, playing with Tursun’s small daughter and the naughty goat which kept coming in our Yurt for explorationJ

After taking some rest we decided to visit Tash Rabat – 1  km away, a well-preserved 15th century stone caravanserai (resting place for travellers on the silk route) at 3000 meters altitude. It was a strong structure with small rooms and openings from top for light and ventilation with a big dome at the centre. After some time exploring the insides we decided to go trekking on a small hillock for acclimatizing for tomorrows trek and also to get some good views. And what a view from top – one side we got the view of the valley where our yurt was located and from where the road enters towards Tash Rabat, and on other side the rugged mountain valley from where we would trek to the pass for Chatyr Kol lake. Nice weather made it a very pleasant excursion and we had some good rest and dry fruits on top – not to mention the numerous photography sessions J

Next day god gifted us a crystal clear day with not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day for a long walk and some amazing photography opportunity. Of course it was chilling cold at night - the proof being the frozen stream outside our yurt. Our guide Jhonney (Tarsun’s husband – Jhonney being his nickname) was ready with the horse in no time and also fortunately knew some very basic English. We started our trek after a filling breakfast and packing our bags on the horse. I was carrying a light bag with just the essentials, and Tarun was carrying his DSLR camera which was as heavy as my essentials bag J

Our route followed the river valley for approx 2 hours meandering between the huge barren mountains devoid of any vegetation, with the green pastures around the valley, Yaks and horses giving us company and the occasional tourist. The altitude gain was very gradual but walk was long and made it tiring due to the altitude, dry air and sun beating down on us. But never the less this high altitude terrain brings out the best in me and I feel at home (more than the claustrophobic Istanbul airport where I had to spend a day J)

The altitude gain started after we had to leave the river valley floor and turn right towards the upper plateau. Scenery turning more barren and wild (amazing) and we were also getting tired due to the long walk. I had a nice nap of 15 mins in the sun before we started walking again. After amost 4 hours of walk from the start we reached the base of the tough pass climb to 4100 meters. We took another 2 hours to finally reach the top of the pass via some amazing barren mountain scenery and had the most amazing view of the Chatyr Kol lake and the mountains in China beyond. The pass was very windy so after 10 mins we decided to start descending. Another quick change of plan within minutes. Our original plan was to actually camp by the lake side but due to extreme tiredness we decided to turn back and instead camp mid way to Tash Rabat. It would have been a killing 10 hour walk the next day back to Tash Rabat, if we would have gone to Chatyr Kol lake.

Suddenly we were jumping around like small kids since we were descending altitude and felt more at ease. But the long walk was taking a toll on my bad back. So on a good spot by an abandoned pasture hut we decided to camp. It was 7 PM with one more hour of day light we told the guide to go back to Tash Rabat and we would go there on our own the next day. It was getting very cold. So very quickly we got to work – pitching the tent, having noodles, coffee and dinner. Finally we zipped up in the tent for a long and uncomfortable night – at least for me since somehow I did not get any sleep till 5 AM – maybe due to coffee in the evening.

Here comes early morning and all the tiredness of the previous day vanishes. Yet another super clear day, some chilling around the campsite with amazing views all around, having breakfast and listening to some music – that’s life I would sayJ

Finally packing up our bags and lifting the heavy load on our backs we started our slow walk towards Tash Rabat. We took many breaks on the way back due to the heavy load and also to enjoy the amazing views around. We reached Tash Rabat in around 2 ½ hours. Again relaxed there for a while in the Yurt, had nice lunch of local Kyrgyz cuisine and started for Kochkor from where we had planned to do another 2 day trek to Kol Ukok and Kol Tor before concluding our trip at Bishkek. It was a boring 5 hour drive back to Kochkor since the road from Naryn to Kochkor is in bad shape and full of dust. Luckily we avoided this stretch on our way to Tash Rabat since we took a detour to Song Kol lake.

At Kochkor we stayed at Nordens place (Shyrdak Travel guest house). His family also runs a guest house at Kochkor besides their house. It has a Yurt outside which serves as a mini restaurant for guests. The guest house is nice, hidden away from the main town and streets, with clean rooms and nice decoration inside.

Next day Norden was quick to take us to the CBT office at Kochkor to arrange for a guide and horse for our trek to Kol Ukok. While in discussion with the coordinator there it was very clear that we would not be able to do Kol Tor since it was 3-4 hours further up in the mountains from Kol Ukok lake.

The trail head for Kol Ukok starts from the Isekeev village, further ahead from Bolshevik which is around 15 km from Kochkor. Our guide Khubat came with us from the CBT Kohckor office. The horse was waiting for us at the trail head with its keeper. After arranging our bags on the horse and with same arrangement of a small bag with me and equally heavy camera with Tarun we started our trek. To be frank the initial part of the trek was not very appealing. But once we reached a certain altitude the beautiful valley started unfolding with nice views all around. This was my first brush with independent horse riding in mountain terrain. Finally I was confident of navigating the tricky mountain routes on my own. Thanks to Khubat for giving some useful hints. This was of course a better experience then we had at Song Kol lakeJ

We had lunch besides a rock outside a Yurt camp. It was a nice break on the trek. We started our walk towards the Pass from where we would reach the Kol Ukok lake. Our plan was to camp besides the lake for the night. But again there would be change of plan not really within our control. The black clouds started gathering on the mountain tops- specially in the direction where we were going. I decided we should just keep going, but then within no time it started raining and then snow fall. That’s when we decided that we would have to stay put at a Yurt further ahead and abandon the plans of camping by the lake side. That was a good decision. Fortunately we found the Yurt in the next 10 minutes. Whatever happens, happens for the best.

This was not a typical tourist Yurt but here is where we got the true nomadic feel of Kyrgyzstan. The owner stayed here with his wife and 2 small kids, girl aged 6 months and boy 3 years. They had their horses and cattle and had fresh milk and cream daily. The boy named Samaar, had become friendly with us even though we could not communicate in a common language. He always came inside our Yurt to check on us every few minutes and liked the Pringle Chips we gave him. Finally we gave him away the whole can. He ran to his mother to show it to her. He was very happy. We relaxed in our yurt with Khubat and had a nice chat on bollywood and the actors / actresses. Shahrukh Khan and Aiswaria Rai seemed to be most popular and surprisingly Mithin too and the song I am a disco dancer. The guide sang it for us too J

Within the next hour the weather again changed drastically. It cleared up showing the fresh snow on the mountain tops and nice bright sunshine again to top up with an amazing rainbow. We came out of the yurt in the chilly air to enjoy the amazing view and do photography. After a hearty dinner which we cooked in the yurt we went to sleep.

The next day early in the morning after a light breakfast we left for the last stretch of the trek to the pass and the Kol Ukok lake ahead. The weather was nice and clear. Since I was fresh in the morning it took just an hour from the yurt to reach the amazingly beautiful Kol Ukok lake amidst the snow capped mountains on the other end. We rested there for almost an hour enjoying the amazing views around the lake and having dry fruits. It was now time to return back to the yurt for a wholesome lunch and some rest. We had a nice time around the yurt interacting with the family there and having lunch with them. The best part was having the Kyrgyz bread with fresh cream from cow milk, then some soup, dry fruits and topping up with the mildly intoxicating Kumus (fermented Mare’s milk). Now it was time to bid goodbye to the family and get back to Isekeev for Kochkor. While going back to Isekeev I was on the horse for almost full time, navigating independently through some of the rough terrain feeling like a Kyrgyz nomad for some time, knowing very well that our central Asian adventure was coming to an end.  

After reaching Kochkor we packed all our stuff in the car and reached Bishkek at 8:00PM, settling the final accounts with Norden and Marrat. We had a great time in the 8 days we spent in the nomadic Kyrgyzstan – trekking and driving in some of the most remote and desolate landscapes.

Tired but satisfied with only 2 hours of sleep got up at 2 AM to go to Manas Airport for flight back to London. Ready for the next central adventure in Tajikistan travelling the amazing Pamir Highway and the branch which goes parallel to the Afghanistan border at the Wakhan Corridor  -hopefully in 2015. Cheerz.

Itinerary

1.      05 Sept – Fri - Flight to Istanbul from London Stansted (3 ½ hours)

2.      06 Sept – Sat – Istanbul airport unplanned stay due to connecting flight missed and flight to Bishkek next day (5 ½ hours)

3.      07 Sept – Sun – Flight to Bishkek – Bishkek to Song Kol
Good road from Bishkek to Kochkor so 2 ½ hours, and further to Song Kol another 2 ½ to 3 hours. (total 290 KM)

4.      08 Sept – Mon – Song Kol to At-Bashy (155 KM via Kara Unkur route)
Scenic route from Song Kol to Kara Unkur (3 hours approx with photo stops)
Bad main road from Kara Unkur to At-Bashy (4 hours approx).

5.      09 Sept – Tues – At-Bashy to Tash Rabat (100 km including Kara Suu – Koshoy Korgon ruins) – very  nice road so 1 ½ hours on main road – excluding the Koshoy Korgon excursion.

6.      10 Sept – Wed – Tash Rabat to Chatyr Kol trek and camp
Tash Rabat to Pass overlooking Chatyr Kol ( 6hours trek with 4 hours of almost flat walk till pass start)

7.      11 Sept – Thurs – Tash Rabat to Kochkor (232 km – 5 ½ hours approx – road from At-Bashy to Dolon Pass very bad and dusty)

8.      12 Sept – Fri – Kochkor to Kol Ukok trek camp (17 km drive from Kochkor to Isekeev village). Trek to Kol Ukok from Isekeev – 5 hours approx.

9.      13 Sept – Sat – Kochkor to Bishkek (2 ½ hours – 201 km – good roads)

10.  14 Sept – Sun – Bishkek to London flight

Contacts:

USSR Hostel:  $10 per person for a bed
Asel 
+996 551 854540 (What'z app, Viber) 
+996 550 357540 (What'z app, Viber) 
ussr_hostel@mail.ru
Chui Prospekt 127, App. 132, Bishkek, KG 

Marat - Advantour
Advantour Kyrgyzstan
Kievskaya 131/2, Bishkek 720001, Kyrgyzstan
Tel: +996 312 900592, +996 772 152139 Fax: +996 312 311170

Driver: Norden: 0779131339

Norden’s guest house details: (Nordens brother Altamia – English speaking guide)

Shyrdak Travel guest house

27 Omuraliev Str, Kochkor, Naryn Reg, Kyrgyzstan

Tel:

+996 773 153143

+996 779 474787

+996 708131328

www.shyrdak-travel.kg

shyrdaktour@gmail.com

At Bashy nomadic camp yurt stay:

I would suggest a real nomadic yurt camp in At-Bashy. they have herds of sheep, cows and horses that they take care of. setting is remote and very beautiful. it is not a regular tourist site, so you will get to see daily life of a nomad. horseback riding is available, and the length depends on your ability to ride. 70 kilometers away from the yurt camp, is a Kelsu lake. if you can handle couple days of riding, it will be an interesting route. Everything is tailored to your interests and abilities, so any tours can be arranged of any length. prices are cheaper then CBT's: 500 per night per person for BnB and 250 som per meal. Horses are 700 soms per day. if you ride around the farm, just tip the horse keeper. 
contact +996 555 220 733 or +996 556 224 733 or +996 555094360

www.nwtravel.kg 
nomadsworldtravel@gmail.com

CBT Tash Rabat:

Caretaker : Tursun – a.tursun29@mail.ru

Her card:

Sabyrbek Aiylchiev

Naryn Oblast, At-Bashy region, Kara Suu village, Index 722614, street Kudus, 29.

www.Tashrabatyurt.com

+996 773 88 90 98

+996 772 47 10 20

+996 707 47 10 20

Cholpon95@mail.ru

 

Costing

Yurt Stay: 500 – 600 SOM (including breakfast)

Meal: 250 to 300 SOM for lunch dinner or breakfast if separate

Car rates: 0.40 to 0.45 USD per km (100 km per day minimum charges)

Driver food + acco – around 25 to 30 USD per day flat rate mostly

Self drive rentals are 80 to 120 USD per day (1000 USD deposit) excluding fuel

Guide: 1200 som per day

Horse: 700 som per day

Our Costing for 7 days of road + trek trip:

Flight: 450 GBP

VISA: 62 GBP

LOI + OVIR: 62 GBP

Total (Flight + VISA + permit) : 574 GBP (935 USD)

Cash spent on trip: 514 USD ( 315 GBP) – includes food, stay, guide, horse, car+driver (basically everything we spent there)

Total cost: 889 GBP = 1449 USD = 90000 INR (approx per person)