A three day visit to Kyrgystan

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 Since Robert needed to renew his visa for Uzbekistan after 3 months here, the simplest thing was to leave the country and get the new visa on return. Th easiest country to go to in the neighbourhood appeared to be Kyrgystan, East of Uzbekistan, no entry visa required. So that’s what we did. A one hour’s flight to Bishkek, the capital, of which I had never heard before in my entire life. The country itself is quite unknowm actually, but it appeared to be just as interesting and unspoilt as what I have heard of Nepal.

 We spent three days, but it seemed a week, due to all the fantastic experiences and impressions. Friday evening on our arrival at the airport, we were awaited by a cheerful driver who spoke German, since he had been in Mannheim for a 9 months training. His name is Bakyt, meaning ‘luck’, which he actually radiates. 

Saturday started – with our English speaking guide for 3 days- with a tour of the capital. A grand statue reminding every citizen of the revolutions (!) against the presidents, as recent as 2005 and 2010. Since this is a country of nomads the people are quite autonomous and stand up to their rights. Very different from Uzbek people who have always suffered under cruel dictators and usurpers ever since Alexander the Great  and are  quite subdued since those experiences.

 We left the city in a bad fog, but it cleared soon enough - Luck being with us!- and we found ourselves driving east along a grand mountain ridge, the border with Kazachstan, to the North. Soon we arrived at the Burana tower, similar in style to the one in Buchara, a watch tower obviously and the only leftover from the city of Balasagyn XI-XIII AD. 

It stands guard over a field of burial stones, which are special as they depict guards threatening evil forces. There are also some petrogyphs.

The journey continues through the ‘Boom’ pass to a suddenly widening valley, in which lies the Issik Kul lake. The lake is 180 km long, 60 kms wide and saline as it evaporates more water than it collects. In the summer it is an attractive recreation area, with nomadic people living in Yurts along the lake grazing their cattle, but now everything is quiet, very quiet. The moslim graveyards looks beautiful in the low sunlight against the backdrop of mountains. 

 We visit the Cholpon Ata site late in the afternoon. Big  stones seem threwn around randomly, but it is probably an old gletscher bed. There are petroglyphs depicting wolves, lonbg horned ibex, goats, horese etc. We meet a sheperd on horseback taking his sheep and cattle home for the night and two guys with real eagles, for hunting. 

We stay in in the Royal Beach hotel where we are the only guests. Next morning we get porridge for breakfast; not so bad since it is freezing cold! Today we leave the wide valley for a magnificant tour through the Dolon pass at 3038 meters.

First stop is in Kochkor where we buy a fermented wheat drink at the market from two very nice women and then visit the felt workshop. We go through the process of felt making and make our own 20x20cm felt ‘carpet’. The wool is laid out on a reed mat, rolled into it, hot water poured over it and then you have to dance on it for about 20 minutes for the wool to shrink and become strong. 

So that’s what we did, guided by the  two women in charge of the community project. After that we visited their well provided arts and crafts shop. We couldn’t escape being dressed up in a traditional wolf skin (Robert) and  fox-fur lined coat (Jelleke). Even though we wouldn’t have been able to import them into Europe due to ‘protected animals’ regulations, we wouldn’t have wanted such a thing: too heavy to wear really!   But effective in the severe cold in these mountainous regions on 2000 m height. After that we are invited to an exquisite warm 3 course lunch in the family’s house.

 

The mountain landscapes are fabulous. Robert and I were astounded that not only the sheep but also the horses and cattle were grazing on the stubs in the snow with zero degrees. We stayed the night in a nice guesthouse in the mountaintown Naryn, where it smelled like in the Swiss mountain villages, of wood and coalfires. And again we were treated to a very good homemade dinner. 

 

To end with: the top of a YURT construction, as well as the National emblem in the Nation's flag. 

11-11-12 A sunday hike in the mountains

After I had tried at the beginning of this year to get in touch with “Boris” who organises hikes around Tashkent, all of  sudden I got the link last week from Maricla, our Italian friend.  There was the invitation to  join a 6,5 hours hike in the Chimgan mountains (1,5 hours drive East of Tashkent, towards Tajikistan). So off we went this Sundaymorning at 07:00 to the Chimgan mountains, by now well known territory, we thought!

 

Last weekend it rained in Tashkent, so there was snow in the mountains. A nice group of 9 expats (USA, Letuvia, Germany, Italy, Ukraine) with different backgrounds and some more experienced hikers than others. We started at Chimgan, climbed the hills to 1,800 m, where we had a beautiful view of the lake ( artificial/ dam)  as well as a pretty clear idea of how far we had to go down. 

Some serious landslides, horses roaming free, some hawthorn bushes full of fruit. 

The weather was beautiful, after lunch all jackets and sweaters were off and suntan was applied liberally. 

We made good speed and were back at the bus in time, only 5 minutes later than scheduled.  But we did feel our knees and realised that our Sunday city walk along the canal cannot stand up to Boris’s hikes.