Hotel Aurora Issyk-Kul Karakol

<br> 19th September - The Prophet's gardener knew a thing or two about location<br> I sit for breakfast. Double fried eggs, chips, a bowl of mutton and rice stew, bread, tea, jams and honey. My Uzbek isn't any better than my Russian! Though just as well I made an attempt at eating a third of it because today was walking day! I do like walking so I am on my way up a stony path to see the big waterfall - all 80 metres of it - about 5k away. There are streams, rivulets, springs ...

<br> 18th September - You lose some, you win some.<br> Cash flow problem sorted in the busy Karakol bank and I'm on my way. Yet another ear to ear grinning road following the Kurp Say reservoir before dropping down onto the plain near Tash Komur. The mountains look as though horizontal sandstone layers were pushed vertical then erosion created endless gulleys. Rockfalls tumble like mountain streams. It's a dramatic backdrop to the road ...

<br> It's raining! I put off my departure as long as possible but there is no let-up. If it's raining in Bishkek then, yes, you've guessed it, it will be snowing in the mountains. Emmanuel confirms this. Definite. Just as I am about to leave a distraught Mihi returns from the Uzbekistan consulate. He will have to put his name on a list and wait at least 3 days before he is invited for interview. It will then take 7 days for the visa to be issued, if he ...

<br><br>I potter around town. The internet cafe is closed! I go and explore the Chinese Mosque. It looks like a Tibetan temple but it is a mosque for the Dungan community in Karakol built by the Chinese. I drop into the tourist office to check if my brief ride through Uzbekistan on the road from Bishkek to Osh requires a visa because I only have a single entry ...

<br><br>I sleep well and am down for breakfast at 08.00 sharp. Well, I did get it wrong in the Ukraine. I am joined by four Kyrgys. They are warm and welcoming and mime conquers all. My landlady gives me a huge bowl of semolina. Back to childhood! On the table there is a bowl of fruit which I start to devour with the semolina but leaving enough space for the side of beef, the bread, the butter, the cheese, the tomatoes. One of the ...

<br> <br> I leave the sleeping beauties at 08.00 and am on my way having said goodbye to Mark. I take the back roads for a couple of hours after I leave Almaty. A bit lumpy but not bad. At 11.00 I stop for a bite to eat. A cheery lady runs the caff. I ask her for two eggs, bread and tea. She smiles obligingly. Shortly she comes with a tray. Bread, a pot of tea and an enormous plate of noodles and meat, and, of course, the eggs! I obviously ...

Entrem a la regio d Issik Kol ( el llac calent), el gran llac kirguic que recull l aigua que ve de dalt, el final de moltes valls, i el mar d un pais d alssades. Karacol es el cap i casal del districte, una trama urbana plantada pels rusos a finals del s. XIX,a la cruilla del riu Naradyn i el cami cap a la Xina; es la notra ciutat de vacances, l ultim punt del cami planejat, un parentesi en el viatge abans d ...

Here are some photo's of our epic trek from Jeti Oghuz to Altyn Arashyn. It is advised to do the trek over 5 days or 4 as a minimum. Instead we managed to cover the territory which included: 3 mountain passes, steep descents, hail storms, fording rivers, new friends and a wonderful lake; in 3 days. Somehow we managed to keep bodies, minds, nerves and dignities in shape. Each of the mountain passes was an awesome encounter with the elements and, of course, with ...

Lake Issyk Kol which is a huge alpine lake in the East of Kyrgyzstan if one of the only alpine lakes that does not freeze, this is down to a combination of thermal activity, extreme depth and a mild salinity. At 170km long and 70km across it is also the second largest alpine lake in the world (after Lake Titicata in South America). The lake has a huge diversity of Eco systems from desert and semi desert in the ...

Before heading to a trek in the mountains I did spend many interesting days in the main Kyrgyz cities of Osh and Bishkek. What is striking when you enter Kyrgyzstan and especially its largest cities is their great buzz and energy in comparison with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan especially. With maybe Kazakhstan it is easily the most open country in the region both politically and economically. It is not free markets and ...