Hotel Dostuk Bishkek

... I get to the front of the queue. Well, second. They close for lunch! I meet Patrick by chance and we swop stories. He relates a story of an Australian friend who went to the consulate in Melbourne for a tourist visa and was told categorically "we do not want you!" I return to the consulate not in the most hopeful frame of mind.
I am back there in plenty of time for the 14.30 opening. I march boldly to ...

... going in circles. Amazingly, it is built of sturdier stuff than I had anticipated and, so far, is perfectly fine. Wow.

Well, I am now back in Bishkek, heading off on the road south to Osh and beyond tomorrow morning. Today is absolutely baking hot. I had thought about going today, but with various things to sort out, it would have been a late afternoon rush to get going, in the heat, and I would rather just start fresh tomorrow.

Until later.

... back memories of childhood in Wicklow and making hay. No sileage then. Then there are the cars. Hundreds of them. All makes and conditions. Men kick tyres. Families gather around looking at engines wondering how long this wreck might last. The atmosphere is much more subdued here.

This is one of the biggest animal markets in Central Asia. I love markets, the sizing up, the cautious approach, the bargaining, the agreement, the satisfaction. It is the antithesis of going to the ...

... I take it with me the next day to drink along the way. I have to say that it may have found a new home far enough out of town to minimise the risk of offending him.

So, anyway, cooking up/eating the pasta/soup/whatever else I put together (nom nom nom) when in comes Almat, a guy who was hitting part of a van with a hammer earlier. A brief look in the phrasebook, and he proclaims 'Happy Birthday'. Turns out it was his birthday, and he and his Kazakh mates wanted me to ...

... surprisingly some French and English. Our host was a man of 31 with three children, a herd of goats, several horses and a home in the alpine Jailoo. He was shocked to find that Ben was his age.. yet had no children and no responsibilities, taking such a long holiday! His wife made about six types of bread, which Ben was happy about, but to be honest the diet of bread, cream, sugar and jam with Kumys (fermented mare's milk) was wearing, and we were ...

... a big 0. Zero for the number of days left. In order to cope, the Istanbul 6 had been counting down the days. This was the last one with this crew. A quick night in a hotel and we would be saying goodbye to the old crew and breaking in the new ones.

The Last night dinner was a classic disaster. Soups arrived after the main courses had been finished. Drinks never arrived and we were forced to pop to the ...

... of course, - have a nice weather!

Objectives and goals: main idea of the project is investigation of this region concerning possibilities of development paragliding and para-mountaineering here, and – as result of it all – popularization of this region as promising for carrying out of international competitions and just realization of «free» and «cross-country» flights above Alay valley. During the festival program opportunities ...

... Meeting. Flight to Osh. Accommodation at hotel.
Day 02 Transfer Osh (1262m) – Kashka-Su village (3000m) via Taldyk pass (3630m). Overnight at national Kyrgyz house. 300km, 8-9h, +1740m.
Day 03 Horse riding Kashka-Su village (3000m) – Alay valley (3300m) – Achik-Tash river valley (3200m) – Edelweiss glade (3600m). Camp 1 (tents). 30km, 6h, +600m.
Day 04 Radial horse riding up along Achik-Tash river ...

... the path of uphill.
Day 10 Rest day.
Day 11 Rest day. Use this opportunity for wandering around, exploring the picturesque environs and taking piles of unforgettable photos…
Day 12 Camp 1 (4200 m) to Camp 2 (5300 m).
Day 13 Camp 1 (4200 m) to Camp 3 (5900 m).
Day 14 Camp 3 (5900 m) to Camp 4 (6400 m) From Camp 3 the route goes on through the saddle and along the western ridge of Peak Khan-Tengry ...

... we had an orientation tour of the capital Bishkek. In fact at 8.00 pm we were still looking at blessed endless city monuments. We just wanted a meal and our bed – and some money.

This was our first of many endeavours to change money in Kyrgyzstan. We were assured that it is REALLY easy to exchange money in Kyrgyzstan "Don't WORRY", smiled Vita “You will have NO problems”. This sounded a bit familiar. Vita assured us that the Hyatt ...