Day 20 – Crossing the border into Kyrgyzstan with an afternoon in Karakol

We crossed the border into Kyrgyzstan around noon, still enjoying the beautiful snow capped mountain views. Kyrgyzstan’s history spans a variety of cultures and empires. It attained sovereignty as a nation state after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

We made our way to Karakol, once a small Russian military post, for the night. Now it is the 4th largest city in Kyrgyzstan near the eastern tip of Lake Issyk-Kul, which we plan to visit. It’s also about 93 miles or 150 kilometres from the Kyrgyzstan–China border and and 240 miles or 380 kilometres from the capital Bishkek, which will be our last stop in Kyrgyzstan and this tour.

After a late lunch, we stopped in to visited less than a handful of Karakol sites including the colorful Dungan Mosque, the Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral and Karakol Historical Museum before checking into our guesthouse for the night. 

Here’s to venturing in the country of Kyrgyzstan and the city of Karakol.

Day 21 – Scenic walks, gorgeous mountains and a yurt camp home base

Today was about scenic walks and simply gorgeous panoramic mountain views along the south shore of Lake Issykul. While half of the group hiked to see a waterfall, the rest of us walked along the Jety Oguz canyon’s rocky river stream. 

After our hike, we drove to see the Skazka (Fairy Tale) canyon for its rich orange landscapes that blanket the area. And from there, we ventured to the picturesque Jety Oguz, also known as Seven Bull Valley, rock formations made of red sandstone.

With a full day of the great outdoors behind us, we made our way to our traditional yurt camp site, the Almaluu Yurt Camp in the Bokonbaevo village on the short of Lake Issyk-Kul. The camp site once served as a Soviet collective farm and apple orchard during Soviet years. And is just a 20 minute walk to the south shore of Issyk-Kul Lake. Yurts have a long history in this area and have been used for generations by nomadic tributes as the structures that are easy to transport and assemble. 

Here’s to the natural beauty and authentic experiences of the Issyk-Kul region in Kyrgyzstan.

 

Day 22 – Learning nomadic life skills 

It was a cold, gray day as I come close to the end of this trip. We spent one more night at the Almaluu Yurt Camp in the Bokonbayevo  Village before heading to Bishkek where the tour comes to an end. 

As excited as I was to stay in the yurt, one night would have been more than enough. The coal burning fire stove, which was supposed to have been lit especially at night  kept the inside of the yurt warm for a couple of hours, which was nice. But once it went out, it was cold. The thick blankets made a big difference with combating the cold plus I slept with my sweater on to stay warm. I pretty much felt cold all day. So glad I always travel with a sweater, jacket and a pair of long johns. You just never know when just one of these items can make a big difference in being comfortable. Suffice it to say, I am definitely not a yurt dweller. Grateful for the experience for a couple of nights but a hotel bed is feeling like luxury. 

But there’s no wasting time for yurt lounging and shivering when there is eagle training, archery and yurt making lessons to be had. All of which kept me warm and intrigued throughout the day. And, this day came to an end with a walk to the south shore of Issyk Kul Lake just a 20 minute walk from our Almaluu Yurt Camp site in the Bokonbayevo Village.

Here’s to a rather unusual and truly gem of a day learning first hand some nomadic Kyrgyz life skills. 

Day 23: On the road to Bishkek and the end of our tour through Central Asia

It turned out to be a cold, windy, rainy night at our yurt camp site at the Almaluu Yurt Camp in Bokonbayevo, the region of Issyk-Kul. We woke up to no electricity and no running water for our last day at the camp site before moving on to our last stop of the tour, Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. 

Here’s to the 4-hour drive from our camp site into Bishkek.

Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan

The roads again, during a more than four hours drive, were difficult to travel on until we were about an hour or so outside the capital city of Bishkek. That’s when we got a paved 4-lane designated highway. 

And, as we entered Bishkek, there were border control stations on each side of the road for locals and large trucks. There were also speed traps  with police on the sides of the highway. 

After arriving in Bishkek, the first thing we did was have a late lunch before heading out on a walking tour showcasing the city’s highlights. 

Some of those highlights included a visit to the Ala-too Square, which was formerly known as Lenin Square in Soviet times. We also explored the beautiful park and open-air statue museum of Dubovy (Oak) Park with its century-old oak trees. Plus an opportunity to see a number of Soviet-era art, architecture and monuments. 

In the evening, we got together for dinner to celebrate the end of our eye-opening trip through five Central Asia countries, say our good-byes and alas, let our leader, guide and driver know how much we appreciate them sharing their knowledge and love of their countries with us. 

Here’s to Bishkek, the end of an incredible journey with a group of enjoyable travelers and to the opportunity to explore some amazing  countries.