We arrived in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital and largest city, very early in the morning. Despite its recent independence and democratic status, it is still very "Soviet" to the eye. Lots of large statues of people we don't recognise, enormous government administration buildings (which look to be half empty) but also attractive wide tree-lined avenues and very big well-kept parks and green spaces.
Bishkek is relatively small and it didn't take long to see the highlights. The temperature was much cooler than we'd been experiencing recently, so it was pleasant to be able to stroll around. We even had time to try the Kyrgyz version of empanadas. Not quite up to Saltanean standards - but then nothing could be.
Next day, we set off for the town of Karakol in the eastern part of Kyrgyzstan. This meant a 5 hour ride in a minibus, much of it along the shore of Lake Issyk-Kol, which is the country's scenic attraction. The landscape is quite diverse. We wound up and down barren mountains, through flatlands which were planted in swathes of yellow, violet and pink flowering plants (we don't yet know what they are) and then along the lake where the road was studded with small resorts. But these were Soviet-style resorts - large concrete high-rises in the middle of nowhere. They all seemed empty.
Karakol itself is a small town beyond the eastern end of the lake. It is very quiet, particularly at this time of year when the university is out of session and all the students are gone. In fact, Karakol would be a pretty non-descript town were it not for the spectacular mountain range behind - and this was the real reason for our visit. After a night staying in Karakol in the home of a local family, we went with a guide on a 2-day trek into the mountains - to a valley called Altyn Arashan which is well-known for its hot springs. We haven't been hiking for a while but the beauty of the surroundings gave us plenty of energy. We followed a fast-flowing river up several valleys towards the snow-capped mountain peaks. The sides of the valleys were covered in tall pine trees - just a few gaps marked the paths of previous avalanches. This was postcard stuff and distracted us from the effort of the ascent.
We arrived late in the afternoon at our camp in Altyn Arashan. It was set in a prime spot in the valley and we did a little exploring before checking out the advertised highlight - the hot springs. The way to experience them is to venture into one of many enclosed concrete pools. This is not a quick process. The water is extremely hot. We tried immersing ourselves little by little until the numbness set in. It was just too hot and I never got above my knees. When they say hot springs, they mean hot. There was some rain later in the evening (the first we've seen or felt for a while) but it was strangely difficult to sleep. It must have been the contrast to our Middle East nights - no calls to prayer out here.
Next day we headed back to Karakol. We took a longer route to check out other small hot spring sites on the edge of the river. Some of these were a challenge to reach and we needed a few climbing skills - but they were worth it. The water temperature was much more pleasant than the previous evening and we wished we'd had time to do more than just dangle our feet there.
Simon
Bishkek is relatively small and it didn't take long to see the highlights. The temperature was much cooler than we'd been experiencing recently, so it was pleasant to be able to stroll around. We even had time to try the Kyrgyz version of empanadas. Not quite up to Saltanean standards - but then nothing could be.
Next day, we set off for the town of Karakol in the eastern part of Kyrgyzstan. This meant a 5 hour ride in a minibus, much of it along the shore of Lake Issyk-Kol, which is the country's scenic attraction. The landscape is quite diverse. We wound up and down barren mountains, through flatlands which were planted in swathes of yellow, violet and pink flowering plants (we don't yet know what they are) and then along the lake where the road was studded with small resorts. But these were Soviet-style resorts - large concrete high-rises in the middle of nowhere. They all seemed empty.
Karakol itself is a small town beyond the eastern end of the lake. It is very quiet, particularly at this time of year when the university is out of session and all the students are gone. In fact, Karakol would be a pretty non-descript town were it not for the spectacular mountain range behind - and this was the real reason for our visit. After a night staying in Karakol in the home of a local family, we went with a guide on a 2-day trek into the mountains - to a valley called Altyn Arashan which is well-known for its hot springs. We haven't been hiking for a while but the beauty of the surroundings gave us plenty of energy. We followed a fast-flowing river up several valleys towards the snow-capped mountain peaks. The sides of the valleys were covered in tall pine trees - just a few gaps marked the paths of previous avalanches. This was postcard stuff and distracted us from the effort of the ascent.
We arrived late in the afternoon at our camp in Altyn Arashan. It was set in a prime spot in the valley and we did a little exploring before checking out the advertised highlight - the hot springs. The way to experience them is to venture into one of many enclosed concrete pools. This is not a quick process. The water is extremely hot. We tried immersing ourselves little by little until the numbness set in. It was just too hot and I never got above my knees. When they say hot springs, they mean hot. There was some rain later in the evening (the first we've seen or felt for a while) but it was strangely difficult to sleep. It must have been the contrast to our Middle East nights - no calls to prayer out here.
Next day we headed back to Karakol. We took a longer route to check out other small hot spring sites on the edge of the river. Some of these were a challenge to reach and we needed a few climbing skills - but they were worth it. The water temperature was much more pleasant than the previous evening and we wished we'd had time to do more than just dangle our feet there.
Simon
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