BIG HUGS AND SILLY HATS - Issyk-Kol, Kyrgyzstan

 .......previously, our wanderings in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, and Tokmok.............

Rich getting into the Kyrgyz spirit!

We had sussed out the leaving area for the marshrutka from Tokmok to Issyk-Kol, a large lake in the east of Kyrgyzstan. As we boarded we were relieved to see two seats together, and noticed an Indian couple sitting in the back. There is a fair population of South Asians living in Central Asia, especially Kyrgyzstan, due to the popularity of studying at the many universities there. It is a much cheaper way for them to complete their education than travelling to the "West". Luckily, the vehicle filled up quickly, and we were on our way. Almost immediately, the three respectable-looking middle aged women on the back seat broke out their bottle of vodka, and shared it with Rich, who was sitting next to them. By the end of the trip, there were a lot of red cheeks in the bus! We had been apprehensive about the journey, as we remembered the crazy drivers from our last trip, when several times we thought we might die at the hands of the reckless and speeding driver. Things had changed in the ensuing few years, however, and now speed cameras and heavy fines applied to anyone caught speeding, and the threat of punishment seemed to be an effective deterrent. As it was, the driver was steady and safe, and we only had one stop for wees/drinks on the 2 hour journey. 

The best experience of our trip to Kyrgyzstan six years previously had been our stay with a lovely family in the untouristy village of Kara Koo on the southern shores of Issky-Kol. We wrote an entire blog post dedicated to the stay back then. What we didn't realize now, was that the family had moved to Bishkek to live for most of the year, due to Asel's work, and only arrived to stay back in their village house during the summer months. However, upon receiving a message that we would be arriving the following day, they quickly packed up their belongings and came to Kara Koo to open their home early, especially for us. Of course, we were terribly embarrassed they had made such a huge effort for us, and wondered why they hadn't told us- we could easily have come later. They just really wanted to see us. We had been their first visitors when they opened their home to guests, and although they had had a steady stream of intrepid travellers staying before the Covidian BS, they insisted we had been their favourites!

They met us off the bus, and Nargiza ran to us to give us big hugs. She quickly disappeared into the shops, emerging with bags full of food and we set off for home. The kids also gave us enthusiastic hugs- the two older ones we remembered, and the two little ones were new arrivals to the family. So cute and not a word of English. Asel spoke a little, although not for such a long time, and we got by. They all spent hours preparing the house, mostly for us probably, vacuuming, tidying, cleaning and cooking an instant feast. We remembered what amazing food we had experienced in the house before, and even with all the kids, Nargiza still prepared some delectable meals. So sweet, she asked us what foods we would like. Rich, as usual, said he loved anything with potatoes and for the next few days we enjoyed a potato fest, including an awesome breakfast of fried potatoes, two huge piles of them! 

Number two son, and view from the village house, Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

One of the fabulous concoctions from Nargiza's kitchen

The simple kitchen

Our potato themed breakfast, yum!

The village house was absolutely freezing at night, and we were slightly concerned about keeping warm. However, after a hot meal and tea, and with our new purchases of thick jackets from Bishkek, and the heavy quilts on the beds, we were super snug and slept like babies.

Piles of quilts in our room in  Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

We spent our few days there relaxing with the family, walking in the village and out into the hills to enjoy the viewpoints of the mountains which were much more dramatic on this visit. Around every corner was another stunning view with the snow capped mountains peeking through.

Taking a breather, walking around  Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Stunning view of the surrounding mountains,  Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Village graveyard,  Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Village kid,  Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Typical village home,  Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Mending the fence, Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Rich with mountain backdrop,  Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Village view,  Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Light streaming into a barn,  Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Back street of Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

On our eventual departure the family refused to take any money for our stay- we had to press the cash into their hands and insist. They had even bought us gifts of a kalpak (tall white Kyrgyz hat) for Rich and a scarf for Sal. With Nagiza in tears, we left, promising to return again one day. 

Lovely daughter of the family, Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Little village donkey, Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Photogenic old truck, Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

Colourful blooms, Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

A vague idea to stay in a yurt on the lake was next on the agenda, although we quickly changed our minds when we arrived in Tong, another tiny village on the south side of Issyk Kol. It was so early in the season, there were no tourists around and the atmosphere was decidedly dead. The yurts in the beach camps looked so pathetic, unwelcoming and ungenuine- nothing like the yurts we had seen in the wild valleys in other parts of Kyrgyzstan. Instead, Rich's intuition led us to a wonderful place in the village with brand new rooms overlooking their orchard, Issyk Kol and the mountains, hosted by an enthusiastic family. As we had turned up out of the blue, they immediately began rushing around around making beds, turning on the hot water, bringing us chairs and table to enjoy the view from the balcony. Pot plants appeared and eventually the WIFI was switched on, and we were very happy we had found such a agreeable spot. We had access to a tiny kitchen downstairs, and we enjoyed a break from the huge meals of Kara Koo, and ate simply in the evenings. 

View from our balcony, Tong, Issyk Kol

Set up just for us, Tong, Issyk Kol

Evening pastime, Tong, Issyk Kol

The weather was hazy and drizzly at times during our few days in Tong, and the lake was not at it's most attractive. Instead we explored the inland hills and discovered a gorgeous valley view, complete with horses, sheep and friendly shepherds.

Rich at the "beach", Tong, Issyk Kol

Looking down on a scenic valley, Tong, Issyk Kol

Gorgeous views, Tong, Issyk Kol

We looked forward to following up our modest stays on the southern shore of Issyk Kol, with a visit to Karakol, a beautiful place with fond memories for us. 

Our route along Issyk Kol's southern route

Rich admiring the view,  Kara Koo, Issyk Kol

.........next up, Karakol town, on the far flung eastern shore of Issyk Kol.............

STONEY FACES AT THE TOWER - Bishkek and Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan

.....we last left you at the border between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.......

Burana Tower, Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

The last time we were in Bishkek was six years ago, and we didn't have particularly fond memories of the place for some reason. This visit, however, we appreciated the sights and sounds more, and loved the vibrant pace and people of the city. Elderly men in tall white Kyrgyz hats mixed with masses of modern university students. Wafts of great smelling food- bread baking and meat sizzling on the BBQ filled the air. Public transport was plentiful, easy and cheap, with fares being a standard 11 or 15 som (£0.10 - £0.13) for the big buses and marshrutkas respectively. The change of climate with drizzly days and cool nights was even pleasant contrast, and the green areas with parks galore was impressive and transformed the city into a relaxed place. Beautiful Bishkek!

Breakfast, samsa and chay, Bishkek

Exactly how many brands of vodka does one need?

Imposing statue, Oak Park, Bishkek

Artwork on exterior of building, Bishkek

Guarding the Kyrgyz flag, Bishkek

Beer with a straw, Bishkek

Osh Bazaar was a firm favourite during this visit, with it's incredible selection of fresh produce, as well as clothes, beauty products and stationary. The section featuring every kind of dried fruit known to man was particularly impressive. Around the outside, we appreciated the second hand clothing shops (we were anticipating some cooler weather coming up), and cheap and delicious local food, specifically shashlik (meat of various kinds on big skewers). We were craving meat, and enjoyed the selection at a local ashkana (simple restaurant).

Every kind of dried fruit, Osh Bazaar, Bishkek

Our favourite shashlik, Osh Bazaar, Bishkek

Taking a break, Osh Bazaar, Bishkek

Garlic in the sun, Osh Bazaar, Bishkek

Several amusements around Bishkek kept us busy for our week or so there. The Zoological Museum was a musty dark place, with most of the mammals, birds and insects on display seemingly having been collected in the 1800s. It wasn't surprising that most exhibits were black with dust, moth eaten and had become somewhat distorted over the years. It was hilarious, and at 50 som (£0.45), we appeared to have got what we paid for. The Minerals Museum marked on the map was actually a working department of the university, and a mad professor wizzed us around a huge dusty old room filled with all sorts of rocks, speaking enthusiastically in Russian, while stunned students looked on, no doubt wondering what we were doing there. 

Funny stuffed animals, Zoological Museum, Bishkek

A range of old and dusty relics (and Rich), Zoological Museum, Bishkek

Panfilov Park was a sweet, old fashioned amusement park, and on the day we visited, filled with families with excited children. The mostly tame rides were a throw back to simpler times, with favourites such as riding in tea cups and the Ferris wheel, and side shows featuring such attractions as throwing darts to burst balloons. Kyrgyz love these types of parks, and we have seen them in many towns across the country. 

Old fashioned Panfilov Park, Bishkek

Central Asians (or rather the Soviets before them), really know how to do a good park, and they are usually a fantastic place to escape the heat, breath in some fresh air and chill out on a park bench. Bishkek had more than its fair share of quiet green areas, but the enormous and delightful Oak Park in the city's centre was the best. In the drizzly weather the plane trees, acers and of course, oak trees created a cosy feeling. The usual Soviet-era statues were dotted around, along with some funky old art galleries and theatres, and quirky sculptures by local artists.

Spring flowers in Bishkek

Kids playing around the fountain, Bishkek

Quirky sculpture, Oak Park, Bishkek

University wall, Bishkek

On another walk along a river and through a neighbourhood with delightful old Russian-style houses, it was surprising to remember we were still in a capital city!

As lovely as Bishkek's city parks were, we felt the need to get more out into nature, and took a marshrutka to Issyk-Ata, the origin of a natural spring and sanatorium up a beautiful valley a couple of hours from Bishkek. We were very happy we had arrived early for the trip, as the small bus filled up quickly with village people going home after shopping in the city. Some had to stand for the entire trip. We have talked extensively before about the complicated etiquette about seating on Central Asian transport, particularly in Kyrgyzstan. 

"It's a complex and polite system we've seen all over Central Asia, and amusing for us to watch. Old people get priority with seats, and sitting near the front. Women of any age take precedence over any man who is not old. We held fast to our seats comforted in the knowledge that we covered at least two of the favoured categories! We always felt sorry for the younger men, who always end up standing, or sitting in the worst seats."

This flow chart someone at Caravanistan took the time to put together does explain it rather well in a visual form:

It's actually more complicated than this, but not a bad summing up

Although the simple walking track leading from the Soviet-era sanatorium up the valley had been expanded into a rather ugly horse trail, the views were still beautiful, with rather more snow than on our previous summer visit. Along the trail were locals with horses for hire, also selling kumis, fermented mare's milk. This a firm favourite amongst Kyrgyz people, and good to taste once! People picnicked on the grass and in yurts, and splashed around in the newly built hot spring pool at the sanatorium. The bright spring green and the mountain views revived us, and reminded us of what we had coming up on our further trips into Kyrgyzstan. 

View up the valley, Issyk- Ata

Horses free on a hill, Issyk- Ata

Temperamental weather, Issyk- Ata

Spring flowers along trail, Issyk- Ata

Around the sanatorium, Issyk- Ata

So many foals around, Issyk- Ata

Milking the mares for kumis, Issyk- Ata

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From the Eastern bus station in Bishkek, we took a surprisingly direct marshrutka to Tokmok- a town halfway between the capital and Issyk-Kol, a lake in the east of Kyrgyzstan. 

For years we had wanted to visit Burana Tower, and some affordable accommodation had opened up in nearby Tokmok since our last trip. It was a convenient place to base ourselves for a few days to visit the surrounding attractions. Our guesthouse hostess didn't speak any English, but luckily she was a wizz on Google translate. Many of the questions we asked she didn't know the answers to, but she did some research and always came back to us with the information we needed. It seems she wasn't used to independent travellers on a budget- all her other guests just take taxis everywhere, she told us!

Main roundabout in Tokmok

Ornate bed in guesthouse, Tokmok

Typical apartment building, Tokmok

From Tokmok bus station, we happily discovered many marshrutkas (minibuses) connecting the tiny picturesque villages in the area. A fellow passenger took charge of helping us find the Burana bus, and we set out on a gloriously sunny day for a simply stunning tootle into the countryside. Along the way were meadows with wildflowers and horses, and strawberry pickers in fields with bucket loads of the fruit on the roadside- we were frustrated we couldn't take of advantage of this!

Gorgeous scenery around Tokmok

The remaining minaret that is Burana Tower was apparently part of the 9th century Silk Road city Balasagan. Today, it stands tall in a field, backed by serene views of farms and massive mountains in the near distance. The tower itself has some beautiful brickwork. In the grounds is an intriguing graveyard, perhaps Turkic warriors buried with their faces carved on stones marking their place. The amount of these in one place was curious. There's a lot of speculation about when these date from and what they are exactly, but most of the information is so vague, the true origins seem unknown. We were captivated by the strange atmosphere. 

Strange stones, Burana Tower

Grave markers?

Mill stones, near Burana Tower

Turkic gravestones, Burana Tower

Yurt shop, Burana Tower

Stunning backdrop, Burana Tower

A few tour groups came and went, but for the first hour we were mainly alone at the site. Then a bus arrived and musicians, dancers and artists started pouring out and setting up scenes for filming around the grounds. We suspected they might have been shooting a film clip, as the same song was played over and over, but we sat and watched the spectacle for some time. What a treat to hear traditional musicians and see Kyrgyz style dancing in the flesh, especially with such a wonderful backdrop!

Dancers in Kyrgyz costume, Burana Tower

Music and dancing, Burana Tower

Burana Tower

A sort video of the music and dancing here

Even the long wait for a marshrutka back to Tokmok couldn't dampen our spirits, we had had such a wonderful day. So inspiring, in fact, we set out again the following day to enjoy another village bus ride and stroll, this time to Kegeti. The scenery of red poppies contrasting with the green strawberry fields and snowy mountains towering over it all were simply gorgeous. A wander out of Kegeti, up a hill to a secluded and abandoned necropolis was pleasant. On the way back we watched some little kids playing a universal game in the street. We have seen variations of the "throw something at a stick and see who can hit it" game all over the world- the most amusing being in Indonesia where they children play it with flip flops. 

Kyrgyz necropolis, Kegeti

Love how this guy is simply "Communist"

Walking around Kegeti

Making friends in Kegeti

We had two encounters with drunk men that day. The first was just as we got off the bus, when a car pulled up and a large unsteady man with gold teeth fell out and tried to tell us he was an interpreter for the US embassy. He had been enthusiastically celebrating the end of school term and had gotten slightly carried away. He was very insistent on us leaving with him to continue the drinking, and we had to explain we had only just arrived in Kegeti for a morning stroll. He congratulated Rich on his "simple wife" and then happily got back in his car and was driven off. 

New best friends, Kegeti

The second encounter was as we were waiting for the bus to go back to Tokmok, and was far less charming. We could not get rid of the revolting drunk, as he leered over us, nearly falling on Richard and absolutely stinking to high heaven. Richard poked him with a stick and he got the message and wobbled off down the street. We always attract these sorts, without fail. 

.......we next travel to Issyk Kol for a stay on the south side.......