A Karry on in Kyrgyzstan

Down by the Toktogul reservoir a truck appeared and dropped off a large metal structure of the sort used in cafes for seated dining but otherwise it was a peaceful evening and Kris and Hinda were up for a bracing early morning dip. I was about to get underway when I noticed a front OS puncture..... I got the trolley jack out and raised the offending corner but couldn't see anything in the tyre so set to to remove the wheel and replace it with the spare. With the many thousands of miles of dusty conditions I got rather grubby so rinsed off at the water's edge and headed off up to the main road. Kris had given me a hand and it was good to have all the necessary kit on board. A few miles along the road at Uc Terek one of the ubiquitous tyre workshops soon had me sorted out with a repair costing 300 som so the friendly old guy was very happy with the 500 I insisted on. He and a local trucker also in for a repair were very interested in the van and my journey, my map overcoming the language barrier once more. 

Beyond the town of Toktogul the main road to Bishkek began climbing through the dramatic Chychkan Canyon to reach the Ala-Bel Assu pass at 3184m which was chilly and remote but surrounded by the western ranges of the Tian Shen mountains.

Dropping through Otmok I eventually reached my intended turning to Chaek but after only 10 km I decided the potential 100km more through the mountains on such a poor surface was not for me - I heard later from Kris that it had indeed been a terrible road all the way. The main road north then started climbing once more and eventually crossed the range via the Too Ashuu tunnel at 3130m that avoided the pass another 400m higher. These roads must be impassable for many months over the winter and to counter this a new north south route from Bishkek to Osh is reaching completion heading in a more direct line but requiring many tunnels and potentially opening up a currently fairly inaccessible region of Kyrgyzstan.

Before hitting Bishkek I diverted south towards the Ala Archa National Park as there was  a good water point on the road heading up in to the hills. The NP is popular and plenty of locals were heading that way but before long I was parked under trees in the centre of the Kyrgyz capital. It was much hotter again so after the obligatory ice cream I visited the National Museum nearby which was spread out over five floors of a modern building. A wealth of exhibits covering all aspects of life from the early history to post Soviet times were fascinating and well labelled in Kyrgyz, Russian and English. As always I was amazed by the complex history across this vast region with empires rising and falling and national boundaries in an almost constant state of flux until recent times. 

As I walked back to the van I noticed ongoing preparations for the Bishkek International Film Festival and after a visit to the fairground later I stood and watched the opening ceremony which was followed by various local artists belting out traditional songs. Despite the large numbers of security personnel I was able so slip through the barriers and reach an area where national film stars were lining up for selfies with their fans before eventually heading back to the van which was effectively blocked in by visitors.

It was a warm night and I was away early heading east to Burana Tower which is all that remains of a mosque and even that is only half its original height. I parked under trees and within minutes a German plated high top T4 parked alongside. The three occupants were from Germany with the guy being English so, it was good to have a chat before heading to the ticket booth. I walked out to the brick built structure accessed by an external spiral staircase which led to a very steep and unlit internal stone staircase with almost no room to pass other  visitors. The views south were superb as snow clad mountains rose away to the east and west and back at ground level there were a number of carved stones gathered from across the region set in to the ground.

Heading east again through Tokmok the road climbed through the Boom Gorge and then split to send me south to Kockor passing the scenic Oro Toko Reservoir. On the outskirts of Kockor I found an idyllic park up by a shallow river and decided it would be the perfect overnight spot. There was the usual dispiriting garbage around but ten minutes with a bin liner made a huge difference and I settled in for a planning session. A family pulled up nearby and spent some time washing two huge carpets in the river but by mid evening all was quiet. Heading south to Sari Bulak there were nomadic herdsmen and their families occupying the flatter spots by the Joon Aryk river with the fermented mare's milk for sale and I was soon turning off west on the road to the Song Kol lake. A local guy was hitching for a lift so I stopped as the road was very quiet and we headed off on a rather poor surface with a few deviations to avoid wash outs. After about half an hour we reached his humble farm after which the road got more challenging and climbed steeply via numerous bumpy hairpins. I passed a heavily laden van and trailer that was heading up to the jailoo or summer pastures carrying a whole family's belongings and presumably most of the supplies they would need as it was a long way in or out. After passing some patches of snow I reached the pass at 3124m and stopped for the remarkable view of a blue lake encircled by snow capped mountains several hundred metres below. Yurts were strung out across the flat pastures, herds of cattle and horses were grazing freely as well as flocks of the curious kurdyuk or fat tailed sheep which are a cornerstone of the local economy. They have a pronounced bulge above the tail which acts like a camel's hump storing energy in the form of fat to enable them to survive harsh winters and scarce grazing. I reached the shore line and headed west meeting a Californian guy passing through on a well laden mountain bike - hugely impressive - and then reached a few yurt camps that cater for tourists seeking the nomadic experience, albeit briefly and with creature comforts perhaps not seen in the true yurt. 

I knew rain was in the forecast, that might well have turned to snow at these high altitudes and in any case would make the dirt track tricky so climbed up and out of the enormous bowl to reach a perfect spot to spend the night at 3346m, my highest ever night in the van. Neither it nor I experienced any altitude issues, not that I was exerting myself very much and the views south to 4,000m plus peaks across the wide Narin Valley were incredible. Remarkably this river eventually flows in to the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan and I will be following its course north in a few weeks time and hundreds of miles away. Two local herders arrived on horseback - being young they had come up to get a signal as it was non existent around the lake but after an hour as the sun set they were off leaving me to enjoy the amazing stars appear overhead.

I was woken next morning by the van rocking gently courtesy of some cows having a good scratch so shooed them away and after a breakfast of toast and honey began the long descent on a serpentine track to reach the valley floor after twenty odd miles. P4N suggested a water point twenty miles in the wrong direction for me and as it was a poor road I turned east for Narin as I was pretty sure I had enough for another day or two. My water gauge has always had a mind of it's own and with minimal usage at the moment thanks to solo occupancy and a flannel wash I'm never quite sure of the situation. I keep 5l of drinking water in reserve so would always be OK. Similarly with my gas situation I am using far less and a cylinder has lasted a month with minimal cooking, fridge use and water boiling. On the outskirts of Narin a riverside park up required a steep and bumpy descent which I then reascended to make sure it was possible, yet again the van amazed me with its capabilities and I descended once more to park up under some trees for the rest of the day. A group of young lads of various ages were spending the day there as there was a rough football pitch, some ancient swings and a natural spring emerged from rocks giving them the opportunity to lark about. I of course was a source of great interest and they were super excited to see inside the van and totally absorbed in the maps I used to show them my route across Europe to get here. They knew all the main soccer teams in the UK and having pumped up their football we played an impromptu game up on the pitch. My position as goalie was perfect : no running around and the junior sized goal was easily enough blocked. The game ended at two all and before long as the sun set they were packing up and heading home waving wholeheartedly having brought me a few handfuls of sweets - humbling.

I woke this morning to the sound of the predicted rain so packed up very quickly anxious to get back up the track before it got too slippery, again the van was up to the task and by mid morning I was back here by the river in Kockor where the water was much muddier as a result of melting snow up in the mountains. I walked in to the village to check out the shopping options for tomorrow, found a good cafe for lunch and have been back at the van for the afternoon - a family sent over their toddler with melon and mini doughnuts and yet again I was considering how open and trusting everyone is over here: so refreshing.

Anyway I have less than a fortnight left in this beautiful country so will head east along the south shore of mighty Issy Kol lake to Karakol where I must get the van oil and filter done before starting to head home. Kyrgyzstan has been amazing so far and has more to offer so until the next post some extra photos sit HERE