Deryn found this new little guesthouse a little way out of the town of Teplokyuchenka, close to some local hot springs. It was also the exit point for the most well-known hike in Kyrgyzstan, the 4-day Ala-Kul hike. We had intended to do it but decided we were not fit enough to do the 1600m climb on the second day to 3900m. Sandra had headed out to Ganbar guesthouse the day before so thankfully she was there to welcome us when we arrived. Once again Google Maps was a challenge. Our room was lovely and our host Sahil was there with a fruit platter. However, the rest of the established was still very much in development. There were 3 rooms of which Sahil had taken 1. He was an IT bod from Azerbaijan who had married a Kyrgyz lady and decided it was time for a sea change. He had ambitious plans for his guesthouse and given the rapid growth in the local tourism sector, he is probably on to a winner.
We decided to let him cook us dinner (duck) but before that it was time for a hike – basically doing a bit of the last day of the Ala-Kul hike down the Alta Arashan valley. We could have grabbed a taxi to the Altyn and walked the 15km back but the thought of 2 hours on a very bumpy road put us off. So, we walked halfway, had some lunch and walked home. The scenery was really beautiful although the regular flow of traffic – most which was the famous Russian workhorse UAZ-452.
Before dinner Sahir drove us the ‘local’ hot springs, by passing the more touristy Ak-Suu Kench hot springs. It was lovely relaxing in the warm water after the hike. There was a shower drawing water directly from the nearby Aksu River – nice way to cool off after soaking in the hot water. It cost us 300 Som each, the entry fee included a nice little dust up between a couple of local ladies. Sahir’s dinner was OK but a a little bit too much oil. He really did try hard though. The next day was a bit of a chill-out day with Dits hanging in the village in the morning and then walking to the touristy hot baths after lunch. They were slightly more expensive at 400 Som but so much better. The hottest pool was impossible to even stand in – I cannot believe anyone could cope with it. The cold pool was actually part of the river – you had to be careful not to be swept into the river when sitting in it. When we got home, I told Sahil he should not discourage his guests going to it as it really is much better than his local one. I guess we may been spoiled as there were not that many people there. We grabbed a Yandex into town for dinner and had a really great meal at a Japanese restaurant called Aori. We had a cow pay a visit while we were in bed which was nice until she emptied her bowels nearby and stunk the place out
Next morning we grabbed a Yandex to Jyrgalan – initially the driver was a bit reluctant as he was fearful his BYD would not cope with the roads. The 90 minutes drive was basically one continuous roadwork. Jyrgalan is being developed into a ski resort – a Euro 1.2b mega resort spanning 3 peaks with over 250km skiable terrain. They get over 3 metres of snow a year. It’s meant to open Dec 26, but by the look of it it’ll be a bit later than that. The level of development is insane – with hundreds of massive pipes bing laid, roads rebuilt and not to mention the actual ski fields. A lot of houses in the village looked decrepit; perhaps sold to be knocked down and rebuilt into lodges. Will be really interesting to see what happens to the local horse, cattle and sheep farmers.
Our guesthouse – called the curious Mine Hostel – was run by a family of Russians who come down every summer to live on the local horse milk. Very good for you apparently. The place was 2 stories with 3 rooms upstairs for guests although 1 was taken by a sickly old family member. There was also a yurt outside. We unpacked and then decided to do the 14km round trip hike to Turnaluu-Kol Lake. The first part of the hike was a bit of challenge as we were basically waking through roadworks but once we got into the hills it was lovely. Loads of horses, the odd cow and the rare sheep. We were welcomed by a couple of cranes when we finally made it to the lake. The lake wasn’t for swimming, but it was certainly relaxing lying on the soft grass around it and enjoying the peace and quiet. While we only climbed 500m, the 2500m altitude made the last 2 km a bit of a grind. Dinner was the usual guesthouse fare – salad, soup and pasta.
The next morning Deryn and I booked in a horse ride to Kok-Bel waterfall at 2pm. We headed into explore the town and grab some lunch from a local café. The town had a power failure, so it was some local cold fare – which actually turned out to be really good. We ate it by the river and enjoyed watching some young horses come down to the river for a drink. The horse ride was 5500 Som for the guides plus 1800 for each rider. Our guide was a 15 year over chatty local kid who was joined by his 18-year-old, a lot less chatty, cousin. They were anti us doing any cantering as ‘we could fall”. I think they had concerns about my ability as a rider. Damn annoying. We did manage to get a few canters in later in the ride which was nice. We spent about an hour climbing up the valley before leaving the horses and walking the last 400m to the falls. Again, they were OK – again more of a journey than a destination. The return leg was a lot more enjoyable as we kept off the road and spent more time in the paddocks. The 2 kids were a bit annoying as they were continually using their horses to bump into each other. The 15 years olds horse ran off when he got off to pick up his hat which would have been embarrassing. The older cousin jumped on the runaway when we captured him and gave him a couple of very hard whips as punishment. We stopped at the family farm for a glass of very smokey horse milk before cantering home just as the heavens were opening.
Our ride back into Karakol the next morning was a big Ute with a 4-seat cabin. It was actually very comfortable over the bumpy roads. We got the driver to drop us off at Aori again so we could grab some lunch before separating from Sandra. It was sad to say goodbye as we had spent over a week travelling together. We will miss her. We grabbed a Yandex (4000 Som) to Chalton Ata -a 2-hour drive from Karakol. I had convinced Deryn to book a decent hotel on the lake front because I really wanted to just lay in the sun for a couple of days doing nothing before heading back to our day jobs. The hotel was called Silent and it was costing us $A300 for 2 nights.
The hotel was perfect – although a room with lake views would have been better. We unpacked and then headed to the lakefront for a swim. As noted before, Issyk Kul is unique in that it doesn’t freeze and is endorheic – ie no outflow. The beach was packed with Sunday revellers. It’s a perfect spot for kids as the water is warm and shallow for at least 50m from the shoreline. Lovely. The snowy peaks of the Tian Shan mountains seemed to float like clouds across the southern part of the lake. You could hire recliners and umbrellas for a mere 300 Som a day so that was tomorrow sorted. We walked to a local restaurant in the village – very little western tourists in this part of the world so no English. The area was popular with the Russians who used to come down in their hordes as package tours in the good old days of the USSR.
We headed out early to visit the local Petroglyphs Museum before it got too hot. It was an outdoor museum of 42 hectares that contained over 2000 carvings onto the many boulders that are a feature of Kyrgyzstan’s glacial past. Some of the carvings are over 4000 years old. We spent 45 minutes wandering around but really struggled to make out many of the carvings. It was back to Silence, breakfast and the beach until around 2 when we decided that was enough sun. Our time in Kyrgyzstan is coming to a close. This county is going to change immensely in the next 5 or so years as the tourist wave engulfs it. We just really hope that the things that made this place to special does not get ruined by too many people coming here to experience it. It’s been a magic 7 weeks with my bestie
