Turraah Tien Shan

Sunset on the road back to Bishkek, with yurts by the road

We headed out of the country via Bishkek, the road to which, pictured above, was terrifying. The mountains died down and all became flat. 

Tien Shan: if you listen carefully, they sound just like a golf.

We crossed the border into Kazakhstan and were welcomed by a large picture of El Presidente. As we drove towards Almaty I looked back across the fields and, when I looked carefully, I could see the faint peaks of the Tien Shan high up in the sky, like clouds. You can see why they're called 'celestial mountains'. I'd love to go back some time.

Osh bazaar

Osh bazaar: it's in Bishkek.

Osh bazaar: colourful

Osh is on the other side of the country from Bishkek. A high altitude melting pot with ethnic tensions that often spark riots and revolutions in phase with El Ninio. We didn't go to Osh. We went to Osh bazaar, in Bishkek.

I was expecting a big noisy open place but in fact it was lots of intricate, intimate, pseudo-corridors of market stalls. Sewing machines on the stalls, beams of daylight coming through gaps in the ad hoc canvas over-hanging roofs, bright and beautiful colours, and all somehow in tune with the serenity that is Bishkek and Kygyzstan's general MO. 

The bazaar was a great place to walk around and suck up the atmosphere. But it wasn't a good place to buy shoes, as we found out to Gulnur's expense.

Osh bazaar: gap year.

Tamga highlights

We stayed in Tamga, a tiny place near the lake. Aside from the stunning stary scenery at night, here's some of its other noteable bits.

Headware: 10/10

It's a sleepy town nestled in the huge and stunning mountains. It's almost pitch black at night and as we walked down the main street in the dark there were children entertaining themselves singing songs together. Pictured above a local guy with a very cool hat; his wife was equally keen to be photographed.

'Pochta Telephon Telegraf;
- literally Post office, telephone, telegraph

Pictured above beneath the evening sky and with the mountains peeping up behind is the local post office offering telegraph services. This really is like something from the past - I can't believe that people use telegraphs?!

Kyrgyz Republic Military Ministry (roughly translated!)

Welcome to Tamga

The village sign, while still looking like a blast from the past, is a bit more in your face - it has been the subject of some target practice. It sits along side an old Soviet fighter jet with a big red star on its tale (also above).

Stargazing in Tamga

We stayed in a guesthouse in Tamga, a village on the south of the big lake Issyk-kul. At 1600m and with minimal artificial light it was a stellar place to star gaze. Sorry. Anyway, it was a stunning sight at night, and a feature of the trip that I hadn't anticipated which made it all the more breathtaking.

Mesmorising

Me stargazing in the lovely garden of the guesthouse;
the light is from inside the house.

Man tins

Follow the river

We headed east along the south shore of the lake and then up a few hundred metres in altitude until the road become unsuitable for normal cars. Then we began our hike up into the Tien Shan - 'Celestial Mountains'. We'd found some old Soviet military maps in the guesthouse and used them to plan our route and we kept it simple: follow the river. 

The prize at the top to keep us motivated was the hot springs, but no extra incentive was needed: the scenery was stunning. Lush green grass, white water rapids, pine forests, butterflies, and glorious weather. As Jamie put it: like Scotland on a very rare day.

Jamie driving the Kazakh tractor, Zhan and I hitching a ride.

It was constantly beaut the whole way up, with some nice places to stop for a vista or a souvenir photo - like the very old tractor from Kazakhstan, pictured here. But after a few hours with no end in sight the prize of the hot springs started to become more important! Gulnur's shoes from Osh bazaar had broken miles back - more on Osh Bazaar later - the shoes looked like Asics trainers, but it emerged that they had been stapled together; the staples proved to be something between an irritant, a liability, and a hazard. Anyway, it was a fantastic hike with a great finale.

The terrain opened out into a grean valley with pine forested mountains around and snow peaks in the distance; some huts and yurts were situated around the river. This was the top of our climb, a meer 18 km walk; but at 2300m, this is effectively the bottom of the mountain. I'd love to have camped and climbed further, but that's for another day. The small concrete huts pictured below, by the river, hosted hot springs. Hot really means hot - 50C they say - and it took a while to get into the water but it was a fabulous treat for slightly sore legs. Getting into the icey river immediately afterwards was a surprisingly refreshing activity, enough that I did two of the hot-cold cycles.

Altyn-Arashan: valley with hot springs.

The walk down turned out to be just as long as the walk up.

Issyk-kul: beach

Off to the big lake then. The second largest blah blah blah in the world, with the blah blah biggest gold mine nearby. Statistics are irrelevant; this place is really, really beautiful. We found a lovely  spot on a beach, pictured below, and sunbathed and swam for a while.

Lush

A few people came to chat to us; everyone was very friendly. We were indulged by some (relatively) locals who told us that being buried in the hot sand for 20 minutes is good for your health (sure) and will avoid you getting the flu (sure). They offered to bury us; we obliged; but got a bit worried when all three of us were buried and they kindly put our hats over our faces to 'shield the sun'. Jamie emerged from what by now looked like a grave, govered in gravel and looking like a mummy. He wanted to keep an eye on our passports. Of course, this was no trick, these people were really kind, like everyone we met (except a few cabbies) but nevertheless it would be a stupid way to get robbed so prob worth avoiding!

The setting of the beach, on the south side of Issyk-Kul, a massive alpine lake, was stunning.

Jamie takes a plunge amid the mighty Tien Shan mountains

Of course, we weren't totally alone on the beach - there were a few locals too ...

Slightly saline. Not bothered.

A classic Soviet summer holiday.

Bishkek Soviet archiecture

The brute grandness of Bishkek, a carefully laid out Soviet city which seems to have been more important at some point that Almaty was, is in stark contrast to its quiet, drowsy day-to-day operations. Let's take a look at some Soviet architecture, beginning with the Whitehouse. Fab.

Whitehouse: good effort.

That has impact. It's really good! The next one is a chance to express my ignorance - I don't know what it is; but you've got to love it. This would go so well on London's Southbank, I think. I genuinely like this building. It must be an arts centre of some kind.

What ever it is (within reason), I'm a fan.

The impressive buildings don't stop there. Checkout the museum ...

... and some art-deco and neo-classical pieces ...

... and the main square, almost middle eastern ...

Lovely sky. Sombre, but elegant.

Bishkek benchmark

Bishkek opera house plus a rare bench

Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, is sleepy. And the town planners have been caught napping too because there is a distinct lack of benches. I managed to find this one (right) facing the Opera House. But otherwise an epic fail on the bench front for Bishkek and its snoring planners.

Let us not despair, however; for bishkek is not for sitting, it is for walking, and there is a plethora of fab Soviet architecture to be seen. I shall write about that separately but before I do I should mention the quality Radison guesthouse. No affiliation to the Radisson hotel chain, Kyrgyzstan is clearly beyond the realms of intellectual property lawyers! Half the number of s's, half the price, and a lovely place to stay!

Gold!

Kyrgyzstan's economy: Spandau ballet

Congratulations to Kazakhstan on their 7 Olympic golds. There are images of the winners everywhere and I think it creates a significant feel good factor.

Speaking of gold, Kazakhstan's little brother in the south, Kyrgyzstan, has an economy which consists 43% of gold exports. Now either this country has a small economy, or it has a lot of gold; in fact both are true. 

Almost the size of Great Britain but with fewer than 6 million people, the country is 94% mountainous and sounded so fasciniating - not just because it's 90% vowels - that I wanted to go there. I had to spend a few evenings waiting at the consulate, and at BTA bank to pay $55 for a visa (the queuing system works by asking who's last, and then you become last, and then the next person asks you, etc. - so everyone knows. Very elegant - until, that is, we decided to leave because the queue was too long. The person after us in the queue had a look of horror on her face - 'who's before you?!'). After successfully getting a visa, the requirements were relaxed 7 days later - no visa needed. They didn't even notice my visa when they checked my passport at the border! Anyway, for those inclined to start lawsuits: the following articles will be about PBJ in Kyrgyzstan, not Kazakhstan!

BTA bank: BTA is short for 'lovely'