Kyrgyzstan: General

I travelled to Kyrgyzstan with a group of friends almost two years ago now. it was literally an unforgettable experience, it is such an amazing country.
It is so sad that when I mention it people generally have no idea of where (or what!) Kyrgyzstan is. It has everything, from gorgeous scenery, to ancient monuments, to busy cities, mountains, and fantastic culture. A unique sense of its Communist past can still be felt, particularly in Biskek, ...
...majestic sculpture of Lenin; huge government building facades and memorial gardens to those soldiers who died defending Communism in war.
I will go on to describe some of the highlights of my experiences of the country, of places that I visited.

***BISHKEK***
(capital city of Kyrgyzstan.)
This really is, in a strange way, a stunning place. Despite the superficial ugliness of some of the less well maintained Commmunist ... more

I travelled to Kyrgyzstan with a group of friends almost two years ago now. it was literally an unforgettable experience, it is such an amazing country.
It is so sad that when I mention it people generally have no idea of where (or what!) Kyrgyzstan is. It has everything, from gorgeous scenery, to ancient monuments, to busy cities, mountains, and fantastic culture. A unique sense of its Communist past can still be felt, particularly in Biskek, the capital city - the military presence; the crumbling once majestic sculpture of Lenin; huge government building facades and memorial gardens to those soldiers who died defending Communism in war.
I will go on to describe some of the highlights of my experiences of the country, of places that I visited.

***BISHKEK***
(capital city of Kyrgyzstan.)
This really is, in a strange way, a stunning place. Despite the superficial ugliness of some of the less well maintained Commmunist government buildings, you cannot fail to be impressed by the sheer scale of the architecture. The main places of interest would be 'the White House' (the nickname for the government building) and the nearby square (we nicknamed 'Lenin Square') dominated by a huge statue of Lenin which, we found out, is only still there as the country cannot afford to remove it. The statue is surrounded by beautiful fountains whch still run periodically, when you will find they are full of local children making the most of the cold water! In Bishkek it can get extremely hot - when I was there in July-August the temperatures peaked at around 45 degrees C. Needless to say I copied the locals and made use of the fountains too!
***BURUNA TOWER***
Supposedly an hour from Bishkek, but we found due to numerous breakdowns en route it took more like four! Worth it in the end though. Buruna is an ancient Muslim monument, quite simply a really tall tower in pretty much the middle of nowhere! originally over 40m high, it currently stands at 25m, after an earthquake knocked the top half down. It's good to climb to the top, you can get some good views of the foothills in the distance, and some far-off mountain peaks. And it's good to get out of the city for a while.

***ALA-ARCHA CANYON***
The main purpose of our trip was to do some trekking around the country, so we travelled to Ala-Archa to acclimatise to the higher altitudes.
The canyon is easily accessible from Bishkek - it takes a couple of hours to reach by bus (depending on reliability of transport!)
I was struck by its similarities to the Alps - fast flowing rivers and pine trees dominate the lower valleys - and mercifully it is a lot cooler here than in the city.
Over the course of a four day trek we took in some spectacular scenery including a glacier (I got hideously sunburnt, forgetting that sunlight reflects off snow quite effectively) and climbing a peak of 4,546 metres. Sitting on top looking around at all the other snow-topped peaks was such an amazing feeling... and watching avalanches! However the effects of altitude could not be denied - one of my friends suffered from altitude sickness and didn't manage to make the peak, and the rest of us struggled towards the end, having to stop every few minutes to catch our breath.
I would say that a local guide is essential if you want to do something like this; their expertise is generally without comparison. Not to mention that the maps are 'interesting' to say the least - seeming to incorporate a fair bit of artistic licence!

***KARAKOL***
The journey from Bishkek to Karakol is a long but interesting one; much of the route follows directly beside the Issyk-Kul lake - the world's second largest alpine lake. It's quite a sight, surrounded on all sides by mountains.
We stayed a couple of nights near the lake on our return to Bishkek from Karakol, for a bit of relaxation and sunbathing. Issyk-Kul literally translated means 'hot lake' and it s true to its name, lovely for swimming!
Karakol itself is very different to Bishkek at first appearance. It is much smaller, and parts of it are much more run down (our local guide joked that he would not walk through some areas without carrying a gun!) but it has a great market, where you can pick up pretty much anything, from local crafts and produce to bootleg clothes and 'mystery' pastries being sold from tiny stalls! Good atmosphere. Lots of watermelons - they look great but avoid, unless you enjoy spending days on the toilet with a dodgy stomach (think water purity?!!)
I recommend staying in the Yurt Camp in Karakol. OK, so it is a tourist trap, but where else would you get to sleep in the traditional style huts of the nomads? They're quite bizarre really; pretty much giant tents made of animal hair (they work this into felt type material, dye it and stitch it in patterns) stretched over wooden frames. Suprisingly warm and waterproof.
The owners of the camp will also cook meals if requested - proper local traditional food, and it is great. They charge so little you end up feeling slightly guilty! But then again, food is ridiculously cheap throughout the country - one meal in Bishkek for 12 people, starter, main course and drinks came to £10. TEN POUNDS!!

***TIEN SHAN RANGE***
This is the main mountain range that runs though Kyrgyzstan, and the reason we stayed in Karakol - it's a great base from which to prepare for a long expedition.
Our exped lasted 10 days, crossing some difficult terrain including two mountain passes and total height gains of 800 - 1000m each day. Again, the landscape is very alpine in the lower valleys, but higher up it gets very rocky and there are huge scree slopes.
The lakes and waterfalls you pass on your way are amazing - I have one photo of a lake that was just this insane pure turquoise colour. I have shown it to several people who weren't on the trip, and they have been convinced I doctored it!
Lower plains are home to herds of wild horses, beautiful animals but quite intimidating when they decide to gallop full speed past pitched tents. You may also see 'proper' yurts of shepherds or cattleherds.
Our last couple of nights were spent at a campsite near to a small village, which were unremarkable apart from the spectacle of a local sport played one night... involving a dead goat and a LOT of men on horses, the object of the game is to get the goat's heart (and I think in this particular instance to scare the foreigners!)

***TRAVELLERS TIPS***
Some things we learnt about the country that made life easier!
1. It really helps if you know the Russian alphabet, since phonetically, many Russian words are the same as English.
2. Get a phrasebook and use it.
3. If you're really stuck in Bishkek, go see the tourist information ladies... they are amazing with their knowledge, and speak really good english!
4. Don't drink the water! Or if you do, dose it with iodine first! Also don't buy bottled water if you can't see an intact seal.
5. You can bargain with taxi drivers... but never expect change!
6. Take sunglasses and suncream. Lots of. Stay out of the sun at midday, it is damn hot in the city.
7. In smaller villages and towns, be modest with what you wear... but we found that in Bishkek our shorts and t-shirts looked extremely consevative compared to what some locals wore!
8. Try the food. Sure, you can get all the chips you want, but most of it is really good. Try Plov (rice type dish with lamb, onions and carrots).
9. The currency is com (pronounced som) and there are a lot of places where you can exchange money to be found on any given street in Bishkek (even in Karakol).

There's just too much to say! Having been there for a month i could write about ten times this much and still not have covered everything. I hope this has given a small insight into the country... I don't think I can possibly have done it justice though.
I can't recommend this place enough, really I can't. There's nowhere I've been like it for trekking, scenery and culture. If you're remotely serious about walking or backpacking then get over there the first chance you have. If I could afford it, I'd go back tomorrow. 

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