Day 100, August 5, Karakol

0km - 5571km, rainy 22C, wind?, 0 shots, 0 Lenin, Camping

Woken up by the neighborhood dogs barking at 630h and unable to get sleep, I exited the tent with my book, put on the coffee and read the morning away. Others slowly followed and shared an instant noodle breakfast all round. Anja was the first to leave in the morning, but Will decided to stay around another day and let his cycling muscles heal a little bit more. After lunch, came back and finished off 'Moonfleet', and then started on a Jack London compendium.
This being my 100th day on the road, I decided to do the Baltika taste test that I had been remiss to complete in the previous century. I headed to the store and bought as many of the Baltika products as possible (missing #1,2,6, and 8 because they aren't imported in-country). The evening passed away slowly with northern visions, a homemade attempt at plov made palatable by a generous sprinkling of Tabasco sauce, and note-taking on the successes (and more often shortcomings) of the beer line up.

Day 99, August 4, Lower Arshan valley - Karakol

0km - 5571km, sunny 25C, wind?, 0 shots, 0 Lenin, Camping

With no one rushing up in the morning, we took our time getting up and breaking camp. The farmers offered us hot water, which gave us some porridge-and-coffee-induced energy to complete the hike out. We made it about half an hour before a car stopped and offered us a ride into Karakol for $2.50. (In Kyrgyzstan there is no real difference between a taxi and a private car.) Gladly accepting, we piled our bags in the trunks, our bodies in the car, and headed toward civilization.

After being dropped off at our previous campsite, we pulled out all our wet things and set them drying in the warm sun. With time running short, and a body aching from the feet up, I decided to stick around until Aug 6th and then put my bike on a Bishkek-bound bus. Thus, my cycling adventure is over. Having made peace with this reality, I gleefully enjoyed an afternoon lying out in the sun with a book in hand ("Moonfleet" by Faulker). Dinner involved a riotous affair at a local cafe with dishes of Bosso Laghman and pints of pivo flowing all round. We made it back to the campsite at 2330h and then headed into our respective tents. Needless to say, I had to open my tent zipper a few times in the night ...

Day 98, August 3, Lake Ala-Kol - Lower Arshan valley

0km - 5571km, rainy 22C, wind?, 0 shots, 0 Lenin, Camping

We all awoke at 630h with the sun, but lazed in bed for 1.5 hours until one of us made the first move in getting up. After tucking away another half-box of porridge and a few eggs hard-boiled before the trek, we packed up and ascended the ridge around the lake. We followed around to the east end of the lake, with the glacier gradually coming into sight offering spectacular views. Eventually reached the steep scree slope that we needed to climb up to the 3870m pass. After a quick break, we all began the uphill trudge. We all eventually reached the pass and, dropping our bags, ran up to the little peak some 50m farther uphill.

We spent a good half-hour looking at the scenery and admiring our accomplishments before dropping over snowy cornice into the next valley. The first 250m of lost vertical were on a very steep gravel slope that required some deft zigzag downhill movements, with a nice run-out at the end over a long snowy patch. The next few hours were spent trudging down the valley slowly descending into bramble, then arboreal, vegetation. We stopped for lunch around 1400h, finishing off our remaining wares, and then strode expectantly onwards toward the mid-valley hot springs. Reached the heated pools around 1630h and, contrary to our expectations, found that the baths were a hot 48C. After a few minutes of timidly tantalizing our toes with the sulfuric solution, we threw our tired bodies into the mix letting our leg/back muscles slowly relax.

We emerged from our private pool room around 1800h only to find that the last bus down the valley left two hours before and that we would have to walk out. We began the trek down the road and slowly realized that we had a solid 12km or so to cover before we could exit the valley to the nearest town. We were all pretty sore by now, my feet having solid blisters, Anja's knee injured from a mud-induced upset on the last descent, and Will being shod in bike gear. We made it about 9km out before the signs of rain appeared yet again, leading us to stop in front of a farmhouse. We asked if we could camp, and they offered to feed us (each for $2.50). We immediately accepted, set up our tents, and were eating a delicious noodly goulash within 15 minutes. Braving the stormy weather, we ran to our tents and quickly fell asleep each not looking forward to the morning's hike out of the valley.

Day 97, August 2, Upper Karakol Valley - Lake Ala-Kol

0km - 5571km, rainy 22C, wind?, 0 shots, 0 Lenin, Camping

Woke up with glorious sunshine streaming down on our tents. Quickly set everything out to dry that had been wet for the past two days, and then made another large porridge breakfast. Packed up camp and were on the road by 930h. We weren't too sure which side of the river was the 'correct path', so we took the path on the left bank that stayed at constant elevation for 3km whilst the river plunged downward. Eventually reached a solid side valley too steep to navigate, and had to descend a very steep path, slippery wet with the previous night's deluge. Eventually reached the bottom of the hill and found the 'other path' - a drivable 4WD road. Headed down to the main valley camp (2500m) and were beset upon by the revenue collector who demanded 250 som/head. After finding out that he was, indeed, legit from a host of Lithuanians camped river-side, we paid up and quickly headed out of the camp having made no friends with the collector's axe-wielding comrades.

Our ascent up the next valley began with the need to ford a fairly deep river. Will immediately took off his shoes and began crossing the stream, which deepened to his crown jewels fairly quickly, almost knocking him (and my Ziploc-covered passport) into the raging torrent. Not wanting to repeat his performance (and having shorter legs), Anja and I scouted upstream and located the bridge. After sharing a few chuckles, we all headed to the trailhead having to play Frogger on a 300m of grass hillocks surrounded by marshy waters. We started to climb up and it became immediately obvious to me that I had tweaked my knee a little bit in the previous descent. Eventually made it up 500m to a small lake and downed one of Anja's few remaining aspirin at lunch. With the weather starting to head south, we decided that we would attempt the steep climb beside the waterfall located another 500m uphill.

Half-way up the weather closed in and started to snow pea-sized pellets on us trekkers. We eventually reached the crest, espied the encampment, and descended a little to the water's edge to set up our tents. A few minutes after arriving the weather cleared and sun filled the Lake Ala-Kol valley, showing off its azure blue glacier waters. We opened a few cans of sprats, added them to the noodlish concoction being simmered on the stove and had a fine meal watching the sun slowly disappear behind the neighboring peaks. Headed to bed finishing off 'A passage to India'.

Day 96, August 1, 6km above Jeti Oguz - Upper Karakol Valley

0km - 5571km, rainy 22C, wind?, 0 shots, 0 Lenin, Camping

We all woke up around 630h with the sun creeping across the valley floor. While the other two headed down to get water, I started up the breakfast of porridge (we had generously allowed for 500g each morning for the three of us) and coffee/tea. Packed up camp by 830h and were on the road heading up to the Teleti pass some 1260m above our current 2500m elevation.
The morning's walk was pretty uneventful, with only one river crossing requiring the taking off of shoes and wading across the chilly mountain stream. Eventually, we reached a gorgeously green, open and wide valley.

We walked until lunch time at the base of the steep 700m climb up to the pass. After a quick repast of sausage, cheese, and bread, we headed uphill slowly gaining the elevation over some steep switchbacks. We reached the pass around 1530h after crossing a little bit of remaining July snow, and then began the descent into Karakol valley. The first 500m were over a snowy chute that Will decided to don his waterproofs and slide down. We others stuck to the sides and ran down the snowy embankment to the headwaters of the Karakol river.
We had some down a few kms before we noticed that a dark and sinister set of clouds were following us down the pass.

With thunder echoing in the distance, we raced down the valley, eventually reaching a passable camp spot at around 3200m. Setting up camp as quickly as possible, we all managed to dive inside our tents just as the clouds burst all around us. Quite a large storm with some pretty awesome winds and enveloping spouts of waters. Sadly, because of the major elevation gains/losses of the day (and the rapid, storm-induced change in air pressure), I was suffering from a solid headache . I took an Slovenian aspirin and, after scarfing down the proffered food, quickly passed out in the tent for the evening (impressively in the midst of the thunderstorm!).

Day 95, July 31, Karakol - 6km above Jeti Oguz

0km - 5571km, rainy 22C, wind?, 0 shots, 0 Lenin, Camping

Sadly, the early morning start didn't happen due to a number of setbacks. The first few stores that we went into were completely out of things to rent, and each put us on a wild goose chase to the next place to find the goods. Eventually we found a run-down bed and breakfast renting out run-down equipment. Picking out the one bag with all straps present, but big on holes and short on waterproofing, and a somewhat modern single element burner, we all met back at the campsite around 1300h. The next step was figuring out how to eliminate equipment redundancy (e.g. extra tents, cookware, toothbrushes, etc.). By 1500h we were all packed, and I had somehow secured the lighter food pack (which lightened as the days went on!).

We grabbed a taxi from Karakol out the 15km Jeti Oguz, and then headed up the valley to the sanitarium - our hiking trailhead. After arguing with the taxi driver for 10 minutes over his attempt to rip us of 50 som ($1!), we started up the trail with ever-thickening clouds an increasing rain. Staring at a elevation of about 2000m, we hiked for 2 hours up into the valley and eventually were shut down by a massive thunderstorm. Fortunately, we paused at a farmer's hut and, after banging on the door, were invited into get warm by the fire and have a spot of tea and some home-cooked bread. We were invited to spend the night, but, with the new found sun, decided to push up the hill 500m and find a (free) campsite for the evening. Stopping at a bend in the road, we set up camp and, after a futile attempt to start a fire using wood pulled out of a small cave, broke open the stoves and had to live with our wetness for the evening. Sadly, the holes in the rental bag and the lack of waterproofing led to some wet spare clothes and a few negative thoughts. Hopefully, the sun will be out tomorrow morning to help dry things out ...

Day 94, July 30, Karakol (Bask in the sun/plan for trekking day)

0km - 5571km, sunny 30C, SW wind, 0 shots, 0 Lenin, Camping

Woke up late again and didn't feel the motivation to get back on the bicycle for the up-valley ride. Because the day was incredibly sunny, I decided to lay out on my sleeping mat and try to finish up "A Passage to India". After a reading for a couple of hours (and then sleeping again for a few more), I got up and had lunch with Will and the newly arrived Anja from Slovenia. Anja had decided to do a four day hike in the mountains south of Karakol and was soliciting for people to go with. Will decided to go pretty quickly and I, hemming and hawing for a while with some mental calculations of my remaining time, agreed after a couple of hours.

I had brought hiking boots along with in case I decided to go walking, and had cold weather equipment from cycling; however, neither I nor Will were completely outfitted with all the necessary trekking equipment. After searching around Karakol for a little while, we came across a few places that rented stoves, gas, and hiking bags. At my insistence, we also made a four-day menu and a shopping list (mother be proud) for the next day's supermarket outing. We decided to solidify our plans and burgeoning friendship with a few rounds at the local cafe, and then headed off to bed to get an 'early' start.

Day 93, July 29, Karakol (Rest/avoid rain day)

0km - 5571km, rain and sun 18C, wind?, 0 shots, 1 Lenin, Camping

Woke up fairly late and had lunch with the Australian gal staying at the campsite. I was planning on jumping on my bike and riding up a valley to get a view of the mountains; however, by late morning the clouds had closed, with thunder echoing a warning of "do not ride!". Decided to stay put near the camp for the day and begin reading E.M. Forster's "A Passage to India", which I had rented at the nearby internet cafe for 20 cents per day. After finishing Part I, I headed out to grab lunch and do a little bit of blog-related typing. I picked up some groceries for dinner and went back to camp to finish Part II.

A few more people had straggled into the compound in the intervening hours, including an English cyclist, Will, coming from Croatia. We traded a few stories and realized that we had met a few cycling groups in common (the two Korean guys and the two Swiss gals). Settled down to cook a less-than-delicious noodle meal, and then split a few 1.5L bottles of Zhigilovsky beer (from Samara where I drank directly from the brewery!). Headed to bed fairly early to prepare for cycling the next day.

Day 92, July 28, Tamga - Karakol

87km - 5571km, cool with some rain 24C, slight tailwind, 0 shots, 1 Lenin, Camping

Woke up and headed down to breakfast for 900h, accompanied by a litter of tourists. Chatted for a while and then headed upstairs to pack and try to finish off the book I had borrowed. After giving up with about 100 pages to go, I packed up my bike, bade farewell to the Dutch couple and my host family, and got out on the road by about 1230h. Rode 20km over flat ground with a big storm chasing me eastward. Stopped at a cafe just as the cloud burst over me. After lunch I noticed that my back luggage was feeling kind of funny. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that a bottom bracket screw was completely missing (broken off? worked its way loose?). Luckily, a car repair shop was only 30m away, and they out-fitted me quickly with an extra screw. Rode another 30km crossing a few stream valleys and eventually reaching Karakol town site. Pulled out the Lonely Planet guide and quickly located the YakTours guest house with a big garden. I joined the fledgling tent community in the back (for the paltry sum of $1/night). Sadly, a thunderstorm burst upon the scene reducing the number of tenters to one. Found a cafe serving bosso laghman and Siberskaya Korona, so I opened my book and read the night away until scampering to my still-dry tent around 2400h for snooze.

Day 91, July 27, Tamga (Rest Day)

0km - 5484km, rain 24C, wind?, 0 shots, 0 Lenin, Homestay

Having reddened a little bit more the previous day than I would have liked (plus having a good book to read), I decided to stay put for another night. Thirty minutes after deciding this, I was pleased to be dry on a covered outside patio during one of the day's frequent thunderstorms. Read during the morning, and then on to a cafe for a bit of lunch.

Picked up another guide book back at the homestay and read a few pages about the Kyrgyz practice of ala achuu (or bridenapping for those not fluent in Kyrgyz). The happy traditional way is for a Kyrgyz man to 'kidnap' his girlfriend/fiance and bring him to his house while she coquettishly fights him off. (This being the start of the marriage rituals.) However, if a man and his posse kidnap a woman against her will and bring her across his family's threshold, then the woman has pretty limited choices: i) escape immediately and bring shame on her family; ii) escape later and bring shame on both families; or iii) get married. Horrifically, about 1/3rd of forced kidnapping involve abuse and even rape. Though illegal since the Soviet time, the practice has seen an upswing in the past two decades, and is moderately tolerated by some in the Kyrgyz establishment. Yikes.

Met up with the Dutch couple for afternoon tea and played rummy until dinner at yet another 'best restaurant in town'. Tried a bottle of Kyrgyz red wine, which turned to be much more palatable then the previous attempt in Kochkor. Headed back to the homestay and we set upon by a drunken Japanese man staying with his interpreter in the room next door. He invited us in for a glass of local wine (not bad) and for stories about the introduction of Buddhism into Japan by a monk who traversed the Barskoon valley that I climbed into yesterday. While interesting history, I wasn't too excited to join in a Saki-fest of drunkenness, so I excused myself early and headed off to read.

Day 90, July 26, Tamga (Valley Climb Day)

61km - 5484km, hot 35C, 10km/h tailwind up valley, 0 shots, 0 Lenin, Homestay

Woke up fairly late, had breakfast, and belated decided to ride up the neighboring Barskoon Valley. Having asked around, it was my understanding that the 35km road up to the 3600m pass was paved. I packed a few things needed for alpine climbing (warm clothes and spare parts) and rode over to the next town, arriving at 1300h. Reaching the road up to the pass (and on to the controversial, Canadian-operated Comtor gold mine), I noted a lack of paving and lots of nice gravely bits on a good hard-pack dirt road. I started the long, slow uphill climb and eventually reached a deep gorge with very steep sand road. I almost turned around, but was glad that I persisted through the hard sections when the road became harder packed again. Had some nice 12% climbs on sections of the road while upwardly weaving to and fro across the Barskoon River. By 1500h, I had made it 20km up to a nice waterfall with good views up the valley. With inclement weather coming approaching, I decided not to ride the next even steeper 15km up to the pass, lest I be in the middle of a raging snowstorm at elevation.

Pointed my bicycle downhill and rode about one km before stopping to filter some mountain water. The family from a neighboring yurt invited me for shashlik, which was much better than my prepared bread/cheese lunch. Had a good time heading down the next 19km with as much speed as I dared for the road conditions. (Water trucks were spraying the road to keep dust down as well, adding to the cycling enjoyment.) Made it back to to the guesthouse where I met Melisse and Rob, a Dutch couple who had brought over a shitty $100 tandem bike to do some uphill cycling until it broke down. We went to dinner at another recommended cafe, and it was quite nice to be able to share dishes instead of only being able to order one! Heading back to the hotel, we passed a disco, but after taking a look at the sub-16-year-old clientele decided to give this one a pass. Read more of a borrowed SciFi book, sipping a beer and eating dried fish - an addiction gained during the cycling trip!

Day 89, July 25, 15km before Kara Koo - Tamga

103km -5423km, warm 33C, slight headwind, 0 shots, 0 Lenin, Homestay

The Kyrgyz family, deciding that it would be good for me to wake up 700h, came around early to yell in my tent. Pleading for another hour or two of sleep, they left me alone - for a while. I eventually succumbed to their calls around 835h and had a watermelon and beef breakfast (served independently). Slowly packed up, had another swim, and got on the road by 1100h. Followed the lake for about 15km, but then struck inland around a set of hills. Had to climb about 400m, and was met at the top by a party of young Kyrgyz celebrating their friend's upcoming nuptials. Celebrating, naturally, means drinking lots of vodka and driving around the countryside bodies half out windows yelling at cyclists. Awesome.

Arrived in Bokonbayevo around 1430h and lunched on laghman (beefy noodle soup). With a full belly, I followed the road along the water where many Kyrgyz were on the numerous sandy beaches. Quite a nice stretch of shoreline with minimal development and lots of secluded nooks on which to set up a tent. I pushed on toward Tamga and eventually reached the steep road up into the village. Found the recommended guest house run by a very nice family, and was soon privy to motherly family gossip like: "My daughter, running the family store, is unmarried at 25! A good Kyrgyz girl should be married with children by now! She even turned down a suitor from Karakol! She will be unmarriable soon. Sigh." Another interesting cultural nugget is that, in most Kyrgyz wills, household wealth is split equally between the sons. Daughters receive nothing, because it is assumed that they will have their husband's money.
I was taken to a friend's cafe in the middle of the former Soviet officer's Sanitarium, where I was promised an extra spicy bosso laghman. After finishing the delicious meal, I was seconded to the cafe's entertainment system and lived out my dream of being a 1994 club DJ by spinning hits by great artists (such as Snap!, Ace of Base, Wigfield and Culture Beat), urged on by the shuffling steps and drunken missives of three elderly Russian women. Slept well.

Day 88, July 24, Kochkor - 15km before Kara Koo

78km - 5320km, warm 33C, slight headwind, 0 shots, 0 Lenin, Camping

I finally managed to leave Kochkor and head north toward Lake Isik-Kol (the fourth largest lake in Asia and second deepest). Before leaving town, I first went to the slow internet cafe to update my blog (sans photos) and then headed back to the homestay to say goodbye. After photos were taken all around, I jumped on my bike and headed downhill. Quickly rode to the end of the wide valley and entered a shallow gorge that had been dammed for a hydroelectric project creating a water body with glacial lake coloring. Rode around the lake, climbed over a small set of hills, and caught my first glimpse of deep blue waters of Isik-Kol. The next 25km to the lake were pleasantly downhill, though I was slowed by headwinds.

Turned eastward and began cycling about 200m from the water on a moderately rough highway lined by tall willows and apricot orchards. Stopped at the first town on the lake and did some shopping for the evening's dinner. Saw a stretch of beach somewhat secluded from the highway with only a few parked cars. Headed overland through waist-high desert scrub until reaching the beach (and the access road). There were a few Kyrgyz families sunning themselves and splashing about in the water. I decided to jump in, and found the water a little salty and refreshingly chilling. Chatted with one man and his two sons who were going to sleep in the car by the water (for some reason they were particularly disturbed by the thought that snakes might be present). I set up camp and was then invited by another family to have some of their leftover soup. Played soccer on the beach with the two boys, watched the sunset over the water, and then snuggled into my (snake-free) tent. I may have awoken a couple times hearing some nocturnal slithering ...

Day 87, July 23, Kochkor (Kyrgyz Election Day!)

0km - 5242km, warm 35C, wind?, 0 shots, 1 Lenin, Homestay

Excited to get heading eastward, I awoke early and went to the internet cafe to upload my updates - but was informed that there would be no public internet in Kyrgyzstan that day because of the presidential election. I decided to stick around one more day and try to finish up the borrowed literature. (A somewhat interesting book about a Brit's travel in the Central Asia region in 1993 when the Communism Hangover was at its peak. Sadly, I was put off by his overly ornate language and stunning conclusions drawn from seemingly casual encounters and didn't finish the book.)

Headed to the bazaar to grab some peanuts, chocolates and dried food to snack on, and then went to read at the central cafe - where 'central' means by the town's non-functioning traffic light. Although intending a literary afternoon, my table soon filled up with other Westerners and empty flagons. Good times were had by all and, apart from one douchebag from Oxford, the jockeying for Best Traveller's Story were kept to a minimum. Having being isolated from the West for the past 2.5 months, I had been feeling a little down in the mouth at running into a 'wall of tourists', but this group helped cure me of my beaten-path blues. Headed back to the homestay to watch the last few episodes of Winx Anime with the youngsters, and then read until falling asleep.

Day 86, July 22, Kochkor Tourist Bingo Day

0km - 5242km, warm 35C, wind?, 0 shots, 1 Lenin, Homestay

Hadn't checked email in quite a while, so I headed down first thing to Internet Cafe #1. Sadly, they charged a traffic rate (i.e. per Mb of upload/download) so couldn't do much websurfing as the homepage of a modern newspaper website would cost about $1 to download. Checked email and dealt with the typical onslaught of items that arise when not closely monitoring one's web presence. (One interesting email asked me to serve as an associate editor for the journal Geophysics - which I accepted! More work for Jeffrey in to Australia.) Headed to the other internet cafe to surf a little bit more, but was thwarted by the 100 kB/s download speed, so I decided to head back to the homestay.

Ran into David, an Israeli who is spending three months in the Central Asia region. He had just come from Tajikistan and had had an interesting run in with the Tajik KGB. Being an officer in the Israeli army - and having a mother from Morocco, a father from Iraq, and being able to speak some Arabic - apparently puts central intelligence services on edge. Arrested on suspicion of being Mossad, he got to spend 24 hours in the central Dushanbe lock-up being passed up the chain of command until speaking to a KGB colonel. After a few hours interrogation at the highest level, they made him write down his story in English and then released him in the wee hours of the morning. (And I thought asking for a bribe was a good story...) In addition to a few stories David had an English travel book, which I gladly borrowed for a couple days while he headed up into the hills. I read most of the evening sipping on tea and then chatting with David and a couple of gals from Essex (England's finest!)

Day 85, July 21, Kochkor Rest Day

0km - 5242km, warm 35C, wind?, 0 shots, 1 Lenin, Homestay

Woke up in my comfortable bed and had a fine homestay breakfast of Kyrgyz crepes (suspiciously similar to the French kind) with homemade cherry jam. I had managed to borrow a copy of 'The Great Gatsby' from the homestay and, having been without an English book for quite some time, decided to spend a relaxing day plying myself with too much caffeine and Fitzgeraldian turns-of-phrase.

Headed to the local cafe to sun myself on the patio. After turning a few pages, a OSCE (Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe) bus drove up and ~40 international election observers descended into the dusty streets. A few headed for the cafe, and I had the pleasure of sitting with a (the?) Swedish Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs. We chatted for a about an hour while he relayed a few anecdotes about his previous assignment: the governorship of a smaller province in Kosovo with a few Serb enclaves. Quite an interesting fellow, having spent more than half his life abroad in the dark jungles of Africa and Switzerland. A few others Observers straggled in, mostly politicos from every democracy-practicing country in the world, but a few randoms who volunteer for international OSCE assignments.

Lunched at the restaurant serving delicious almost-Western Chinese food and then headed to the internet cafe where I met up with a few Brits that had been in Tehran during the election demonstrations. It was interesting to hear their descriptions of the goings-on: though in Tehran, they had neither heard nor seen anything of the riots on the streets or in the media! They phoned home a few days after the initial riots to relieved greetings from frantic parents better informed than they.

Headed back to the hostel to relax, read, and watch the Anime series 'Winx' with the various grandchildren strewn about the household. I drew much scorn by cheering for the villains ...