But First: Kyrgyzstan
Updated: Sep 14
When I quit my job, I had one place at the top of my mind: Kyrgyzstan, the small, land-locked country that may be the fastest growing travel destination this year. This August, on Month 1 of my travel-battical, I beelined straight to Kyrgyzstan - and added their neighbor to the north, Kazakakhstan, as a bonus! Let's take a look.
August Travel Roster
Multi day horse trek in Son-Kul, staying in only yurts
Tash Rabat, remains of an ancient caravanserai
Local towns in the Naryn region, including Bokonbayevo (birthplace of eagle hunting)
Kel-Suu lake hike on the China/Tajikistan border
Altyn-Arashan multi-day trek
Our Route:
Highlights
I wasn't sure what to expect for travelling around Central Asia - I only knew 1 person who had ever been, and information online is scarce (and mostly in Russian). Despite my best efforts at learning Cyrillic, I left knowing few words besides coffee and bar. However, everyone couldn't be kinder - I had acquaintances from all over the world reach out with recommendations and trips.
I met Molly, my vivacious, well-travelled travel companion, on the internet about 2 weeks before I arrived in Central Asia. We paired up with Chee Wai, and together we split the costs of a local driver and guide, the iconic Bakyt, for the 2 week long trip.
Our trip started in Son-Kul, where we spent 4 days on horseback circling the alpine lake, acclimatizing to the altitude (10,000 feet), and sleeping in yurts.
Life is simple and beautiful here - we were happy to take our afternoons slow, since 20 hours in the saddle in 2 days left us quite sore. The horseman I rented Toru* from was 16 years old - and rode with the confidence of someone who had been riding his whole life.
** Toru is Kyrgyz for horse with black legs. All the horses' names were quite literal.
We then headed south to the Tajikistan/China border, where we needed to get border permits approved and stamped before heading to camp in Kel Su. Camp here has the indescribable feeling that draws me to hostels: you can tell many people have shared laughs here, and they've left their mark. It was second nature to make friends!
*Kel-Su lake; easily the most beautiful pace I've ever been, well worth the slightly stressful border permit hurdle and the 10 mile round-trip hike!
Finally, after a few nights crossing the south shore of Issyk-Kul lake, we were on our way to Karakol, our last stop. From there, we were to complete a 10 mile hike to and from Altyn Arashan, a base camp for a nearby mountain. We did this with backpacks full of flavored vodka, as it was our guide (turned friend!) Bakyt's birthday.
On the day we were supposed to summit, the rain was so bad that we cancelled the final hike. It was good that we did: when we turned around from the lower altitude, second hike, we found a man stuck in quicksand! We helped him in what we learned is the Kyrgyz way: solving the problem, while Bakyt empathetically explains what the tourist did wrong.
Our rescuee was fine, and he rode one of our horses back to camp with us - one shoe lighter.
Travelers' Milestones
Communicated with a pharmacist entirely in gestures to buy cough medicine
Helped some local kids chase off a lost sheep from their parents' yard in Naryn
What I ate this month
Lagman, a stir-fried noodle, which we took a commercial cooking class on how to prepare
Plov, while technically has Uzbek origins, was common here
Yurt camps: hearty soups and Kyrgyz salads
Cranberry vodka, Bakyt's favorite
What I Messed Up This Time
I left my laptop in Bakyt's car - you can imagine my disappointment, after nearly 2 months of buildup and goodbyes, to be 'solo travelling' for barely an hour before I've lost my first item. My panicked call to Bakyt was met with - "no problem, no problem". He was nearly 2 hours outside of Karakol, where I was, and I was headed to Kazakhstan in the morning! What did he mean no problem?
Molly caught this photo of Bakyt - he'd calmly hopped out of the car, and flagged down the nearest marshrutka (local private bus) to deliver my laptop back to the bus station in Karakol. I thought that there's no way my laptop will make it, even if I could find the right vehicle in time.
Sure enough.. 2 hours later, after stress-eating a bag of crab flavored chips (Kyrgyz loves their crab flavoring!)... I find a van with the right license plate number. I cautiously approach the driver, and he immediately knows what I'm looking for! No words in English spoken.
Where next?
I'll be catching an 8-hour bus from Karakol to cross the Kazakhstan border to Almaty!
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