55. KYRGYZSTAN

Kyrgyzstan was the second stop of my Central Asia trip and I think naturally the most beautiful one! Crystal-clear lakes, beautiful snowcapped mountains, yurt camps and horses everywhere are what I connect with the country now. I honestly think that Kyrgyzstan is one of the best trekking destinations in the entire world. Language and food (Manti and Beshbarmak, here we go again) are very similar to Kazakhstan.

I started in Bishkek, the capital of the country which was only a 3-hour car ride away from Almaty. I hitchhiked every single kilometer of my time in Kyrgyzstan and it has been fairly easy. Bishkek is a pretty grey and unspectacular capital that rather feels like a big Soviet town than a 21st-century capital city. It sits at the foothills of the Tien Shan mountains and offers some beautiful views on clear days. The city is a prime example of Soviet architecture: Huge grey ugly (from outside only) apartment blocks, beautiful parks, wide boulevards, tons of statues and canals with large trees. I had the chance to stay at 2 different people's homes there: First with Akmatbek, a local from Bishkek and then with Sami, a student from Iran. Two very nice experiences that taught me a lot about the city.

But Kyrgyzstan is all about nature and not cities and that's why I started a loop around wonderful Issyk Kul lake in 10 days. It's the second-largest alpine lake in the world and has a lot to offer. It was still quite cold in June but warm enough to have a swim here and then. For the first 2 nights, I stayed in a Yurt camp on the Southern shore of the lake. That side of the lake is less developed lacking the infrastructure of the Northern shore. Four Russian tourists took me in their rental car and we had a day trip with several stops along the lake together.

From there I continued to Karakol, the hiking capital of the country. Most travelers base themselves there to start or end multiple-day hikes. I met Sandhya from Belgium in my hostel and we decided to do a three-day hike to some villages out of Karakol together. The landscapes on this hike were incredible, the weather perfect for hiking and staying in another yurt camp in a remote village was a really nice experience. Overlooking the valley when you arrive in the village of Altyn-Arashan is really amazing! There are a couple of hot (& rather warm) springs too. On our second day, we got attacked by an overprotective cow who blocked the only path we were able to take :D

After the exhausting hike, I relaxed for 2 days in Karakol, tried their signature dish Ashlan Fu and worked. I continued to the Northern shore then which I liked less than the Southern one. There are a lot of Soviet-style hotel complexes for short-term visitors from Bishkek and the beaches are very full.

What followed was a long way to the very West of the country, which took me pretty much 20 hours to reach, but offered beautiful views on the way. The city of Osh is the country's second-largest one and a few things to offer. The huge bazaar complex with tasty cheap food and stalls under the countless bridges is very interesting and I met a lot of friendly locals there. Osh has nearly 50 percent of Uzbek population and the city felt very different than Bishkek.

The city is also famous for its medical university which attracts a lot of students from South Asia and Northern Africa. Some Pakistani students adopted me in their student dormitory for 4 days. Since it has been the holiday season a lot of them visited their families in India and Pakistan so there was plenty of space for me. The dormitory had around 100 students and they even had their own chef from India who cooked delicious Biriyani, butter chicken and Chapati, which I missed a lot. Food in Central Asia is alright but sometimes it really lacks taste & spices. I also met Dr. Aftab, the owner of the dormitory who invited me for dinner and to meet his friends from Saudi Arabia which was a super pleasant time.

On my way out of the country, I had one more stop in a small village just out of Osh, where a Kyrgyz family with 5 kids hosted me for a night. They showed me their vegetable gardens & animals and we cooked a very tasty dinner on the open fire.

My 18 days in Kyrgyzstan have been a wonderful experience and everyone who is into nature and mountains should visit this country once in his life. Super friendly people, stunning nature and Soviet architecture are waiting for you :)

3 Highlights:

- Hikes around Karakol with stunning views and beautiful valleys

- Issyk Kul lake with crystal clear water for swimming

- Sleeping in Yurts is something amazing!