Here's my provisional route for the Chinese leg of my trip. I'm going to spend much time in sleeper-trains next month.
View Asien III - China in a larger map
View Asien III - China in a larger map
This blog is the chronicle of my experiences during a six months long journey from Germany to Singapore. During this journey I won’t use air travel. Starting in Germany I will go to Turkey via the Balkans, through Central Asia and China to the Pacific Ocean and from there further south to the southeastern edge of the Asian continent, Singapore.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Kyrgyzstan V, Naryn to Jalalabad
Kyrgyzstan has very centrally organized transport facilities. For each village one can get to the capital Bishkek easily. However, it can be a problem to get to the next town. I was exposed to exactly that kind of problem, when I wanted to leave Naryn for Kazarman. Locals take the ten hour detour via Bishkek to have a modest priced trip between Naryn and Kazarman. This was not an option for me.
Luckily, the CBT office in Naryn had the necessary contacts that I could climb into a car coming from Bishkek. I had to wait four hours, but I only paid the Bishkek-Kazarman price and did not have to hire a taxi alone.
The road to Kazarman goes almost exclusively over gravel roads. About 200 km driving distance take between 4.5 and 6 hours. Not only the mountainous terrain and poor road surface prevent a faster speed, but also cows, horses and sheep, leaving the road in some cases only very slowly.
After 4.5 hours I reached Kazarman. There, I stayed at the English teacher of the town. I received a nice welcome, got good food and in the next morning she called to the bus station for me. If someone wanted to go to Jalalabad from Kazarman, they would show up at the bus station beween 7 and 9 o’clock in the morning, otherwise I would have to rent the car alone.
Shortly after 9 o’clock, the driver picked me up. Unfortunately, no one else wanted to go Jalalabad. What surprised me more though was that the driver pulled up in a conventional Russian car instead of a four-wheel drive. My guidebook had insisted that the route is only possible using four-wheel drive vehicles. With a queasy feeling I got into the car.
One can compare the road from Jalalabad to Kazarman to footsteps in deep snow. As long as you move around in the footsteps rapid and easy progress is possible. However, if you get off track you have a problem. On this road the problem is usually a very steep slope, the fastest way to the valley below. The driver managed to keep the car on the narrow street and through the small creeks that regularly crossed it. After about four hours of driving I reached Jalalabad without any complication.
In Jalalabad, I stayed in a CBT home stay with a friendly family. In the evening I went to a restaurant. I was glad to find a traditional Kyrgyz dish on the menu. In addition I wanted to eat something healthy, so I ordered a salad. I had no desire to torment me again with the Cyrillic menu, so I just pointed at a mid-priced salad in the menu. When my salad was served, I had to say goodbye to the idea of eating something healthy. I ordered a very mayonnaise-laden potato salad.
Luckily, the CBT office in Naryn had the necessary contacts that I could climb into a car coming from Bishkek. I had to wait four hours, but I only paid the Bishkek-Kazarman price and did not have to hire a taxi alone.
The road to Kazarman goes almost exclusively over gravel roads. About 200 km driving distance take between 4.5 and 6 hours. Not only the mountainous terrain and poor road surface prevent a faster speed, but also cows, horses and sheep, leaving the road in some cases only very slowly.
After 4.5 hours I reached Kazarman. There, I stayed at the English teacher of the town. I received a nice welcome, got good food and in the next morning she called to the bus station for me. If someone wanted to go to Jalalabad from Kazarman, they would show up at the bus station beween 7 and 9 o’clock in the morning, otherwise I would have to rent the car alone.
Shortly after 9 o’clock, the driver picked me up. Unfortunately, no one else wanted to go Jalalabad. What surprised me more though was that the driver pulled up in a conventional Russian car instead of a four-wheel drive. My guidebook had insisted that the route is only possible using four-wheel drive vehicles. With a queasy feeling I got into the car.
One can compare the road from Jalalabad to Kazarman to footsteps in deep snow. As long as you move around in the footsteps rapid and easy progress is possible. However, if you get off track you have a problem. On this road the problem is usually a very steep slope, the fastest way to the valley below. The driver managed to keep the car on the narrow street and through the small creeks that regularly crossed it. After about four hours of driving I reached Jalalabad without any complication.
In Jalalabad, I stayed in a CBT home stay with a friendly family. In the evening I went to a restaurant. I was glad to find a traditional Kyrgyz dish on the menu. In addition I wanted to eat something healthy, so I ordered a salad. I had no desire to torment me again with the Cyrillic menu, so I just pointed at a mid-priced salad in the menu. When my salad was served, I had to say goodbye to the idea of eating something healthy. I ordered a very mayonnaise-laden potato salad.
Kyrgyzstan IV, Naryn
During the taxi ride to Naryn I saw two things that you don’t see in Germany very often. I saw someone start his truck with a crank and an eagle clutching his prey in a dive.
Naryn is no beauty; the town stretches over several kilometers along the Naryn River, without achieving an appreciable width at some point. The environment of this city is a very remarkable mix of agricultural valleys and mountains.
In Naryn, I used the services of CBT. CBT is the abbreviation for community-based tourism. They can arrange accommodation with local families or yurt-stays, as well as offer a series of tours around the area of the respective CBT office. I wanted to spend two days in Naryn and since I had no idea what I should do on the second day, I asked at the CBT office for advice. Unfortunately, the tours of the CBT are nearly all connected with horse riding. I concluded from this, however. That limited my options to expensive trips and the proposal to hike up one of the mountains close to Naryn. I opted for the second option.
On the afternoon of the first day I made my way into the city center, if you intend to call it that. My impression was mixed. Firstly there were the happy-looking children, who were highly amused when I responded to their "Hello!" shouting. On the other hand, there were already some drunks on the street at 3pm.
On the morning of the next day I bought some food and went on my way to one of the mountains close to the city. During my ascent I had a magnificent view of the surroundings; I saw storm clouds as well. Still, I continued my ascent and told myself that the storm front would pass by. After passing a very steep section about hundred meters below the summit, I saw that the storm front moved in my directions and turned around. About five minutes later, I had just passed the steepest part, rain and wind started. No bigger problem I thought to myself and put on my rain jacket. With my sneakers it could be a bit slippery on the way down, but if I would take it slow, it should not be critical.
Shortly thereafter hail in the size of cherries fell out of the clouds. I was not prepared for that. I used my backpack as a helmet and under a painful bombardment I went downhill as fast as possible into the valley. The hail lasted luckily only a bit over five minutes. Then I slipped back to Naryn in bright sunshine.
Naryn is no beauty; the town stretches over several kilometers along the Naryn River, without achieving an appreciable width at some point. The environment of this city is a very remarkable mix of agricultural valleys and mountains.
In Naryn, I used the services of CBT. CBT is the abbreviation for community-based tourism. They can arrange accommodation with local families or yurt-stays, as well as offer a series of tours around the area of the respective CBT office. I wanted to spend two days in Naryn and since I had no idea what I should do on the second day, I asked at the CBT office for advice. Unfortunately, the tours of the CBT are nearly all connected with horse riding. I concluded from this, however. That limited my options to expensive trips and the proposal to hike up one of the mountains close to Naryn. I opted for the second option.
On the afternoon of the first day I made my way into the city center, if you intend to call it that. My impression was mixed. Firstly there were the happy-looking children, who were highly amused when I responded to their "Hello!" shouting. On the other hand, there were already some drunks on the street at 3pm.
On the morning of the next day I bought some food and went on my way to one of the mountains close to the city. During my ascent I had a magnificent view of the surroundings; I saw storm clouds as well. Still, I continued my ascent and told myself that the storm front would pass by. After passing a very steep section about hundred meters below the summit, I saw that the storm front moved in my directions and turned around. About five minutes later, I had just passed the steepest part, rain and wind started. No bigger problem I thought to myself and put on my rain jacket. With my sneakers it could be a bit slippery on the way down, but if I would take it slow, it should not be critical.
Shortly thereafter hail in the size of cherries fell out of the clouds. I was not prepared for that. I used my backpack as a helmet and under a painful bombardment I went downhill as fast as possible into the valley. The hail lasted luckily only a bit over five minutes. Then I slipped back to Naryn in bright sunshine.
Kyrgyzstan III, Cholpon-Ata
From Bishkek I took the minibus to the beach. Anyone who doubts her/his or my knowledge on geography is not entirely wrong. The nearest sea from Bishkek ought to be the Caspian Sea, a few thousand kilometers away. I therefore, went not to the sea, but to Issyk-Kol. Issyk-Kol is the second largest mountain lake in the world.
I didn’t go to any place, but to Cholpon-Ata, the touristiest place at Lake Issyk-Kol. I chose this place to watch the beach life of Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Russian tourists. The beach life is not very different from ours; there is a little less playing ball, Frisbee or other games and more drinking beer. The highlights were Russian / Kazakh men getting tanned while standing and a donkey painted as a zebra.
Beyond the beach there are other things in direct proximity to Cholpon-Ata are petroglyphs (drawings carved in stone). The eldest were carved in Bronze Age, while the latest that I've seen was from the year 1995. Although the Federal Republic of Germany has paid for the restoration, they wouldn’t let me see the petroglyphs for free. Unfortunately my camera battery was discharged due to moisture, so there are no photos of the petroglyphs. However, it is not that bad, the petroglyphs look like being painted by a five year old. Popular motives are hunters (stickmen with bows and arrows), antelope or ibex, wolves and snow leopards.
During my stay I had, as usual, in Kyrgyzstan, rented a room in a private home. The daughter of the house was exactly as I 25 years old, but unlike me, she had a six-year-old son. This would be not worth mentioning, if youthful recklessness would have been the cause. However, an unbelievable part of Kyrgyz culture was responsible. In Kyrgyzstan, there is a tradition that is still partly carried out, that young men abduct their bride. The above-mentioned daughter of the house was at the age of 17 years, when she was pulled into a car and taken to the house of her future mother-in-law. Neither her mother nor she could do something about the situation, because it is a socially accepted part of Kyrgyz culture. She is now divorced from her husband, however, she has not completed school education. Nevertheless, she did not only think negative of heir forced relationship, at least her son is the product of it.
I didn’t go to any place, but to Cholpon-Ata, the touristiest place at Lake Issyk-Kol. I chose this place to watch the beach life of Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Russian tourists. The beach life is not very different from ours; there is a little less playing ball, Frisbee or other games and more drinking beer. The highlights were Russian / Kazakh men getting tanned while standing and a donkey painted as a zebra.
Beyond the beach there are other things in direct proximity to Cholpon-Ata are petroglyphs (drawings carved in stone). The eldest were carved in Bronze Age, while the latest that I've seen was from the year 1995. Although the Federal Republic of Germany has paid for the restoration, they wouldn’t let me see the petroglyphs for free. Unfortunately my camera battery was discharged due to moisture, so there are no photos of the petroglyphs. However, it is not that bad, the petroglyphs look like being painted by a five year old. Popular motives are hunters (stickmen with bows and arrows), antelope or ibex, wolves and snow leopards.
During my stay I had, as usual, in Kyrgyzstan, rented a room in a private home. The daughter of the house was exactly as I 25 years old, but unlike me, she had a six-year-old son. This would be not worth mentioning, if youthful recklessness would have been the cause. However, an unbelievable part of Kyrgyz culture was responsible. In Kyrgyzstan, there is a tradition that is still partly carried out, that young men abduct their bride. The above-mentioned daughter of the house was at the age of 17 years, when she was pulled into a car and taken to the house of her future mother-in-law. Neither her mother nor she could do something about the situation, because it is a socially accepted part of Kyrgyz culture. She is now divorced from her husband, however, she has not completed school education. Nevertheless, she did not only think negative of heir forced relationship, at least her son is the product of it.
Kyrgyzstan II, Bishkek
In Bishkek, I could again use couchsurfing, again. My host Aida gave me her room in the shared flat and went to stay with her aunt during for the three days I was in Bishkek.
During the taxi ride to Bishkek Aida called to ask me whether I would like to celebrate the birthday of another German traveler. I said yes. The last kilometers to Bishkek took longer than I expected, so I was directed by Aida to her Swiss roommate Anna. Once I reached the apartment, it was not long before Anna and I joined the birthday party. The pub where we celebrated was a mix of American steak house and a rustic design, with Kyrgyz waiters in traditional German costumes. The beer, live music and mimes, who were rushing from table to table, were very descent. Additionally, it was great to have a couple of beers and vodka shots in a relaxed atmosphere. I can not say anything about clubbing in Bishkek, as the "birthday boy" Florian and a Frenchman went for the clubs; the eleven-hour taxi ride took its toll.
The next day I went sightseeing. For a capital city Bishkek has surprisingly little sights to offer. After half of the day that it took me to see the most important sights, I still had no clear opinion on Bishkek. Bishkek is for me like a car of the middle priced segment in the basic configuration. It is not the most beautiful city or the one with the best nightlife. However, there are some beautiful places and the other attributes are met on a solid level.
On my last day in Bishkek, I printed my guidebook for China. In addition, I shaved off my beard.
During the taxi ride to Bishkek Aida called to ask me whether I would like to celebrate the birthday of another German traveler. I said yes. The last kilometers to Bishkek took longer than I expected, so I was directed by Aida to her Swiss roommate Anna. Once I reached the apartment, it was not long before Anna and I joined the birthday party. The pub where we celebrated was a mix of American steak house and a rustic design, with Kyrgyz waiters in traditional German costumes. The beer, live music and mimes, who were rushing from table to table, were very descent. Additionally, it was great to have a couple of beers and vodka shots in a relaxed atmosphere. I can not say anything about clubbing in Bishkek, as the "birthday boy" Florian and a Frenchman went for the clubs; the eleven-hour taxi ride took its toll.
The next day I went sightseeing. For a capital city Bishkek has surprisingly little sights to offer. After half of the day that it took me to see the most important sights, I still had no clear opinion on Bishkek. Bishkek is for me like a car of the middle priced segment in the basic configuration. It is not the most beautiful city or the one with the best nightlife. However, there are some beautiful places and the other attributes are met on a solid level.
On my last day in Bishkek, I printed my guidebook for China. In addition, I shaved off my beard.
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