Kyrgyzstan VI, Osh II

My first was also my last city in Kyrgyzstan, Osh. I had finished my loop of Kyrgyzstan and did not regret that I replaced Kazakhstan with Kyrgyzstan. In Osh I had to spend three days until my bus drove into the Chinese city of Kashgar. In the first article I have written about Osh, that there is not much to see in Osh except the bazaar. In the three days that I spent there on my second visit, my point of view has not changed. I only realized that the bazaar was much bigger than I thought it was. Besides the usual things (clothes, food, products of daily use and cafes / restaurants), there were carpenters, blacksmiths, shoemakers, saddlers, live poultry dealers, bicycle salesmen and a number of other stalls, which I cannot remember anymore.
This time, the hostel was not fully occupied and the owner, with whom I had spoken only ten days earlier for a few minutes, spotted me on the street and called me by name. In the hostel I met the Dutchmen Robert, who had been waiting there since a few days earlier and until a fellow traveler would receive his approval for entering the Tajik-Kyrgyz border region.
My daily routine in Osh was getting up late, eat lunch and maybe buy something or go online. In the evenings I went out with Robert to eat and then a few beers. Bonjour tristesse.
On the last day I tried to spend about thirty dollars, I had left in local currency. After I went to eat, bought souvenirs and was in the supermarket, I had spent only a little over ten dollars. I gave up the idea and changed the equivalent of about ten dollars into Chinese Yuan. Fortunately, I asked at the travel agency, where I had bought my bus ticket, if everything goes as planned. Because they made me aware that the bus would leave from a place in the city center and not as stated in my guide books from the long-distance bus station.
I showed up at the departure point twenty minutes early. About three hours later the bus drove off. This was my first experience in a sleeper bus. Instead of seats the sleeper bus was equipped with bunk beds. The three upper beds at the end of the bus even had almost the right length for me. I cannot say anything about the panoramic road which the bus took to the border post. However, I can say that the potholes were of the highest quality. While driving, I was either asleep or airborne depending on road conditions. From about three to eight o’clock the bus had to wait in front of the Kyrgyz border. At eight o’clock the border was opened.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Kyrgyzstan I, Osh I

On Kyrgyz side the border are the suburbs of the second largest city Kyrgyzstan, Osh. The transfer from the border to the next town was therefore not a rip off, a welcome change. The hostel where I wanted to spend the night was unfortunately full, already. This gave me another night in a Soviet-style hotel.
In the thirteen days I'll spend in Kyrgyzstan, I won’t get closer to my destination Singapore. I'll make a loop from Osh to the north and then come back to Osh via the west of Kyrgyzstan. Then I will leave of Osh by bus to China.
In Osh, there is not much to see, besides the huge bazaar and the climate is the same as in Uzbekistan (hot). That's why I wanted to spend only a day there. Therefore I had to do a number of organizational matters on that day: getting money and exchange it, buy a sim card and bus ticket to China, and organize a place to stay in Bishkek. At the end of the day I had done all this.
The next day was dominated by the 11-hour taxi ride from Osh to Bishkek. To my luck Nora and Max from Berlin took the same taxi, so I could at least chat a bit. The route goes through the agriculturally shaped Ferghana Valley for the first two hours and is then getting more spectacular. We went past a dam, crossed 3000 + meter high mountain passes and high plains, which are fringed with traditional yurts (tents made of boiled wool) of shepherds.