Solo - Trekking in Kyrgyzstan: Terskeij Alatoo - Jirgalan - Song Kol - Ala Artscha 2017

Start to Kyrgyzstan

In summer 2017 i wanted to make a new experience, because i ve never been to any Central Asian country. Always i had in mind that it should be necessary to speak some russian or to read and understand the kyrillic letters and language.

But to be honest, there won t be any time anymore in my life to learn russian. So i tried to learn some basic russian some the weeks before the journey started. Really difficult but it worth it.

The second challenge was to find some GPS Datas or Maps from the central asian area. Finally i could find some old military maps in the Internet and printed some of them. To be honest, the price and the quality of the maps didnt convince me, so i hoped to find some more maps in Kyrgyzstan in some Outdoor Shops.Let me say to you, there are moreless no good maps. So u ve to navigate with compass and with the knowledge of the local people. I guess it would be a good idea to hire some local guide, but after my experience in Nepal, i knew that i couldnt do that.

My plan was to stay at first one night in Bishkek, the capital, to have a nice sightseeing trip and to find some gas and maps for my trip to the Terskeij Alatoo. Because my flight should arrive early in the morning around 5 am, i booked a hotel with a pickup service at the airport.

But there started to be a problem. My flight in Frankfurt was about 1,5 hour delayed and i had only 90 minutes for transfer in Istanbul. So i was very nervous during the whole flight and i saw i myselve already spending one day more in Istanbul, because there was no other flight to Bishkek in the next hours. When we landed exactly 90 minutes delayed, i jumped out of the plane and run directly to the next transfer gate. I was really more than lucky. The boarding was moreless finished and i was just in time. I was just scared about my backpack, but the steward told it shouldnt be a problem, because the other plane was just next to them. So i kept finger crossing when i arrived in Bishkek and when i was waiting for my luggage. But there was really fortune. I was lucky. My backpack was there, the pickup service worked aswell and i already could check in the room i only booked for the next night. Perfect hotel.

Bishkek – Karakol (Marshtrutka)

The day in Bishkek wasnt that spectatular. It was just hot and i always tried to walk into the shadow of some trees. After i found everything i needed i bought some food for the next days and went at the late afternoon back to my hotel. In the next morning i took a taxi to the busterminal where i found easily a ride with a marshtruka to Karakol. On the way in my very crowded bus we passed a lot of small lake villages of the north shore of the Issyk Kul. After one break of maybe 30 minutes at a bar and restaurant i arrived Karakol earlier than i exspected in the early afternoon after maybe 5 hours drive. There i had booked already a bed in a hostel with the special possibility to sleep inside of a Yurta. New experience for me and it was really nice to sleep on the ground . But in the night it was still quite noisy in the hostel living area so that i could not recommend the place very highly. In Karakol u can find everything that you need for a hiking trip, so that u can go directly from Bishkek to Karakol if u are not interested into sightseeing or if u have a short time frame.

My plan was now to drive at the next morning with a marshtrutka to Kyzyl Suu. From there i wanted to hike east until Ak Su, passing the Ala Kol and reaching finally Jergez. At all it should take around 7, so that my backpack was quite heavy at the beginning.

Karakol – Kyzyl Suu – Highlands close to the hot spring

In the next morning i started very early to the bus terminal for marshtrutkas leaving Karakol to the villages at the south shore. To be secure i told the driver more than 5 times where i wanted to get out and i told him aswell the old russian name for the village. After maybe 40 minutes drive i reached my starting point behind a small river. At first i had to follow on a dirt road this stream until i would arrive an old hot spring where i wanted to find a camping spot. The way was uphill and not very intersting. Some cars stopped and asked me if they should give me a lift. But i wanted to walk on my own. After 3 hours the scenery started to be more and more beautiful. But the more beautiful the scenery the more awful the weather. Dark clouds were covering the sky and so it s started to rain. First just few drops but then a thunderstorm started to raise. Just in that moment i saw some people close the river beside a Yurta. The people were waving to me , so that i felt motivated to say hello to them. The guys were super friendly and invited me to there Yurta. Not even because of the bad weather. I understood the situation. The people from the Yurta had a visit from their aunt and her daughter from Bishkek, so that they were celebrating the day.
 

The weather outside was still awful. Lightnings were covering the sky and thunders were really frightening. But that fast the thunderstorm came, that fast it was over again ad the sun came out again a little bit. But it shouldnt be my last thunderstorm in Kyrgzstan. And of the people from the Yurta i should see again moreless 10 days later.

After the nice break -during that i tried to conversate through my russian dictionary and the google translater app with the gentle folk – i kept on hiking uphill on the dirt road. Not far away , mabe 30 minutes after the break, i reached already my next goal, a hot spring, that offered me a nice bath with a few local people. I payed a small price for the visit and tried conversating with the kyrgzstan locals or some few russian tourists. I was quite happy that i could have a bath after sweaty hiking on the dusty road. The owners offered me after the bath a tea, and because of the fresh rain, i was happy to stay a little bit longer here. I had no big motivation anymore for hiking and so i searched a nice camping spot right beside the river. And happy me again, the sun came out and i could have a nice dinner in the evening outside of the tent. The night was quite peaceful and i slept very well.

Close to the Hot Spring - Somewhere behind the manual bridge

In the next morning i started full of energy and the way was really easy to find. My plan was to hike straight on uphil until the way finished with the end of the valley. After that i wanted to walk back to a manual bridge to cross river and walk on uphill to the first pass.

I hiked easily through grassy hills, passed some more Yurtas and a little clima station, where a brigde was. I passed that station and enjoyed the peaceful calm.... Until a crowd of young children were running to me , shouting and jumping and laughing. I guess i learned the kyrgyzsian word for candy in that moment, but i was honest, i had no candies with me, but i was carrying some balloons with me and i gave them some to inflate them. The kids had really with that and they were following me for more that 20 minutes until i had to get a little bit angry because i didnt want that they would be to far away from their Yurta.

When i came back after visiting the the end the valley some hours later, the same procedure happened. But then they started to jump on my backpack. I didnt realize what they tried: but then of the boys were running away from me with a bag that he had stolen from my back of my rucksack. Finally he just caught my rubbish bag, so i was really amused by the situation. I guess he thought that in the bag would be a bunch of candies;)

I arrived the bridge maybe 30 minutes later and a little boy , maybe 12 years old, was the man who managed the transport. I guess it would be easily possible to cross the river by feet but i liked the construction and wanted to try that special service. I payed maybe one Dollar and i arrived without any complications and dry the other shore. After i passed some more Yurtas i realized that the weather was changing again.

Because of that and because of that i knew that the trek would reach his first pass and i didnt wanted to be there during the thunderstorm, i decided to search a place to sleep. It was around 2:30 pm so i had enough time for searching a nice spot and for a relaxing evening. From an ascending hillside i saw a small stream to the right with a flat area. I descend maybe 50 m down and found a good place close to the water. After setting up my tent and having dinner , the first drops came down and i heard the thunder not that far away. So it was definetly the right decision to stay here.

Day 3: A confusing day...back to Karakol...
 

I wake up around 5 am and started the hike at 5:45 am. After two hours of permament uphill hiking i reached the point for the final climb. From here there were only a wall of slippery small stones, i couldn´t find a real path. My GPS wasnt a big help at that moment, so i just thought i should walk on on the shortest way to the Archyl Tor Pass. That was demanding and hard. The pass i about 3800 m so the air was quite thin. After 1 minute of hiking i needed to rest and breath for 2 minutes. But at the end i reached the goal. And an amazing spot for the morning break.

  After a nice fot break i went down on the other side of the pass again. There were a few snowfields and the beginning was very very steep. So i decided to do the descent better on a way with some slippery small stones than on the ice or snow field. After that the way was really beautifull between grassy fields and on a good path. i made another break for havin g a soup because i got really hungry and wanted to loose some weight in my backpack. 

On the way to the next crossing river i stumbled just on a straight way with my right leg. The whole weight from my backpack and from me was carrying in that second by my left knee. That knee, where i had a ruptior of posterior cruciate ligament just 9 months ago. I felt strong pain but i still could move the joint. So i had luck and the pain was getting less. But just 30 minutes later it started to rain when i arrived the river. It was just 12 am, very ealy in the day. I saw some jurts, and got a lift over the river by a young boy with his horse. I payed him a some money. After 10 minutes walking to the right on the river, the next thunderstorm started to come. And it came very very quickly and very very heavy. So i made the plan, to set up my tent quickly and waiting in the tent till the thunderstorm is gone. But during the setting up it was like the whole rain from heaven came down.  The result: my tent was totally wet. No chance for a shelter. So what to do? In that moment i saw another man on his horse.  We tried a conversation without understanding. i just understand that something with my next path was not okay. He always said : No NO. SO i though that there would be maybe to much snow and ice for crossing or a kind of landslide. Then i got that he offered me to stay in his yurt. I thouht that would be a good idea. So i walked beside him and .... we went back to the yurts i passed before on the other side of the river. No way. I didnt want to go back and now he told me that he would offer me the night there for price of 20 DOLLARS. That was ridicolous. So i decided to leave that guy again and making a new plan. I was trying to have a look on the map, but iwas raining that strong that i didnt want to make the whole map wet. The same problem with my GPS. So my plan was to walk the whole river down out of the valley back to the street to Karakol . It should be moreless 3-4 Hours walking. I was just pissed of by the weather and by my knee. SO it should be maybe the best to make a day rest in Karakol again and start from there the next days. 

I passed some more Yurts and just walked. Thinking about nothing. Just walking. Like in Trance. Then after 2 hours of walking i saw on another river going to right and another path. In that moment i didnt think about anything by crossing that river. But later...But later...

Back on the highway after few hours i got a lift back to Karakol. I booked a nice room and had a beer and dried everything from stuff. The day finshed well at least. The plan was to go the next day to the IssyKul for a beach and to restart my trek from Karakol.