Bishkek to Osh

Once I finished the trek I made my way to Bishkek which took about four hours by shared taxi. My hostel in Bishkek was full of jaded Westerners who had spent way too much time there waiting for visas. One guy had been there 11 days! In some cities a long wait wouldn't be too bad, but you can see all the sights of Bishkek in approximately 25 minutes so as you can imagine he was getting very bored. There were five motorbikes and three bicycles parked up at the hostel, everyone seemed to be biking their way across the world.

I stayed there one night and then set off on the 11 hour drive to Osh to meet my sister. The road had two 3000m+ passes and was a showcase for the spectacular mountains and rivers of Krgyzstan. I can safely say this country is the most beautiful I have ever visited. It's kind of like Switzerland but with a much smaller population who mainly live in yurt camps instead of quaint little cottages and keep horses instead of cows with annoying little bells. 

Osh itself is a nice town, and I had a great time visiting a family who my sister is friends with. It was the Fathers birthday so plenty of piva, vodka and plov was consumed!

I'm off on a bus to Kashgar in China tonight, I have no idea when I'll arrive. I've heard stories of six hour waits at the border.

Trek to Song-kol

My sister and I parted ways at Issyk-kol. She returned to Osh for work while I took a taxi for two hours to the town of Kochkor, in the centre of Krygyzstan. Aside from a fascinating animal bazaar where the locals bartered for sheep, cows and horses, Kochkor was an unmemorable place. It was, however, where I was to organise my horse trek through the mountains to Song-kol (knowingly translated by my guide to beautiful lake) which sits at 3016m. 

As we set off after an early lunch on the first day, Beky, my guide, informed me it would be a four hour climb up to Uzbek pass (3400m). The rolling hills and lush green pastures gave way to steeper scree slopes as we climbed higher and after a while our horses began to tire. The path we were following became narrower and narrower, and aside from taking in the spectacular views I spent the final half an hour of the climb hoping I was insured for horse trekking if anything went wrong - one false step by my trusty steed and we would both be shashlik meat! [excuse the Krygyz pun.]

Once we reached the pass it was a further hour until we reached the jailoo (yurt camp) where we would be staying the night. The cool air at altitude was a much needed break from the incessant heat of the plains in Uzbekistan, I slept in the yurt fully clothed under about five blankets - it got freezing at night! I bonded with the boys in the family using the universal language of football, and for once I was actually better than them. Its kind of understandable when you realise Krygyzstan is 96% mountainous - there aren't really many decent places to actually play football here!

We awoke early the next morning to trek round the shore of the lake to the following nights camp where I was given some delicious fried fish that had been caught from the lake that day. The family that put me up in their yurt were lovely, and even though we had difficulty communicating, I had a great time with them.

The third day was a painful affair as we climbed up to Tuss-ashoo pass and then made our way down to the village of Kyzart where the trek would end. Five days later and I think my arse has suitably recovered.

The whole trek cost me the princely sum of £110, far and away the most expensive thing I have shelled out for yet on this trip but still an absolute steal!

Back in the USSR

Greetings from Kyrgyzstan! I have done a lot of traveling between Bukhara in Uzbekistan and the town of Kochkor in Kyrgyzstan where I am now, and I will now attempt to fill you in. After taking a comfortable four hour train ride from Bukhara we found ourselves in Samarkand, home to Uzbekistans greatest sight, The Registan. The Registan is a collection of three massive medressas which contain the usual Uzbek collection of mosques, minarets and courtyards. There was no doubt that The Registan was incredibly impressive, however after seeing many similar (but smaller) buildings over the past week, the novelty was beginning to wear off and it was hard to maintain a genuine interest in Central Asian 15th century Islamic Architecture. After just over a week in Uzbekistan, it was time to leave, and so we jumped on a train to Tashkent and then a flight the next morning to Bishkek, capital city of Kyrgyzstan. My sister cleverly decided to lose her ticket for the flight, so after numerous loud Russian arguments with whoever she could find, she was forced to shell out nearly 200 Dollars for a new ticket. This is after she was persuaded to part with 120 Dollars for a ridiculous amount of Uzbek kitchenware in Bukhara! Gutted.

We spent a few hours in Bishkek, checking out a bit of soviet bric-a-brac (I’ve got myself a lovely pennant to go with the Lenin one I’ve already got), before having the best meal I have yet to eat in Central Asia courtesy of a brilliant Chinese restaurant. I have yet to mention Uzbek food. In every restaurant we went to, there was no menu. Thanks to my sisters Russian, we asked the waiter: ‘What food have you got?’ the answer was always the same: ‘Everything’. On further probing however, it was revealed everything did in fact mean the following things: Shashlik (a kind of fatty sheek kebab), Plov (rice and gristle) and finally Lagman (a noodle stew of varying quality). The Chinese meal in Bishkek was a welcome break from this painfully monotony. (I have heard a rumor that like the Eskimos have seven different words for ‘snow’, the Uzbek people have twelve different words for ‘bland’.)

Once we had finally had a decent meal, we set off in a shared taxi for Lake Issyk-kol, the worlds’ largest alpine lake and the tourist attraction of which the Krygyz people are most proud. The four hour drive to the lake was breathtaking and gave me an initial glimpse at the mountains in which I will be spending the next week or so. Upon arrival in Cholpon-Ata, seemingly the main town on the shore of the lake, we had great difficulty finding a hostel. The driver of our taxi didn’t think we would like the place much anyway, so offered to drive us to the next town which he claimed was much better, and that we would have a great time there. The man could not have been more wrong if he had tried. We were taken to a ramshackle settlement on the lakes shoreline and put up in one of three identical hotels that clearly hadn’t seen a lick of paint since they were first built in Khrushchev-era USSR. I have come across such a relic of the Soviet Union in all my travels and it was a privelige to stay there. This was clearly where the Krygyz ‘lads on tour’ came as the place was full of tents that doubled as clubs playing Russian house music. My opinions on Russian house music are very similar to my opinions on Uzbek food. Need I say more?

One long night there was enough, and Mary and I parted our separate ways the following morning as she took a taxi back down to Bishkek and onwards to Osh, where she was starting work after the weekend. I, meanwhile, took a taxi to Kochkor, bang in the heart of the Krgyz mountains. It is here I have arranged to go on a horse trek to lake Song-kol for three days, sleeping in yurt camps for both nights. I will be setting off tomorrow morning, keep an eye on my twitter: www.twitter.com/jkpole for updates!

Khiva & Bukhara

So after a 2 hour flight in a rickety old ex-soviet plane (with propellors!!!) we arrived in Khiva from Tashkent. All the sights, hotels and Uzbek attempts at restaurants could all be found within the walls of the old city, thus meaning you could simply wander around the place all day getting lost taking in the atmosphere. Khiva was the subject of a huge restoration job by the Soviet government in the 70s and is now an official ‘museum-town’. This obviously has its pros and cons. On the upside is the simple fact that the place looks amazing. All the Mosques, Minarets and Medressas look immaculate and incredibly impressive – the restoration was done very very well. As you wander round the city, however, the downside of the restoration project is plain to see. The place seems to have had its soul sucked out of it. The only locals you come across are the ones attempting to sell you their merchandise, and it becomes very hard to imagine the place as it used to be. A real city with bustling bazarrs and people from all walks of life (Turcomen slave traders included!) going about their daily business.

A four hour drive in a shared taxi across the stiflingly hot, arid desert in a clapped out lada took us to Bukhara, a town with a similar history to Khiva. Our driver offered us his xenophobic views on his neighbours: ‘I don’t like Tajiks… they are all terrorists. Just like the Afghans’.

Bukhara shares a similar history to Khiva, containing similar Minarets and Medressas. During the restoration, the centre was not allowed to stagnate and it is still very much a ‘lived in’ city. I met a couple of English guys here and yesterday morning we went to a traditional ‘hammom’ (a kind of central asian steam room). My words cannot do justice to how good it was once you got over the locals there who literally had everything out on display. Today I took a minibus out of town for about 35 pence to visit the birthplace and tomb of Bakhautdin, the founder of the most prominent order of Sufiism in Central Asia. Needless to say the architecture was incredible. You will have to wait for me to put up some photos here, there is little point trying to describe it.

Tomorrow we will take the 4 hour journey to Samarkand by train at the cost of about a fiver!



 

Taskent.

After three days in Tashkent, my sister (who met me in the capital on Wednesday) and I have taken a flight to Khiva, and ancient walled city which sits in the Kyzylkum desert in Western Uzbekistan.

Tashkent itself is a very odd place. At this time of year it is very hot, making walking long distances between its spread out ‘sights’ hard work. The best way to get around is to hail a taxi. Any car doubles up as a taxi, simply put out your arm and a car will instantly stop to offer to take you to your destination. A short journey of about 10mins costs 2000 som, or one pound.

The other way to get around the city is to use the metro system. Built in the soviet era, it is the only underground system in the whole of central asia, yet it puts the London Underground to shame. 20 pence buys you a ticket which takes you anywhere in Tashkent. The trains are very regular, at least one every 5 minutes, and, along with the stations, are very cool, even when the peak temperature reaches the mid-30s above ground. The stations are also decorated lavishly, as seems to be the habit in Soviet design of metro stations! (Travel on the metro in Moscow to get an idea!)

One of the most amusing things about Uzbekistan is the money here! As I’ve already said, a taxi journey, equivalent to one pound, costs 2000 som. The highest note they have here is 1000 som. Imagine the look on my face when I was given 80 pounds worth of som at the exchange booth! I have seen people walk around with wads of cash under their arms. Even the beggars end up with sacks of cash by the end of the day!

Anyway, Tashkent was nothing special, it was a large, hot, gritty city with few sights bar the odd bazaar or mosque and I’m glad to be out of it. Now i’m off to explore Khivas old town.

Oh, and R.I.P MJ. (Although no-one has heard of you here!)

Welcome To Uzbekistan

DO NOT OBSTRUCT MONITOR

MONITOR ALARM SOUND YOU WILL BE SEARCHED

SEARCH MAY TAKE MORE THAN ONE HOUR!

This was the sign that greeted my arrival in Tashkent airport, capital city of the police state that is Uzbekistan, and the first stop in my three country trip.

Once the border guard had checked my documents, I uttered the only word I knew in Uzbek: ‘Rakhmad’ which means thank-you. In return the border guard ominously offered his only English phrase: ‘good luck’.

Am I to need it? Who knows.

An introduction.

Hello,

So I thought I'd write a blog about my travels this summer. I'm flying out on the 22rd June, and will be arriving in Tashkent, capital city of Uzbekistan - one of only two countries in the world which is doubly landlocked - at 3am on the 23th June. Bonus points if you can name the other country in the world where you need to cross two borders before reaching coastline.

Hopefully my sister, who is currently working for an NGO in Kyrgyzstan (maybe the hardest country in the world to spell?) will pick me up from the airport, otherwise I will have a somewhat interesting first experience of Central Asia.

My plan is a week in Uzbekistan, followed by a week and a bit in Kyrgyzstan, both with my sister. Following that I intend on crossing the Kyrgyz/Chinese border via the Tougart pass into Kashgar. From then on I'll travel along the ancient silk route all the way to Beijing where my girlfriend Rosa will be flying out to meet me. We'll then have a month together kicking about China checking out the pandas and suchlike before flying home communist style on Aeroflots finest airbus on 23rd August.

Keep an eye on this blog to check up on whether I'm still alive or whether I have finally succumbed to death at the hands of a gang of islamic militants/one armed bandits/shepherds.