The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, but someone forgot to tell the people of Karakol.
This very Russian city east of Lake Issyk-Kul is our stop for the night. Most of the people here appear to be Russians, not Kyrgyz, and the character of the place reflects it. Of the five ‘stans, Kyrgyzstan is the one that retains the closest ties to modern-day Russia, for economic and political reasons. Between 20 and 30 percent of the population of Kyrgyzstan is also Russian, so that’s another reason. There are Russian flags everywhere, and Russian is an official language and is widely spoken by most of the population. (That doesn’t really explain why there are still statues of Lenin in every town, mind you. Maybe they just like them too much to take them down?)
Karakol is also a touristy town as it serves as a popular jumping-off point for people wanting to go hiking, trekking or (in the winter) skiing in the nearby mountains. But as we’re not doing any hiking, we’re just here as a transit stop.
Picnic by the lake
We set off this morning after an absolutely enormous breakfast at our Kochkor homestay. After saying goodbye, we set off to drive eastward, towards the southern bank of Lake Issyk-Kul. The lake is the second-biggest saltwater lake in the world after Lake Titicaca in Peru. It’s a gorgeous blue, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, and towns located on its banks are popular resort and beach holiday destinations in the summer. We’ll be doing a loop around the lake over the next couple of days, coming back around on the northern side before heading to Bishkek.
After a few photo stops and whatnot, we stopped off in a small town called Bokonbayevo for lunch. We bought some local street food specialties from the market, including some fresh fruit, Kyrgyz-style samosas, and the local bread fresh out of the oven. Yum. Less yum were some salty yogurt balls that I tried out of curiosity and promptly tossed out. Yeah, not my thing.
Instead of eating in town, we drove another ten minutes or so towards the lake, and stopped off at a little sandy beach along its shores. This is the first time I’ve been to a beach with yurts on it. We settled down on the sand for a bit of a picnic lunch, and dipped our toes on the water. It’s chilly but not too bad; we should have a chance to go for a swim tomorrow. Anyway, the picnic was idyllic and I felt like I was truly on holiday.
A mosque, a church, a Soviet statue
We arrived into Karakol early afternoon, and stopped off to see the few sites in the city.
First stop was the Dungan Mosque, a rather unique-looking mosque built in Chinese Buddhist temple style. It was one of the few mosques to escape destruction by the Soviets, built about 100 years ago by Dungan Muslims from China who fled to escape Chinese persecution in the 19th century, hence its style. We women had to don these long hooded robes to cover up before we were allowed in. They were purple and looked rather like Harry Potter robes. Quite funny.
Next, continuing the religion theme, we visited a Russian Orthodox Church. These churches, illegal in the Soviet era, are springing back up, especially in majority-Russian cities like Karakol. This one, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, was used for other purposes during the Soviet era, but is now a church once again.
After that, we checked into our guest house, which is decorated entirely in wooden panelling, like a ski lodge or a bad version of a 1970s basement. We’ve been sitting on a bus or just chilling out for days, and my body was craving a little exercise. I decided to go for a walk to check out the town. I walked up dirt roads lined with Russian-style houses and came to the end of a road, where there was a large gate. Entering, I saw it was a large park full of Soviet style statues with a big hammer and sickle monument in the centre. I’d found Victory Park, it seems. Yep, the Soviet Union is definitely still alive here.
I snapped a few photos and then ran into a German guy with a backpack and a bicycle, doing the same. We got to chatting, and it turns out that he’s been cycling for four months. He started in Germany, went across Europe and the Caucuses, Turkey, and then up to Kazakhstan and down here to Kyrgyzstan. Four months in a saddle sounds rather uncomfortable, to say the least. But he seems to be enjoying himself.
Another chill evening
We had dinner at a local cafe just down the road from our guesthouse. We started off on the terrasse, and then, just as the temperature dropped cool enough for me to start to feel comfortable, most of the others wanted to go inside because they were cold. I’m a freak of nature in how I experience temperature, I tell ya. On the other hand, those of you who are suffering in the heat wave back home are probably jealous of the fact that it’s going to go down to 11 degrees here tonight.
Dinner also involved one of the first times I’ve actually had to order off a menu since the start of the trip. In China, Howard mostly ordered for us, and food would just appear. In Kyrgyzstan, all the meals were included so far until this one. It was a strange feeling actually having to make a decision about what to eat. The food is also starting to get more familiar again; tonight’s dinner menu really could have existed in a restaurant back home, save for a few local specialties.
After dinner we chilled out with some beers and some tunes until it was time for sleep. I feel like I’ve done quite a bit of nothing these past few days, which I suppose is true. I think it’s by design, with Kyrgyzstan serving as a mini-respite from the more hectic travel pace of China and Uzbekistan. I’m just enjoying it while it lasts.