Today was our last day in Kyrgyzstan. We decided to spend it visiting Ala Archa National Park, located about 40 km outside Bishkek.
Waterfall hike
The day was sunny and cool, perfect for hiking. Upon arrival at the national park, we had a couple of options. There was a short easy 1km flat trail that would go along the riverbed to see some gravestones and such. But most of us were quite keen to climb to the waterfall, which was a 4km hike … straight uphill.
I wasn’t exactly in top shape when I started out the hike, thanks to my illness. But I was determined not to let it force me to miss out on anything, so I gamely gathered my sunscreen, hat and water, and set out on the waterfall hike.
An hour later, I was sweaty, tired, and questioning my decision. I’d spent the whole time climbing up slowly, and stopping to rest every few steps. The climb was uphill on a rocky, muddy trail at not-insignificant altitude, I might add; the base was over 2000m and the summit was over 3000. I’d long since lost the rest of the group, who were well ahead of me. And I was still coughing, and being attacked by bouts of stomach pain and dizziness.
So I did what any sensible person would do in this situation: I kept climbing. Hey, you can call me a lot of things, but I’m no quitter.
The scenery was pretty spectacular on the climb. The trail overlooked the valley, with a glacial stream flowing along the base and snow-capped peaks in the distance. I had lots of time to stop and appreciate it, thanks to the slow pace I’d set for myself.
About two hours later, I finally had to concede that I wasn’t going to make it to the waterfall. I’d gone maybe about halfway, if that. It was hard to say. But I told myself that I’d keep walking until 11:30, and then turn back. As it happened, at 11:30 I saw Sally and Julie heading down the trail; they’d turned around a way’s ahead of me — so we all walked down to the base.
Down was much quicker than up, of course; it took only about a half hour. Then we hung out by the bus for an hour or so, waiting for the others who’d climbed much higher, to or even past the waterfall.
All in all, I’m not too disappointed about not reaching the top of the trail. The views I saw were pretty amazing, and it felt good just to be out there and make it even that far, given how I was feeling.
Lupper and airport
We drove back into Bishkek and had lunch at a local Uzbek-style restaurant that was owned by some of Rustam’s friends. It was a beautifully-decorated place, with a nice outdoor patio, and we lingered over our lunch for a while. Well, I lingered over my tea and bread; I’m playing it very safe, food-wise, until I shake this illness.
After that, we drove to the airport and said goodbye to our driver of the past week, who’s been an absolute rock star on this country’s often-questionable roads. We grabbed our bags and went to check in, doing a rapid-fire bag re-arrangement in the process to shift from hiking to airplane carry-on mode. I changed the last of my Kyrgyz som into dollars at the airport exchange office, and we got our boarding passes.
Now I’m at the terminal, using the free WiFi at the airport to get in one last blog update from Kyrgyzstan before we leave.
Goodbye, Kyrgyzstan
Overall, I’ve really enjoyed my week in Kyrgyzstan. This country is such a unique mix of Soviet and traditional, of east and west, of old and new. It’s got beautiful mountain scenery, resolutely ugly cities and towns, friendly people, and (when it’s not giving me stomach problems) delicious food.
Kyrgyzstan may not be on the top of most people’s radar screens for tourism. It doesn’t have many showy sights and attractions, and the tourism infrastructure is still in its very early stages. But it’s an emerging tourism destination nonetheless. It’s still refreshingly raw and real. Go now, before the masses discover it and ruin it.