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Published: February 6th 2013
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Stop #12
July 27
th 2012
Issuk-Ata Resort
After striking out at Teplye Kluchy we decided to see if we could find a shortcut over to the next valley, which was named Issuk-Ata as there were supposedly some hot springs there as well at a resort. I was hoping we could find a shortcut without going all the way back to Bishkek then heading east and south up the valley again.
After arriving back in Koytash we started asking around and indeed found a road heading to Karagay-Bulak and was supposedly only about 45 minutes away. At the beginning the road seemed fairly nice although it wound around the hills with some steep switchbacks. The further we drove the more remote it became though with long distances between any signs of habitation. It also turned from cracked pavement to pure dirt with holes big enough to get stuck in. After about 1½ hours we finally made it to the road that headed up the valley to the resort. It wasn’t as far up the valley as Teplye Kluchy but no less beautiful until we arrived at the resort.
The resort seemed like a small village with quite a few permanent residents living there, with the same nondescript decrepit concrete buildings that are so common throughout Kyrgyzstan. We parked the car and got directions to the pool and headed out by climbing an old broken down metal stairway up a steep hill and then on and old path climbing over pipes anywhere from 6in. to 3 ft. off the ground. When we finally arrived we were told it was closed as they always closed at 6PM., however there was a private pool which could be used for a fee.
After locating it we paid the fee of 100 SOM per person per hour and were soon relaxing in natural hot mineral water. The pool was fairly small and three young men already horsing around in it. They didn’t speak any English but could speak Russian and were therefore able to communicate with Jyldyz. We found out that two of them were Kyrgyz but with Turkish ethnicity and the third was Turkish from Turkey and was visiting Kyrgyzstan. We spent the next hour chatting about various things from politics, culture and life in general.
After our time was up they invited us to eat watermelon with them down the valley a ways beside the river. It was getting close to being dark but we decided to take them up on the offer. After paying a small parking fee we followed them back down the road for a kilometer or so and pulled over at a random spot and cut open a large watermelon beside the river. The sun was down behind the mountains with a few rays still peaking through, the river was icy cold and rushing through the rocks, the mountain air was cool, we were miles from the nearest city, no sounds of cars or the hustle and bustle of city life.
Three strangers, me and my wife, plus her cousin, all alone in some remote mountain valley, with beautiful views of gigantic glaciers and the last rays of the evening sun disappearing in the sky. This was a time I was sure I would remember forever, this was what made it all worthwhile after miles of driving and disappointments at places being closed or simply unable to find them, only to then have a wonderful experience
like this. After darkness fell we headed on north to the village of Kant and then on west back to Bishkek arriving at around midnight, tired but relaxed and fulfilled.
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