Son-Kul Lake Yurt Camp

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What can we say? This has been one of the trip highlights for sure. The pass on the way to Son-Kul lake is at an elevation of 3450 meters, the lake itself is at approximately 3000 meters and it is Kyrgyzstan's second largest lake. Pretty much as soon as we arrived it started raining and then eventually it turned to snow. We opted to stay in a cozy Yurt that slept six. In case anybody is interested, the yurts are heated with a coal burning stove. Most of the afternoon was spent hiding inside the Yurt playing cards with a few of the others from the group.

We woke up early the next morning to a beautiful sunrise and clearing skies. Since the rain/snow had finally stopped, it was really our first chance to have a good look around the place and take some photos. The fresh snow really added to the magical scenery. The truck set off relatively early to try and take advantage while the ground was still somewhat frozen. We opted to walk the 6km or so to the gravel road and meet the truck there. But somehow managed to catch up with the truck after about an hour of walking since they had gotten stuck in the mud - I guess they left a little too late and the sun began to melt the snow which created a bit of a disaster. It took close to 90 minutes or more to eventually dig out the truck and use sand/mud mats to get it out. Digging in the mud is not easy, and when it is at 3000m altitude, it is even harder. But it was fun and it felt like an accomplishment to reach the road for lunch.

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