Karakul (black lake)

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Our hosts at Karakul lake are Uighur. They do not speak mandarin. The family have goats, yaks and a couple of yurts they use for tourist income. The noodles are handmade from flour and produced using a machine similar to a pasta making machine. Karakullake is surrounded bypeaks over 7,000 metres including Mustagh Ata (attempted by Eric Shipton who nearly made it to the summit) and Kongur. It would be a special location except for the road which carries truck traffic to the border and the litter around the lake. The terrain is not as easy for walking as Song Kul lake. It is stony with some scree. I found a ridge on the opposite side of the lake where I was able to climb up for a view onto the lake.

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