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Published: September 14th 2009
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Final day at the lake
My favorite shot of Lake Issy-Kul Day 12, July 6, 2009, Monday, Duishombu: We are back in Bishkek. I awoke this morning the first time at 5 am, but knew that trying to stay awake would be impossible, so I went back to the bed and slept again until about 8:30 am. Bishkek is warm and sultry this morning, but there is something nice about being back to the familiar. A good shower, consistent hot water, food on demand, and even when you don't want it. Coffee for me and permission to make it myself.
We did finally made it to beach sometime after noon yesterday. I swam in the cold water, we ate watermelon (arpus) on the beach, played with the youngsters, Alea, Adelia, and Eldar. Timka and I rented one of the ponton pedal boats and he pedaled us out to the deeper water. As I may have mentioned before, the public beach near the Cafe Chebek and motel was amazingly shallow for a long distance. For me, because I swim and float on my back, it did not make a great deal of difference as long as the water was about 3 to 4 feet deep. But for Timka it was important
to get to water where he could jump and dive off the boat. It was really fun to be out on the water, but we both got sunburns from the reflection of the sun on the water. It was a wonderful day. About 3 pm we headed back to the motel and the Cafe Chebek for
tamak (lunch) and showers. We also packed our bags to head back to Bishkek. Then we actually had lunch. Rosa who lives in a house being constructed by Murat the contractor, had prepared a special lunch for us called
akroska (sp) which basically was a really nice cucumber, potato, dill cold soup. She used dill and Tan, a beverage that is also like a national drink, along with
cyt ,(milk). I think there was also lemon juice in it. She told me it was all natural and full of vitamins. It was really tasty. It was perfect for a post-beach, sunburned crew.
The drive back from Issy-Kul with Gulnara at the wheel of her Infinity FX was wonderful. A great difference from the trip with Faruh in the twenty-five year-old Mazda. We rolled down the highways at 80 km per hour and more.
Gulsara's Goodbye
We say goodbye to Gulsara and the Motel Chebek. Her driving reminds me of Emil. I think he must have learned to drive with her. We were in a convoy of two cars again. The children, Alea, Adelia, and Eldar, their nanny Ajar, and their mother, Altinay, Timka, Gulnara, and I rolling through the Kyrgyz countryside.
As we approached Bishkek, we stopped for dinner at Hawaii (Gavay) Restaurant. Where we had eaten last summer. A fantastical place, with sculptures of animals and water creatures, and where one can eat with others on a small floating platform. The time before we had eaten on a pier that extends out into a man-made lake. This time we got to eat on one of the floating platforms. We rode out to the platform on a small boat, disembarked and waited for the food. It came in four waves. First french fries and salad, then the next appearance of Margarita and the boat brought Shaslik, and finally, the Kebab I ordered. The food is very good. The place is bizarre. Then one has to go back to shore by boat as well. It took two boats to get us to and from the platforms. The lake is full of carp. Who delight
the small children and even me when fed
nan (bread) and french fries. The water boils with them as they come to retrieve the items thrown to them.
The restaurant is about an hour from Bishkek. So we still had a ways to go and got home around 11 pm. The food and chai were rolled out as we came in. And we quickly drank and ate a little, and then were headed to bed.
This morning we have been showing the movies and the photographs we created on the visit. Eating breakfast, drinking coffee, chating, learning new words for fruit. Things are back to normal. Ainura has taken all the clothes from our 10 day idyl at Lake Issy-Kul, and I have clean clothes to wear here. I have turned quite brown from the sun, and still have a little tingle on my shoulders from the sunburn of yesterday. My nose is really red this morning. And so is my face.
But what fun we had. Timka and I both are feeling just a little sad and missing our friends in Cholpon-Ata on the shores of Lake Issy-Kul.
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