The golden house of Samarkand (I)

Day 1 – Almaty

01:30am – our KLM flight lands at Almaty airport. Nathalie, her husband Jacques, my brother Christian and I are met by Rinat Khaibullin, a climber we made friends with in Nepal, six months ago. It is great to see him again after months of regular contact via email. He helped us out with the organisation of this trip to Kazakhstan, especially in getting our visas. We are now in his brand-new Korean 4wd, driving to his house, which hangs in the surrounding mountains at 1200m. We find enough energy to enjoy a relaxing sauna and manage to get rid of the stupor of the flight, before going to bed.

Wake up call at noon the following morning. It’s our first encounter with Elmira, Rinat’s wife, and two of their children. Jacques and Nathalie take the opportunity to practice their Russian with a "fairly good accent " according to Rinat (Nathalie studied it at school, whilst Jacques is helped by his Polish origins to recall some vocabulary). Later on in the afternoon, Elmira drives us to Rinat’s office, in the centre of Almaty. Rinat is indeed an experienced climber who has already conquered three Himalayan summits of over 8,000 m: the Kanchenjunga, the Lothse and the Daulaghiri. He is the founder and manager of Almaty Climbing School, and also runs a travel agency specialising in treks across central Asia. With his help, we start planning our trip: first a 3-day trek in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and then another trek in Uzbekistan, that will lead us to the ancient cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. Having done this, a young Russian woman, Genia, skillfully guides us through the city, formally known as Alma-Ata. We stop at Panfilov Park and Zendov cathedral – which incredibly is made entirely of wood, without using a single nail !

In the evening, we gather round Rinat’s table. The warm Kazakh hospitality is celebrated by shots of vodka and praised by toasts of Champagne we brought from France… Long live the franco-kazakh friendship, may it be as eternal as the mountains that surround us !

 

Day 2 – Almaty to the Kolsai Lakes

Our first trek will lead us along the beautiful Kolsai Lakes, across the border between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. On the third day, we should be reaching the Lake Isyl Köl.

** Highest Point reached today: 1,500m (first Kolsai Lake)

** Our base camp is: the shore of the first Kolsai Lake

Elmira (one of Rinat employees, not his wife !) and Askar are our guides. Before setting off for the trek, we stop at the bazaar to stock up on much needed food supplies. Fresh veggies, vodka, meat, chocolate, more vodka, pile up under our amazed eyes: do we really need that much !?!?

After a six-hour drive through a landscape of steppe (which was by the way part of the ancient Silk Road), and a lunch break (I’ll always remember the delicious taste of our watermelons) we arrive at the starting point of the trek. We are stopped by a guard who requests a passage fee. Askar contests the validity of this tax, and after an hour of animated discussion, we are free to continue our journey. At 4:00pm, our rucksacks loaded with cans and food, we find ourselves ready for the adventure. The altimeter marks 1,500. After an easy one and a half hour walk, we reach the opposite shore of the lake, where we decide to camp for the night. Elmira and Askar make a big impression on us with their innovative cooking skills, and then take it upon themselves to entertain us with songs and stories – they are great companions.

 

Day 3 – Kolsai 1 to Kolsai 2

** Highest Point reached today: 2,200m (second Kolsai Lake)

** Our base camp is: the shore of the second Kolsai Lake

Early in the morning, we leave the camp and trek through a mixed landscape of forest and alpine meadow. After four hours, we catch a glimpse of the second Kolsai Lake, beautiful and wild. We hurry towards the nomad camp of locals, driven on by the rain. Proud Kazakhs riding their horses stop for the night and sit with us. A group of Germans who are coming back from an expedition on Kerakorun highway soon join us too.

The rain finally ceases towards the end of the afternoon. We make the best of the sun - if only to dry our clothes. Askar and Jacques are brave (or mad ?!?) enough to swim in the freezing waters of the lake. The night comes and it’s already dinner time. We share unforgettable hours, around the fire, with Sergei, the owner of a neighbouring yurt: the vodka helps to warm us up, and we find ourselves singing our favourite songs to the stars.

 

Day 4 – Kolsai 2 to Kolsai 3

** Highest Point reached today: 2,500m (upper Kolsai Lake)

** Our base camp is: the shore of the upper Kolsai Lake

9:00 am. We leave the camp and start our day’s journey. The view onto the lake is truly amazing. We stand here for a while, gorging our souls with the peace and natural beauty of the landscape. Apart from a few horses galloping in the distance, there is no sign of civilisation whatsoever. Pine forests and high grass surround us while we walk the 5-hour leg that separates us from the Upper Kolsai Lake. Exhausted, soaked by the rain, we pitch the tents by a cave. A series of thrills run through our bodies when our guides warn us of the surrounding dangers: wild bears and dangerous wolves have been seen in the area. The afternoon is miserable, as rain strikes once again, leaving us damp and shivering. The evening goes by slowly, in silence: there is no sound of a guitar to cheer us up.

 

Day 5 – Kolsai 3 to Karakol

** Highest Point reached today: 3,200m (Sary Bulak Pass)

** Our base camp is: the shore of Isyl Köl Lake

This fifth day is indeed the toughest one of our trek. The plan is to climb up to the Sary Bulak pass and from there walk down to the valley before driving to the shore of Issyk Köl Lake in Kyrgyzstan. The sun burns our heads and makes us slow down on the steep path. During a much needed break near the pass, we discover big mushrooms that soon fill a carrier bag – these unexpected delicacies will complement tonight’s dinner ! Soon afterwards we finally reach the pass, where the border between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan lies. There isn’t any guard in sight. Only the snow capped peaks of the Tian Chan Mountains and the dark waters of the Issyk Köl Lake in the valley witness our slow descent into Kyrgyz territory. After what seemed an eternity to us, we finally see Igor’s jeep in the distance.

We are due to sleep at the Sanatorium tonight, however all businesses are closed on Sunday and the director of the Sanatorium, the only person who could have helped us is away on holiday. Slightly discouraged, we turn our backs from an inhospitable Karakol and head towards the lake. We spend the rest of the afternoon washing away the dust and our tiredness in the reviving water (much warmer than the icy ones of the second Kolsai Lake!). Our driver, Igor, takes pity on us and invites us to stay over at his house, in nearby Karakol. We feel quite intimidated by the two ferocious dogs that guard his house. This uneasy feeling does not leave us until dinner, when the delicious mushrooms we picked on our way to Karakol, juicy slices of watermelons and some more vodka delight our palates and set our minds at peace.

 

Day 6 – Karakol to our next trek

** Highest Point reached today: 3,000m

** Our base camp is: somewhere in the Kyrgyz mountains

The second leg of our trek starts here. Igor introduces us to Sacha, a tall Russian chap who will carry our bags. An hour’s drive from Karakol and we are already at an altitude of 2,200m, eager to walk. Off we go for a couple of hours. We stop to rest for a while by a bridge when an elderly lady surprises us with a bucket of fresh yoghurt – she couldn’t have pleased us more ! It tastes just delicious. We keep on walking until 3,000m where we decide to camp for the night. After settling down, and cooking dinner, we all gather around the fire. The night is peaceful; the sky slowly lights up all its stars. Sacha has brought his guitar and starts playing for us. We join in and share our now traditional French repertoire (Comme toi, Aux Champs Elysées, some classics from Rosenbaum and last but not least the French National Anthem).

 

Day 7 – Archa Tör Pass

** Highest Point reached today: 3,600m (Archa Tör Pass)

** Our base camp is: a valley down the Pass

The highest point of today’s leg is the Archa Tör Pass. Patches of snow welcome us as we approach it. The rocky terrain makes our descent slow and hazardous. We take a break to admire the view on the Terskey Alatoo range and Mount Karakol, which both tower over 5,000m. We carry on towards the valley under persistent rain, and have to find our way among numerous storm-born streams. Exhausted and wet we seek the shelter of the only yurt to be seen in the valley. French and Russian songs will not take long to nurse us to sleep tonight.

Day 1 – Day 8 Telety Pass

We wake up with the sun. We quit the valley to reach an other one through Telety Pass. A cattle of half-wild horses is the only sign of life. Telety Pass is at 3700m; once again we met the rain at the top. We sleep in an other valley at 2500m, near a sovkows.

Day 1 – Day 9 Alakol Lake

First surprise this morning, the neighbouring peasants offer us comos, the traditional Kyrgyz beer. It is made with fermented mare's milk. It's quite strong for breakfast! We leave our sacks and luggage in the tent to reach an altitude lake at 3500m high. Stormy weather on the top, we don't have the time to take any pictures. The evening the nice Kyrgyz family offer the diner, and make tea with their old samovar. Igor and his family join us. We walk 2 hours to reach his jeep and 1 hour more to reach Karako l. Again we spend the night in Igor's house, again we drink vodka to celebrate the end of the trek.

Day 1 – Day 10 transfer to Bishkek

Igor takes us to the bus stop where we are supposed to leave the region. Near the terminal there is a lovely typical Russian church. It is made of wood and the domes are coloured in sharp green. We all 6 take the bus to Bishkek the capital city of Kirgystan. The road is quite impressive, it follows the shore of magnificent Issyk-kul Lake, and on the other side of the road the snow-capped mountains reflect themselves in the water of the lake. The road and the bus are not so bad, after 6 hours we arrive at B ishkek. Here we leave our 2 guides Elmira and Askar who return to Almaty. Emotive farewells after all the good times we shared. In the terminal Jack inaugurates a long series of cop problems (severe check from the local police). As there is no flight from Bishkek to Tachkent we take an other night bus to reach the Uzbek capital city. We got the address of an Uzbek in case of trouble.

Day 1 – Day 11 The lights of Samarkand

We arrive at 05h00 in the morning in Tashkent. It is a great surprise to us to see Olga our contact waiting from us. She asks us to pay for Uzbek visa and proposes us a very expensive program for the following days. We are stunned by this proposal because we expected to travel alone by our own means. Despite her warning we refused to hire her car and driver and only pay visa taxes. We take a bus to Samarkand. Uzbek country looks like Middle East. All the men wear beard and all the women wear a same kind of long coloured dress. Landscapes are flat but green despite the hot weather. An old network of canalisation brings fresh water from the mountains to the fertile plains. At noon we arrive at Samarkand, the jewel of the Silk Road. We find a nice hotel near the historical centre. After a dry fruits meal we start to visit the city. The most magnificent place is the Registan. It is a hug e plaza on the corner of which stand 3 great medress. The blue domes are masterpieces of central Asia art.