Cholpon Ata, Kyrgyzstan

We got to sleep in a little as our sightseeing tour did not begin until 9 am. We awoke to a cool and cloudy day but the scenery was still gorgeous. Mountains run along both sides of this glacial fed lake. It is actually more of a small inland sea. Water enters the lake but there is no outlet. Dissolved salts in the waters get concentrated over time resulting in a salt water lake. This has been a sought after vacation and recreation spot for centuries. Timur was rumoured to have built a floating palace here to house his treasures gained from the plunder of conquered territories. The Russians built 5 military bases around the lake and used it for torpedo testing. Currently, the lake hosts the private residences of the presidents of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazahkstan. Tourism is main industry with a huge influx of Russians showing up every July and August. The town of Cholpon Ata, grows from a population of 11,000 to over 500,000! So peaceful and beautiful, it is very easy to see why it is such a popular destination.

The day began with a rather educational visit to the Przhevalskii Museum. In the 19^th century, the map of Central Asia was blank. Przhevalskii was a Russian army officer charged with finding a short route into China. On numerous expeditions, he travelled extensively through the area creating maps as well as documenting the customs, language and dress of the indigenous population. He, in essence, opened Central Asia up to outside world.

In Karakol, we visited a Uighur mosque and a Russian Orthodox church (both made entirely of wood) then got to have a quick look around the regional market. We ate a yummy lunch of salads and momo’s at a Uighur family’s private residence – you can’t beat home cooking!

The afternoon was spent viewing a spectacular eagle hunting demonstration. Members of the group got to pose with the eagle before the fun began. A rabbit was let loose on the field. After removing the blind, the eagle was released from the hillside above. The expression ‘eagle-eyed’ exists for a reason. The eagle swept down on the rabbit without a second’s hesitation. I will spare you the remaining gory details. Let’s just say that the eagle enjoyed a variety of rabbit tartar and that the rabbit’s foot didn’t provide it any luck this time around.

The Valley of the Cosmonauts was our next stop. Following space missions, cosmonauts (including Yuri Gagarin) recovered at a sanitarium in the Djety Oguz gorge. The area contains radon water that has been used for health treatments. Apparently some people think that exposure to radioactive water is a good idea.