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Exploring the Tian Shan Mountain area
budapest8 Says: When we arrived in the winter of 1991, we were the first western tourists to visit the area, well there were some western Alpine climbers arrive the year before, but we were the first bona fide tourists!This highest and mightiest part of the Tian Shan system – the name means...
Horse trekking like thousands of years before
budapest8 Says: See the Kyrgyz countryside at its best and like the local herdsmen by riding high into the mountains and galloping across summer pastures. If your not used to riding, then take it easy, or you will get to know the meaning of 'saddle sore', you will feel musclesthat you never...
Eish Says: These are beautiful red sandstone formations, called Jeti Oguz which means "7 bulls". Again, the Kyrgyz nation of story-tellers have a legend for this place: a man had a beautiful wife who was stolen by another man. The husband decided that if he could not have her, nobody...
Visit the Holy Trinity Cathedral
Eish Says: The church is beautiful - it has a magnificent facade, and an ornate and gaudy altar inside. Like the mosque, it is built without any nails. It was built in the 19th century.My daughter was wearing a bracelet given to her by one the ladies in the bazaar: it was a beaded...
Eish Says: This is a beautiful building with wonderful wooden carvings, including dragons. It was designed by a Chinese Muslim and built in 1910 by the Chinese and Kyrgyz people, without the use of any nails. The Imam described the place to us, but the only person allowed inside was my...
Visit Przhevalsky Museum and Memorial
Eish Says: With exhibits in both Russian and English, it is easy to discover quite a bit about this Russian explorer. He asked to be buried next to the lake. The old Russian lady who took us around the exhibits and memorial is as much a reason to see the museum as the museum itself -...
Chong Kizul Suu Valley Yurt Camp
tblackfo Says: Visit and stay at the Chong Kizul Suu valley yurt camp located near the town of Kizul Suu which itself is near Karakol. It's arguably the best yurt camp in Kyrgyzstan with incredible views of the massive Tien Shaan mountains. Most of the other yurt camps are located in the...
Claire78 Says: Visit the mosque (taking care to remove shoes and act respectfully etc) - a feat of building, all done without nails, and a bit of China in Kyrgyzstan
His_Beloved Says: Once used as a dance hall during soviet times, this Russian Orthodox Cathedral was reconstructed and reconsencrated in 1997. Sunday mornings and on major religiou holidays you can hear the bells ringing to call the faithful to worship.
His_Beloved Says: This mosque was built by the Dungans (Chinese muslims) in 1910 completely without nails. What makes this mosque so unique is the obvious Chineses Buddhist influence on the design of the building, and could easily be mistaken as a Buddhist temple if no one were to tell you it...
Helpfulness
Despite the interesting name, this cafe is popular among locals and foreign aid workers because of it's good food and clean environment. The menu is currently only in Russian, but the owners plan on creating an English version soon.
Favorite Dish: Brizol - I don't know where this dish originates, but its like a thin slice of beef fried in eggs and then wrapped around a fresh salad like a burito. Very delicious!
Written May 13, 2005
Address: To the left side of Tsum Department store
Elucias Cafe: Live Music....& Dancing
His_Beloved Says: Located in the center of Karakol, you can hear the live music (karaoke style) from blocks away and see people dancing away from the street, since all this action happens from the balcony of this cafe. Most of the music is Turkish or Arabic, but a few Russian songs will also...
His_Beloved Says: This is one of the most popular disco techs in Karakol with one of the largest dance floors. The only problem is they don't serve alcohol, so if you want to get tipsy, drink before you go, or just step outside (like the locals) to chug a few shots of vodka before heading...
Helpfulness
The buzz and the vibe were great. We shopped for fresh food, and chinese toys for the children. I loved the chinese flasks with big bold roses on them - we used one every day for our chai picnics out in the mountains. Shopping with children is a wonderful experience - people engaged with us so readily. An old lady gave us bracelet charms to protect my little girl. People grinned at us, and wanted us to take photos with them.
Written Oct 29, 2007
budapest8 Says: This was 19 years ago, so remember that.Since then everything has changed.Being stuck at KaraKol airport because the Russiansstopped the fuel and wanted hard currency.Then a Russian Army brass chap, needed toget to Moscow in a hurry so the plane was fueled.Watching the...
His_Beloved Says: Guys, be careful when you hit on local girls in the disco techs because drunk boyfriends, or otherwise just jealous locals often like to start fights. In general, always be wary of locals at the disco.... many of my friends have been attacked for no apparent reason.
His_Beloved Says: Please be careful at night while you are walking around Karakol. Crime is rampant and it's better to travel in groups of 3 or 4 people or just take a taxi. I never go outside alone after dark and neither do most locals - especially if they are female.
Helpfulness
A friend of mine living in Karakol went skiing last year and said the equipment was so ancient, that his skis shattered on his first run down the mountain. However, this year a large Russian/Kyrgyz construction company has poured tons of money to revamp the entire resort, buy new equipment, and modernize its facilities. I went up this year with a friend to go snowboarding, and the equipment was so new that I had to take the plastic wrap off the board, show the technician how to put the bindings on, and use my pocket knife to cut off all the tags from the boots.
Equipment: The equipment they have now is top of the line, but they haven’t finished all their construction yet, so there is only a t-bar to get to the top of the mountain – a new lift is expected for next year. Ski rentals are 400 som.
There is no sports shop there yet, so make sure you bring your own goggles, gloves, snow gear, etc.
Written Jan 17, 2005
Highlights of my KaraKol visit
budapest8 Says: eating caviar from a bucketeating a typical 'Dungan' meal at at a Dunganfamily. Chinese muslims who fled from China and settledthere.visiting small ethnic german villages.Meeting a Russian hunter and his family,he used to be dropped by helicopter in themountains. He would...
Highlights of my KaraKol visit
budapest8 Says: travelling by army jeep up into the mountainsto see a herd of 400 yak, being invited toa sheeps head dinner by the herdsmen.visiting the market at 5am seeing the livestock.Eating ploff with a Krygyz for breakfast.Horseback ride up into the mountainsand forest reserve.Renting...
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Living between the Tian-Shan and Issyk-Kul Lake
Wow, summer here is beautiful! I work all the time with tourists so I meet crazy travelers [like you!] amost every day, but once in a while I get to escape with some local friends to the lake for some...
No worries, though, as I went up to their camp at Altyn-Arashan. On a terrible jeep track, we bashed and banged up to 2900m, encountering nomads and following a wild, rushing river. Altyn-Arashan is a...
Kara-Kol or Karakol or Karakol' Make yer mind up
There was no places listed apart from 5 places when I joined VT, but now there are 3 Kara-Kol's???---Huh --It was called Preszevalsk when we visited back in 1991 and were the FIRST...
Take time if you can to visit the animal market (we missed it) then a detour through the town to visit the Russian church:
Build your own Karakol page
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