Tash Rabat

Two weekends ago, I decided to have a little weekend. I have a few American friends in Bishkek studying on Boren scholarships, they wanted to see Song Kul (a really cool lake at about 10,000 feet worthy of its own post) and I wanted to get into the mountains before it got too chilly. I have been to Song Kul before, but it is beautiful and I like sleeping in yurts, so I was very down to go again. One of my Boren friends, Katie, did a wonderful job organizing the trip (we used the Trekking Union in Bishkek, which I am now a member of. I highly recommend especially if you are going to live in Bishkek for any period of time).  This post will roughly reflect the trip. Note: I uploaded over 100 pictures from this trip to Facebook and I thought I was limiting them. The views were that good.

I flew up to Bishkek on the Friday after work (I have now flown Air Kyrgyzstan and TezJet as I slowly try to fly all the Kyrgyz air companies) and had a wonderful Friday night in the city reconnecting with some of my local friends. The first cold spell of the city came through so I finally got to see snow in Bishkek, in September.

My group met at the Trekking Union at 6:45 AM (*insert facepalm emoji*). It was cold and there was still snow around (a theme for the weekend). Lucky, everyone was dressed appropriately and we took off. Like many drives in Kyrgyzstan, drive times are variable. However, Song Kul generally takes 5 to 5 ½ hours from Bishkek. 4 hours on the main road, and then about 1 ½ hours on a side road through a valley and up a pass. We were making good time (only a couple stops for pictures at some truly stunning vistas) and we were about 30 minutes up the valley road when ominously, a marshutka passed us going the other way and immediately stopped to talk with our driver. Our driver was a Russian without much Kyrgyz, however my friend Aisymbat, from the Thai food post this summer, was on the trip and took over as communicator extraordinaire. In all, the driver reported that the pass was blocked by snow and that we should try again tomorrow. This was only supposed to be a one night stay so this wasn’t a great option. After much discussion, we decided to try and go to Tash Rabat in Southern Kyrgyzstan, another 3 hours south near the Chinese border and ironically, closer to my home in Osh than Bishkek.

This was a wonderful choice. We continued on our way, which included one pass over 3,000 meters and dropped into Naryn Oblast (Oblast – administrative districts in many ex- Soviet countries, bigger than an American county, smaller than most states). Our first stop was at Кошой Коргон (Koshoy Korgon/Qoshoy Qorgon). These amazing castle ruins are located near the village of Kara-Suu, and are dated sometime between the 10th and 13th century. Legend connects it to the Kyrgyz’s hero: Manas. I was absolutely blown away, not just by the ruins, but by their location. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, it was very surreal. I could have sat in peace there for days. Part of what makes the valley amazing is the sheer diversity of color of the different hills and mountains. Everywhere I turned, was something new and stunning. I strongly recommend visiting this location, even more so with a snowy mountain backdrop.

Afterwards, we continued onto our destination main, Таш-Рабат (Tash Rabat). Historians disagree about its dating (anything from 10th to 15th century), but all agree that at one point it served as an important Silk Road outpost at around 10,500 ft . This no-frills stone building was very impressive. I cannot imagine how people were able to build it that high up. It must have been a monumental feat of strength and labor.  The location was amazingly gorgeous as well. We stayed in a yurt camp near the structure, which included a wonderful, traditional Kyrgyz high mountain dinner. The food was excellent and endless and served as a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and general story telling. The night was frigid, and quite below zero, but the yurt provided a sufficient amount of warmth and comfort to rectify the situation. In the morning, most of the group went on a 4 hour hike or rode on horseback, however due to my aversion to horses (with these stout, but small Kyrgyz horses, it is mutal) and having a bum ankle, I decide to delegate the role of camera man to myself.  I then wandered down to the river to reread the short story collection Hurramabad by Andrei Volos, which is a wonderful collection of short fictional stories that are based on reality inspired by the experience of the Russian community in Tajikistan in the 90s. It was a wonderful setting for such an activity.

Finally, we returned to Bishkek via Naryn, where we enjoyed a solid lunch. In Bishkek, I gave in and tried Chili Peppers, a Tex-Mex joint run by an American ex-pat that appears to be a godsend for those missing variety in their spices (note: they were out of avocado which *insert 2^nd facepalm emoji). On Monday, I ate lunch and quickly saw one more friend, before returning to Osh.