The Silk Road Lodge – our hotel in Bishkek

Technically, a tourist is someone who spends at least one night away from home.

That’s the lower limit.  There is an upper limit as well, but that tends to depends on who’s definition is being used.  One definition talks of someone travelling for up to a year, but more generally it seems to be up to six months.

It always used to amuse me that the definition used in Kyrgyzstan used the six month limit, but the Tourist Visa is only valid for a month … and although it was possible to extend this, there was a limit on that as well – twice.  So one legal document said a tourist should be understood as a person travelling away from home for up to six months, but another said not more than three!

Incidentally, there’s another aspect about a tourist that can lead to contradictions … the purpose why they are away from home.  Whereas one of the conditions of a tourist visa is that the traveler does not undertake any form of employment, there is no such distinction in the definition … Indeed Business Tourism, (when the traveler is still working and being paid, but they are doing so away from both their workplace and home), is one of the leading and most dynamically developing sectors of the industry … and it is often quoted as one of the priority areas that Kyrgyzstan wants to develop.

One of the most important decisions is where to spend that night, or those nights.

Sometimes that’s an easy decision … especially when returning somewhere.   It may mean returning to a hotel where one has stayed before, so there’s a sense of familiarity and comfort.

When visiting somewhere new, however, the decision is more difficult.  Fortunately we have a host of help and support available to aid us in making that decision.  Almost as good as personal experience is to learn from the experience of others … to seek out and receive recommendations and reviews from others and there is now a whole industry based on just this.

A recent survey suggested that over three quarters of the respondents usually, or always, consulted the reviews on an internet site before selecting a hotel – reading between half a dozen and a dozen individual comments, and looked at photographs posed by these “citizen reviewers”.

There are, however, several problems associated with these reviews which need to be borne in mind. 

At least with a personal recommendation from a relative, friend, colleague or acquaintance, the source of the information is known and it should be possible to put it into context.       With reviews, it is always important to remember that they are just one more source of information, but they shouldn’t be taken as “gospel”.

One of the more publicized problems is the question of authenticity (and hence reliability) of the reviews.  There have been stories of hotels “faking” the comments posted on the sites … either by writing posting the reviews themselves or by “soliciting” them by offering incentives like discounts for positive comments.

Let me be clear … I don’t think there is anything wrong with “soliciting” a positive review from a satisfied client – after all, as the old adage has it, “If satisfied – tell others … if not – tell us“, so asking clients to consider posting a positive review seems a valid thing to request … but “buying” a positive review with a discount or free meal seems a little more questionable … especially when it is part of a campaign and not simply a case of “I saw what you posted and wanted to say Thank You.”.

There have also been press reports of people posting unfair negative reviews … and even sometimes threatening to post one – as a ploy to gain an advantage – perhaps a discount.

Let me be clear: … perhaps the critical point here is “unfair negative reviews” … there’s nothing wrong with negative reviews, in themselves.  Indeed they can be helpful in pointing out deficiencies and giving the establishment the opportunity to respond, make amends and to learn in order to prevent a similar situation reoccurring … it would be helpful, however, if the complaint is referred to the management first … as the old adage has it: “If satisfied – tell others … if not – tell us“.

They are a “snapshot” in time and does not necessarily tell the full story … and should be seen as such.  Although it is said that every picture tells a story … the problem with a snapshot is that captures a a moment in time.  As a result we know only what is in the review – and any response the management offers, if there is one.

Not every comment gets a response … the management may have responded directly to the poster … or made a positive decision not to respond.  They may not even be aware of the comment – although I do check the main review sites to see what’s new, there are a whole host of others and in the past there have been several occasions when I have been surprised when someone has referred to a review somewhere that I didn’t know existed.  

Then there are advertisements … websites, dedicated pages on on-line travel agencies and hotel booking sites, … and so forth.   Although they are useful as “visiting cards”, platforms for telling potential guests that the hotel exists and what they have to offer … but, as advertisements, they are designed to attract attention and persuade the potential guest to choose this particular establishment emphasizing the advantages and merits which the management think will achieve that.

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Now, every guest is different … the things they look for in a hotel will also vary.

In some cases they look for status – for some people a five star rating is important; a recognizable name, being a part of an international chain … and so forth …;

In other cases, the location is important … city center, for example; proximity to a particular locale such as a railway station or an exhibition center; or in the country;

The facilities or services on offer … breakfast included in the cost of the accommodation; free airport transfers; free wifi internet access are often cited, but there is also availability of a fitness center; a business center; … perhaps non-smoking rooms; childcare facilities;  and so on … 

Then, of course, there’s the price.

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Sometimes, the attraction of a particular hotel might be some unique feature, for example it might model itself on a theme or – carved into a Swiss mountainside; or into ice in the Arctic; tree top cabins on the Savannah; straw huts on a sub-tropical beach; a salt mine; a former prison; a castle; … and so on.

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When it came to our hotel here in Bishkek, the Silk Road Lodge, we sat down and brainstormed what people wanted in a hotel … with two of our investors were international lawyers who did a lot of travelling as part of their work, (one spending more time on the road than at home), and several visitors, (both short term and long term), to Bishkek.

Several ideas came up … in addition to things like internet and phone access to the outside world; a good breakfast with plenty of choice; variety of cuisines (including healthy options) on the menu in the restaurant; reasonable sized rooms; coffee/tea making facilities; a usable fridge that is not packed full with minibar items for sale; an iron; a hairdryer; no “fees” or surcharges … and so on.

The most important thing, however, was “I want to be comfortable – to feel at home”.

That’s part of the reason why, for several years we used the slogans “Your Home Away From Home in Bishkek” … and “Your Home on the Great Silk Road“.

They didn’t want to feel that were staying in “Just another hotel“.

Lenin – pointing to the future

A short time ago I saw an article about the attractions of Central Asia and the traveling along the Great Silk Road.  One of the options it highlighted was Soviet Tourism.

I have long felt that here in Kyrgyzstan we don’t make enough of Soviet Heritage when pointing out the attractions of the country  In a way that is understandable … the great attractions of the country are the mountains – with all that they offer for adventure and activities be it mountaineering, trekking, rafting, cycling, horse riding, and so on; as an integral part of the Great Silk Road and the traditional Nomadic Culture of the Kyrgyz.

The seventy years of the Soviet Union, however, has a special draw – especially to people of a certain age from the West who remember the Superpower, and were brought up to think of  them as “Them” … as opposed to “Us“.

As one author recently put it … Kyrgyzstan offers am “historian’s dream of a soviet time capsule”.

 Churchill described Russia as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” and the same is true of the Superpower that was dominated by Moscow and “closed” to foreigners … at least, most of us.  As opportunities for foreign travel increased, tourists traveled throughout Europe – usually in search of the sun, sand and sea – but occasionally of landscapes, culture and “experience”.

The Soviet Union, however, was a mystery almost as inscrutable as that posed by China and the Orient. Access to the country was strictly controlled and regulated.  The sheer vastness of the country encompassing Europe and Asia, mountains and desert, steppes and tundra … all of it out of reach inviting yet forbidden.

Even those who managed to get visas found that the country presented difficulties.  In Oxford, I once spoke to someone who traveled through the country in the 1970′s – on their way from New Zealand to England to take up a place at University.  His stories were fascinating, like the time he was berated on a metro train in Moscow for not getting up and giving up his seat to a pensioner … and when he replied in English, and it became obvious he was a foreigner, the complete “about face” as everyone apologized for the outburst and refused to allow their “honoured guest” to rise even though he was in a designated seat for the elderly and infirm.  I couldn’t – and still can’t – imagine that happening on the London Underground.

His photographs, (for example, of Samarkand), were even more spectacular.

For some people, of course, there was the attraction of the Promised Land – Lenin’s Socialist Paradise built here on Earth. Then there was the fascination of characters like:

• the founders of the nation who helped to shape so much of the Twentieth Century: Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin;
• the conflicting relationship with and attitude towards Khrushchev … the man who courageously denounced his predecessor, his emotional outbursts hammering the podium at the United Nations with his shoe (even if he didn’t … the image persists), the eyeball to eyeball contest between K and K, (Kennedy and Khrushchev),  over Cuba that almost saw the inauguration of Armageddon; the two great postwar races between the Superpowers – the Arms race and the Space Race;
• the ageing Brezhnev “wheeled out” on occasion; the courage Mikhail Gorbachev – the man “with whom we can do business” – in opening the windows and letting in the fresh air of Glasnost; Boris Yeltsin, the bumbling man who liked a drink and faced down the plotters of the attempted coup, ushering in a new – albeit, (for a time, at least), chaotic era and overseeing the final collapse of the Union.

I remember with great affection my first visit to a former Communist country, and I would like to help experience the same fascination and the sense of encountering history … and entering another world.

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I was a little disappointed when the article concentrated on the theme of the “Legacies of Colonialism and Environmental Disasters” – the Darvaza Gas Crater in the dessert of Turkmenistan and the disappearing Aral Sea.

There is no doubt that these environmental phenomena exist … and we have our own examples here in Kyrgyzstan, for example the radioactive waste dumps around places like Mailiy Suu … but there is so, so much more.

Walking around Bishkek, or almost any sizable community here in Kyrgyzstan the are the obvious monuments of  the former state – effigies of Lenin and striking war memorials – some of them complete with preserved Mig fighters and Tanks.  Here in Bishkek there are even likenesses of the fathers of Communism, Marx and Engels … not forgetting people like Derzhinsky, the founder of the KGB -

Bishkek is full of Soviet architecture – from the early constructions of Interhelpa – the Czech volunteers who answered Lenin’s call to come and help build the Socialist paradise on Earth, to the classical style favoured in the Stalin era, (such as the Opera Theater and Union House), the “characterless” identical “blocks” of the Khrushchev’s Great Leap Forward and the white marble facades of the 1980s drive to create a modern city worthy of being the capital of one of the 15 constituent republics of the USSR, and .

Many of them are decorated with mosaics, murals, paintings and slogans – each expressing a political (and social) message, policy or aspiration of the time.

The museums such as the Historical and Frunze Museums, offer a fascinating glimpse of, not only these seventy years, but also of the into the  hagiography – reveration paid to characters that we in the West had been brought up to see in a completely different light.  The image of former President Reagan tiding an Inter Continental Ballistic Missile on one of the ceilings of the Historical Museum being photographed almost as much as the  massive statues of Lenin addressing the crowds.

Out of town there are also signs.  It is possible to visit the National Parks created in the USSR, (such as Ala Archa just outside Bishkek, Sary Chelek, and Salkyn Tur outside Naryn); some of which were reserved for use by the Party Hierarchy.

Things are changing, of course, and although many monuments are being erected to Kyrgyz characters Lenin and the war memorials still stand are joined by other symbols of the Soviet Union, such as the hammer and sickle.  Kochkor in particular still has the street lamp decorations representing the emphasis and advances of science and technology.  Perhaps the most poignant monument does not date from the Soviet period itself, but is intrinsically associated with it, is the Ata Beyit (Memorial to the Fathers of the Nation), in Chong Tash – where over the course two nights in 1937, some 130-odd of the Kyrgyz elite, (it is uncertain if it was 137 or 138), were eliminated as part of Stalin’s Great Purges.

But it is not all monuments and architecture … the Soviets did much to develop Lake Issyk Kul as a tourist destination with Intourist issuing vouchers (putyovka) to workers to come and spend a fortnight or more in one of the resorts or Sanatoria that line the shores of this Pearl of the Tien Shan.  They may been joined by more recent additions, but they are still there and it is possible to stay and get a feel of what it must have been like.

The ethnic and cultural mix represented in the country is also a result, (at least in part), of the Soviet Union – with many groups of people being brought here either as internal exile, forced migrations or as part of the mass relocation of factories and institutes during the Second World War.  Each group brought with it their own distinctive culture and cuisine – much of which is still evident in the republic and helps to give a real sense and feel of being in a cosmopolitan society.

As I said, there is a lot more to offer and explore in Kyrgyzstan’s Soviet heritage …

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Here’s a starter suggestion, it can be customized to meet specific wishes, flight timetable and so forth but should give some feel of both contemporary Kyrgyzstan and its Soviet past:

Tour in Kyrgyzstan

The Conference Room at the Silk Road Lodge

I suppose that, like most people, the first time I came across the acronym MICE, I thought of rodents – little furry creatures that either make us cringe as they scurry around … or fawn over as cuddly, adorable and humourous characters, (such as Mickey or Jerry).

Working in Tourism, it was only a brief interlude … I soon came to realize that MICE represents one of the fastest growing and most important sectors of the industry: Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions … although some people prefer to refer to Events rather than limit themselves to Exhibitions.

These days, the term is sometimes avoided with the preferred alternatives “meetings industry” and “events industry” being used instead – conferences simply being large meetings, albeit with a host of associated activities and events.  Events, of course, is an all embracing term which covers a multitude of activities.

The odd one out, of course, is “Incentives” … Incentive Tourism was a term that was coined to describe something offered to employees as a “reward” for a job well done – perhaps for meeting, or exceeding, targets set.  Unlike the other MICE elements which focus on the “business at hand”, the emphasis here is usually purely on pleasure or entertainment – although some companies also see Incentive tourism as providing training and bonding opportunities – Team Building and the like … say, organizing a Golf Day, a Skiing trip or a day Paintballing.

As it happens, with one major drawback, Kyrgyzstan is actually quite well equipped to serve this market.

Some years ago, when Kyrgyzstan was undergoing one of its many “navel-contemplation” exercises – trying to develop a “Tourism Strategy” and considering what sort of tourism it wanted and was able to develop, it came up with the following areas of focus:

• Recreational Tourism – based largely on the existing facilities around Lake Issyk Kul
• Adventure Tourism – Mountaineering and Trekking, Horse Riding and Rafting, Cycling and … well, you name it.
• Travels along the Great Silk Road – which encompassed historical and cultural themes
• Business Tourism – offering a venue and facilities for Meetings, Conferences, Exhibitions, Training courses and the like

The first three were basically preserving and extending the what was already being undertaken in the country … the new element being the last: Business Tourism.  As it happens, it was just after the first Global Mountain Summit, held in Bishkek in 2002, which had opened the eyes of some some people to the potential that Kyrgyzstan had to offer when it came to this sort of tourism.

I sometimes joke that Bishkek must be a contender for the World’s Meeting Capital … there seems to be and endless round of Meetings, Seminars, Round Tables, Forums, Conferences and even Summits.  To be honest, there’s also a nagging doubt about what these meetings all achieve … but, hey that’s down to the particpants and their commitment to whatever the topic is.  The fact remains that the facilities and experience for organizing meetings at all levels is available in the country.

There are a range of hotels with Conference facilities – meeting rooms, projectors, translation services, secretarial services and the like – indeed, practically all hotels have conference rooms and can provide accommodation, coffee breaks and meals, as well as a variety of other facilities for delegates.  Our hotels, for example have small Meeting Rooms, (for up to 20 people in Naryn and up to 35 in the Silk Road Lodge in Bishkek), in keeping with the style and atmosphere of offering “a home away from home” rather than a big hotel, but some can cater for hundreds of delegates. Many of the resorts on Lake Issyk Kul offer facilities all year round, and Conferences are an important part of their business – just as it is for hotels in holiday resorts around the world.

In addition to the hotels, there are a number of auditoria available in theaters, concert halls, sports arenas and the like.  Even the Presidential residence is available for hire – and I have attended several conferences there.

Kyrgyzstan has hosted many large and important international conferences – recent examples being summits of the CIS and SCO, not to mention the international forum for the protection and preservation of the Snow Leopard – attended by Heads of State and Government as well as considerable numbers of “high level” delegates.

I suppose we might have some difficulty hosting some of the larger conferences … for example, when the recent SCO Summit took place earlier this year, the delegates, observers, and media occupied virtually all the hotel accommodation in the city … but then a resort on Issyk Kul can offers a complete service with all services and participants accommodated on site – without the need for additional transport to the conference center.

Perhaps the only major drawback is access to Bishkek.  Although we are, theoretically, in the Center of the continent which should help to reduce travel for delegates from all the different parts of Asia … at the moment there a limited number of flight connections to Manas airport, (in the recent summits, some of the larger delegations chartered their own own aircraft in order to travel to and from Bishkek), and even fewer to the other regional airports.   However, this situation is continuously improving with new routes being opened and additional flights added to the schedules – and the relaxed visa regime means that people from a wide range of countries can attend with minimal bureaucratic hassle.

For participants of a small or moderate sized regional conference, meetings or seminars, then there are usually sufficient space available to meet demand.

Perhaps the strangest “bedfellow” in the MICE quartet is Incentive Travel.  As I said, this is usually aimed at “recreation”, enjoyment or entertainment rather than for a professional purpose – although some firms do use it as a training or educative tool.

Now, as it happens, Kyrgyzstan has a lot of potential to offer – from simply relaxing at a beach resort to undertaking some adventure – on foot, on horseback, on cycle or a raft … visiting remote and little known locations and getting away from the hustle and bustle and the pressures of of everyday life.

When it comes to Exhibitions, to be honest, although there are a number of venues which can offer facilities, most tend to be quite small – we would have trouble hosting an exhibition of the size of the World Travel Market, or the International Travel Bourse, (ITB – The world’s leading Travel Trade Show which regularly occupies some 26 exhibition halls in the Berlin Messe).

Exhibitions in Kyrgyzstan are traditionally geared towards the local market – offering goods and services to the local population or businesses.  That presents a little problem in that the Kyrgyz domestic market is quite small … one of the problems of being a small landlocked country remote from its traditional markets.  Even the Tourism Exhibitions, where local hotels, Resorts and Service Providers hope to showcase their services and invite Press Industry representatives from abroad to “come and see for themselves”, are usually frequented more by locals than their intended audience.

Having said that, being in the center of Asia, with improving transport links, Kyrgyzstan does offer a logical place for such events bringing together people from around the region.

For those who prefer to think of the E in MICE as standing for Events rather than Exhibitions – then there are also possibilities … from well established craft festivals, a twice yearly “Fashion Week”, an intensive Jazz festival … and so on.

Or, for those who want to organize their own “event” why not consider it as an interesting, (if possibly unusual), destination for Wedding and Birthday celebrations … competitions, training courses and concerts.

The Silk Road Lodge – Our hotel in Bishkek

A short while ago we did a short presentation of the hotel for a group of students following a Hotel Management course at one of Bishkek’s universities.

As I understood the request, the idea may simply to get them out of the classroom and into a real hotel … it wasn’t clear how many of them had been into a hotel before … so that they could have some framework which could help to put some of what they were learning in an academic situation into a practical context.

After the normal introductions and apologies for my Russian, there was a brief outline of the history of the hotel and how we worked.  We’ve been in business for over thirteen years and Bishkek is quite different now compared to the city in which the hotel opened back in August 2000.  Now, for example, there is a lot of competition and that means choice for our guests.  Those who want 5-star luxury – at 5-star prices – have hotels to meet their requirements whilst the tourist and budget traveler  also have a wide selection of accommodation to choose between.

What was it that guests looked for in a hotels?  and What helps them to decide which of the many hotels to patronize?  There are several factors which affect the answer which may alter form person to person, including: The price, The facilities, Advertising, Recommendations, Location … and sometimes something as basic as Availability, (no matter how attractive the hotel, if there are no rooms available on the requisite dates … then, sorry, it will be necessary to chose another hotel).

The conversation turned to the name – why did we choose the name “Silk Road Lodge“?   Although people may have seen photographs and read the text of descriptions, a list of facilities, and compared the prices – both with their budget and with other hotels – and the name should try and encapsulate the basic essence of the hotel.  So, what did we hope to convey with the name “Silk Road Lodge“?

The first part of the name, “Silk Road” is fairly obvious – I hope.  Bishkek lies on one of the branches of the ancient trading route.  Over the centuries this land has seen many, many travelers – and although the name Silk Road is usually associated with traders and merchants, those travelers also included Soldiers and Emissaries, Missionaries and scholars, Craftsmen and Artists, Explorers and Tourists … all sorts of people.

It took considerable time in order to travel the vast distances and involved much hardship and discomfiture and so the journey necessitate a different sort of patience and temperament than is required today.  These days, although the distances may be the same, the time taken is considerably less and in many places along the route facilities offer comfort and luxury that early travelers could only dream about.

As for the second part of the name, “Lodge“, as is often the case in English, the word has several meanings and can be either a noun or a verb.

Two of those meanings coincided in our planning for the hotel – one associated with providing accommodation or shelter, (such as a lodger staying with a family and renting rooms), and building providing that accommodation, (whether it be a small house at the entrance of a country mansion, a hut or tent as used by certain tribes of American Indians, or a house or cabin used occasionally – often providing accommodation for people involved in seasonal activities such as hunting or skiing).

In days gone by, for example, a King may have lived in a Palace, but when it came to going on a hunting party then he may have used a small hut or house in the woods as a base.  It may not have been a “palace fit for a king“, but it provided all that they needed for their temporary stay. Indeed, although some were very modest, others were much more elaborate.

I reminded them of the local tradition of having a Dacha in the country.  Here in Bishkek, on the outskirts of the city, there are several Dacha grounds where there are rows and rows of summer houses surrounded by gardens and orchards where the townspeople grow fruit and vegetables. In addition, there are a number of other Dachas around the country built as temporary residences for VIP visitors … akin to the hunting lodges used by Royalty and landed gentry.

In particular I reminded them of the two dachas that had been built for Leonid Brezhnev’s visits to Kyrgyzstan back in the 1960′s when he was General Secretary of the USSR.  The one, for example, up on Lake Issyk Kul is, unfortunately, a little run down – it’s basically just a shell.  There was a plan to renovate it but, as far as I am aware, nothing ever came of it.  It’s a small house by most standards … about six rooms for accommodation and official use, plus space for the security and services, set in a field just a short stroll from the beach.  Not exactly “a palace fit for a king”, (or perhaps that should have been “fit for a Tsar”), but “all the comforts of home” that a world leader might need for a few relaxing days by the lake.

That’s the sort of thing that we had in mind for the “Lodge” – not necessarily 5-star luxury but a comfortable “home away from home“, situated on the Great Silk Road, that the modern traveler might need for a few a days in Bishkek whether on holiday or for work.

The rooms are  spacious and airy, equipped with comfortable wooden beds, (either a single or King Size), built in wardrobes, split system air conditioners,  telephone with IDD and television with satellite channels, an armchair or couch, a desk as a workspace, a choice between wifi and cable internet access, a fridge and coffee/tea making facilities, an en-suite bathroom with a toilet, washbasin, bath/shower and hairdryer.

Included in the cost of the accommodation, we’ll arrange transport from the airport on arrival … and back on departure … breakfast and the use of saunas, indoor pool and exercise equipment and where necessary parking.

The only additional costs are for personal expenses such as telephone calls, laundry, other food and drink ordered from the restaurant or additional services ordered through the Business Center.

Roosting birds perching on a building in downtown Bishkek

One of the problems of being an Englishman here in Kyrgyzstan is that I am often about English, like questionhs “How do you say in English, xxx?“, where “xxx” can be a simple word, or a complicated phrase … and I sometimes have to think hard to some up with an answer; especially if I am a little unsure of what the Russian word or phrase means.

Andy, on the other hand, has a habit of asking “What does xxx mean?“, where “xxx” is supposed to be an English word, and I often have to answer him with “I don’t know, give me a context”, but often even that doesn’t help.  The trouble is that he has heard “xxx” as part of a song and, when he asks me, his intonation isn’t quite right.  He says what he thinks he has heard … but it’s not exactly correct and so I often end up saying, “That’s not an English word … “, until he plays me the song and I go “Oh! xxx!”.

By far the most difficult question, however, is usually posed by people like Lisa, who already know a lot of English and are quite fluent … and who ask, “Why, in English,  do you say xxx?“.

For example, in answer to an inquiry from a potential client who as interested in Bird Watching, Ilona put together an itinerary for tour … and I, jokingly, called it a Twitching Tour … which, naturally led to the question, “Why do you call it that?”  So I had to explain that, in England, the slang term for Bird Watching is Twitching … which naturally led to the question – “Why?”  To be honest, I haven’t the faintest idea.

The other term, “Birding“, is perhaps easier to understand … like “medalling” at the Olympic Games … That’s a fairly recent innovation in the language, but if you win a medal in the games then you are said to have medalled … turning the noun into a verb.  Likewise, the noun Bird was turned into a verb, “to bird”, around the end of the First World War … and refers to the practice of observing birds, (either visually or by hearing their birdsong), usually in a serious manner – going in search of them, rather than just sitting and watching them as they “come to you” – which is usually referred to as simply, Bird Watching.

Twitching, seems to be more modern and dates from sometime after the Second World War, and also carries a connotation of someone going in search of “rare birds” … and once it has been observed it is, so to speak, “ticked off” a list … or added to a list of birds that they have encountered.  Exactly why this is described as “twitching“, however, as I said before … I have no idea!

Bird watching is a remarkably common recreational activity.  When, many years ago, I was at school, my friend Paul started a branch of the Young Ornithologists Club in the school – subscribed to their newsletters and organized talks and films during the Lunch hour and occasional trips into the surrounding countryside to see what birds they could find.  I went along a few times to show support … but, to be honest, it wasn’t exactly “my cup of tea”.  Although it was fascinating, and I felt good – and still do – when I saw a magnificent specimen … learning all those details about the colouring, molt, distribution, seasonal migrations, food, reproductive cycle, egg size and colouration. and habitat was a bit too much like an extra Biology lesson …

Having said that, a lot of people are very interested in Ornithology and can tell the difference between a Hawk and a Kestrel, a Crow and a Rook.

A few years ago, in a press release for the publication of a new book, The Atlas of Birds: Diversity, Behavior, and Conservation by Mike Unwin, it was said that Kyrgyzstan was one of the least well endowed countries in the world when it came to the number of bird species that could be found here – with fewer than 250.  I pointed out in a postcard at the time that there seems to be a problem with that statistic … as other sources suggest the figure should be nearer to 400, (a recent news article said 390 – it’s in Russian), although not all of them are native to the land of the Tien Shan, but are migratory birds that simply pass through on their way North or South as the seasons change.

For the serious Twitcher, Kyrgyzstan has a lot of potential as a place to observe a wide variety of birds … maybe not as much as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Indonesia which can all claim more than 1500 species … but there is still quite a lot to observe.

Of course, many of the species to be found here are fairly “common or garden varieties” but some 57 species are listed as endangered to some degree or other.  

To be honest, although I have always been happy to organize itineraries for clients who have expressed an interest in ornithology, I have tended to shy away from organizing specific Twitching Tours … as birds are wild animals and you cannot guarantee exactly what people will encounter.  There’s always a heavy caveat to any inventory and description … “Species of Birds seen in this region have included …”, rather than detailed promises.  Perhaps the most difficult task I had in this respect was having to break the news to one client who was specifically keen to see Cranes that her holiday was at the wrong time of year … in the hiatus between the different migratory seasons. Fortunately, however, Twitchers are usually well aware of the difficulties and I am often amazed at how pleased they are with what species they do encounter … often being able to identify different subspecies even at some distance away.

Anyway, here’s Ilona’s itinerary for a 6 day summer tour, (April-October):

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Day 1. Bishkek – Ala-Archa – Bishkek
Overnight in a Hotel

Arrival in Bishkek. Meet the driver and guide at the airport and transfer to the hotel. If it is an early arrival – have a lie in and rest. After breakfast, drive to Ala-Archa National park, (40 km from Bishkek), and explore the area. Packed lunch. Return to Bishkek for a short city tour of the Central downtown, including: the main square, Oak park and Victory square. Dinner at a café. Overnight in the hotel.

The Ala Archa National park was created in 1976 by Government decree and occupies about 120,000 hectares.  With snow-covered peaks, steep forested slopes, picturesque water meadows of the fast-flowing, noisy Ala-Archa river.  It is sometimes closed when there are official visitors.

The Ala-Archa gorge has more than 10 large glaciers, more than 50 mountain peaks (with 140 classified mountaineering routes of various levels of difficulty/complexity), and 30 mountain passes. The national park is also rich in flora and fauna – with over 800 species of plants, 160 species of birds and about 170 specials of animals.  It has Marco Polo sheep, wolves, bears, lynx, boar, eagles, and snow leopards.  The hills are lined with Spruce and Juniper woods.

In this area have been seen: (Leptopoecile) tit-warbler, (Carpodacus rhodochlamys) red-mantled rose finch, grosbeak, (Cinclus) dipper, black tomtit, black-grey tomtit, Asian turtledove, (Gypaetus barbatus) lammergeyer.

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Day 2. Bishkek – Issyk-Kyl (southern shore) – Bokonbaevo
Overnight in a Homestay

After breakfast drive to the southern shore of Issyk-Kul. Drive the road theourh the Kongur Ulan valley  to Bokonbaevo watching the birds in the area.  Lunch on the way (or packed lunch from Bishkek).  Dinner and overnight in a home stay.

*It is possible to organize demonstration of golden eagle hunting in Bokonbaevo village.

In this area have been seen: White-winged Sparrow, Mongolian Sandy Plover, (Larus ichthyaetus) Great Black-headed Gull, (Larus argentatus) Herring Gull, Ducks, Pochards.

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Day 3. Bokonbaevo- Ak-Terek- Jety- Oguz gorge.
Overnight in a yurt camp.

After breakfast continue driving along the southern shore. Visit Ak-Terek gorge. Watch birds. Packed lunch from Bokonbaevo. Drive to Jety- Oguz gorge. Explore the area. Dinner in a yurt.

As you approach Jety- Oguz gorge (Jety- Oguz meand seven bulls from Kyrgyz and there is a typical red rock), you pass rock formation, which resembles a “broken heart” and legend says that this is the heart of a beautiful woman who died of a broken heart after two suitors killed each other fighting over her. These two rock formations have almost become symbols of the Issyk Kul region and are favorite images for photographs and paintings.

In this area have been seen: (Oenanthe isabellina) Isabelline Chat,  Mongolian Desert (Fringilla montifringilla) Brambling, (Monticola) Rock Thrush, (Alectoris chukar) Chukar, Little Owl, (Circaetus) Serpent Eagle, Snipe, (Himantopus) Stilt, Western Marsh Harrier, Gold Crest, Nutcracker, (Motacilla cinerea) Gray Wagtail, (Phoenicurus) Redstart, Kestrel.

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Day 4. Jety-Oguz – Karakol – Grigorevskoe gorge – Cholpon-Ata (northern shore of Issyk-Kul). Overnight at the resort/guest house.

After breakfast spend some time in the area. Drive to the northern shore of Issyk-Kul via Karakol. In Karakol, visit Dungan Mosque and Orthodox Church. Visit Grigorevskoe gorge on the way.  Lunch on the way in a café.  Dinner in a café in Cholpon-Ata.

Issyk Kul is Kyrgyzstan’s largest Lake and at about 180 km long by 70 km wide and 668 meters deep at the deepest point, (the average depth is about 300 meters), it is the world’s second largest mountain lake – and the fifth deepest lake in the world. 

The lake has been held in high regard by the Kyrgyz – it is known as the “pearl of the Tien Shan” – and in 2004, the government declared the lake as the “property of the nation”.  One source even suggests that, at one time, it was even forbidden to swim in the lake.

In this area have been seen: Pallas sand grouse, (Passer hispaniolensis) Spanish sparrow, grey lark, (Galerida cristata) crested lark, pheasant, (Luscinia megarhynchos) nightingale, (Asio otus) long-eared owl, northern woodpecker, Eurasian swallow, (Phylloscopus trochiloides) greenish warbler, (Apus apus) black swift, royal brambling, (Hieraaetus pennatus) booted eagle.

Day 5. Cholpon-Ata- Bishkek.
Overnight in a hotel.

After breakfast drive to Bishkek. Visit the open air museum of petroglyphs and Burana Tower on the way.

 Day 6. Airport transfer and departure.

S’Novym Godom - Happy New Year

Today is the first day of Winter … in just a month’s time it will be New Year – the biggest holiday of the year.

The place basically closes down for several days  - virtually all the shops close for New Year’s Day, January 1st, even the Narodniy supermarkets which are normally open all day – every day.  (I suppose that makes them 24/7/364 rather than 24/7/365.)

Because January 7th is also a public holiday – and the week in between is bound to contain a weekend, many places for the whole week.  One of the deputies has even proposed cancelling some of the other public holidays later in the year and transferring them to this period to make it an official week long break.

Many of the hotels and restaurants have already started marketing their facilities for “Corporate Events” in the lead up to the holiday – and several will be holding special events on the evening itself.

Personally, to be honest, I am not keen on such events and I normally go to bed early and meet the New Year fast asleep … but I appreciate that most people look for an event to commemorate and celebrate the festivities.

One of the popular activities is to visit one of the resorts on Lake Issyk Kul that offer special events, (a banquet, entertainment, fireworks).

Back in the summer, I wrote a postcard with a number of suggested itineraries for taking such a New Year Break … here’s another:

Day 1 (24.12.2013) Bishkek

Arrive to Bishkek. Meet the driver and guide at the airport. Transfer to a hotel and Check- in.  After rest – breakfast and city tour, including Ala-Too square, Historical museum, Oak Park, Victory square. Lunch in a café. Christmas dinner at the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Bishkek cannot claim to be one of the major cities of the world, like London, Paris or New York.  It is, however, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan and does have a number of important and interesting buildings, monuments, parks, museums, galleries, theatres and other places worth seeing or visiting. 

Day 2 (25.12.2013) Bishkek- Ala- Archa- Bishkek

After breakfast drive to Ala-Archa national Park, 40 km from Bishkek. Enjoy the landscape and fresh air. Have lunch at the hotel in Ala-Archa. Return to Bishkek. Overnight at the hotel.

The Ala-Archa gorge has more than 10 large glaciers, more than 50 mountain peaks (with 140 classified mountaineering routes of various levels of difficulty/complexity), and 30 mountain passes. The national park is also rich in flora and fauna – with over 800 species of plants, 160 species of birds and about 170 specials of animals.  It has Marco Polo sheep, wolves, bears, lynx, boar, eagles, and snow leopards.  The hills are lined with Spruce and Juniper woods.

Day 3 (26.12.2013) Bishkek- Cholpon-Ata

After breakfast drive to the northern shore of Issyk- Kul lake. VisitBuranaTower on the way.

Visit the museum in the open air “Ruh- Ordo” in the name of Chinghiz Aitmatov, which from Kyrgyz means “spiritual place”. This place is of hundreds sweet water springs, where 5 religions of the world adjoin with each other: Islam, Orthodoxy, Buddhism, Judaism, and Catholicism. The museum is located on the only one isosceles bay of the Issyk-Kul lake. Return to the hotel by lunch. Free time after lunch.

Issyk Kul is Kyrgyzstan’s largest Lake and at about 180 km long by 70 km wide and 668 meters deep at the deepest point, (the average depth is about 300 meters), it is the world’s second largest mountain lake – and the fifth deepest lake in the world.

Day 4 (27.12.2013) Cholpon-Ata- Karakol

After breakfast drive along the northern shore of Issyk- Kul to Karakol. On the way visit the museum of Russian explorer N.M. Prezhevalskiy. City tour in Karakol, visit the orthodox church of St. Trinity, which was built in the 19th century. This is old Russian temple, where the copy of St.Trinity icon by Andrey Rublev is kept. Also visit the Muslim mosque, which was built in  1907 without a single nail. Dinner. Accommodation at the hotel.

Karakol is at the Eastern end of Lake Issyk Kul. The largest town and the administration centre of the Issyk Kul oblast, the town was founded by Russian settlers in the 1869. The name translates as “black hand”.

Day 5 (28.12.2013) Karakol- ski base

After breakfast drive to Karakol ski  base. Mountain ski base “Karakol”- is a unique ski resort. The base is located at 2300 m above sea level, on the slopes of Tian-Shan, among majestic coniferous forests. Soft climate, due to the influence of non-freezing mountainous Issyk-Kul lake, let you get maximum of pleasure from skiing. During winter period the day temperature no less -5 º C, and a lot of sunny days will let you ski and tan at the same time.  Overnight at the ski base or transfer to Karakol hotel.

Day 6 (29.12.2013) Karakol ski base

Rest on the territory of mountain ski base. More than 20 km of ski routes can meet the wishes of both experienced skier and those, who conquer the mountainous slopes for the first time. Here is the liberty for freeride lovers and for those who prefer to ski along the well-groom routes. The extension of each route is different from 400m till 3.5 km. the majority of the routes goes through the coniferous forest. It is possible to ski at any altitude. The highest point of skiing is 3040 m above sea level. Altitude drop is 740 m. The views to the closest 5000 peaks and mountainous Issyk-Kul lake are open from the panoramic top. Overnight at the ski base or transfer to Karakol hotel.

Day 7 (30.12.2013) Karakol- Jety- Oguz gorge- Karakol

Breakfast. Departure to the most picturesque place of Kyrgyzstan-  Jety-Oguz gorge. Tian –Shan spruce grows from the both sides of the gorge at the extension of almost 25 km. Jety – Oguz is famous by its red rocks, the origins of which are connected with old Kyrgyz legends. These rocks are “The Broken Heart” and “Seven Bulls”. Walking. Picnic. Return to the hotel in Karakol.

Day 8 (31.12.2013) Karakol- Cholpon-Ata

After breakfast excursion to the Grigorevskoe gorge. The ranges of Kungey and Terskey Ala-Too attract by their magnificent forest tracts of Tian-Shan spruce and Alpine meadows. Visit a small mountainous sweet water lake. Drive to the resort in Cholpon-Ata.   Preparations for the evening fest. Festal banquet. Celebration of the New Year. Competitions. Fireworks. Overnight at the resort.

Day 9 (1.01.2014) Cholpon-Ata

Free day. Rest at the lake. Overnight at the resort.

Day 10 (2.01.2014) Cholpon-Ata- Bishkek

Afternoon return to Bishkek. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 11 (3.01.2014) airport transfer

Ticking off places to visit

Andrei has developed an interesting habit – I call it “I-want-to-go-to-itis“.

The other day, for example, he was introduced to somebody, a visitor from Norway, and when he came home asked me, “where did she say she was from?”  ”Norway,” I replied … and he turned on the computer and Googled “Norway” … then switched to Google images and cried out “Wow!  I want to go there!”

He has been doing that quite a bit recently … and about some surprising places … and it can be quite frustrating – especially as he chooses places which are far away and it’s difficult to see how he achieve his dreams in the near future, … (at least Maxim is a little more realistic and chooses places a little closer to home, like Ala Archa, Kegeti and Son Kul) …  but, to be fair, I know how he feels.

Way back when I was at school and studying South America, I was so taken with the images of Brazil and the Amazon Rain Forest got a hankering to go there … unfortunately, I never made it … I did get to some of the other places I was inspired by, (New York, Paris,  New Zealand, Sydney – albeit a flying visit, literally, Tahiti, Vienna, to name just a few), but there are many that I never made, (Antarctica, the Grand Canyon, Jerusalem, New Orleans, the Pyramids, Venice, Washington, … the list go on … and on … believe me.)

In fact, when faced with an “I want to go to …”, I sometimes feel that I want to respond with “Yes, and I want to go into space and walk on the moon … but I doubt that I’ll make it”, but then, if Richard Branson has his way … then who knows what might happen.  After all … my first “foreign holiday” came from such a comment … having been asked where I would like to go, I happened to see an advert for Norway in the paper and thought how I often had hankered to go and see a fjord, a glacier and go into the arctic circle and the “land of the midnight sun” (… as it happens, I never made the arctic circle – but I made the other two!)

Besides, I suppose that it would be wrong to dampen his enthusiasm.

When it comes to Kyrgyzstan, although I have been to lots of places around the country, there are still many that I have yet to visit and elicit a cry of “I want to go to …“.

For example, here are a dozen places on my personal wishlist:

Lake Ala Kol

Ala Kol Lake: which is on the popular trekking route between Altyn-Arashan and the Karakol gorge at an altitude of 3532m. It is often the first overnight stop on the route between Altyn Arashan to Djety Oguz, but it can be reached in a (long) day from either of the Alyn Arashan or Karakol valleys – but only in the summer months – and, although the trek is popular, the route is not regarded as “easy”.  It is set in a barren, rocky depression and surrounded by the peaks of the Terskey Ala Too range. The lake is approached along rocky paths and scree slopes.  The lake is 2.3 km long and 700m wide which makes it the largest of the 729 lakes in the Issyk Kul basin.  No one seems to know how deep it is, at least, (I can’t find a record of its depth anywhere in the literature), but the Encylopedia Kyrgyzstana says that the volume is 4.3 million cubic meters.  The crystal clear waters of the lake are fed by glacial streams and the outflow forms a waterfall. It freezes from October until May.  The lake’s colour changes according to the time of day, the season and the weather – the waters can seem violet, dark blue or even pink.

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The entrance to Besh Aral

Chatkal – and the Besh Aral Zapovednik:  Located in the Western Tien Shan mountain range, the River Chatkal flows for 189 kilometers in a remote valley in the extreme West of the country. It is flanked by the 120 km long mountain range of the same name and the Chandalash range.  The Chatkal river used to be used for rafting expeditions, (although border problems with Uzbekistan have limited recent expeditions) and the mountains are used by athletes from the former Soviet countries for ‘high altitude’ training and the mountain slopes are often used by skiers.

The Besh-Aral Zapovednik (Bio-diversity Reserve) is situated in the Chatkal Valley of the Jalal-Abad Oblast 340 km from Jalal Abad the oblast centre and 25 km from Kanysh-Kiya the Chatkal Rayon centre.

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Chil Ustin: To the West of Osh, near the Uzbek border is the village of Aravan, in the limestone hills that make up the foothills of the Ak Bura and Aravan river basins, lies the Chil Ustun cave system that is named after the stalactites that can be found here, (Chil Ustun is Tajik and means “40 columns”).There are other systems which riddle the hills around here.  The main cave of Chil Ustun is 380 meters long and consists of three spacious halls connected by narrow, winding corridors. The third chamber is over 100 meters long, 20 meters high and at its widest point over 50 meters wide. From the ceiling hang stone “chandeliers”, the walls are covered with tinted crystals, numerous ancient drawings and inscriptions in a variety of languages including Sanskrit. The crystals react by producing different sounds when the wind blows. It is thought that the caves have curative properties.

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The road to Irkeshtam

Irkeshtam: There used to be lots of places where people crossed the border between Kyrgyzstan and China but now there are only two official border crossings: Torugart and Irkeshtam.  Although the Bedel and Taldyk passes are on my list but Irkeshtam is higher on my list probably because we actually send people over the pass and so I have seen lots of photographs of the incredible scenery.  The road is undergoing reconstruction now making it a far easier journey than it used to be …

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The Kan fortress

Kan: The Kan Fortress stands above the village of Abkol on the Sokh River. It was an important fortification of the Kokand Khanate in the 17th century and is still reasonably well preserved. It is divided by a deep hollow into two distinct parts which were connected by a bridge. Where the bridge meets the larger of the two fortifications were two conical towers. The smaller of the two parts, nearer the mountains, may have been a pen for holding livestock, etc.  In the courtyard is a stone engraved with images of animals and and men riding camels – perhaps depicting a connection with travelers along the Great Silk Road. This stone predates the fortress itself.

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The Kan-i-Gut page

Kan-i-gut: Eighteen kilometers from the settlement of Samarkandyk, in the Batken oblast, on the slopes of a spur of the Turkestan ridge of mountains, lies the mysterious and legendary cave of Kan-i-gut.  From as early as the 10th and 11th centuries silver and other minerals were extracted from the caves … and at one time the cave was known as the “Mine of Death”. In the days of the Kokhand Khanate, criminals sentenced to execution, political enemies of the authorities and others were sent here to work in the mines. They were turned loose in the labyrinth of caves, which stretches for over three kilometers, and if they returned without ore of the precious metals, they were either killed or sent back to look again. Once they entered the caves – there was no way to emerge again. Many invented tales to astound their goalers - and hopefully earn themselves a release – including stories about a sleeping camel with jewels as eyes, a mysterious green plant that grew underground, walls made of silver bricks, and terrible creatures which acted as guardians protecting the caves treasures. The mines are now all but exhausted.

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Kashkasuu and Piramida Peaks in The Karavshin gorge

Karavshin: The Karavshan Mountains form a narrow east-west spine of granite, about 15 miles long, among the usual shale and limestone peaks of the Pamir Alai, on the border of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Sheer and massive rock formations cut by vertical cracks and to many people they are reminiscent of rocky canyons in America, Patagonia and elsewhere.  Rarely visited by locals or visitors alike, wild life reigns supreme in this area.  The few human visitors that do descend on the area tend to be either local shepherds and herders bringing their animals to the lush green pastures; the occasional miner working the deposits of mica, tin or other minerals (during the early parts of the twentieth century – the mine works have now been abandoned); and mountaineers intent on exploring virgin territory, (not all of the peaks in the area have been conquered).  However … access to the area is difficult – passing through enclaves.

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The Kegeti Waterfall

Kegeti: Ninety kilometres East of Bishkek lies the Kegeti valley with steep forested slopes.  A two or day three trek takes you up the Kel-Tor gorge, a side valley, to the Kel-Tor lake (Dead Lake) with it’s turquoise water and numerous beautiful waterfalls. From the valley you can visit the Bel Saz jailoo, the Sharkyratma waterfall, Kushkonok forest, Kisl Beles forest, Chaunde Gorom viewpoint and Kara Unkur (Crying cave). It is also possible to make a trip into the neighbouring Tuyuk valley and Karagai Bulak.

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Kol Suu: Kol Suu lake is one of the most beautiful alpine lakes in Kyrgyzstan, at an altitude of 3600 meters above sea level. It was formed as the result of strong earthquake which caused a rock slide which blocked the upper Kurumduk river that flows into the Ak-Sai valley, in the Naryn region, near the border with China. The Ak Sai valley is one of the most remote spots in Kyrgyzstan, but it is also in the border zone which means that special permits are needed to get there. Also, there is no road to the lake, but it is possible to get there using jeeps or on off-road vehicles.

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Peaks and glacier

Peak Pobeda, Khan Tengri the Enilchek glacier and the Mezbacher Lakes: The peaks are two of Kyrgyzstan’s highest mountains at over seven thousand meters.  At their foot is one of the world’s largest glaciers which plays host each summer to one of the country’s most mysterious geological phenomenon, the Mezbacher Lakes, which form and then suddenly disappear as the waters drain away … and nobody knows why.

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Peak Lenin

Peak Lenin: In the Osh oblast lies on the border with Tajikistan – it rises to a height of 7134m and was the third highest mountain in the former Soviet Union, shaped something like a “high armchair”. The outline, however, is not always obvious because the summit is almost always covered in cloud – and it is necessary to look at it over a period of time to make out the profile.  The peak takes the form of a pyramid with a large base – the northern slope being very steep compared to the others.

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Tash Rabat

The road from Tash Rabat to Baetova:  Tash Rabat is one of my favourite spots in Kyrgyzstan.  Although it is often visited on the way to or from Kashgar in China, for those not crossing the border, a visit to Tash Rabat tends to involve travelling there and back along the same  route.  We are always on the lookout for alternative routes and it happens, there is one … but the road can be a bit “difficult”, especially if there has been rain, because it involves crossing a couple of fords and the streams can get swollen,  As it happens, every time I have tried to do the route, it’s rained and I have had to turn around.

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Safed Bulan

Safed Bulan: In the Moslem graveyard, on outskirts of the village of Safed Bulan is the brick mausoleum of Shah-Fazil, reputedly built by his son around 1050 AD.  Shah Fazil is reputed to have brought Islam to Central Asia. It is still an operating Sufi mosque and pilgrimage site..

Saimaluu Tash Petroglyph

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Saimaluu Tash: Hidden at over 3000 meters in the Ferghana range, about 100 km northwest of Djalal Abad, near the Kurgat Pass is the remote, small plateau of Saimaluu-Tash. The name means “Patterned stone” and refers to the fact that here is a gallery of thousands of stone paintings – petroglyphs which are littered around the landscape.

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Lake Sary Chelek

Sary Chelek: Lake Sary Chelek is said by some people to be not only beautiful but their favourite spot in Kyrgyzstan.  I have never actually made it to the lake, although I have been close … in the neighbouring valley, but time was short and I thought to myself that I could always go back another time, so we turned around and returned to Bishkek.

The Silk Road Lodge - Our hotel in Bishkek

Today, the Silk Road Lodge – our hotel in Bishkek – becomes a teenager!

It was 13 years ago today that we opened the doors and accepted our first guests.

Since then, Kyrgyzstan – and Bishkek in particular – has changed considerably.

A few weeks ago I wrote a postcard to mark the 16th anniversary of the founding of the Celestial Mountains Tour Company in which I looked at some of those changes that have taken place in tourism since we established the company.

Then, as I approached another anniversary, eighteen years since I first arrived in Kyrgyzstan back in 1995, (although I had visited on a holiday the year before), I turned my attention to some of the striking changes I have seen in Kyrgyzstan since then.

As the Silk Road Lodge also has a milestone anniversary this year, it seems reasonable that I turn my attention to some of the changes we have seen in the realm of hospitality here in Kyrgyzstan.

Indeed, the situation has changed … considerably, both here in Bishkek and around the country – but, in some respects. “old habits die hard”.

The first thing to note is that there are far more places available than there used to be, offering a far greater variety.

Back in the year 2000, there were already quite a few hotels here in Bishkek, but many of them were monoliths erected in the Soviet period, (and it showed, not just in the architecture – which tended to be monolithic and grandiose – but also in the levels of service and the pricing.  Also, on the whole, rooms were small and basic.)

The Ala Too Hotel, at the top of what is now Prospect Erkindik – near the railway station, had closed for renovations … but problems with the contracts emerged and the project has been frozen.

The Bishkek Hotel stood just below it, on the corner of Prospect Erkindik and Moskovskaya, but that too has closed for renovations and part of the buil;ding has been turned into offices, (housing the Head office of the Kyrgyz Investment Credit Bank – KICB, the British Embassy and the office of the European Union in Bishkek, amongst others).  It’s thought that this renovated hotel is due to open soon.

The Hotel Kyrgyzstan, near the junction of Sovietskaya and Frunze also closed for renovations … but it reopened for business as the Hyatt Regency in 2001 – but that was still some time in the future when we opened the Silk Road Lodge.  The hotel Kyrgyztsan was near to the site of the main Bishkek market which is now Victory Square, and it basically the city’s main commercial hotel.  As part of the renovations, the number of rooms was decreased because all the King Size rooms were created by joining two of the smaller existing rooms.

The nearby Dostuk Hotel was the city center hotel for dignitaries and Party apparatchiks.  Once, for example, in the late 1990′s, I happened to be standing outside waiting for someone and a large SUV drew and an American General emerged, was met by a liaison officer with whom I had been chatting, and was ushered inside.  He was a big man and looked vaguely familiar, and it was only later that I realized it had been General Colin Powell of Gulf War fame – and later Secretary of State.  The Dostuk has since also undergone renovations and been effectively split into two hotels, with the Dostuk Club occupying some of the floors under different management.

The Issyk Kul Hotel at the Southern end of Prospect Mira was the last of the Soviet monoliths in the shadow of the foothills of the Kyrgyz Range.  It was also built for the for party apparatchicks but was a long way from the city center so was mainly used for hosting large groups or conferences.

A new large hotel had appeared on the scene – The Ak Keme, built by a Turkish construction company but run by a Kyrgyz Malaysian Joint Venture.  (Later it was to become the Turkish run Pinara, but following the 2005 revolution reverting to the original management and name … in a controversial move that is still the subject of contention between these two friendly nations).

There were also a number of smaller hotels such as the Semetei, (named after the son of legendary hero, Manas, and run by the Ministry of Defence, primarily to offer accommodation to visiting military personnel); The Hotel at the School of Business and Management under the President, (which mainly provided beds in twin rooms for student and visiting businessmen.  Later this was also split into two separate hotels under different management and on different floors of the building);   Kyrgyz Altyn (run by the gold mining company of the same name, and primarily intended to provide accommodation for official visitors to the company headquarters which were then based in the building opposite – which is now the Russian Embassy … and which had recently opened having being refurbished;  Incidentally, our offices are located in the building that served as that hotel’s predecessor);  the Sayakat (which means “Tourism” in Kyrgyz and will give you an idea of the intended clientelle),  the P&Co, (on the outskirts of the city and run as part of the Korean Cultural Center); the Sary Chelek, which, at that time was a run down small hotel just off Frunze Street drastically in need of renovation … the locks on the doors didn’t really work.  (Since then it has been bought up by another Tour Company, undergone renovations and become the Park Hotel).

There were a number of small, cheap and basic hotels offering beds on a sort of hostel basis and some of them are still operating.

That, then, was situation when we opened the Silk Road Lodge … lot’s of Soviet Monoliths, but few small privately run hotels.  The one exception was the Asia Mountains Guest House run by another Tour Company.

Since then we have seen a veritable explosion in the number of new hotels … I won’t try and name them all but sometimes it seems as if there is a new hotel opening every month.  

In many respects I welcome the arrival of new hotels, (even if they do represent competition for us).

First of all, they are a positive sign that the market is developing.  I am not sure about the official statistics, but it does seem that there are more visitors these days than there were thirteen years ago.

Secondly, it gives the client a choice.

That’s important because, after all, hospitality is a service industry and is all about satisfying the guests needs.  Not all guests need, or want, the same thing.

A couple of weeks ago, for example, I got a phone call from Andy who had met an Englishman wandering around looking for a hotel.  He handed the phone to him and we had chat – it was clear from what he said that he was a “budget” traveler and was looking for a guesthouse rather than a hotel.  We arranged to meet for a cup of coffee and I took him a map and list of hotels and guesthouses and we made a short list of the ones he might try.  Andy volunteered to take him and interpret for him if he needed it.

Although we have a hotel, it was way out of his price range … even with any discount that I might have been able to give him.   Even if I had offered him a room at a price within his budget, I am not sure that it he would have accepted – although I have to admit that I did give him the chance to turn it down, I have met people done so in the past.  You see, they are not looking for a hotel with King Size beds, Business Center facilities and the like …  that they could find in almost any international city center … some of them want to stay in ordinary homes with local families and to be able to absorb the local atmosphere and culture.

Other travelers are familiar with – and want – five star luxury, whilst others prefer not to stay in a hotel or guest house at all, but to rent an apartment instead.

As a result, when we have tour groups we always ask what sort of accommodation the client is looking for and make an offer accordingly … both here, and in Naryn

Thirdly, even if the new hotels are competition for us … no, specifically because they provide competition … their existence helps to keep us on our toes, reminding us that we have to try “that much harder” to attract guests in the first place … and then to retain their loyalty.

Ours is a small hotel, with just 28 rooms, and although we don’t need as many guests to be full as our larger competitors … but that also means that we don’t always have the same facilities, (we’ve got, for example, just one restaurant – not two or three) and cannot reap all the benefit that they do from the “economies of scale”.

The question of scale, however, works to our benefit in another way – enabling us to be adopt a small, friendly and comfortable, “home away from home”.

The Kaaba in Mecca - one of the world's great pilgrimage sites

One of the oldest forms of tourism is the Pilgrimage: a journey or search of moral or spiritual significance, typically a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to one’s beliefs and faith.

Its a growing aspect of tourism with the numbers of people involved continuing to rise.  For example, just 39 of the most popular sites alone receive an estimated 200 million visitors every year.  The result is that there is a growing awareness within the major religious organisations that “fulfilling the spiritual obligations of pilgrimage may paradoxically conflict with the spiritual obligation to care for the natural world”.

Even during the early years of the Christian Church, believers made visits to sites in the Holy Land associated with Jesus, but not everyone was able to undertake such a long, arduous and expensive journey, and in the course of time other shrines assumed importance.  One of the classics of English literature, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, tells of a group of pilgrims en route to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral (… although some of the tales can hardly be described as religious or spiritual).

In Islam there are a number of places associated with pilgrimage – the classic, of course, is Mecca and the annual Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which should be attempted at least once in the lifetime of all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to do so.  It represents a huge movement of people, and is such “big business” that the Saudi authorities strictly control the activity.  Each year, for example, numbers are controlled and although many Kyrgyz want to undertake the journey, the allocation of places has proved controversial has proved controversial in recent years.

Kyrgyzstan might not be the Holy Land, or contain any of those 39 most popular sites, but we do have a number of sites of importance which attract their fair share of pilgrims – at least on a local level.

In Islam, the most frequently visited sites or Sulaiman Too in Osh and the Mausoleum of Shah Fazil in Safed Bulan in the Ferghana Valley.   

The Safed Bulan Complex is still an operating Sufi mosque and pilgrimage site, consisting of the mausoleum itself, (along with several others), several vaults, a necropolis - about 700m from the main mausoleum and including a collection of 2700 heads – and a mosque – as well as the holy mountain Archa Mazar.  It is connected with the Shah Fazil, a relative of the Prophet Mohammed, who is credited with bringing Islam to Central Asia. 

The importance of Sulaiman Too has been recognized in that it has been recognized as a World Heritage Site … in justification for its inclusion in the renowned list, UNESCO points out that for more than one and a half millennia, Sulaiman Too was a beacon for travelers and revered as a sacred mountain. Its five peaks and slopes contain numerous ancient places of worship, (including a prayer house built by the young Babur before he went forced South to become the first of the Mogul emperors of India), and caves with petroglyphs as well as two largely reconstructed 16th century mosques. In all, there are 17 places of worship which are still in use, (and many that are not), which are distributed around the mountain peaks and are connected by footpaths. The cult sites are believed to provide cures for barrenness, headaches, and back pain and give the blessing of longevity. Veneration for the mountain blends pre-Islamic and Islamic beliefs. The site is believed to represent the most complete example of a sacred mountain anywhere in Central Asia, worshiped over several millennia.

This coalescence of faiths in a single site is found elsewhere as well.

On the southern shores of Lake Issyk Kul, for example, in Manzhyly Ata.  Although it now has a mosque and people come to read the Koran at the mausoleum of Father Manzhyly – a moldo, or wise man, who could tell the future and was also healer, a sort of doctor. Over the course of years people would come to him with illnesses and he learned how to diagnose their problems and prescribe a course of treatment. There were no medicines so he would tell what herbs to use, sometimes they would be poisonous but taken in the right dose would fight the illness.  There are also a number of springs each of which is associated with healing properties.

Tengrism, the traditional religion of the nomadic Kyrgyz before the adoption of Islam,  incorporated elements of Shamanism, Animism and Totenism as well as ancestor worship.  A sense of place had a particular importance and as a result there are many sacred sites throughout Kyrgyzstan … and there have been several books published on the topic.  One, published in 2002, concentrated on sacred places in Osh, another, published in 2004, identified many such sites in the Chui valley (13) and in Naryn (33).  In 2007 there was a publication on Mazar Worship in Talas.   Another, published in 2009, concentrated on sites in the Issyk region identifying 120 individual sites.    (There’s a lot of information about such research on the site of the Aigne Cultural Research Center, which has been publishing books on sacred sites since 2007.

In terms of Christianity, the main site of interest is Svetly Mys, the Armenian Monastery which is thought to be the last resting place of the evangelist, St. Matthew.

Although we in the Celestial Mountains Tour Company do not organize pilgrimages as such, we do often receive requests about some of the sacred sites and are happy to include them in an itinerary for interested parties.

A few years ago we received a request that said a small group of friends had three weeks to spare, but what with traveling time needed to get here and home again, basically they were looking for suggestions for just over two weeks in Kyrgyzstan which would let the see, say, three or four different regions of the country spending a two or three days in each place, walking or horse riding, or (at the end of the trip) simply relaxing.  They wanted to see as much of the country and experience the local culture, cuisine and lifestyle as possible in the limited time available.

What could we offer?

Faced with that as a challenge, we put together the Three Lakes and a Reservoir itinerary.

Scenes from the tour

As it happens, Kyrgyzstan has thousands of lakes – each of which has their own, individual, character.  Three of the largest are are Issyk Kul, Son Kul and Sary Chelek.  There are also a number of reservoirs created either for irrigation purposes or by hydroelectric power stations, including the massive Toktogul Reservoir.

The itinerary gives experience the wide variety of all that Kyrgyzstan has to offer; as well as seeing three very different lakes and landscapes, it offers opportunities for trekking, horse riding, and even simply relaxing, sunning oneself on a beach, accommodation in hotels, guesthouses, home stays, yurts and even camping.

Although this is slightly different than the tour we arranged for them, it is based on the same idea:

Day 1 – Arrive in Bishkek. Accommodation in a hotel.

Basically an easy day because they arrived in the early hours of the morning and was intended to give them a chance to recover from the journey and start to acclimatize.

Bishkek cannot claim to be one of the major cities of the world, like London, Paris or New York. It is, however, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan and does have a number of important and interesting buildings, monuments, parks, museums, galleries, theaters and other places worth seeing or visiting. City tour of Bishkek.

Day 2 – Day trip in Ala Archa. Overnight in Bishkek.

The Ala Archa National park, created in 1976 and occupying about 120,000 hectares, is just 40 km away from the city. It is a favourite spot amongst the citizens of Bishkek. Within an hour of leaving the city center, you will be in an alpine gorge through which the fast flowing Ala-Archa River runs, flanked by tall, snow-covered, peaks with steep-sided, forested, mountain slopes.

Day 3 – To Sary Chelek. Arrive to Arkyt village. Homestay.

Basically a full day’s traveling to arrive at what some consider as the most beautiful of Kyrgyzstan’s lakes, created by a landfall blocking a river valley.  The area surrounding the lake is now a National Park.

Some 500 km from Bishkek and 300 km from Osh is the Sary Chelek biosphere reserve, which lies in the Arkit Gorge, a relatively small mountain hollow in the Chatkal Mountains. It was founded in 1959 to protect and research the pristine natural landscapes – lowland steppes and ridges with snow-capped peaks; rapid rivers and mountain lakes; blossoming valleys and alpine meadows (lying between 1200 m and 4274m) – with their varied flora and fauna. More than 1000 species of plants, 160 species of birds and 34 species of mammals (such as deer, bear, lynx, wolves, foxes, badgers, porcupine … even snow leopards) can be found in this relatively small, unspoiled national park.

There are also some other small lakes to the south–east (such as Kyla Kol, Iyri Kol, Aram Kol, Cherek Kol, and Bakaly Kol), but Sary Chelek is regarded as the “gem” – the “Jewel in the Crown”.

Day 4 – In Sary Chelek, horse riding (or trekking) around the lakes for two days.  Overnight in tents.

The lake itself is situated some 1873 meters above sea level, it stretches for some 7.5 kilometers, varying in width from 350 m. to 1500 m. and it at its deepest point reaches a depth of 234 m – it is the second deepest lake in Kyrgyzstan. The shoreline is deeply indented and lined by steep forested slopes – which descend into the depths of the lake. Shallow areas have developed only in the larger of the bays.

The name “Sary Chelek” means “Yellow Bucket”. There is a legend that a bee keeper attending his hives somewhere on the lake shore, was pouring honey into a bucket and was so taken by the colour of the honey that he decided to call the lake “Yellow Bucket”. There are people who think that the lake derives its name from the fact that in the autumn, when all the leaves of the trees turn colour, the whole basin reminds the visitor of a “yellow bucket”.

Scenes from the tour

Day 5 – In Sary Chelek. Overnight in a wooden house near the lake.

The Lake’s picturesque shores are thought by many of the local population to be the most beautiful in Kyrgyzstan. The steep slopes, (in places sheer), are covered with pine, silver fir and archa (juniper) trees. A deontological park (tree garden or Arboretum) has been established in the reserve, and although this is not highlighted as a visitor attraction, offers the opportunity to encounter the trees and bushes of the region, with living examples to complement the dried specimens found in museums.

Day 6 – Transfer to Chichkan via the Toktogul reservoir. Overnight in a guest house .

Toktogul : A small town located on the Northern shore of the Toktogul Reservoir – named for it’s famous son – the akyn(a local bard) Toktogul Satilganov (1884-1933).

The reservoir was created in 1974 – after 14 years construction work on the Toktogul Dam was completed – when the Ketmentube valley was flooded.  Some 26 communities were displaced and relocated along the main road which was forced to swing round the Eastern end of the reservoir when the valley was flooded, and archaeologists completed several excavations of barrows dating from the 8th and 9th centuries.

Day 7 – Transfer to Lake Son Kul – via Suusamyr and the Kekemeren valley – overnight in a yurt.

Suusamyr – One traveler at the beginning of 20th century wrote of Suusamyr: “It is night. Pressing closely around a yurt, sheep are deep in slumber, breathing evenly… The moon glides across the sky stumbling over clouds, and the peaks of the mountains, resembling enormous blocks of blue marble, are illuminated by mysterious inner light. Slowly the darkness is pushed back as, morning light rises from behind the rim of the mountains… morning in the meadows, in Suusamyr”

Day 8 – In Son Kul – walking (or horse riding) – overnight in a yurt.

Son Kul: a remote mountain lake situated on a treeless, high mountain plateau (3016 m) where shepherds bring the livestock in the summertime, establish a camp where they will live – setting up their yurts. Yurts, round felt tents over a wooden frame are the typical nomadic dwelling found throughout Central Asia, you will see several scattered throughout the plain. Many shepherds will be happy to welcome tourists and serve a cup of Kumyz – fermented mare’s milk – and even to let visitors sleep overnight. It is a perfect place for being alone with the nature and easygoing shepherds’ families.

Day 9 – Transfer to Bokonbaeva on the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul, via Kochkor.  Overnight in a homestay.

In Kochkor, visit a small private museum and see a demonstration of the traditional crafts of making felt carpets, Shyrdaks and Ala Kiyiz .

People call Issyk-Kul Lake “The Pearl of the Tian Shan”. Issyk-Kul Lake ( in Kyrgyz it means “warm lake” ), is about 180 km long, 70 km across, considered to be the second largest mountainous lake in the world after Titikaka in Peru. The lake sits 1600 meters above the sea level and reaches a depth of 668 meters, folded between the Kungey ( Sunny ) Alatau to the north and the Terskey ( Dark ) Alatau to the south. Both ranges rise straight away to over 4000m.

In Bokonbaeva, see a demonstration of Hunting with Eagles - an ancient tradition that dates back to the Mongol conquest of Central Asia around the 12th and 13th centuries, when a fine eagle and good horse cost the same price and both lent prestige to their owner.

Day 10 – Travel to Karakol  via several of the sights of the Southern shore: Manzhily Ata, Skazka and Djety Oguz .  Overnight in a homestay.

Manzhily Ata was a sacred site from the days before the arrival of Islam, and is still regarded with reverence – for the healing qualities associated with its various mineral water springs.

The dramatic landscapes of Skazka, (“Fairtytale” in Kyrgyz) conjure up images of dragons and other mythical beasts as well of ancient fortifications.

Djety Oguz, with the legendary rock formations of the Broken Heart and the Seven Bulls, (from which the valley derives its name), is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful in the country.

Day 11 – In Karakol … to Cholpon Ata via the Grigorievka and Semyenovka gorges … Overnight in a Home stay.

The atmosphere of Karakol town will bring you hundred years back and give you an impression of Tsarist Russia. You will see Old Russian style houses, Russian Orthodox Church that was made out of wood without nails.

The two gorges, Grigiorievka and Semyenovka A combination of extreme depth, thermal activity and mild salinity means the lake never freezes; it is moderating effect on the climate, plus abundant rainfall, have made it something of an oasis down through the centuries.

Day 12 – in Chalpon Ata – free time by the lake to simply relax on the beach … an ideal opportunity to wind down.  Overnight in the Homestay.

Day 13 – Return to Bishkek.  Accommodation in a hotel.

When leaving Cholpon Ata, visit the remarkable open-air art “gallery” of petroglyphs, (stone inscriptions),  said to date from 500 BC – 100 AD, depicting wolves, long-horned ibex, goats, horses, snow leopards, sacrifices and some hunting scenes.