There has been some controversy over the fact that the list misses out a number of “wonders”, mostly from other parts of the world not known to the ancient scholars of the first and second centuries BC who originally comprised the lists.   A competition was held to select the “New Seven New Wonders of the World” and the winners announced in July 2007.

The same people who organized that competition are currently running a similar one: The Seven wonders of the Natural World.  Many people, myself included, like making lists such as these and in his book. “Kyrgyzstan – the Word about Motherland”, Kanibek Imanaliev suggests that the Kyrgyz have seven “objects of worship”, (the word used in the Russian version translates as “sacred objects, or relics”, but I have chosen to use the term “icons” instead).  He maintains that, without these, it is impossible to fully understand the life of the Kyrgyz people.  Certainly, they each play an important role.

The Komuz is a stringed instrument, made from a single piece of wood (apricot or juniper are the favoured timbers), and plucked like a guitar. While playing it, the three strings are clasped by the left hand to the fingerboard and the right hand is used to pluck the strings in a variety of ways to draw out the sounds. It is a very old instrument – and is mentioned in Chinese Chronicles written over 2000 years ago.  There are a number of legends about the origin of the komuz.   One tells of a Kyrgyz hunter, Kambarkan, who knew the “language” of many birds and wild animals, so that he could recognise them each by their voice. Once, when he was in the forest, he heard a new and wonderful sound.  He decided to investigate and discovered two branches of a tree connected by the dried intestine of a squirrel.  The sound seemed to emanate from that “string”.  “Perhaps,” he thought to himself, “she had tried jumping from one branch of the tree to another, but cut herself open”.  Anyway, he took the string and a piece of wood from the tree and fashioned for himself a musical instrument – the Komuz … and he became known as the Father of Melody.  Another legend tells how an old komuzist befriended a nightingale … that was entranced by his playing that she asked him to teach her to sing like the komuz – giving rise to a saying that the instrument taught even the nightingale how to sing.

The Kalpak is a felt hat worn by Kyrgyz men -properly called the “Ak Kalpak” (=”white Kalpak”), is a hat usually made from four panels of white felt with traditional patterns stitched into them as decoration. It is worn by males of all ages – especially in rural Kyrgyzstan – and is a symbol of the nation. (One writer has even written that “what the baseball cap is to the Americans, the Kalpak is to the Kyrgyz”.)  There are different styles of kalpak. They can all be folded flat for storage or carrying when not being worn.  In some cases the brim may be turned up all the way around, and in some cases there is a cut in the brim so that a two-pointed “peak” can be formed. Plain white ones are often reserved for festivals and special occasions. Once intended for everyday use may have a black ‘velvet’ lining.  The most common form of Kalpak is thought to resemble the shape of the mountain Khan Tengri.

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The Yurt is the traditional dwelling of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia – including the Kyrgyz. They are found from Anatolia to Mongolia. It is not possible to say which of the ancient nomadic tribes originally developed the traditional design.  (In the 8th century, the Uighur Khaganate was established and breaking with their nomadic traditions built a walled city, Karabalasugin, on the River Orkhon – which flows into Lake Baikal in Siberia – as their capital.  Contemporary Chinese accounts record that the Khan kept a traditional felt tent erected on the roof of his palace in the city, covered in gold, perhaps as a reminder of his people’s nomadic past).  The yurt is still in use by people throughout the region and plays an important role in the lifestyle of the Kyrgyz “chaban”, or shepherd, and although styles of architecture and city planning come and go, the yurt remains a stable and lasting link with the past.

The Horse has a special place in the traditional lifestyle and culture of the Kyrgyz people as a symbol of wealth and for their practical use to a nomadic people. They are valued for their physical strength, their endurance and their stamina. Whilst the number of sheep herds exceeded that of other domesticated animals, it was the number of horses which it owned that determined the status of a household.

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The Mountains form the backbone of the country – over 94% of the country lies above 1000 meters a.s.l. and 71% above 2000 meters.  (Generally – anything above 1500 meters is counted as mountainous).  In particular, the country boasts a number of 7000-meter peaks, several of which have been climbed only in relatively recent times – and many virgin peaks – yet to be climbed.

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Lake Issyk Kul is also known as “The pearl of the Tien Shan”.  The name means “warm lake” and signifies that it never freezes over.  (This is because, lying at the bottom of a draining basin, it has no outlet and evaporation means that the water is salty – lowering the freezing point, although the very north eastern corner which is shallower and narrower may sometimes develop a thin covering of ice.)  The lake lies at 1600m a.s.l. at the bottom of a depression, ringed by mountains. At about 180km long, 60 km wide and a maximum depth of about 700 m. it is the world’s second largest mountain lake (after Lake Titicaca in South America). It is also claimed to be the world’s second most transparent lake (after Lake Baikal) with a visibility of about 20m.

Manas is the legendary hero the Kyrgyz – and the subject of the world’s longest epic.  He was a Khan (lord or chieftain) of the Kyrgyz, reputedly born in the Talas region. The narrative of the epic revolves around his exploits in trying to carve out a homeland for his people and fighting off the opposition of neighbouring hordes; consolidating his forces; his marriage to the fair and wise Kanykei – the daughter of a Samarkand khan and the future mother of his only Semetei; the burial feast for the dead chief Koketey (whose mausoleum is supposed to be at Koshoi-Kogon – near Naryn) where the opposing forces of the heroes meet each other for the first time; the great campaign victory and mortal wounding of Manas, which is followed by a civil war; the fight for the throne; the expulsion of Kanykei and the baby Semetei and finally the destruction of everything created by Manas’ hard work and struggle.

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Kanibek Imanaliev is a journalist who has written numerous articles; a book about Kyrgyzstan, (“A word about the homeland”, published in both English and Russian), novels and verse and has compiled by 10-volume edition “Kyrgyzdar”, which collects information and articles about the history, culture and ethnography of the Kyrgyz people.  He is a member of the Jogorku Kenesh, the Kyrgyz parliament.  He is married and has four children.

One of the newswires that I subscribe to had a link today to an interesting article in the Guardian newspaper about the growing pressure of work on mountain rescue services in the UK.

It caught my attention because Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country and I wondered about the situation here in Kyrgyzstan.  In fact I often see references to the fact that Kyrgyzstan is over 90% mountainous – the actual figure seems to vary upon the source being quoted.  This sometimes causes some confusion for some visitors who don’t stray far from the main road – who ask: “Where are the mountains?”

The general definition of a mountain seems to be: “a large landform that rises above the surrounding land”.  One dictionary actually uses the phrase, “higher than and steeper than a hill”, which raises a lot of questions in my mind, especially: “what is a hill?”  The idea behind this four letter word seems so simple and commonplace that we tend to take it for granted but when we look up the word in the dictionary we find that it refers to “a landform that rises above the surrounding land.”  The distinction between a mountain and a hill is simply that one is larger than the other.  So it all boils down to a question of size.

It is not simpy a question, however, of the length or breadth of the landform, nor the area of land that it covers, but one of altitude.  I remember, for example, being taught when I was a schoolboy back in Malvern, that the Worcestershire Beacon, (the highest hill in the Malvern Hills), was actually a Mountain because it was more than 1000 feet high.  Its height of 1395 feet – or 425m – seems pretty small to me nowadays as Bishkek is well above that, situated at about 800m – or about 2600 feet – above sea level, (it depends where you are in the city when you measure it.  My GPS system tells me the office is at 724.4m).

The plot of the 1995 film, “The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain”, starring Hugh Grant, centers around an English cartographer must tell a Welsh village that their mountain, (“the first mountain in Wales”), is only a hill, because his measurements indicate that it is actually just under the 1000 foot threshold.  The offended community sets out to change that and construct a mound on the summit to raise it above the limit in order to retain its official status as a mountain.

Nowadays, the threshold seems to have moved … a mountain is generally considered to rise something like 600m above the surrounding terrain – so the Worcestershire Beacon wouldn’t count any more.

Here, the word “mountain” is used to refer to land which is higher than 1500m above sea level and so, when the country is described as “mountainous”, this simply means that the vast majority of the country lies at altitudes of more than 1500m above sea level.

But what about the question of “steepness”?  This conjures up the image of the sides of a mountain rising up to a “peak”, rather like a pyramid.  Perhaps the archetypal mountain in this respect is Mont Blanc in France – but Khan Tengri on the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and China – and, incidentally, claimed by all three countries as their own – is another.  The Kyrgyz Range of mountains to the south of Bishkek certainly resembles this with their line of craggy peaks, as do the Terskey and Kungey Ala Too ranges which encircle Lake Issyk Kul.  What, however, of Peak Lenin on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan?  It doesn’t have such a pronounced peak as such.

It is said that mountains cover something like 20% of the earth’s surface and occur in 75% of the world’s countries, accommodate approximately 10% of the world’s population and are the source of over 50% – some sources suggest as much as 80% – of the world’s supply of fresh water.

They offer a wide variety of ecosystems – indeed, one definition of mountains is that they must rise sufficiently high as to provide for two distinct ecosystems … hence the 600m limit, which is basically what is needed to do this.

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Back in Britain, it seems that the number of “callouts” experienced by mountain rescue teams has increased year on year, and this year’s weather conditions have put additional strain on members of the team.  According to the leader of the Langdale/Ambleside team:

the team was a “long way from breaking point” but had to plan for the future. “We have to anticipate it growing year on year. If the callouts carry on increasing, at some point the system we operate is not going to work.”

It seems as if there has been an increase in the number of casual climbers and walkers that have fallen into difficulty and needed assistance – “members of the shorts and flip-flops” brigade, as the report puts it, although, thankfully, “fewer people had been rescued suffering from hypothermia because many were wearing good-quality fleeces and waterproof coats”.  One of the reasons for the increase is thought to be the growing expectation amongst members of the public that “they will be whisked off a mountain in minutes if they get into trouble”, possibly as a result of the media reports and documentaries about the “rescue heroes”.

In fact, rescues are not always as dramatic or comfortable and, unfortunately, are not always successful.  What’s more, members of the rescue services are volunteers and put themselves at risk by going to the assistance of distressed travelers.  I’m not sure if they are ever presented with a bill for the service, but I suppose they ought to be, and I think they would be surprised at how big it would be if they were.

In most parts of the world, and certainly in the UK, the rescue services are manned by volunteers.  The American Coastguard and Britain’s Royal Air Force operate an “Air Sea Search and Rescue Service”, but the Britain’s Lifeboat service is manned and operated almost entirely by volunteers and the situation in mountain regions tends to rely upon ordinary citizens volunteering their services.

Here in Kyrgyzstan there is no central rescue service, although plans to establish one were set in motion as long ago as 2004.  There used to be what everyone seems to agree was an efficient service run in Soviet times, but which has ceased to function since the dissolution of the Union.   That service was financed by trade unions, and all climbers were required to register when they arrived at mountain camps. They were only allowed to begin the climb after their equipment had been checked and they had been given training.  If the group did not return to base camp by a certain time, a team was automatically sent out to find them.  The system collapsed, however, in 1991 along with the Soviet Union, and the responsibility for saving climbers was divided between the travel agencies who organized the climbs and the government’s Ministry for Ecology and Emergency situations, (MEES), which did not have a dedicated mountain rescue team.

Nowadays, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, (M.Ch.S, the Em-chay-es), operates rescue helicopters, and there are at least two private services.  One offers satellite transmitters with a “panic button” which can be pressed to alert the staff at their headquarters who would then alert the appropriate authorities and dispatch assistance.

The American National Guard has recently run training courses for Kyrgyz rescue teams in Montana and Alaska and a Slovakian project has also prepared materials and training for mountain rescuers.

To be honest, I don’t know if the Rescue Services in Kyrgyzstan have experienced a similar increase in the number of callouts in recent years.  There are often stories in the press about climbers running into difficulty, needing rescue or simply “going missing”.  Occasionally there are reports of climbers who have perished in some accident on the mountains.  On average, three to four climbers have disappeared every year since the collapse of the Soviet era mountain rescue system.  A few years ago a body was found in one of the valleys not far from Bishkek of a climber who had obviously gone missing a few years before – but no-one seemed to know anything about who he was and the body could not be identified.

It’s not just climbers either.  A couple of years ago a group of hunters were caught up in a helicopter crash in the mountains in the Naryn oblast, near to the Chinese border.  One of the hunters used his satellite phone to contact relatives in Canada who, in turn, alerted the Kyrgyz authorities.  A relief helicopter was dispatched but, somewhat overloaded, it too crashed to the ground.  Eventually a group of Border Guards from the post at Torugart, led by a visiting American “advisor”, found the group and repatriated them to Naryn.

If the climbers and walkers in Britain would be surprised at the cost of rescue services in the UK, then they would be astounded at the cost here in Kyrgyzstan.  They certainly would have to pay for the services, here.  It’s for that reason that foreign governments advise their nationals to ensure that they take out sufficient travel insurance … as the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office put it: “If you can’t afford the insurance, you can’t afford to go.”

Technically speaking, insurance is a requirement here in Kyrgyzstan, but in reality it is rarely ever checked.  For example, it is never checked when a visa is issued – although many countries actually refuse to issue a visa without a copy of the insurance policy, or certificate, being provided.

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Now, although most of our tours would not require the assistance of the various mountain rescue services, (most of our tours are “motor tours”, “cultural tours” or tours along the Great Silk Road and we don’t undertake mountaineering expeditions and the like, and our treks are accompanied by experienced staff), we are very conscious of safety issues in the mountains.

The mountains are, indeed, a dangerous place.  The risks in such environments are manifold and numerous: steep slopes with slippery and/or uneven surfaces; risks of avalanche or landslip, or falling rocks; encounters with wildlife … just to mention a few.  What’s more, by their very geography, mountainous regions tend to be remote and difficult terrain to traverse.  It can take a long time to summon assistance – and for it to eventually arrive.   In one case, in 2004, it took five days for the Ministry of Emergency Situations to learn of an incident which cost the life of one Russian climber.  It would help, of course, if there climbers, skiers, snowboarders and the like were at least required to register before entering on an expedition, but at the moment that is not the case.

They should not be thought of as “nothing special” or, worse, treated with contempt or disdain.

If that caught you by surprise, don’t worry about it … it seems to have gone almost unnoticed, even here in Kyrgyzstan where something like 94% of the country is classified as mountainous and the demarcation of December 11th as International Mountain Day is actually the result of a Kyrgyz initiative.

Back in the 1990’s it was the Kyrgyz delegation at the Earth Summit that raised the question of the economic and social difficulties facing mountain communities and the fragility of mountain environments.

Now, it may seem odd that the Mountains are thought to be in need of protection, but it should be noted that mountains are home to one tenth of the world’s population, (the Mountain Partnership puts the figure at 12% but some research suggests that 26% of the world’s population lives within 50km of the mountains), most of whom live in poverty and isolation, and yet are these communities are also holders of a wealth of indigenous knowledge and traditions.

The mountains also provide vital natural resources which are under increasing risks, and are the source of water, (providing water for more than half of the world), energy and biodiversity, much of which is under threat from one source or another, economic exploitation, (mining, deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices, pollution); climate change, natural disasters and even armed conflict .

It was noted that there was a need for effective cross-sector cooperation in order to achieve a balance between development and preservation

In November 1998, the UN General Assembly declared 2002 as the International Year of Mountains (IYM), with the aim of raising international awareness about mountains, their global importance, the fragility of their resources, and the necessity of developing and adopting sustainable approaches to mountain development, and on 11 December 2001, nearly 100 people gathered at the UN Headquarters in New York to launch the International Year of Mountains.

(Interestingly, the Kyrgyz delegation was led by one Kurmanbek Bakiev, who held the post of Prime Minister at that time.)

The Food and Agriculture Organization, (FAO), became the lead institution of the UN for organizing activities and events.

The year saw a number of conferences, seminars and workshops, reports and feature articles in the media, and some “nine major global events” dedicated to the International Year of the Mountains.  One of the main outcomes of the year was when the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg launched the International Partnership for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions.  In December 2002 the year culminated when Bishkek hosted the United Nations Global Mountain Summit.

From 2003, December 11th was declared as International Mountains Day and each year events are organized according to a theme:

• 2004 – Peace: Key to Sustainable mountain development
• 2005 – Mountain Tourism: Making it work for the poor
• 2006 – Managing Mountain Biodiversity for Better Lives
• 2007 – Facing Change: Climate Change in Mountain Areas
• 2008 – Food Security in Mountains
• 2009 – Disaster Risk Management in Mountains
• 2010 – Mountain Minorities and Indigenous Peoples

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For the record: The day is one of the special commemorative days declared by the United Nations to mark and commemorate issues on which they have an interest and commitment.  Some of the days are better known than others, here’s a list:

• 21 February – International Mother Language Day
• 8 March – United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace (International Women’s Day)
• 21 March – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
• 22 March – World Day for Water
• 23 March – World Meteorological Day
• 7 April – World Health Day
• 23 April – World Book and Copyright Day
• 3 May – World Press Freedom Day
• 15 May – International Day of Families
• 17 May – World Telecommunication Day
• 21 May – World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
• 22 May – International Day for Biological Diversity
• 25 May – Beginning of the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories
• 29 May – International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
• 31 May – World No-Tobacco Day
• 4 June – International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
• 5 June – World Environment Day
• 17 June – World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
• 20 June – World Refugee Day
• 23 June – United Nations Public Service Day
• 26 June – International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
• 26 June – International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
• (first Saturday of July) – International Day of Cooperatives
• 11 July – World Population Day
• 9 August – International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
• 12 August – International Youth Day
• 23 August – International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition
• 8 September – International Literacy Day
• 16 September – International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
• 21 September – International Day of Peace
• during last week of September – World Maritime Day
• 1 October – International Day of Older Persons
• 5 October – World Teachers’ Day
• first Monday in October – World Habitat Day
• 9 October – World Post Day
• 10 October – World Mental Health Day
• second Wednesday in October – International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
• 16 October – World Food Day
• 17 October – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
• 24 October – United Nations Day
• 24 October – World Development Information Day
• 6 November – International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
• 16 November – International Day for Tolerance
• 20 November – Africa Industrialization Day
• 20 November – Universal Children’s Day
• 21 November – World Television Day
• 25 November – International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
• 29 November – International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
• 1 December – World AIDS Day
• 2 December – International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
• 3 December – International Day of Disabled Persons
• 5 December – International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development
• 7 December – International Civil Aviation Day
• 10 December – Human Rights Day
• 11 December – International Mountain Day
• 18 December – International Migrants Day

Kaindi

The town of Kaindy sits across the main road from Bishkek to Tashkent, and was important for a Sugar factory.  High in the mountains above the town was an early gold mine. The road climbs gently into the mountains and though the valley housed a pioneer camp, the valley is rarely visited by foreigners.

Tuu Ashu

The Tuu Ashu Canyon is best known because the pass (actually Ashu means “pass” in Kyrgyz) at the top is the highest point on the Bishkek-Osh road at 3586m – and the gorge from the town of Kara Balta is well worth the journey in itself with steep walls and spectacular views.  At the top, the old road can be seen climbing over the very summit of the pass, but there is now a tunnel burrowing through the mountain, (apparently built by the same construction team responsible for the Leningrad and Moscow metros) . Emerging out of the tunnel on the other side of the pass is a splendid vista of the Suusamir plain.

Ak Suu

Travelling from Bishkek – this narrow canyon is best approached by turning towards the mountains after Belovodsk and passing through the village of Kyzyl Dyikan.  Here can be seen one of the first orthodox churches to be built in Central Asia.  The road follows the stream bed deep into the mountains – and it is said that this is very good fishing country.

Tash Bulak

Tash Bulak (“Stone Spring”) is a village sitting astride the Sokuluk river which flows through alpine meadows and woodland with many varieties of wildlife.  The village is still known to many locals by it’s Soviet name Belagorka, and it was the site of a very successful collective farm.  Nowadays the village is not as prosperous but is still quite attractive with decorated houses.  It can serve as the starting point for several walks.  Nearby is the Pigeon’s waterfall – not to be confused by its more famous namesake in the Alamedin valley – which plummets over the steep cliffs.  There is a trail over the mountains to the Kochkor-Suusamyr road, which used to be used to drive sheep over the mountains, but it hasn’t been used in recent years and is generally impassable now.

There is a route between the Sokuluk gorge and Ala Archa over the Czerny pass (3900m).

Ala Archa

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.

Chunkurchak

Only twenty five kilometres from Bishkek, this tiny gorge lies to the east of the village of Tash Dobo.  It is the home of the Chunkurchak State Biological Reserve – created to protect the sites where rare verities of tulips grow – such as the Craig Tulip (“King Tulip”), which can grow heads as wide as 15-18 cms, and the Zinaida Tulip which sports bright red flowers with green veins on the outside and yellow-gold inside.  The flowers usually bloom in April and May.

The gorge itself is very narrow at the mouth and not easy to find.  Once inside it opens out to form a wider Tahr valley, which boasts 200m cliffs towering over a rushing stream.  It is famous for the Pigeon’s waterfall.

Alamedin

The Alamedin valley is one of the most striking features of the Kyrgyz Krebet, just South of Bishkek.  The village of Koi Tash, 30 km from Bishkek, is the confluence of four roads: one from the capital; another which climbs to the West over the ridge, past Golubinyi Waterfall (Pigeon’s or Dove Waterfall) to Kashka Suu in the Ala Archa valley; a third to the East towards Issyk Ata, and the fourth leading up to the main Alamedin valley.  The canyon narrows and the stream, one of the main rivers flowing through Bishkek, cascades down to the Chui plain.

Issyk-Ata:

Seventy seven kilometres from Bishkek, nestled at a height of 1775 meters a.s.l. in the Issyk Ata valley which cuts into the Kyrgyz Range which runs south of the city.  The slopes of the mountains have numerous alpine meadows and in the vicinity of the resort are fruit and decorative trees.   The waters have attracted visitors for many centuries and this used to be a place of pilgrimage and in the nineteenth century villagers expressed their gratitude for the healing properties of the water by smearing onto a large rock, which has an inscription on the Buddha on it, which dates from the tenth century.  The Tibetan inscription is on the face of a boulder with an eagle sculpture on top.  Unfortunately, contemporary, modern, graffiti now joins it.  There is a legend about a young woman who bathed here everyday in the river.  The magic force of the mountains kept her young and preserved her youthful beauty, even when all the other women of her age were old and wrinkled … so that she she still appeared young and beautiful.  Nearby, it is said, was the home of an Uzbek shamaness, famous for her healing powers, who led a hermit’s life here until the 1950’s, after her husband and son were both killed as Basmachi rebels. Turkic nomads worshipped the springs and early Russian colonists used to take the cure here – when the only accommodation was local yurts.   The river is famous for trout – and often attracts poachers.  Another problem faced in this beautiful valley is the illegal chopping down of trees.

The Soviets built the first permanent building here as early as 1928.  The upper reaches of the valley are covered in rich vegetation and are home to herds of horses.

Tuyuk and Kok-Moinok

Between the Issyk Ata and Kegeti gorges are tucked away two small gorges – Tuyuk and Kok Moinok, connected by the Kok Moinokpass (2911m).  Nestled under the “Sugar Head” peak lies the Kok Moinok lake.

Kegeti

Ninety kilometres East of Bishkek lies the Kegeti valley with steep forested slopes.  The map shows a road passing over the mountains towards Kochkor – but it is not really passable – the road is blocked by landslides and even in the height of summer it is almost impossible on horseback.   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.

The village of Kegeti lies at the mouth of the gorge although the road into the valley leaves the main road at Ivanovka and travels through Ak-Sai, Rotfront and Leskhos.  A Community Based Tourism project can provide accommodation and services at the Bel Saz jailoo.  Horses can be available to take you to some of the places mentioned.

Shamsy

The Shamsy gorge is considered by some people to be the most beautiful of the canyons in the Kyrgyz Hrebet.  It was selected as the site for a “Hunting Lodge” for the former Shah of Iran – which was built but never occupied.  Apparently the word “shamsy” means “dark” in Fahsi (Iranian – Persian) but as the valley has been called this for many years, this is probably just a coincidence.

The golden mask of the ancient beauty, Queen Shamsy, was found nearby.

Twelve kilometres into the valley is the junction of the Shamsy and Tuyuk rivers.  (Not to be confused with the Tuyuk river of Kok Moinok).  The wooded slopes and high mountain plateaus are home to a wide range of fauna and flora.

In summer it is possible to cross the mountains and head towards Kochkor.

Kyzyl Suu

The village of Kyzyl Suu is nestled under the Kyrgyz Krebet, some 35 km east of Tokmok. The Kurandy jailoo is surrounded by slopes covered in conifer forests and alpine meadows.

Konorchak Canyons

A bit further afield are the Konorchak Canyons – 125 km from Bishkek these canyons stretch for nearly 200 km.  To see Konorchak Canyons completely would take a long time – but it is possible to spend a few days exploring the spectacular scenery. The canyons have romantic names like “Grand Canyon”, “Bobsleigh” and “Skyskraper”.  They were formed about one and a half to two million years ago and since that time erosion by wind and water has turned a plain plateau into gigantic stone pillars, some of which are 400-500 meters high. The canyons see almost no precipitation at any season of the year – between 1980 and 1990 the canyons received no snowfall at all, and in the last decade of the twentieth century snow has fallen twice.  If the air temperature in Bishkek is 20 degrees below zero, in the Konorchak Canyons it is +5 degrees – however, in recent times the climate in the Canyons is becoming a little colder.  One peculiarity of the Konorchak Canyons is that plants growing there tend to be very large – much larger than usual.  One of the main attractions at Konorchak is an extinct volcano, Segizkhan Shokhy, dating back to 2.5-3 million years ago with slopes covered with fossilized seashells the size of the child’s fist and the remnants of lava.

It is claimed to be their favourite valley in the Kyrgyz range by many of the locals.

Boom Gorge

At the eastern end of the Kyrgyz Range – converging together through this narrow canyon are a highway, a railway, and the Chu River.  Most people simply drive through and don’t stop – passing over “Red Bridge”, which crosses the Chu river at the mid-point of the Gorge and onto Issyk Kul.  To the west from here you can see the Konorchak canyons.  The road is lined with statues of Snow Leopards Eagles and Stags and an occasional “pioneer”.  The Bishkek Balykchi railway also travels through the gorge – rising high above the road. There are walls designed to prevent landslides cascading down onto the road below – but despite these, occasionally landslips do manage to close the road for a time.  The gorge offers plenty of opportunities for rafting, camping and trekking.  It also offers possibilities for White Water Rafting.

John is a consultant who has been working on a project here in Kyrgyzstan, off and on, over the past two.  His contract has finally come to an end and he flew out early this morning.  From the airport he sent me an SMS to tell me that he was boarding, and to say “goodbye”.  He finished with the phrase: “Scary Mountains!”

In fact, this wasn’t the phrase he’s been using all week … that was “Spectacular … but scary.”

Now, if I was looking for a slogan to advertise Kyrgyzstan, then I might well look for something to reflect the mountainous landscape … after all, it is often said that 94% of Kyrgyzstan is mountainous.   This statistic sometimes surprises visitors … especially those who come looking for alpine landscapes with towering craggy peaks, snow covered or otherwise.  Although we have those in abundance here, a lot of the highlands also comprise wide open valleys and flat plateaus with the peaks receding far into the distant horizon.  This doesn’t always match the image of “mountainous” that people carry in their minds.  The logic behind the statistic, however, is simple … anything over 1500 meters above sea level is classified as mountainous – and 94% of the country is higher than this.

Although I might like to use the word “Spectacular”, I’m not sure that I would chose the adjective “Scary”.  So why did he?

Like most consultants here in Kyrgyzstan, John was kept quite busy for most of the time he was here, and he didn’t really have much time to get out of Bishkek.  He was able to go out for the odd excursion at weekends – to the nearby valleys of Ala Archa or Alamedin, for example.  There were occasi

onal seminars or meetings at one of the resorts up on Lake Issyk Kul … and on a couple of occasions he did manage to take a long weekend and visit a coup0le of more distant spots.

We often commented, that there were lots of interesting places in the country and he was missing out on an awful lit being trapped here in the capital for so much of his time.  There are lots of places in Kyrgyzstan that I have yet to visit … and that’s after fifteen years.  On the other hand, I do get out and about at least once a month, as I travel up to Naryn to visit our guesthouse there … and for several months, John has said how he would like to tag along and see somewhere different.  As this was going to be his last chance to do so, we decided that he should seize the chance and come along on what was going to be, by coincidence, his last weekend in the country.

As it happened, I was already planning to take a couple of other staff and a photographer with me on this particular trip … and so, when Steven, another consultant who has also been here for about two years, and who also complains that he hasn’t really had the chance to see much of the country, asked if he could join us … and also offered to drive one of the vehicles for us … we were more than happy to agree.

We left early on the Friday morning and the first part of the journey followed the River Chui … a wide, gently sloping valley with the mountains making a picturesque backdrop, well in the distance.  The road climbs slowly through the Boom Gorge, (that’s not “Boom” as in English … it’s more like Baum Gorge – and means “Shoestring Gorge”.  It is so named because it is quite narrow in places).  The gentle slope means that by the time you reach Lake Issyk Kul, you have risen about 900 meters to 1900 meters above level, over the 180 kilometers … an average climb of just 1-in-200, (or 0.5% as these things are expressed here).  Still, by the time you reach the lake, you are over the threshold and into the “mountains”, even though the lake itself, is in a long wide basin and the peaks are well in the distance.

Turning off towards Naryn the road climbs and falls more dramatically, and as we passed over the Dolon Pass at just over 3000 meters above Sea Level, both consultants confessed that this was probably the highest they had been in a car.

From there the road descended (with an occasional climb over a little crest) to Naryn which sits astride the Naryn River at about 2300m.  Whilst those of us who had work to get on with did so, the rest went for a walk in the town, before a hearty supper and a good night’s sleep.

So far, so good.  Nothing “scary” here.

The next day we took the road south, over a mountain pass and down past the town of At Bashi …  As I was acting as the “unofficial English Speaking guide” I was passing on little tit-bits of information as we went … which included things like, “this road often gets blocked in bad weather by avalanches” … and over there is a roadside tombstone which marks the grave of people killed in an accident … or “this road is closed to buses and minibuses because there was accident …”,  … which, looking back now, with hindsight, was perhaps not the thing to say … it was all true, and I did tell them other things as well … not just the macabre stuff … but l was laying up problems for the future …  and I was going to regret passing on these three particular snippets of information.

On route we stopped off at the Koshoi Korgon ruins.  Although they are not far off the main road, (in fact they are visible from the main road), I have never actually been there before and I was particularly keen to see them as I had heard there was a new museum built nearby, and I thought it would be interesting … It was interesting, but also a little disappointing as the ruins themselves were fenced off and. like the distant mountain peaks, had to be admired from afar.

After that we continued southwards towards the Chinese border … not that we were going to cross the border – or even to it – we turned off about fifty kilometers short of the border itself, to visit one of my favourite spots in all Kyrgyzstan: the Tash Rabat Caravanserai.

To my amazement, the bridge over the river has finally been repaired … in all the thirteen years I have been going to Tash Rabat, this was the first time we didn’t have to ford the river.  I was impressed, and was almost happy to pay the toll for using the road.  The money raised was apparently being well used.  I wasn’t so happy, however, that in all the chat they forgot to give me a receipt … and that caused problems later on.  More to the point, however, and once again with hindsight, the fact that the road conditions had changed since my last visit should have reminded me that you don’t take things like this for granted.  In this case the road was improved … but … well, that was all in the future.

Basically … everything was fine … everyone was happy … nothing scary here.

So the third and final day of our jaunt dawned.  After a brisk breakfast we set out for Son Kul.  The road followed the valley floor of the Naryn River for ninety kilometers.  We turned right at the Ak Talaa checkpoint and headed north and upwards, past the mausoleum of Taaylik Baatyr, towards the Kurtka Pass … and that’s when it all started to go wrong … or should I say, scary, … or as John put it later: “Spectacular, but scary”.

I wouldn’t say that we ran out of road … but the asphalt ran out … and as we climbed higher and higher on the narrow stone road, turning hairpin bends around which it was often difficult to see if anything was coming in the opposite direction, anxieties began to creep in.   A small but sudden skid brought us close to the edge. That car, coming the other way, is going too fast for these conditions … and it doesn’t matter how safe your driver is … there are always others who can easily cause him (or her) to have an accident … and  … “It’s a long drop!”

In itself, this wasn’t a big problem … the anxieties were more than outweighed by the fantastic scenery and a sumptuous picnic lunch by the lake shore … but anxieties there were.

After lunch, we headed towards the ridge of mountains that ring the lake, and the plateau, and then rose to a pass at over 3300 meters, to cross down to the other side and the Kara Keche coal mine and road home.  The car in front of us pulled up slowly, ground to a halt, and everyone got out to take a look – a look, not at the magnificent scenery, but at the road … or more to the point: where there should have been a road.

At some point in the not too distant past, a small section of road – maybe about eight feet, or just over two meters, had been washed away … and the land on either side of the path that had once been a road was riddled with ditches, pot holes and mud … Oh dear!  Oh dear!!

As it happens, both of our vehicles got over that obstacle … just … and the next wash out … just … and the next … just … and the one after that … just … We managed to get stuck in the mud on one occasion, going neither forwards not backwards until our one free vehicle was able to tow the other one out ….  We crested the pass and began to descend, though more narrow, tight, hairpin bends … with small stones scattering as our wheels ground over them … past the coal mine where two hulking great lorries were sinking slowly into a muddy pond at the foot of a cliff … just how did they get there?  It didn’t matter how slowly we were going, or how careful the driver was … every twist and turn, every bump in the road, bounced and resonated in the passenger compartment … anxiety was growing …

Now, I tend to fairly blasé about this sort of thing … I have traveled this particular road several times in the past … although, to be honest, the last time was four years ago … and if a week is a long time in politics … then four years is the equivalent of an age … and things can change quickly in the mountains …

It was then that we encountered the one thing we were all dreading … especially me as a tour operator … not only was a section of the road away … a bridge was down … there was was no way forward … only back.

Kara Keche is a big, open cast coal mine.  Although there are lots of deposits in Kyrgyzstan, most of them are small and in remote and hard to reach locations … Kara Keche is fairly remote but easy to reach … at least, it  used to be.  I had wondered why the road had been so quiet … in the past we would have passed many a huge Kamaz truck bringing the black stuff down from the mountain … but this time it had been eerily quiet.  No wonder … there was no way a Kamaz truck could cross the river.

There was no way down … just back up the way we had come … adding kilometers and hours to our journey … and we had to face the possibility that we might not make it across the washouts.

Fortunately, our eagle eyed driver spotted a vehicle crossing the fields coming towards us … and so he headed for it … it hit the road and turned up towards the summit before we caught it … so we couldn’t ask … we had no choice … we turned onto the track it had left and headed out over the fields … in the hope that it would bring us back to civilization.

It did.  Thank goodness!

After a long, slow, meandering drive through narrow culverts and blind turns we finally hit the main road … and stopped for a peaceful snack of Manti.

Now, in theory at least, the rest of the journey along the valley of the Kekemeren River should have been quick and easy … but an avalanche put paid to any hopes of that.  We crossed it … just … but it was another heart in the mouth moment …

An encounter with a snake just before we hit the Suusamyr plain slowed us up once more.  There aren’t many snakes in Kyrgyzstan, but some of them are poisonous … and this one writhed and wriggled as it made its way confusedly across the road … Now, why did the snake cross the road?  I have no idea … maybe it was trying to do the same as us … get home before the sun set.

It might have made it.  We didn’t.

We still had to cross one more mountain chain … more hairpin bends, and a tunnel, but the road has been reconstructed and the surface was good.  I wish I could say the same about some of the driving we saw … as we passed two accidents and saw many more potential ones in the making.

I said that I tend to be fairly blasé about these things … I have traveled around Kyrgyzstan over the years and I am used to encountering all sorts of obstacles and hindrances … and so I wasn’t particularly “scared” by anything that happened to us.  Worried, yes – but that was mainly concern about issues like how we would be able to overcome the obstacles and hindrances … and the effect they would have on our planned itinerary and timekeeping … and so on.  I can understand, however, why John found parts of this experience, (in his words), “Spectacular … but scary.”

At least we hadn’t planned to take the Kazarman-Djalal Abad road … but that’s another story.  Somehow, I don’t think John and Steven will be that keen to come with me on that one.