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From July 13 to 17, from Baykchy to Karkary, just before the border with Kazakhstan
The Chinese again
From July 13th to 15th, we follow the shores of Lake Lessik, located in northern Kyrgyzstan. They offer a magnificent spectacle with beautiful beaches mostly frequented by locals. They enjoy swimming because the water is quite warm but nevertheless slightly salty. The southern part of the lake is not very touristy, unlike the northern shore. The road we take is of poor quality and sometimes completely absent, turning into a dirt and stone path. It is under construction, and like everywhere here, the Chinese are working to build an extra-wide road, about 6 lanes. For cyclists, it is not the most pleasant because the vehicles cause enormous clouds of dust. During these three days, we stay in small inns located on the edge of the lake before reaching Karakol.
Karakol
A pretty, lively little town where we spent two days. Its main tourist attractions are: the Dungan Mosque and the Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. The latter is built of carved wood with a magnificent interior. It is the only Chinese architecture in Kyrgyzstan. As for the Dungan Mosque, also built of wood, its whole structure is held together like a construction set, no nails having been used. Unlike traditional mosques, it has no minaret.
There is also a small winter sports resort which offers 20 km of slopes which seems normal with all these mountains.
We are staying with a very lovely couple who are constantly concerned about us.
Riders and the worst paths
We left Karakol on July 17th in very cool weather, we put our jackets back on. We had two days of driving left to reach the Kazakhstan border. We had to take a mountain road. The first part of the route was easy, we drove on a paved road. Things got worse when we reached the second part, a path with a terrible surface and large stones that ended with a long descent at over 14%. A big hassle that was fortunately mitigated by the sight of the horsemen we met on this same path. There are some everywhere in the mountains. They guide the herds of horses; it’s magnificent and the spectacle is grandiose in the middle of these green mountains. They have a way of life very close to nature. We ended our first day near the Kazakhstan border in a pretty yurt.
Met :
- Two young women who offered us water
- the owners of a guesthouse who take great care of us
- An English cyclist
- A German cyclist with an unusual career, he crossed Iran, Afghanistan, and part of China this year. Congratulations to him.
Our route:
We traveled 325 km on the roads of Kyrgyzstan from July 13th to 17th. Find our map in the blog or click here.
Did you know: Kyrgyzstan’s mountains are very high, with three peaks reaching over 7,000m, including Lenin Peak, which reaches 7,315m. It is the most climbed peak above 7,000m in the world.
