The famous warm lake Issyk Kul Oblast, Kyrgyzstan
Yes, I went around Lake Issyk Kul.
Going to Issyk Kul meant a long road trip was ahead.
I cannot seem to find my photos of Issyk Kul, Cholpan Ata or Karakol. I will need to print them in the future.
Issyk Kul
Issyk Kul means warm (Issyk) and Sea (Kul) in Kyrgyz. At the time, Kumtor, a Canadian gold mining company, dumped some chemicals into the lake. Local people were angry at foreigners at the time.
I remembered taking these pictures from Cholpan Ata.
We stayed in one of these buildings for a night.
Karakol
Karakol was interesting. A Russian "discovered" Karakol goes the story.. I will add photos of the Dungan Mosque and mountains outside of the city when I find them.
Balakchy and the Kungoy Ala-Too
I got along really well with this English teacher in Balakchy. After dealing with Cholpan Ata and Karakol, this school was heaven. Balakchy means Fish (Balak in Kyrgyz) City.
View of the Kungey Ala-Too on the way back to Bishkek.
Reflection
Lost photos. Lots of drama with local government officials. Horrible Peace Corps volunteers. Enough said.
Map of the places
- Lake Issyk Kul, Kyrgyzstan
The map is from OpenStreetMap. If you load it, OpenStreetMap may set cookies and may see your IP address. The places are listed above as text.
Use the arrow keys to move the map. Use the plus and minus keys to zoom. The numbered markers are for mouse and touch. The same places, with the same numbers, are in the list above.