Crossing the famous Do Long Pass, admiring the legendary Seven Bulls sandstone, hunting the Milky Way at the end of the season… are unforgettable experiences for tourists in Kyrgyzstan.
Places that sound somewhat strange to many people such as Issyk Kul Lake, Do Long Pass,… but will certainly create a “little ring in the heart” for those who have immersed themselves in short stories like The First Teacher, Camel’s eyes, Young maple tree covered with red scarf ,… in the work The Tale of Mountains and Steppes by famous Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov.
The opportunity to reach this remote country located in Central Asia was once very remote, seemingly impossible, but today there are direct flights to the “dream” land.
So on a beautiful day last October, following the invitation of my friends, I packed my suitcase and set off to visit Kyrgyzstan at a time when this country was filled with shiny golden autumn colors.
During our week in Kyrgyzstan, we visited Issyk Kul Lake, Song Kul Lake, the city of Osh and many other places in the land of mountains and steppes.
The journey we went through had roads full of rocks and mud, somehow the car could still move. There are remote villages in high mountains or in remote areas, with no electricity, no bathing water, no Internet, but many international tourists still travel to find them.
There are days when there is no drinking water and skipping meals is normal. Somehow, everyone is still happy and excited on each journey to reach the pristine mountains, alpine lakes and withered grasslands. golden with flocks of sheep grazing freely.
The last remaining vestiges of Balasagun
First, from the capital Bishkek, we traveled by car to the Burana tower, a brick tower dating back to the 11th century located only 60 km east of Bishkek. This tower is one of the last remaining vestiges of the ancient city of Balasagun, the former capital of the Karakhanid Khanate.
The tower was originally 45 m high, but an earthquake in the 15th century destroyed the top half of the tower and it is now 24 m high. The fact that the tower still exists in an area with strong seismic activity proves its structural solidity.
Along the way we passed, from Cholpon Ata to Altyn-Arashan, rows of poplars changed color in the golden autumn sunlight beside Issyk Kul lake or beside small streams between canyons. Luckily, there were beautiful sunny days, the cool autumn wind made the yellow leaves rustle, making people excited.
Mountains and steppes, knights and horses, snowy mountains and white clouds in the blue sky, the specialties of Kyrgyzstan are still here as Chingiz Aitmatov (Kyrgyz: Чыңгыз Айтматов) once wrote in his famous work .
Special experience with yurt tent
Songkul Lake is located at an altitude of over 3,000 m. We slept in yurts in the bitterly cold late fall weather. Each tent has a fireplace and chimney. The burning material for heating is dry sheep dung, the fire starter is dry grass. People on the street go down to set up tents to welcome tourists during the summer and early fall.
It’s cold in late autumn, the road here is very bad and there will be snow. If guests can’t get in, they take down their tents, put them in containers left in the grassland, return to the city to live, and come back next year to set up tents to welcome guests. We are the last group of guests of this “hotel”. After the group leaves, they will dismantle the tent.
The yurt was formerly the home of Kyrgyz nomads. The tent is circular, consists of a wooden frame covered with felt and braided with rope, and can be easily assembled and disassembled in a period of time from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on how big or small the tent is.
The yurt tent is made from natural raw materials. Men make wooden frames along with details in wood, leather, bone and metal, and women make interior decorations with traditional botanical or geometric patterns.
All festivals, ceremonies, births, weddings and funerals are held in yurts.
Therefore, the yurt remains a symbol of family and traditional hospitality, fundamental to the identity of the Kyrgyz people. Sleeping in a yurt at Song Kul Lake was an unforgettable experience on our trip.
Crossing Do Long Pass in the story The young maple covered with a red scarf
Kyrgyzstan borders China to the south. The majestic Thien Son range with white snow all year round lies between the two countries.
The further south you go, the roads often cross steep, winding high passes in the Thien Son range.
At the end of autumn, snow began to fall, making travel more difficult. Do Long Pass in the story The young maple covered with a red scarf that we passed is considered the most difficult and dangerous pass of the journey.
Aitmatov wrote about this pass as follows: “The road zigzags, from one circle to another, climbing along the abyss until it reaches the blue sky, four wheels pressing on the clouds to climb; Sometimes the person is pressed against the back of the seat and can’t lift it up. Other times, he falls forward and has to lean on his hands to keep his chest from hitting the steering wheel. The weather on the pass is like a mean camel: Whether it’s summer or winter, Do Long Pass doesn’t care. In the blink of an eye, the sky suddenly pours a downpour of rain, hail, or rolling snow. It’s so dark I can’t see anything anymore. See, our Do Long pass is like that!… But we, Thien Son people, are used to it, and sometimes even cross the pass at night. Well, now I fully remember all the difficulties and dangers, but when I worked there every day, I didn’t have time to think about those things.”
Destination not to be missed: Fairy Tale Canyon
Skazka Gorge, also known as Fairy Tale Gorge, located on the south shore of Lake Issyk Kul, is one of the most interesting and frequently visited natural places in Kyrgyzstan.
The canyon is composed of red claystone. Wind and water have honed the claystone over millions of years into wonderful, natural sculptures.
One of the most famous stone structures here is the Great Wall, due to its similarity to the famous Chinese architectural monument (left photo). Walking through the maze of the canyon, you will feel like you are in a real fairy tale, no wonder the canyon is named that way.
Stone structures resemble castles, towers, monsters, giants, humans and animals, etc. All are created by nature, not by human hands. Interesting!
The legendary “Seven Bulls” sandstone block
Jeti Oguz is a sandstone formation about 25 km southwest of Karakol. The name means “Seven Bulls,” which comes from the fact that the rocks resemble seven bulls. Jeti-Oguz Rock is a protected Natural Monument.
There is a legend about the formation of rocks. A Kyrgyz khan stole the wife of another khan. The khan whose wife was stolen then sought advice from a wise man on how to take revenge. The wise man reluctantly gave advice, telling the khan that he should kill the wife and give her body to his rival.
The wise man said: “Let him possess a dead wife, not a living one.”
Khan carried out that plan and at a funeral banquet, he arranged to sit next to his stolen wife.
When the last of the seven bulls was killed for the ritual, the khan pulled out a knife and stabbed his wife. Blood poured from her heart, carrying the bulls down the valley, and when they stopped, they became these red rocks.
See the Milky Way at the end of the season
When visiting the mountains and steppes of Kyrgyzstan, don’t forget to look at the stars on cloudless nights.
At the end of October, the Milky Way viewing season is almost over. At this time, due to the earth’s rotation around its axis, we will not see the Milky Way until April of next year.
At this time, the Milky Way appears in the sky very early, around 7:00 p.m., and will set at 9:00 p.m. The light streak of the Milky Way is no longer as bold and clear as before.
After dinner, as soon as it got dark, we brought our cameras out to take pictures of the Milky Way with the yurt tent in the foreground.
Light smoke spread over the yurt tent, which was burned from dried sheep manure to warm the tent. We asked the homeowner to burn it more times to get warm enough and get the faint smoke for our photo.
Everything is sparkling and mysterious under the night stars, adding more poetry to the trip!
Source : Zingnews