We are going for a 4WD truck ride today to Altyn Arashan which translates to Golden spa. This is because of the numerous hotsprings in the area. Under Soviet rule this was a resort area. Our guide is Aika who is a local Kyrgyz woman born and raised in Karakol. Our very capable driver is Sultan who navigated his way through the plethora of rocks and creek crossings. Our road trip took around 3 hours including photo and toilet stops.
Our fearless leader had been working tirelessly day and night to ensure we were experiencing the best of Kyrgyzstan so the truck ride was a good opportunity to rest up. How anyone could sleep on that ride was beyond comprehension nut somehow he managed it.
We arrived at our lodgings for the night, a log cabin type building. It was very comfortable and there is still some construction going on to make it one of the most inviting accomodations for westerners.
After a provided lunch box, a few of us went out on a horse ride. A one hour horse ride including a guide was $11 AUD each. One hour in Kyrgyzstan is around 90 minutes. A similar ride in Australia would cost around $60 and would only last 45 minutes. We rode over very rocky terrain, crossed a creek and then the main river, before we traversed the hillside and returned back to camp by crossing the bridge. It was a very challening ride with one section requiring us to dismount before leading the horses under a fallen tree across the trail. It is an experience I wont forget in a hurry.
No trip to Altyn Arashan is complete without a dip in the hot springs. For the princely sum of 200 com per person you get 30 minutes in a spring fed hot tub. The water temperature is around 40C and is quite refreshing. We stayed in for 15 mintues and then jumped in the river to cool down. I only managed to get my feet in before my feet started to freeze. After another sit in the tub we eventually emerged and our bodies tingled from the sensation for some time afterwards.
They say necessity is the mother of invention and electricity here is provided by a crude hydro electric system. I used to teach hydraulics and hydro dynamics and to see this type of principle being used in its rawest form is very refreshing.
After a solid day of enjoyment we settled for our evening meal where we discussed some happenings with our little travel mates Azut and Archa. These little guys travel with us and monitor the goings on in the group. If anyone has a misdemeanor or stuff up they must suffer the consequences of a Vodka shot, cheese balls, or both. Now these are not your everyday cheese ball. These are a local delicacy.... is that the right word? These are called kurut and are salted horse milk cheese balls. They are definitely an acquired taste. I had to eat 2 of these scrumptious morsels because I thought I left our glove charger at Song Kol and Ellis went back to find it. Apparently I did pack it. I guess the facial expression says it all.
Our fearless leader had been working tirelessly day and night to ensure we were experiencing the best of Kyrgyzstan so the truck ride was a good opportunity to rest up. How anyone could sleep on that ride was beyond comprehension nut somehow he managed it.
We arrived at our lodgings for the night, a log cabin type building. It was very comfortable and there is still some construction going on to make it one of the most inviting accomodations for westerners.
After a provided lunch box, a few of us went out on a horse ride. A one hour horse ride including a guide was $11 AUD each. One hour in Kyrgyzstan is around 90 minutes. A similar ride in Australia would cost around $60 and would only last 45 minutes. We rode over very rocky terrain, crossed a creek and then the main river, before we traversed the hillside and returned back to camp by crossing the bridge. It was a very challening ride with one section requiring us to dismount before leading the horses under a fallen tree across the trail. It is an experience I wont forget in a hurry.
No trip to Altyn Arashan is complete without a dip in the hot springs. For the princely sum of 200 com per person you get 30 minutes in a spring fed hot tub. The water temperature is around 40C and is quite refreshing. We stayed in for 15 mintues and then jumped in the river to cool down. I only managed to get my feet in before my feet started to freeze. After another sit in the tub we eventually emerged and our bodies tingled from the sensation for some time afterwards.
They say necessity is the mother of invention and electricity here is provided by a crude hydro electric system. I used to teach hydraulics and hydro dynamics and to see this type of principle being used in its rawest form is very refreshing.
After a solid day of enjoyment we settled for our evening meal where we discussed some happenings with our little travel mates Azut and Archa. These little guys travel with us and monitor the goings on in the group. If anyone has a misdemeanor or stuff up they must suffer the consequences of a Vodka shot, cheese balls, or both. Now these are not your everyday cheese ball. These are a local delicacy.... is that the right word? These are called kurut and are salted horse milk cheese balls. They are definitely an acquired taste. I had to eat 2 of these scrumptious morsels because I thought I left our glove charger at Song Kol and Ellis went back to find it. Apparently I did pack it. I guess the facial expression says it all.
Very interesting, thnx
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