Just for the anecdote:

In Sary Tash we found out that there was a sheep’s head in the fridge in our room…
Quite a surprising encounter!

At least it wasn’t a Yak head.

By the way I’m getting quite tired of the taste of mutton in every dish I got for almost a week… So today I went to have Indian food! Delicious.

And I also met a crew of Americans studying Farsi with the American Council in Dushambe… Quite interesting!

The Pamir Highway

But what’s that? Let’s see:
Last time I wrote I was in Osh, where there’s the biggest bazaar in Central Asia – which I did not see. Anyways, there I met a Swiss couple and we took a car together all the way to Murghab, a village in the middle of nowhere. Actually it’s not in the middle of nowhere; it’s in the middle of the Pamir, the remotest corner of Tajikistan, which was maybe the remotest republic of the USSR, and still one of the remotest country in the world. Also you people should not be fooled by the word ‘highway’ in ‘Pamir Highway’; indeed on the picture above is one of the nicest pavement experienced, and most of the time it’s just dirt road. Another specificity: most of the Pamir highway is above 4000m above the sea, with the highest pass at 4655m high.

One of the many stops on the way...

So, to resume: Starting from Osh we drove all the way to Sary Tash, 150km but strangely it took almost 8 hours! This is maybe because we had to stop every 20min to let the car – an old Russian jeep – cool down. In Sary Tash we got invited for dinner by some Kyrgyz guys who thought we deserved it.

Karakol lake, at 4000m above sea level

The second day we continued to the village named ‘Karakol’, which strangely lays on the shore of the lake ‘Kararol’, merely at 4000m above sea level. This was also the entrance to Tajikistan, although the landscape and people were pretty similar to Kyrgyzstan. I also had to deal with Yak derived products to my great tragedy (I really hate the yak taste…) but it remembered me Tibet.

Finally the 3rd day we made it to Murghab, which is in fact a village just as lost as Karakol. From there I took a minibus to Khorog, the last stop on the Pamir Highway. But for that I had to wait the whole morning that the car fils up, and then endure 9h of dirt road with the highest pass at 4200m high only .

But from then on the road started to go down all the way to Khorog, going in the bottom of a green vallee on the side of a torrent. There some houses were appearing more and more on the side of the road, with Tajik people walking or just hanging around the road. And what a surprise!!! Tajiks actually look much more European than any people I’ve met so far!

I’m really glad I’ve ended up here, and I’m looking forward to discover more of this country!

I love Kyrgyzstan...

Big day today! Bakiev, the incumbent president of Kyrgyzstan, is running for a re-election… and the outcome should not be too surprising as he will of course be re-elected. So this election is of little interest, but I though I might take the opportunity to write a post on corruption in Central Asia.

First of all I’ve never seen as many traffic radar control in my life. The other coming back from Cholpen Ata on the Issyk Kol Lake I think we must have pass about 20 radar control in barely 4 hours driving… I even saw a traffic light that was broken, and witnessed a car crash, while 20m from the intersection a cop was playing with his little radar! Apparently the radar always indicates 75km/h, whatever speed you were at. So people give some bribe to avoid getting the fine. Amazing.

Another example of corruption at work is of course the famed letter of invitation (or LOI in Bishkek slang). For almost all countries neighbouring Kyrgyzstan you need a LOI, which costs between 50 and 100 US$. And as this is only imposed by the local embassies (not the government of the country involved) I assume that the consuls and ambassadors have nice relations with the travel agencies (you have to go to a travel agency for the LOI)… It quickly becomes extremely annoying and expensive to go visa hopping in Bishkek.

Finaly I can also relate my personal experience with the wonderful ex-soviet corrupt way of life. 3 days ago, as I was hiking back from the Kol-Ukok lake (кол укок) toward the jailoo where the Yurta was, I met 3 cops in their Lada Niva with another local drunk guy. They were all drunk of course, with the foul vodka smell enveloping them. As they say me some said “hello!” but their boss was less colourful and just barked “passport” to me. So I start to shake hands with everyone, ignoring the barking officer, and then I took  out a passport photocopy. After examining the photocopy (and asking if it was a photocopy, although I would have though that it was pretty obvious:-p)) they then started to say “money money” in all kind of languages, one of the guy repeating it with his face 2 cm from mine so I could really enjoy the cloud of vodka smell…

But then I clapped my hand on one of the cop’s soulder and started laughing very loud, and talking in Chinese and saying lots of nonsense, with a bit of English and French in the middle, punctuated by a couple of Italian words. I was explaining that I was walking and telling them “no thank you, I don’t need money”… So after 5 min of this show they got tired of me, or maybe that thought I was totally mad or stupid, and left me alone.

But for a while I really though they were going to rob me, especially when the officer took my wrist to have a look at my watch (but luckily enough he was an expert and quickly realized it was worthless)! That night I really wasn’t feeling that happy and all nice sleeping in my tent next to the Yurt… Anyways, my show was quite performant. But still, I think it’s such sad thing that the whole soviet empire had to experience the collapse of the 90s and the large scale robbery from the mafia and rich magnate who stole everything and forced corruption (a even heavier one than what used to be under the Communist regime) upon these countries… Central Asia would have been amazing without vodka and corruption!

Köl-Ükök Lake, at 3000m above sea level

I finally managed to get away from Sakura Guest House! This is an exploit in itself, and the 4days trekking following are just another one.So here is a summary:

Last Saturday morning I went to Kochkor, a small town 3 hours from Bishkek. As soon as I arrived I started walking toward the lake Köl-Ükök, which is supposed to be easy to find. “Just go to the valley South of town” I had heard. But of course I walked North; so by the time I realised I was on the wrong way I had walked 1h already, and this counts at the end of the day when carrying a 20kg backpack.

Anyways, I still managed to reach the lake after one night next to a yurta. (on the left is a picture of the famous Yurta at sunset time. My tent was just behind.)

This was the opportunity to test my Chinese tent, as well as my stove and all sorts of camping gears.

So, as I was saying I reached the Köl-Ükök lake on the second day, and this was one of the most peaceful experience I’ve ever had. Around the lake there are a couple of Yurta with a few Kyrgyz families living there taking care of their sheep, cows and horses. I was positively surprised to see that the Yurts are not just there for the tourists as it is always the case in China (Inner Mongolia for example).

And the people! Really fantasticly nice people. ( those who know me should also know that I rarely use such positive adjectives). They were so nice that I decided to have a meal with them for 100 сом instead of using my stove. So it was just me and the shepherds.

The 3rd day I hiked to another lake surrounded by glaciers, at 3400m above sea level. I forgot to bring water so I got a slight altitude headache, but nothing serious. That night I went down to the Jailoo where I had spend my first night, mostly because at the lake it was freezing beyond (my Chinese tent and cheap sleeping bag weren’t enough as the temperature must have fallen down to 0 degrees). The 4th and last day I walked back to the village from which I took a taxi back to Bishkek.

Above all this was a great “into the wild” experience. Me, myself and the shepherds, for 4 days, in a remote corner of one of the remotest country in the world. Now I’m back again in Sakura Guest House in Bishkek…

Bishkek main square.

Ah Bishkek! I could have love it, but actually I have started to hate it by now, and this needs an explanation.

Actually Bishkek has quite a unique ambiance, if I could say. I had no idea what to expect when I took my flight from Urumqi, China. My plan was to make a new Chinese visa, and then slowly go back to Kashgar, thus continuing my original itinerary. This would not have been so bad, more like a little alteration to the master plan, although more expansive.

Ha! This was before getting to Bishkek. Indeed, it was only when I came back from the lake Issyk Kul on Sunday night that I understood that [almost] everyone at this Sakura hostel knew each others, and more important why?

The reason is simply that Central Asia is a hell concerning not only the visa situations, but also transportation between the countries. It’s mountains everywhere, with only a few passes open, and even less open to foreigners. For example, to go to China there are 3 passes in 2 countries, and in these 2 countries (Kazakhtan & Kyrgyzstan) it’s at the time of writing impossible to get a Chinese visa. This is because a letter of invitation (LOI) is recquired, and in Urumqi they refuse to send them after the riots. Ah.

But in Tajikistan they don’t require a LOI, so I gonna go there! Easy! Ha. This is without counting on the fact that the pass going to China is forbidden to foreigners, so I would need to go back to Kyrgyzstan, but for that I need a new Kyrgyz visa, which costs 70$. Is your head spinning? This is nothing yet.

To go to Hong Kong in september the only way by land is through China, or maybe through Afghanistan, but maybe I should avoid this area…
So then I though I’m just going to travel around Central Asia, but in Bishkek all visas are complicated to get! An Australian friend waited 2 weeks for a LOI to get the Uzbek visa!!! This is rediculous!

So actually everyone in Sakura is on the process of getting a visa, for all different strange countries: Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, China, India, etc… Why so complicated?

So this week has been absolutelu boring, yet funny in a way. As I was seating in the common area of the hostel I was watching the different people coming and going, with the redondant sight newcommers getting more and more depressed, almost to the point of crying, as travel plans get more and more alterated. Ah.

So now I am still thinking about what to do. I went today to the Tajik embassy to do the visa, and I’ll go there through the Pamir Highway next Saturday I think. In the meantime tomorrow I’ll go camping around the Kukuluk lake (something like that) untill tuesday, when I’ll collect my fresh Tajik visa…

Russian Cruse Ship on the lake Issil Kol

What best than getting on board of an old Russian cruse ship on the lake Issil Kol (or Issyk Kul)? Not much I tell ya. I went this week end to this alpine lake in Kyrgyzstan, at 1600m high and warm enough to swim in it, with the view on the peaks of the Tian Shan in the background, culminating at more than 7000m high!

In fact the whole situation was quite unrealistic: I was suntanning on the beach while looking either at the mighty Celestial Mountains (Tian Shan) or at the old mini Russian cruse ship full of baboshkas, or just listening to the mix of Russian disco and French 80s music… I felt like in a camping site on the beach in France, with all the [nice] people that come with it. For example on the main street there is just old BMW and Mercedes tuned up and driving like maniacs, with big sound system playing either Fairytale or Vengaboys. Quite fun

Yet I feel very happy to have been catapulted in this country. I love the mix of European and Asian culture, quite unique. This morning I had croissants for breakfast, and then for lunch I had lahgman, the Central Asian noodles with lamb meet on top and a sauce tasting vaguely bolognaise… Delicious! People seem quite friendly also, except maybe for the internet cafe workers. And there’s so much strange things: I saw a gas station pump with instructions written in German! There are also many cars with the driving wheel on the right side, straight from Japan. I also saw a Volkswagen Golf with the sticker controle technique on the windshield, straight from France!

Tomorrow I will deal with getting a new Chinese visa, and I will also learn whether the border is open or not, which would completely change my itinerary. I really don’t know what to do if the border is closed. Maybe Pakistan? or Uzbekistan? or Iran, for more spicy travelling! Or maybe the Köl-Ükök lake?

Russian Tourists on Issyk Kul

Здравствуйте!!!

I still can’t beleive it. I am in Kyrgyzstan. I would have never though of ending up there, even though I had considered the option; because I still had not really set my mind to this country. But now I end up catapulted here, this small ex-soviet republic in the middle of the Pamir mountains of Central Asia…

The first sight: dozens of planes from Air Force One parked in the Manas International Airport (the minuscule airport of Bishkek), all ready to go to Afghanistan. Then in the airport there was a TV showing something with the Soviet National Anthem in the background. Welcome to Kyrgyzstan! Jalla!

So then I realized that these people are not Chinese, so my amazing Chinese skills are useless here. So I just keep on saying [spasiba] and [niet]. Ha ha! That’s so crazy. I love Russian language…

Bishkek is quite cool actually. I ‘m sure what I expected, maybe nothing, but I have to say this is a quite pleasant surprise. Things seems so European: people, cars, restaurants and bars, clothes, etc… Or maybe this is because I come from China, which is China.

Anyways, I am happy. На здоровье! (cheers). Tomorrow I’ll go to a lake of some kind, I don’t really know much about it, but it sounds cool. Russian disco on an alpine beach with 7000m high peaks in the background, all called Kummunism, Lenin, Bolshevik, and etc…

Ha!

The Chinese propaganda goes “Develop the West for a harmonious society” or something like that. Part of this go west policy is to create an incentive for Han Chinese to move to Xinjiang…

Well we saw last Sunday that the Harmonious Society we hear about went to hell! From what I understood there was a group of Uighur student who were demonstrating. The police started insulting them, and then the mayhem started.

From the news about 150 people died. I have no idea what these number means, as what the state media’s truth is often quite different from otherpeople’s view on things… What I know is that a friend staying at the same hostel in Urumqi got stucked in the bazar on sunday night. (I was lucky enough to have left the place about 30min before the beginning of it all). This guy got almost killed and saw someone ‘s skull being smashed open with the sharp edge of a shovel. Brain splashing everywhere.

Another friend was passing through the bazar by car on monday morning and saw piles of bodies on the street. I went on the afternoon and everything had been cleared. It seems to me that mostly Han Chinese died but I know from the guy who got stucked in the bazar that the Uighurs with him were just as terrified. So who knows. Of course the Chinese media shows only Han victims with a sad\romantic music in the background.

But then things started to become really messed up. On tuesday afternoon I went back to the bazar to try to get some eye witnessess’ stories with 2 friends of mine. We had barely finished our luch that people started running everywhere, so we ran also. 200m away was a big Hotel which staffs were telling us to get in and take refuge. In the same time tanks and special police forces were pouring in the bazar. We were sent to the roof, where about 20 people were already hiding. As I step on the roof everybody yell at me to seat down because my head was exposed to gun fire. And gun shots actually started just as I was seating… One of the most intense instent of my life. 

But as I was climbing up the stairs for the roof I had time to glimpse through the window and I saw hords of Han Chinese rushing to the heart of the Bazar with sticks, machete, shovels, baseball bats, and all kind of strange weapons. I even saw a saw (the big ones to cut trees…). They were passing in front of some army guys who just stood watching them going to war.

But I really got disgusted when I finally made it back down town some hours later. There the streets were crowded with Han Chinese walking around with huge sticks, making jokes between friends on who would be killing the most Uighurs. Some were organizing themselves in packs, yelling slogans such as “Xinjiang is Ours!, Xinjiang is China!”, brandishing Chinese flags, trying to get by the army who was preventing them to get to the bazar (area where almost all the Uighurs left in Urumqi live).

I really can’t see how Xinjiang will ever be harmonious, unless no more Uighur live there.

Bezeklik Caves around Turpan

…

Recently I have excelled at being the good tourist! First this camel tour in sand dunes, and now a whole day in a tourist car going from different spots all day long (and ending up skipping half of them because they were tourist traps, expensive ones!). I arrived in Turpan, or Turfan, or Tulufan again, depending which map you are reading, on Wednesday the 1st of July. A historic date.

First impression: “The Great Disappointment”. The magic of Turpan, which is supposed to be the hottest place in China (and maybe on earth; after all China is ‘The Middle Kingdom’, so fuck the rest of the world), was diluted in an awful rain and sand storm alltogether. On top of it the city itself is quite ugly. OK maybe ‘ugly’ is a strong word, but I assume it. Really not nice, and worsen by the fact that big tourist buses are touring all over the place.

Yet I got to meet my first Uighur, and that was cool. I also got my first real nan bread with lamb kebab from Xinjiang: brilliant!

Apart from that the small villages surrounding Turpan are quite nice to go through, and I guess that’s how Turpan used to look like:
small canals with a refreshing water, grape trees used as roof in every houses, big beds outside people’s places for relaxing sport all day long in the nice shade… I really liked it! So hopefully as my journey goes on I will get to see some less touristy places which have kept their Uighurness…

Also impressive was the ruins of Jiahe, a town of 6500 inhabitans 2000 years old… They really had a nice life here, with the oasis-like valley on the town’s feet, and the irrigation Karez system. And they were Buddhist! There is a temple with some remnants of Buddha statues… That of course was before the invasion around 1000A.D from Central Asian people who were already converted to Islam. What a fascinating area! And you can still see the mix of Buddhism and Islam everywhere, as even some Buddhists paintings have typical persian images…

So that was for the cultural moment of the day. But as everything else, small quantity is always best, so I became bored of it and hated the end of my tour in Turpan…