July 2017

Following my trip through the Almaty region of Kazakhstan, I made my way to Kyrgyzstan via marshrutka, arriving first in the capital Bishkek. The journey was made with two newly formed friends, Gautier and Stefan, and the three of us all ended up staying at the Central Chuy Avenue Hostel (highly recommended). After spending two days in Bishkek, Gautier and I took another marshrutka to the town Karakol on the other side of the country, stopping en route to see the country's most famous natural landmark, Lake Issyk Kol. Stefan arrived the following day, just as Gautier was leaving to Uzbekistan.

Karakol felt much like a place out of time, lacking infrastructure and nestled within wild surrounding nature. Yurts and herders were abundant in the region, which helped provided a much needed break from city life. While there, we stayed at a place called Duet Hostel, which turned out to be a haven for adventerous backpackers, incuding a group of Israeli hippies, who we soon befriended. Over the next few days, Stefan and I planned and carried out a few treks through the hills and valleys surrounding Karakol, seeing some of the most incredible nature on planet Earth.

After several days there, I returned back to Bishkek via marshrutka again where I was reunited with an old travel buddy, Pete, who I had met in Georgia two years ago. We cought up on what had happened since then while I got some much needed rest after a week of mountain trekking. Then, since all good things come to an end, it was time for me to return to Moscow, so I said goodbye to Central Asia (for now).