The history...
AKA the Kyrgyz republic, the area is around 200,000 sq km and is 90% mountainous so the settlements and agriculture are concentrated in the river valleys. The highest mountain rising up to just under 7500 metres! The population was 5.2 million in 2007 and there are around 80 ethnic groups (the principles are Kyrgyz 66%, Uzbek 14% and Russian 10%). A central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, most of Kyrgyzstan was formally annexed to Russia in 1876. The Kyrgyz staged a major revolt against the Tsarist empire in 1916 in which almost 1/6th of the Kyrgyz population were killed. Kyrgyzstan became a soviet republic in 1936 and achieved independence in 1991 when the USSR dissolved. Nationwide demonstrations in 2005 resulted in the President Askar Akayev fleeing to Moscow. Despite the fastest privatisation programme and the most liberal attitudes in Central Asia, the economy is still in bad shape. Unemployment (and particularly underemployment) is rife and the average monthly wage is about 55 US Dollars in Bishkek and half that in the countryside - where 2/3rds of the population live. Kyrgyzstan has a predominantly agricultural economy with cotton, tobacco, wool and meat being the main agricultural products although only tobacco and cotton are exported in any quantity. Industrial exports include gold, mercury, uranium and natural gas.
The tour...
We flew into Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek at an awful time in the morning and head straight out for half a day's walking in the mountains. Beautiful scenery of snow capped mountains and river valleys and we saw a red squirrel (but it had a blonde tail) and Marmots running around (they look like large guinea pigs). Kyrgyzstan is all about the scenery so a nice break from the hot dusty sights of Uzbekistan. Bishkek is a little soulless with wide streets and large soviet style buildings and not too much to see in comparison to our historical sights we've been to so far. It did offer a great Italian restaurant which was a welcome break from the repetitive local foods over the last 2 weeks, thinking that I could keep it secret from my group, but it turned out they had all chosen to eat there too! Busted.
Off the next day in our 2 vans and with our local guide we visited the lake Issy-Kul which is the 2nd largest alpine lake in the world. Normally a hot spot for locals during the summer, it was eerily deserted but made for a nice lunch break along our long journey. Next stop, our Yurts for the night. These are traditional style nomadic shelters, using sticks and ropes to tie up the frame and covered in felt or skins traditionally for waterproofing. With 4 or 5 beds in each, arranged around the edge, it was cosy and warm overnight with the wind howling outside. The local breakfast of tinned sausages (sounds better than they were) and pasta shells, was a step too far however! However, for my second tour, due to improved weather conditions towards the summer, we stayed in yurts which were high up in a mountainous river valley - it was truely spectacular with local nomadic people rounding their sheep up on horse back.
The borders...
A long day followed as we drove towards the Chinese border along the dusty roads obliterating any view of the mountains in the distance. A very interesting and bizarre experience going through the border with the first checkpoint and the last being several hours and hundreds of kilometres apart - no mans land with military posts to check on your progress! The Torugart Pass is 3600m, cool and very little activity around. Endless checks of passports, then passport control to get the stamp on the Kyrgyz side, then customs to have the bags searched then the Chinese passport control where we had our temperatures taken!! etc etc...the land is so deserted and so far from anywhere that you could tell the military were making us jump through hoops just to make their day more interesting. They all wanted to know who the Americans were in the group for 'extra' checks and any maps showing Taiwan as separate to China would be confiscated (if we hadn't hid them). Phew, a long day...but we made it into China...
