Kyrgyzstan: Karakol

Karakol, the fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan, population ~80,000, is really a village by Chinese standards. It is at the eastern end of Issyk-Kul Lake, one of the largest salt lakes in the world, at above 5000 feet, the surrounding mountains were still topped with snow at the beginning of May. Due to its salinity, the lake doesn't freeze as Issyk means warm in Kyrgyz.

Like in Zharkent, the majority of the local population is Turkic/Mongolic. We timed our visit with the Sunday livestock market, super authentic. For the first time I realized most of the herds of sheep and cattle I have seen so far I couldn't tell the individuals apart if my life depended on it. Here every animal was very distinct, and there were a lot of them too, way more than people. It was a rather intense experience.

Afterwards we strolled through the outdoor Sunday market closer to town. We realized this is where they sell small animals, separate from bigger livestock. Next came the regular market housed in retired shipping containers - what an ingenious use! And although it was Orthodox Easter Sunday, there was no noticeable activity.

The view of the snow-capped TianShan mountains from downtown Karakol.


Our first day in Karakol we rode the public bus #116 down towards Issyk-Kul Lake, first stopping at a museum dedicated to the life and exploits of the Russian geographer and explorer Nikolai Przhevalsky (1st below) who died in Karakol in 1888 and is buried on site (2nd below) . Third below, a globe with Issyk-Kul Lake at upper-center.






From the hilltop museum we walked down to the shore of the lake. First below is a video of a shepherd and his flock. If the embedded video does not play, click here.












In Karakol, there are several Orthodox churches and a few Muslim mosques. The colorful Dungan Mosque, built in Chinese style, and its minaret are eye-catching.














The Sunday Livestock Market is a 45 minute walk from city center. It's both calm and busy. For the most part (except for the horse market area) the sellers patiently stand around, their animals on rope tethers, waiting for a buyer. Negotiations over price are quiet, and hard for us outsiders to see any "action". But when sales are made, there is much commotion as the new owner leads, carries, pushes or pulls, his purchase(s) to a truck and loads them in. Check out the videos embedded below, or here, here, and here.


















Over at the horse market, both sellers and buyers were riding horses around. Some (1st below) were checking out the ability of the horse for audaryspak, a traditional horseback wrestling sport (first below), where men wrestle while in the saddle. See this youtube video of an actual event.


Also in the horse area, there was a line at the farrier's stall.


There were quite a few cows-with-a-calf for sale. The mother is very attentive to her calf.


We walked back to town where the Sunday Market was well underway. We bought some dried fruit (2nd below).






Across the street was the daily market, with most shops made from retired shipping containers. Second below is a shop selling black salt in all sizes from boulder to grain.












We bought some bread and tasted food from 2 stalls. The lady selling traditional cold noodle soup, Ashlan-Fu, was a master.

Zharkent, Kazakhstan to Karakol, Kyrgyzstan

Our plan for the day is to take a shared taxi from Zharkent to Shonzhy, then a shared taxi to Kegen, then a shared taxi to the Kazah-Kyrgyz border. At the border we would either hire a taxi or hitch a ride to Karakol. It'll be around a total of 300 km.

When we arrived at the shared taxi stand, at this Plus Code location: "5273+WX9 Zharkent, Kazakhstan", there was already a man waiting to go to Shonzhy. However, after 45 minutes no one else showed up. The driver offered leave with just the three of us if we all paid more. Off we went.





In Shonzhy we were delivered right to the Shonzhy-Kegen shared taxi stand (1st below), except there were no other passengers. When we offered to pay for all four seats, one of the drivers readily accepted our offer. Off we went.











When we arrived in Kegen, none of the drivers were willing to take us to the border at our price, but our Shonzy driver was game. In fact he seemed to be so happy with our business, he even bought us each a piece of chocolate when he stopped to get cigarettes. He dropped us off at the border and immediately turned right around to head back to Shonzhy.











The border formalities, getting stamped out of Kazakhstan and into Kryigstan, took no time. No man's land was only a few meters long. There was no taxi to be hired, so we proceeded to wait. In the next two hours, exactly two cars came through. Neither had room for the two of us. China is only 100km to the east. Even though borders are only political, it is amply clear that this side is run by pastoralists, and the China side agriculturalists. It's open country with snow capped mountains in the distance. It wasn't a bad place to wait at 6500 feet above sea level. We had warm clothes, and there was an outhouse a few hundred meters up the road.







Finally a number of cars came through. We were picked up by a German 6-person team in two SUVs. The rest of the way to Karakol was even more scenic, with hundreds of horses grazing in spots. It was like being in a National Geographic documentary.

Yining, China to Zharkent, Kazakhstan

From Yining, China, we began a somewhat difficult two-day journey to Karakol, Kyrgyzstan via Zharkent, Kazakhstan. The easy route would have been Yining->Almaty->Bishkek->Karakol, but since we ultimately need to end up in Almaty for our flight back home; i.e. backtracking, we opted for adventure over inelegance.

Yining to the border was relatively easy. I even managed to buy the Yining-Horgos (border town) bus ticket online the night before. During the Chinese exit formalities at the border, there was quite a bit of questioning about our sojourn in Xinjiang, but all rather friendly. John adds: "At one point I handed my phone over to them so they could browse through my photos to verify that we were engaged only in touristic activities while in Xinjiang."

Thirty miles into Kazakhstan lies the town of Zharkent. This region had been alternatively under the influence of China and Russia. The well-restored Chinese styled mosque is an amazing work of art.

Note to fellow travelers: It took a bit of work to locate the shared taxi stand to Shonzhy, the first leg of the route to the Kyrgyz border. It's one block east of the market, one block south of the main road at this Plus Code location: "5273+WX9 Zharkent, Kazakhstan". The price per person was 2000 Tenga (about $4.500 US) in May 2024. You can also try to find a car near the bus station but these cars/drivers are NOT the normal shared taxi to Shonzy, and they charge much more. First below is us sitting in the shared taxi at Zharkent waiting for one more person. Second below is the same car at the petrol station.





On the bus to the border. The road signs are in both Chinese characters and the Uyghur Arabic alphabet. Snow-capped mountains are always in the distance.








The Kazakh bus that will take us from just inside the Chinese border to Zharkent. The bus dropped us off, and we walked under a very impressive "gate" to get to the "exit formalities" building. And the same bus, with a mix of Kazakhs, and Chinese tourists, picked us up on the Kazakh side and took us to Zharkent.








Welcome to Kazakhstan.


At a control point on the Kazakh side we spot some windmill sections.


Some shots from the bus window on the way to Zharkent. First below: View from the bus back towards China, from just inside Kazakhstan. Second: Trucks lined up on the Kazakh side, waiting to enter China,




Walking from the Bus Station (Auto Vauxhall), and passing the Central Mosque, on our way to our hotel in Zharkent.


The Zharkent Mosque was built in 1886 in Chinese Style. In addition to the prayer hall, there is a minaret, museum, and an impressive front gate. We spent about an hour roaming around.






















And some final shots of Zharkent in the evening.