Barskum Gorge and Issyk Kul Lake

We drove along the south bank of Issyk Kul lake - lovely yellow birch leaves and red apricot ones. We Turned away from the lake to drive up The Barskum Gorge. It was a good unmetalled road made by the Canadians for the gold mine further up. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 they got 70% share and Kyrghis 30%. Obviously the Kyrghis feel is is a bit unfair. However the Canadian company does invest in local infrastructure which the Chinese don't do -.They even bring in their own workers. We walked up to a waterfall called Tears of the Snow Leopard, then further round and up to another called the Bowl of Manas. We could get a lovely smell of pines and juniper. The valley looked a bit Swiss or Canadian - steep rocky hills rising up from the glacier melt river, and snowy tops higher up.

On our return we stopped at 2 Gagarin statues - cosmonauts came here to train at altitude. We had our picnic by the river then drove back to the road by the lake.

After driving a while we stopped at a place for a swim. It was a pleasant beach though the sky had gone a bit hazy. Kiwi Bryan and Scottish Alan went in, so I thought as I'd never be there again, I'd have a quick dip. It was chilly! (2000m up). After an hour there we headed back to the minibus for the last stretch to Kochkor where we stopped for water. It wasn't far to our guest houses, all in one street, arriving about 6pm. Six of us had to share the toilet and shower. Mr C and I have a big room with many quilts on the beds - it is much colder here and forecast is rain for our yurt, where we go tomorrow. Our hostess made a dinner of Salad, veg soup, followed by potatoes and veg. There were dishes of apricot jam/ purée for pudding, and green tea.
This is such an amazing experience. Stunning scenery, lovely people and fascinating history and politics.

I'm back blipping as we've had no wifi for over a week. The country has been left in dire straights since Yeltsin kicked them out of the Soviet Union. (They voted to stay in, but he knew the poor areas were a drain on Russia). People here wish they were back to Soviet times when education and health care were free, roads were maintained and collective farming was more economical than the way it is done now with no machinery.