Evening dawns when we spontaneously decide to enter Kyrgyzstan already this day. The original plan was to drive along the well mentained road in Kazakhstan to cross the border only next to Bishkek. A look on the map shows me another option - crossing the border next to Taras (KZ), through a valley, along the city Talas and then over two passes reaching almost 3500 altitude. Sounds like a plan!
The border is one of the easiest we've passed since we left the EU - about an hour needed only. Everyone friendly, welcoming and i'm shaking hands with every soldier while Aoife does her way through the check points by foot, which is the usual way here in Asia. Lots of soldiers are strolling around here, some of them are still kids.
And then we're in. Just like this. Reached the country we've been dreaming about the past year, in a blink of an eye!
Since it's dark and the day was pretty long, we pick out a spot on the iOverlander app just about 15min away. The next day, we're looking out the window curious, what the landscape may look like. And it's so pretty!
Driving along the valley, we are delighted to see something else then the nomansland of the ladt week. Dry hills and mountains row up next to each other, underneath the rich, wet oasis-like greenlands with their unique, long and thin trees you can also find in Tajikistan, Afghanistan or the Kashmir. After an hour, the slope begins.
Immediatly, our Hilux shows the first signs of the lack of oxygen. While blowing out black, unburned diesel, power begins to lower and soon our heater has to be turned on to regulate the motors temperature. For this time, we aren't unhappy about it - outside temperature is falling in a rush towards zero and our GoPro freezes to a total battery meltdown. Meanwhile, our Flöckli is doing it's way up over 3000 meters above sealevel slowly, but stable and absolutely constant. We're even overtaking some others, what a hype!! And then we're reaching the first Yurts. They're spread all over the mountains, sometimes next to the road, sometimes far off any connection with kids, women and men squatting around fire places outside their nomad tents.
Meat hung up on strings for drying and every boy seems to own a horse. Astonished by the sight, i get taken by surprise about the immediat attack of harsh dizziness. We're on about 3400 meters now, from which we did about 2000 in only 30 minutes - shouldn't be a surprise then.
So we leave the camera rest in the car and make our way off that pass, reaching a large plateau on about 2500 m altitude. It's just WOW! Lots of Yurts, countless street sellers in traditional clothing and endless mountain sights! After climbing the Töö pass on another 3400 m, we're heading into a steep, narrow valley, finding our next camping ground.
The first test drive in high mountains is mastered, gaining trust in our Flöckli for the ultimate road trip in a few weeks - The Pamir Highway!
The next day isn't exactly as spectacular...
Bishkek, the main capital of Kyrgyzstan, is one of the rar places to apply for a russian visa, which we need for our way back to Georgia again. Trying to avoid stress right before we need it, we thought it to be clever to do this right now. Of course, the appointment system on the website does not offer any available day, so we showed up at the embassy to give it a try - only thing we got was a NO and hours of traffic due to randomly closed main roads right in the center of the city. While searching an exit desperately, we try to call the embassy and write emails. And this really did the job! We get an email with an invitation for the applying process in three days. Not exactly how we would have timed our schedule, but we have to take this chance, since we heard truly nerve taking stories from other travellers, who waited for weeks or just didn't manage to get a visa at all.
Anyway, that means to stay near Bishkek for the next days. For this night, right here, in the boom gorge with it's stunning rock formations.
Stay tuned!
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