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adventure & travel

Tian Shan Traverse Part 2 - Between Naryn and the Yssykköl

The cycling adventure continues

by Johannes Schwaderlapp • 10/19/2019
Yannic Scholtyssek
Yannic Scholtyssek
Johannes and Yannic's cycle tour through the Tian Shan continues: through spectacular mountain landscapes and past turquoise lakes, the two of them cycle and push their way back towards Bishkek, interrupted time and again by interesting encounters with other travelers and locals.

The path we follow leads us through one of the most beautiful sections of the trip. At dinner, we have a little trouble with mosquitoes for the first time.

The next morning starts like any other with porridge with a few nuts and dates. Followed by fruit tea. Then we continue uphill. We accompany a rider for a long time, but he then realizes that we are faster despite the incline and our luggage. We meet the Chemnitz couple again by chance and sleep near each other. We enjoy tea together while chatting. We also briefly discuss their state of health - the Chemnitz couple had vomited the previous night. Once again, we realize that we've got off pretty lightly so far.

The next morning, we continue through the mountain landscape. We meet a cycling couple from Kazakhstan, but our attempts at small talk are unsuccessful. Later, we cross several streams. Yannic thinks he can do a wheelie in one of them. However, he ends up in the stream and we take a lunch break. A short time later, three drunks and a girl with her brother pull up next to us in their car. For the next half hour, we are annoyed by the men. One of the three knows four cities from East Germany and rattles them off in an endless loop. Before continuing our journey, we have to fight for 10 minutes for Yannic's passport copy, which was lying in the sun to dry. In the end, we are reconciled as the five of them take our garbage with them.

Mare being milked

Mare being milked

Yannic Scholtyssek

Mare being milked

Yannic Scholtyssek

In the afternoon, we spot two off-road vehicles with Tübingen and Tuttlingen license plates behind us. We ask for a bit of fuel and the four of them stop, tell us some exciting travel stories and share a delicious watermelon with us. In the late afternoon, we meet Sara and Andreas, two very hip bike travelers from Switzerland who are still on the road until next year.

In the evening, we camp near the Kazakh couple. The previously interpreted aversion towards us proves to be unjustified. Perhaps our ideas of small talk are simply different. They tell us that they order all their bike parts in Germany. As there is probably some kind of embargo between Japan and Kazakhstan, you can't buy Shimano products in Kazakhstan.

After some rain in the morning, the weather quickly improves and we climb the rest of the Pereval Arabel. On the plateau, we come across an unusually good infrastructure. Huge trucks constantly roll past us. There is a gold mine up there that is operated by Centerra.

The most adventurous part of our tour then begins. There are no roads for the next twenty kilometers and we first have to cross a river that is almost waist-deep in places. In the afternoon, we push our bikes for two hours in the rain, as the mossy vegetation makes it impossible to make any progress on the bike. When we reach Juuku Ashuu, the weather is better again and there are two beautiful mountain lakes in various shades of turquoise in front of us. Although the descent is very rough, it is great fun. We pitch our tent at the first opportunity due to the late hour. Sleeping next to us are two Kyrgyz who are traveling with three American women and horses. This is where our plan to go horse trekking after our bike tour takes shape.

Shortly before the Pereva Kegety Silkwalkexpedition

Shortly before the Pereva Kegety silky whale expedition

Yannic Scholtyssek

Shortly before the Pereva Kegety silky whale expedition

Yannic Scholtyssek

On the further descent to Yssykköl, we meet two nice Canadians on bikes who have just started their journey. The descent takes us past beautiful red rocks before we come across the second largest mountain lake in the world. The Yssykköl is fed by the surrounding glaciers, is around 180 km long and 60 km wide. We head west along its shores, back towards Bishkek. As rain is approaching, we look for accommodation. We find accommodation in Aprikot for 700 som. The name is no coincidence: there are countless apricot trees all along the banks of the Yssykköl and luckily the fruit was just ripe. The Aprikot is a beautiful hotel. The lovely lady who welcomes us is the first to send us to the shower. Self-cooking and dirty cyclists are now well known in the hostels. Their cooking habits in particular are sometimes met with incomprehension. Nevertheless, we enjoy our stay there. The nearby beach is great. In summer, rain showers usually develop in the afternoon at Yssykköl. As the clouds have not completely cleared by the evening, you can experience wonderful sunsets there.

Yannic Scholtyssek
Yannic Scholtyssek

Along the Yssykköl towards Bishkek

The next day, we continue along the shores of the lake. On the busy road, I wished I had worn a helmet a few times. Towards the end of our journey, Yannic breaks a spoke, but we have a replacement with us and are fortunately able to repair it. A short time later, we meet a couple who have traveled to Kyrgyzstan from Swabia in an off-road vehicle. We arrive in Bokonbaevo in the evening and organize horse trekking for the next four days. We spend the night in Klara's guesthouse, where we feel very comfortable. We can leave our bikes there for the next few days without any problems.

Our hosts

Our hosts

Yannic Scholtyssek

Our hosts

Yannic Scholtyssek

In the high mountains with the horses

In the beginning, you need to get used to the horses. It takes a while until we understand them and they understand us. We are traveling with a Dutch family of four and three Kyrgyz. On the first day we ride from 1600 m over a 4000 m high pass. The path to the pass is extremely steep and very bumpy in places. At one point, I fall down with my horse and with me in the saddle, it is no longer possible to continue. Yannic's horse simply refuses to go on at this dangerous point. Near the pass, it starts to thunder and hail. This makes them even more nervous. The family is shocked at what they have let themselves in for. After the first day, I was also very tired and at times wished for my bike back instead of the eight-hour ride.

But the following days were a great joy. I gradually got my stallion under control and galloping through the vast grasslands was great fun for me and the horse. It is also extremely funny with the other people. One of the Kyrgyz is the world champion in Kok Boru. This is a nomadic game in which two teams on horseback have to pick up a dead sheep from the ground and throw it into a well. The horses are allowed to pull each other down. This game accompanies our trekking. Yannic diligently tries to pick things up from the ground and occasionally twists his leg in the process. The world champion often nips the neck of the other horse with his horse and tries to pull us down for fun.

Overall, the tour was an exhausting but also very enjoyable experience. It was sometimes strange that, for example, if you want to cross a river, you keep hitting the horse's backside until the pain is greater than the fear.

Yannic doing a handstand

Yannic doing a handstand

Johannes Schwaderlapp

Yannic doing a handstand

Johannes Schwaderlapp

Heading home

When we return from our trek in the afternoon, we drive a few more kilometers towards Balykchy. We find a wonderful place to sleep right by the Yssykköl.

The next day, we arrive in Balykchy in the morning. In the evening, there is a train to the capital that costs just one euro. However, it takes five hours to cover the 180 km. We therefore decide to take a minibus to Bishkek for €9 for both of us. It's no problem to take the bikes with us, as long as there are no scratches on the bike. I can't say what it was, but that night I threw up more than ever before.

On our last two days, I really learn to love Bishkek. The city is just so different and varied. For example, the Osh Bazaar and much of the Soviet architecture is a bit grungy. On the other hand, some buildings are very western and hip restaurants or cafés don't really fit in at all. The city is actually quite green. As it is very hot there in summer, the city and public life only really blossom in the evenings.

I am delighted with everything we have seen and experienced in Kyrgyzstan.

Yannic Scholtyssek
Yannic Scholtyssek

Photo gallery

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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