I leave for Cholpon Ata (beach resort destination for Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Russian holidaymakers) forgoing the valleys of Gregorievka and Semionovka along the way.
I befriend a local girl (Alina) in the car, meet some of her friends and we grab lunch and go to the beach. The beach itself is average compared to any Australian beach, or those of Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam.
Since the town is such a big tourist destination, the locals find all sorts of ingenious ways to make money. Camel rides, posing for photos with eagles, renting jet skis, paddle boats or even inflatable mattresses.
I manage to catch the camel again when he’s finished work and decided to go out and get on the piss.
My all time favourite tourist spot/museum in Kyrgyzstan is the culture centre (pictured in the background of the first camel photo), located between the Beach at Blue Issyk-Kol resort and the Cholpon-Ata town centre.
Swimming pool and spa, with paintings of Kyrgyz mountains.
Jesus.
Breath taking.
Storm clouds, culture centre and the waters of Issyk-Kol.
The culture centre is filled with statues and paintings of famous Kyrgyz people, soviet heroes. There are small temples dedicated to many of the region’s major religions: Catholicism, Judaism, Muslim and Orthodox.
Building showcasing post soviet Kyrgyz leaders.
Very famous soviet musician Bulat Okudzhava.
Kyrgyz woman sitting on traditional Kyrgyz (love) swing.
The Kyrgyz culture centre in Cholpon-Ata should be on every traveller’s must see list when they visit Kyrgyzstan. A similar centre is in the process of being built on the south side of the lake near Kadji Sai and is slated for completion within the next two years.
« Jeti Oghuz | Home | Run! »