Kyrgyzstan south west is mainly about the Fergana valley and the historical city Osh.
The northern and southern parts of Kyrgyzstan are separated by a very high mountain range. The passes may become impassable during winter and forms a political divide. This situation is aggravated by the large percentage of Uzbeks living in the Fergana valley in the south and tensions have flared up a couple of times during the past twenty years with great loss of life.
There are several routes between Bishkek and Osh. We wanted to travel on two, which required some doubling back. Our first route was towards the west over the 3,600m pass. Near the top of the mountain, the pass is shortened by the 2.8km tunnel of doom. The tunnel is so named because of the deaths that have occurred in the tunnel. The tunnel is dark, narrow, poorly ventilated and filled with exhaust fumes. Deaths have occurred when a vehicle breaks down in the tunnel and blocks the lane in one direction and people are overcome by fumes. Indeed, we passed a broken down vehicle with cars backed up behind it in the opposite lane . The tunnel is too narrow for trucks to pass each other and therefore trucks entering the tunnel are controlled by stop-go signals.
The huge wide valleys at the base of the high mountains have rich soils and abundant irrigation water. Wheat is the most popular grain crop, however most areas seem to be producing hay. Haymaking was in full swing. Farming methods are still fairly primitive in many areas, which was interesting for us to watch. Many farmers were cutting the hay by hand. The hay was then in many instances piled into heaps by hand using hay forks. We saw several horse drawn rakes. Numerous farmers however had rectangular hay baling machines. Then there was the task of moving the hay to their homes. Cartage was in the form of donkey carts, horse drawn carts and old Russian trucks loaded to the point that there was only a small bit of windscreen left open for the driver to see the road ahead.
During summer, the nomads move their animals to the mountains to graze the fresh summer pasture. During winter, the nomads move back down to the towns and villages with their stock. Family left behind in the villages during summer, need to make hay and prepare for the long bitter winter months. Huge stacks of hay are stock piled at their properties in the villages. The whole family, including the children, who are on three months summer holidays, get stuck into providing for the winter months. We have noticed that in all the northern countries (from Mongolia northwards and westwards), which experience bitter cold winters, the locals fully understand the concept of working exceptionally hard during the summer to provide for the winter. It was amazing to see children with such a positive work ethic. This is so different to people, mainly men, we have seen in areas with warmer year round climates, spending the day in a hammock and simply live from day to day with no thought of providing for tomorrow. We guess they would be looking to hand-outs when things go wrong.
Toktogul Lake is a huge man made reservoir on the Naryn River, one of the major rivers of Kyrgyzstan. The lake was formed by the 215m high dam, constructed by the Soviets in the 1970’s. The colours of the lake and mountains around the lake are spectacular. There is a wide variety of geology, land forms and colours. The colours change with the passing sun during the day. The water is too cold for us to swim, but the locals think otherwise. The lake has plenty of trout and grilled trout is for sale all along the lake. Perfect lunch.
The alternate route from north to south takes one via Song Kol lake. We were told that this is a must see lake, surrounded by a ring of mountains. Our view is that if you have seen some of the other lakes, then give this one a miss. The road from Song Kol lake to Osh is however spectacular. This 160km track was constructed by the Soviets during the 1930’s for military access and traverses several 3,000m plus passes. Some of the pass sections are only one vehicle width with the valley below being a long long way down.
The wide fertile Fergana valley is the bread basket of Kyrgyzstan, and indeed also stretches into Uzbekistan. Tons of fruit, vegetables, grain and hay are produced in the valley. There is a sense of prosperity as one drives through the valley with many new big houses being constructed. Every town has a lively market where we could buy fresh juicy fruit. We also bought dried fruit, great for lunch on the road.
We visited two animal markets. The animal market in Uzgen, near Osh in the south west, was a very lively affair. There were dozens of small trucks loaded with sheep, cattle and horses, that were brought to the market for trade. Farmers display their parcel of animals at the market, waiting for a buyer. The animal market near Naryn, was a much more rural and quieter affair. Animals were brought to the market in all manner of cartage, boot of a car, back of the Russian jeep or Lada, on horseback or any other thinkable (or unthinkable) means. Once purchased, animals are led away by the new owner and the whole cartage process is reversed. One can also buy almost any other provision at the market, fruit, groceries, farm equipment, household equipment…basically anything. The markets are very interesting and an excellent place for people watching. We also appeared to be a spectacle to be studied by the locals.
Osh is the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan with a population of about 1.5million. Osh does not have much for us as tourists, however it does have a 3,000 year old history. Alexander the Great, brought his army through this area about 2,300 years ago. The amazing thought is that so much time has passed, major leaders have come and gone, and life simply carries on, much as it did so long ago. There is a huge indigenous forest of walnut trees near Osh, nuts of which were taken by Alexander the Great to Greece, and is the origin of all walnuts in Europe. During the 7th to 11th centuries, the area was ruled by Islamic rulers, and several mausoleums from that era remain. Their empire was destroyed by Genghis Khan and his hordes in the 1200’s. We have enjoyed following the footsteps of Genghis Khan all the way from Mongolia, and there is more to come. Now we will also retrace the footsteps of the western greats, Alexander and other invaders. It is staggering for us as motorised travellers, to think these horse riding emperors with their foot soldiers travelled thousands of kms to invade and conquer nations covering enormous areas.
The mausoleums at Uzgen near Osh, were the burial sites of the local kingdoms in the 11th to 12th centuries. Glazed tiles were unknown at that time, and therefore the decorations, unlike the latter period tiled mausoleums in Uzbekistan, were in the form of patterned brickwork. The three surviving mausoleums all have domed roofs, which are impressive.
On a drive west of Osh, we came across an ingenious water wheel mounted in an irrigation canal for the purpose of lifting water out of the canal to be used by a private family across the street. To our surprise, we have subsequently learned from displays in museums, that this water wheel design has been in use in Central Asia for hundreds of years. Whilst photographing the water wheel, the owner of the water wheel appeared from their gated property and were insistent that we come in for something to eat. We were delighted because it gave us a chance to find out how these people live. We had an entertaining couple of hours, although they spoke no English. They also seemed to be delighted to have us as their guests. I was given a new felt high peak hat and Barbara was given a scarf…this will come in handy when the reach the more conservative muslim areas.
Next stop, Uzbekistan. We will have another short visit to Kyrgyzstan through the high Pamir mountains on our way to China from Tajikistan, the only way for us to get to China. We are not a bit sorry because we enjoyed Kyrgyzstan very much, particularly the high remote mountains.
