Kyrgyzstan

Tags: Asia, Hiking, Kyrgyzstan, Mountains, Pamir 2008

When we crossed the border from Tajikistan to Kyrgyzstan, it was like coming to a different world. From the dry plateau of Tajikistan to a green lush valley below Pik Lenin (7134m) in Kyrgyzstan. But what happened to our original plan?

Well acclimatized from Tajikistan it would be a rather easy task to climb Pik Lenin in "just a few days". But illness and injuries became an effective showstopper. Andrew had not slept in almost a week, because of strong pains in his shoulder. The night in Sary Moghul he kept me, as well as our hosts (family of five), awake during most of the night with his painful screams. During the night we decided to abort the climb of Pik Lenin (even before it had started), and get to Bishkek as soon as possible to see a clinic or hospital. Andrew gave me a choice to stay behind and climb Pik Lenin alone. I considered this for a moment, but really I had no desire to climb a crevassed high-altitude route alone. I could probably join someone else, but I could not bet on it. Secondly I was short of cash to get me both in and out. But most importantly I was not in great shape myself after two occasions of food-poisoning during the last 10 days, and a great loss of weight. If this continued I would start to gamble with my upcoming expedition to Cho Oyu.

So I decided to do a little reconvalescence trip to Issyk Kul Lake including 4-5 days/nights trekking in the Tien Shan mountains. See the photos and enjoy the beautiful landscape of Kyrgyzstan.

Photo Album