An alpine lake at 3016m altitude. Our glittering prize after an adventurous drive. Coming from Tash Rabat we took a short cut heading for Baetov, crossing the mountains of Narin. Starting of with sunshine the sky was slowly getting dark. Sometimes you read that the weather can change rapidly in the mountains. Well, thats also our experience.We had 4 seasons in an 8 hour timespan. At some point we had to turn around because the roads were closed. At least that’s what i understood from a local chevalier. Little did i knew that he ment ‘not possible by 4X4, too …

A golden heart, a golden bird, a lovely host. That’s Aitoo’s Home.We arrived late afternoon unannounced. The welcome was warm and immediately we were invited for a cup of tea & cake. Together with his spouse Gulnaz and mother we enjoyed the warmth of their presence and kitchen. They live rather secluded and are therefore self-sustaining for most part of their daily life. We spent the night in one of their yurts, covered under colourful blankets. In Kyrgyz an eagle is called Berkut, named after the golden feathers in his neck. The hunters are the Berkutchi. Eagle hunting is probably …

Roads are as such that you have to adapt your travel timing. Poor quality and plenty of pot holes force you to drive carefully. On top you have the speed limits and the local police who’s very vigilant. Often dirt roads are in better shape as their asphalt siblings. The Chinees driver got stuck on the mountain pass 2 days before we met him. Together with a Czesh hitchhiker Martin, we picked him up the day before, we managed to shuffle the guy to freedom. Due to the poor quality of 90% of the roads and ancient cars (most of …

The preparation itself was actually an adventure on its own. Searching the internet for information showed quickly that there was not that much information available. Browsing traveller blogs proved to be a better option. Because the country map ordered online took a while to get delivered, google maps and old school paper & pencil was handy to plan our itinerary. Bisjkek, capital city of Kyrgyzstan and our first night of a 3 week adventure. Next morning, after the reception of the rental car we headed for Issyk Kul lake. A little beauty of 185km long by 60km wide @ 1600m …