Karakol II

Another day waking up in the peace of Ak Sai. I remember around sunrise, Kate knocked on my door to invite me for a walk outside. I did tell her to do that but I realized I was just too sleepy and told her that I'll meet her during breakfast time instead.

We saw each other again during breakfast, she moved to my table, away from her tour group and we were able to talk a bit more. But alas, it was time for good bye. She saw me off as I gave her one final wave, back on the same car that took me here with the same driver.

It seems like my journey was slowly coming to an end with only 3 more days left in Kyrgyzstan. My driver took me to Bokonbaevo where I got on another car heading towards Karakol. Good thing the wait wasn't too long this time. Still, it was a pretty long journey. With the sun out bright, Victory Day was being celebrated today all around the country, including Karakol. I was dropped by near the main road and was told to walk the rest of the way. It was a 20 minute walk under the sun but seeing Karakol properly this time around was great. The town was in a festive mood, especially the park.

I got to my place, Argo Guesthouse, where I was welcome by a nice lady. I immediately requested to do some much needed laundry before getting settled in my room. Taking a nice cold shower before heading out to explore the city properly. I stopped by a restaurant called Lighthouse before proceeding to Destination Karakol to ask for some tips on what to do. Unfortunately, because it was a holiday, it was closed. I ended up just searching for what to do in Karakol on my phone while walking the street and found some potential leads: Jyagarlan.

With that out of the way, I proceeded to the Russian Quarter to see some nice architecture but ended up getting side tracked with the Karakol Historical Musuem, which for a measly price provided a pretty substantial experience. I also visited the Holy Trinity Cathedral which was one of the most impressive buildings I've seen in town. The Tartar Mosque and Dungan Mosque were also both interesting, particularly the latter with its flamboyant colors and unique facade.

With everything said and done, I found the day to still be quite early and feeling a bit tired from the long journey and exploration, I once again made my way to the Ak Suu Hot Springs. I took the wrong marshrutka and had to go down to catch the right one. Doing the hot springs in the morning was a bit different than at night, I guess it was just plain hot for starters and I found myself returning more to the freezing river to chill out. After a few cycles, I was finally ready to head back to my place to plan my trip to Jyagarlan the next day.Read more