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| The Team and the locals |
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| On the way to 33 Parrot Pass |
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| On the way to 33 Parrot Pass |
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| On the way to 33 Parrot Pass |
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| On the way to 33 Parrot Pass |
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| On the way to 33 Parrot Pass |
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| On the way to 33 Parrot Pass |
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| Pereval Teskeytorpo aka 33 Parrot Pass |
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| View from The Pass |
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| Here, we are coming down the mountain |
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| Gravel downhill at -9.4% |
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| Spectacular dip! |
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| Note the winding downhill at the center of the photo! |
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| Short cut available! |
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| The gushing river was quite loud |
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| Made it without falling!!! |
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| Note the top where we came from |
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| Second regrouping at level ground |
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| On level ground |
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| After the picnic |
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| After the picnic |
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| After the picnic |
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| After the picnic |
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| Uncle John defying the mountains |
Pereval Teskeytorpo aka 33 Parrot Pass
The food at Song-kul Lake is amongst the most delicious
served during our stay in Kyrgyzstan. We had fried lake fish with tasty
buckwheat for breakfast while last night’s dinner menu of beef goulash warmed
us up from inside out.
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| These yurts are only here for the summer. Song-kul lake is not live able during the winter |
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| Looking for a private spot, Claudine climbed up the knoll only to find everyone had the same idea. Photo taken in the vicinity of the "public toilet" |
Everyone were awestruck by The Pass, even the crew! Cameras
started clicking even before the bikes were unloaded which was a total
miscalculation as the crew had a lengthy window to do so while the riders
commenced their descend.
Adopting the
Russian word for “fear” which sounded just like the English word “parrot”, the
33 Parrot Pass looked very formidable from the top. The 33, naturally referred
to the number of switchbacks on the treacherous descent which makes up the
twisting route.
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| Just for laughs...Claudine's snail pace! |
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| KOM at 41 kph |
Disappointingly
for the Strava crazed community, there is only one segment throughout the route
from Song-kul Lake to Naryn. This of course takes into account the epic
hairpin bends!
Check out Pereval Teskeytorpo or
33 Parrot Pass :
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| Note the winding road below. Some disc brakes were burning red hot; first stop |
After lengthy bike checks, we
began our 5.3 km downhill descent. The fearless descended quickly but the few
tortoises amongst us made everyone wait at the regrouping point. Claudine
though moved slower than a snail, taking a lengthy 1.04 hours at 5.2 kph. She
was literally frozen and had to come down her bike at some switchbacks!!!
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| Oops! |
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| Nice views from Oops! |
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| Oops over! |
Once downhill, we pedaled furiously to our lunch spot having
sent our food truck ahead. Hot on Alex’s tail, we pursued him, pushing him to
go fast, too fast until his chain broke under pressure! Thankfully, boy scout
Gerard had a chain cutter with him and the problem was quickly resolved.
Our picnic by the river included a cold dip for some riders.
The water was clear and inviting plus we had not taken a bath for close to 48
hours, some stretching to 72 hours!!!
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| Our bikes lined up |
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| View from our picnic spot |
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| View from our picnic spot |
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| View from our picnic spot |
Having our grimy state in mind, we decided to end our ride
in order to arrive early at our stay in Naryn. Nobody enjoyed feeding bacteria
plus the laundry were piling up!
Our stay at Datka guesthouse was more than we expected. It
was great to feel clean again. Uncle John though had to live in a different
hotel located right next to Khan Tengri Hotel, where we dined in luxury but
dressed shabby!!!
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| Dessert to end the night |
Total distance travelled : 290 km
Total ride distance : 65 km
Total ride achieved : 11 km
Ride Route : 100 % dirt and gravel
Elevation : + 1100 m, - 1600 m
Places of interest :
33 Parrot Pass : 3200 m
Town of Naryn : 2050 m
Photo courtesy :
All the fabulous participants of Tian Shan, Realising Dreams Team - Alan, Anna, Angkana, Christoph, Joyce, Lim, John, Kok Teng, Sue, York Fuan, VT, Gerard, Zoe, Dima
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Datka Guesthouse, Naryn
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