Dipping our eggs into the "chilli sauce" was of course a mistake! Served in a small sauce plate, the orangey concoction was actually jam. Jam with bread and butter which are the staples usually served with tea besides the assorted candies!
Tried as we might to make Dima keep to his 8 am pick up, he was half hour off the mark this morning. Then, a further delay was necessary to load the bus with our bags before the 3 bikes on the rear carrier.
Driving out of Naryn town, we were initially on proper tarmac. As we passed through yesterday's dinner venue of Khan Tengri, we crossed the bridge that traversed the Naryn River. So close to town, it was a murky grey, unlike the crystal blue waters in the mountains.
Beyond the bridge, we left the town's boundaries very quickly. Soon, the tarmac disappeared as well despite a wide road and we found ourselves on a bumpy ride all the way to Tash Bashat. The Naryn River though, maintained its appearance most of the way, in the same murky grey.
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| As the road bounces along past colorful meadows, there was a distinctive smell of herbs and wild flowers in the air. |
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| As the road bounces along past colorful meadows, there was a distinctive smell of herbs and wild flowers in the air. |
Clambering out from our vehicles at Tash Bashat, everyone started searching for their private space to relieve themselves. Still honed to their primitive cavemen instincts, all the men need to do was to turn their back against the direction of the general public. The ladies though, found the flat farm land a bit too open for comfort. The long grass could only hide so much and those who were in need of complete privacy had to ride a few hundred meters away!
Meanwhile, our bikes had gotten heavier, collecting fine dusts from the road. They went into the narrow stream nearby for a quick wash before they were handed over to us.
During the first few kilometers of the ride, Claudine was made to wonder its true purpose. We were all given a free makeover with the same tone of "loose powder"! Mother Nature though is no make up artist, dusting us all over from head to toe and all crevices. At times, Claudine felt her tongue growing thick with mud!
Every time a car passes by, it will stir up the dusts. A few racing cars creates a dust storm so great the riders were cloaked from sight!
Panting up a slope, the dusts cleared at the peak to reveal the Naryn River. Delightfully, we had reunited with the murky waters and miraculously as well, our torment was over! With fewer and slower cars as each struggled up the climbing terrain, the dusts stayed glued to the ground.
Each slope elevated us to different vantage points. Each lookout offered a differently spectacular view.
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| Pulleys and cables type of crossings spotted in a few rivers in this region |
Meeting The Gorge at the wooden bridge, we could not resist a group photo. Venturing on, the road began to snake its way up a mount with a few hairpin bends.
At the end of our short struggle, we were rewarded with a sweeping view of Eki Naryn village, located on a fertile plateau. An amused farmer stopped his work to wave us on. 2 kids came out to the street to give cheer. Candies taken from our breakfast table became handy gifts as VT stopped to play Santa!
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| The ride was still quite boring after Eki Naryn village |
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| Cloud of dust at the end of the road, not captured here |
Far away, a moving cloud of dust was coming our way. Pulling on our bandana to cover our faces, we appreciated the driver's etiquette when he slowed down the vehicle as he approaches. Exchanging salutations, we noticed a group of tourists in a similar bus like ours.
We would understand later the true purpose of this route...
Coming down a valley later, we were mesmerized by the power of Eki Naryn. Eki meaning two, here is a confluence of 2 rivers of the same name and its smaller tributaries.
An obvious tourist attraction with decent road access, we spotted a few yurts for rentals. Down by the bridge, we were not the only tourists on site.
As we began our ascent up another slope, we met a few more hikers on a guided tour. Beyond that, we were very much on our own.
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| Spectacular view |
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| Water bursting out from a channeled pipe... |
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| ...the lake or water source |
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| Note the road we came from! |
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| Downhill... |
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| Everywhere we look is a postcard perfect sight |
Not many tourists made it past the dusty gravel road to Eki Naryn, often overshadowed by the more popular Issykul Lake, Song-Kul Lake and Tash Rabat. However, this raw beauty is not to be missed... where forests and mountains come so close, the air is tinged by the distinctive fragrance of herbs and wild flowers!
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| Right after the lake with the small waterfall... |
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| ...many of us were pushing our bikes up BUT not Uncle John who is 83 years old!!! |
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| Dan warming up our rice... |
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| The gas tank and cooker |
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| One of the few vehicles that passes by during lunch |
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| Bumped into local tourists after lunch |
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| Near to this stream is a cottage and the local shepherd boy tending to the cows |
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| The scenery just gets better and better! |
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| Loose gravels throughout the way |
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| Frozen stream in the mountain |
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| Coming to the 3rd bridge, photo taken by Claudine. Note that Alan is picking himself up! |
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| Further down from where Alan fell, Claudine fell as well, a case of switching lanes! |
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| Past 4 pm, the sky turned grey and Dima decided to end the ride as it was still a long way to Kochkor. Note VT's shirt with swabs of cow dung! Gerard, York Fuan, Chris rode a little more before they too were hauled up the van. |
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| Driving to Kochkor, the sky was grey with light rain throughout the way. Here is a sampler of grazing animals along the way...sheep, goat, yak, horses, etc |
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| Tea break @ 6.30 pm |
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| The tea was to tide us to our 10 pm dinner at Kochkor, arriving at Fatima's guesthouse at 11 pm!!! |
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| Sunset view during our tea break |
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| Sunset view during our tea break |
Total distance travelled : 240 km
Total ride distance : 60 km
Total ride achieved : 40 km
Ride Route : 100 % dirt and gravel
Elevation : + 850 m, - 650 m
Places of interest :
Eki Naryn Canyon (2300 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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Fatima Guesthouse
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| Main house |
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| Main house |
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