Hey guys this week we are in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan.
Yeah, so Karakol (Каракол) is a place that we've actually visited last year but
we were only here on a day trip so we didn't get to see a whole lot.
Right and this is basically the adventure capital of Kyrgyzstan.
There is a lot of good hiking, you can take boat trips.
So we're just going to show you like what you can do in and around this area.
Let's get to it.
Looking to cover a lot of the town’s main attractions, we set out on a city walking
tour.
Our first stop was the Dungan Mosque.
This mosque is unique because architecturally it looks a lot like a Buddhist temple; this
is because it was built by the Dungan community, an ethnically Chinese people group who follow
Islam.
Another iconic place of worship in Karakol (Каракол) is the Holy Trinity Russian
Orthodox Church.
This is a traditional Russian wooden cathedral complete with onion domes.
If you’re an avid souvenir collector then you’ll want to swing by the Antique Shop
of Aleksandr Korablev.
This little one-room shop is overflowing with treasures from the Soviet era.
They have old cameras, pins from the Russian Olympics, porcelain dolls, old postcards,
busts of Lenin, and just about anything you could imagine.
So we found an antique shop specializing in items from the USSR.
And so talk about quirky.
I collect hats from around the world.
Yeah.
And this one doesn't fit me but this is going to be a great hat to hang on the wall of our
apartment.
Our future home somewhere.
Yeah.
It is pretty fascinating.
And this one he said it is for border control.
Yeah, and every color like there are hats very similar to this.
Yeah.
Every different color meant different things.
Like the police or navy.
Or things like that.
So this is a border control hat and you can see the hammer and sickle right here.
That is pretty fascinating.
We also squeezed in a quick visit to Karakol’s History Museum, which has a rather fascinating
taxidermy collection.
Okay so here is a little tip for you guys.
The tourist office actually puts on free walking tours.
They are tip based tours three times a week so if you're looking to explore the city with
a local that can be a great option.
We actually took one of their tours this morning so this afternoon we're just going to wander
around and kind of venture off a little bit further away from the city center.
So we are currently at Victory Park and World War II Memorial.
What do you think?
I think it is pretty impressive.
Yeah.
Like the monuments are just kind of fabulous.
Everything is kind of done on a grand scale.
Yeah.
And it is just a pretty chilled park like it is just a nice kind of green escape.
It is a little bit away from the city centre and so this is a part of the Karakol (Przhevalsk)
we haven't explored before.
Yeah.
And from there we walked over to the Fat Cat Karakol, which is a coffee shop that had been
recommended to us by two Dutch travellers we met.
So I've been enjoying a refreshing glass of mint iced tea.
So amazing on a hot day.
But the best part I think is going to be the cake.
I've been eyeing this for a while.
It looks fantastic.
OMG.
And it was really cool, we had a little chat with the owner here and they're doing some
amazing things here like in terms of social programs and volunteer work and philanthropy.
And so it just feels especially nice yeah it is nice to support a business like that.
Exactly.
So and their baking is amazing.
Like this cheesecake is delicious.
Yeah.
It is like two for two.
You get great drinks and good food and then also you're supporting a good cause here so
I like that a lot.
So next up we decided to visit the bazaar and all was going well until it started pouring
rain.
So now we're just kind of trapped here waiting for it to stop.
So I don't know if you can hear that in the background but it is raining pretty hard.
Also one thing to keep in mind we are visiting on a Saturday afternoon and most of the shops
already closed.
Like there is still a few people selling produce and stuff like that but like most of the stands
have already shut down for the day so keep that in mind if you visit on a weekend.
So we have lots of random items in this market.
Look at this.
Boxing gloves, sunglasses.
A little mini punching bag.
Gloves.
Papapa.
Put em up, put em up.
Alright boy.
Okay so it is dinner time here in Karakol (قاراقول) and the sun has gone down
and today we are going to be doing a traditional meal with a family.
So we're going to be preparing Ashlyanfu (Ашлян-фу) which is a cold noodle starch soup and then
we're going to go into their home and have a nice family dinner together.
So follow along.
Spicy.
Is it spicy?
I like it spicy.
This is yours by the way.
Haha.
Yeah.
This okay.
There we go.
Over the course of dinner we learned that according to Dungan tradition, there can be
no less than 8 different dishes at the table, and as you can see from the spread below,
they take that very seriously!
We gave it our best shot, but there was still food left by the end of that feast.
And because we love our food, we also took a cooking class where we learned to make a
traditional Uyghur dish: laghman (Лагман).
Okay, so we're going to try making the noodles now.
We need to stretch it out.
And this is basically water, egg and flour.
Apparently Sam is skilled.
Getting compliments over here huh?
Normally I'm just good at eating.
(Speaking Kyrgyz)
Hold like this.
Hahaha.
Oh.
Oh, wow.
Hahaha.
This is so funny to watch.
Start again.
Hahaha.
Oh no.
After a somewhat successful lesson in noodle making, we let the experts take over in the
kitchen and sat down to enjoy a tasty meal.
So check it out.
We saw a bit of the preparation in the kitchen and we learned that basically they fry the
ingredients, the meat and vegetables and then they add in the broth and turn it into a soup
so that it is more flavorful.
So yeah, let's dig right in.
Mmmm.
Nice?
Mmmhmmm.
It is quite nice.
So we are on a boat.
On a boat.
And we're going to be doing a boat cruise and this is awesome.
It is a much bigger boat than we expected.
And this here is Przhevalsky Bay on Issyk-Kul Lake (Ысык-Көл) on the eastern shores
and we've got mountains off in the distance.
I think we're going to be taking off soon.
Cheers!
Woo!
As far as day trips go, one nearby attraction from Karakol (Каракол) is Jeti Oguz
known for its red hills.
It’s about a 30 minute drive and you can easily hire a driver to take you out there.
So we just finished visiting Jeti-Ögüz which is a rock formation that translates into the
seven bulls and it is basically like these red hills.
Um and it looks pretty cool and I thought that was kind of like the main attraction
in the area but apparently you can also go horse trekking here and the scenery is once
again amazing.
Jeti Oguz gets all the fame, but the valley directly behind it is even more impressive
in my opinion.
If you’re visiting for the day, do as the locals do and pack yourself a picnic.
We also noticed there were a few yurt camps in the area, which is great for anyone wanting
to stay a bit longer.
And if you’re up for a longer outing, it’s only 1 additional hour from Jeti-Ögüz to
the Barskoon Gorge, which is home to numerous waterfalls and hiking trails.
You’ll know you’ve arrived once you reach the bust of Yuri Gagarin (Юрий Гагарин),
the first cosmonaut, standing proud just off the main road.
Apparently, he was quite fond of Issyk Kul’s (Иссык-Куль) south shore and even
spent some time vacationing here after his first flight into space.
And it wouldn’t be a proper drive in Kyrgyzstan (Кыргызстан) without encountering
a little bit traffic…sheep and goat traffic, that is.
(Honking sounds and animals noises)
Last but not least, one of the most popular things to do in Karakol (Каракол) is
hiking.
This is considered the adventure capital of Kyrgyzstan (Киргизия) with many hikes
and horse treks starting right in town.
We were feeling pretty wiped having just completed a 3-day horse trek, so we took the easy route
and did a half-day hike, but the landscapes were stunning nevertheless.
Alright, so we hopped in the car, drove out of town and now we're getting some great panorama
views of Karakol off in the distance.
Yeah, exactly.
So just grabbing a few shots and we're probably going to be starting our hike any minute.
Woo hoo.
(Sniffing sounds)
And look.
Of course we made a dog friend so we just finished feeding him lunch.
He had some chicken bones, sandwich, eggs.
He swallowed those bones whole.
You can tell the difference between a country dog and a city dog.
So we have now entered the forest and it is so nice to walk through here.
We are getting a bit more shade.
The only mistake we made is wearing sandals and crocs because there is areas where the
brush is like up to our knees.
So lesson learned.
Trekking boots or running shoes next time.
Taking in the views.
Yeah, just doing a pan shot here.
And we started off in a valley and now we are walking through a forest so I know it
just changed so drastically.
So quickly.
Yeah, it is pretty amazing.
It has been an awesome hike and the nice thing is that we've just been heading downhill.
Yes.
And we're almost done apparently.
Lots of shade too.
And that’s a little taste of what Karakul and the surrounding area has to offer visitors.
We hope you enjoyed this travel guide and that it gave you a few ideas of things to
do in Karakol (Каракол).
As always, if you have any other suggestions to share with travellers, feel free to do
so in the comments below.
Happy travels and until next time!