Two Days in Karakol, the Launching Point for Ala-Kul
We had two nights in Karakol, a popular city for hikes and outdoor activities, before we set off on the popular Ala-Kul trek. Ala-Kul is a beautiful mountain lake located at 3900m.
Our first night, we went to eat Ashlan-Fu, a cold noodle dish originating in Karakol. Karakol is a great culinary destination because of the unique dishes formed from the mix of people. The Dungan people originating from Western China fled to the Karakol area in the 1880s, so the city is the place to try Dungan cuisine in Kyrgyzstan. We walked half an hour to go to the most popular spot where the noodles are served cafeteria style along with a fried, flat potato bread and tea for only 100 som (just over $1). It was my favorite meal in Kyrgyzstan so far!
Ashlan-Fu has two types of noodles – a more typical dense noodle and a delicate starch based noodle – creating a fun mix of textures. The broth is cold, vinegar-y, with a touch of spice. So delicious. The potato bread is also outstanding. It is soft and fluffy with mashed up potato inside. If you’re ever in Karakol, Ashlan -Fu is a must try!
After dinner, we tried to withdraw more cash from an ATM but failed miserably. The first ATM we tried didn’t work. The second we tried ate Nate’s debit card… We pressed all the buttons and waited for a long time, but the screen was stuck on processing and would not eject the card. The ATM was in a grocery store and after bank hours so the store staff couldn’t help us and told us to go the bank in-person the next day for help. Nate had to cancel his card, so we did not go to the bank the next day.
The next day I went for a short run in a nice park a couple blocks away from our hostel. I had not had the opportunity to go on a run outside since we started the trip so it felt simultaneously amazing and difficult. I kept it very brief and slow to not get sore the day before our big trek. We then went to Duet Hostel down the street to book a night at a yurt camp the next day. We went to Duet instead of booking through our hostel because another guest said that it was cheaper at Duet. But it turned out that Duet was the same price because Sirota Camp had just increased their prices two days ago – just our luck.
Afterwards, we walked to the city center for to have Ashlan-Fu again for lunch. I was so obsessed so I had to have it. Then we went grocery shopping for our next couple of lunches. The Ala-Kul accommodations provide dinner and breakfast but not lunch, so we needed to bring lunch and snacks.
We did not feel like walking back to city center, so we went to a more tourist-centric restaurant close to our hostel for dinner. It was an eclectic mix of cuisines. Nate got chicken cordon blue and I got bibimbap. Yes, getting all the Korean food I can. It was pretty expensive, especially compared to our $1 Alshan-Fu, but the food was good. We decided to splurge and get brownie and ice cream for dessert as well.
In the evening, we packed up to get ready for our hike the next morning. We could store luggage at the hostel, so I borrowed a smaller backpack from the hostel and we tried to minimize our load. Somehow, we still ended up filling both of our backpacks which we ended up regretting. Learning to pack light is a skill we have yet to achieve.
3 Days and 2 Nights on the Ala-Kul Trek
Day 1: Building Up Anticipation on a Short Day
The next morning, we left for Ala-Kul at 7:30am on a shared taxi with three Korean guests we had met at the hostel. This was great because we could cut an hour of hiking time by taking a taxi directly to the trail head (the first bridge) instead of taking the bus to the park entrance. Forty-five minutes later we arrived, and the trek was officially starting!
The hike from the first to the second bridge was relatively flat and easy and took about 3 hours. The walk was very scenic once we came upon the river that opened up into the mountains.
There was a small yurt camp and store at the second bridge. We stopped here for lunch before continuing on. The second bridge was the start of the uphill, forested portion of the hike. At the top would be Sirota Yurt Camp where we would be spending the night. This upwards portion was more difficult and less scenic than the first portion of the hike, but it was also shorter. After about 2 hours, we reached the top around 2pm. I was tired, but I felt like I could go further. Sirota Yurt Camp was quite small and simple with just a few yurts. We were assigned to a small yurt with three sleeping pads. Luckily, there was no third, so we inadvertently ended up with a private yurt which was very nice. There was one disgusting outhouse for the camp which I don’t think anyone used.
We had the rest of the day to relax which was quite a long time. There were two other pairs staying at the camp – two British friends and two international English teachers – so we hung out with them. One of the Korean guys from our hostel was staying at the yurt camp next door so we played Go Stop, a Korean card game with him in the evening as well.
Dinner provided by the yurt camp was pretty light and everyone lingered hoping there would be more food, but there wasn’t. At least it tasted pretty good.
We went to bed as soon as the sun set, trying to get a good night’s sleep before Day 2, notoriously known as the longest and most difficult day. It was cold in the yurt despite having layered up so I unfortunately didn’t get the best sleep.
Day 2: A Truly Long, Grueling, and Painful Hike
We woke up at 6:30am, had breakfast, and were on the road by 7:20am. Getting to the small village of Altyn Arashan where we would be spending the night was supposed to take about 10 hours. I was nervous for the hike because the elevation gains on day two are double that of day one; we would also be going much higher than I had ever been. It was indeed a grueling 5-hour steep hike to Ala Kul Lake. I did not get altitude sickness, but I did feel like I was getting tired much faster than normal, requiring frequent breaks.
When we finally reached the top to see Ala Kul, it was all worth it. It was stunning. We spent almost an hour at the lake eating lunch, taking photos, and just taking in the sights. It was quite cold and windy so we had to put on our jackets. We had worked so hard to climb up that it was hard to say goodbye and start our descent. But we still had half the trek left to finish so we reluctantly made our way down.
The descent was quite scary. It was an equally steep climb down, but the trail was very gravelly and slippery. Everyone was slipping and sliding their way down the mountain in their own way – a few running (looked scary), some scooting on their butts, some taking it step by step very slowly. Using our hiking poles, we were able to move faster than most sliding down the mountain like it was a sand dune. I am not sure how I would have climbed down without hiking poles.
Once we descended, we were in a green valley and there were still four more hours to go. The rest of the way was relatively flat, but having already been on my feet for hours, simply walking became increasingly painful. The last few hours were a purely mental challenge, pushing myself to keep going. I think that’s the tradeoff between challenging and easy terrains – you can’t think as much about being tired during challenging portions because you’re preoccupied. But once you’re tired, there is less to distract you during easier stretches, so the fatigue is harder to ignore.
The last hour was truly a testament of pure will. Nate and I were both exhausted with tempers running short. No matter how much we walked, our trail map seemed to be telling us that we still had 45-min to go. The walk should have been easy along the water, but the ground was wet and muddy like a swamp. We eventually took a detour by climbing up to higher ground which added even more time.
I collapsed to the ground once we finally entered Altyn Arashan past 6pm, my feet screaming in pain. Nate was kind enough to walk to a guesthouse to see if they had room for us. Luckily, the first guesthouse did have space, so we checked in and claimed our beds in a 4-person room. We both immediately jumped on our beds and rested for the hour before dinner. We met the Korean guy from our hostel at this guesthouse and he said that he gave up once he descended from Ala Kul (the halfway point) and took a horse to the guesthouse. Hearing this, despite my exhaustion, I felt proud that I had been able to grit it through.
Dinner tasted amazing. It might be because we were so exhausted and hungry, but I think it was objectively a good meal. We had a salad, vegetable and grain soup, and a cabbage and meat dish.
After dinner, it was our time to use the hot spring. We were very excited as Altyn Arashan has a natural hot spring and our guest house had a private hot spring. It turned out to not be that exciting. It was just a small hot tub in a shed rather than a picturesque outdoor hot spring as I had imagined. Nevertheless, the warm water felt so nice and relieving for the muscles. The perfect way to get ready for bed.
Day 3: A Tranquil, Scenic Hike Back to Karakol
The last day of the hike was supposed long, but pleasant and easy. Considering how tired we were after day 2, we had considered taking a taxi back to Karakol from Altyn Arashan instead. However, we were both surprised to feel refreshed and recovered the next morning. So we decided to finish out the hike on foot. We were glad we decided to walk. As we were told, the hike was quite easy. We primarily walked along a dirt road so it was easier to walk and the trail was primarily flat or slightly downhill. It was an easy and pretty walk among the green mountains, thick alpine trees, the water, and so much livestock.
Although the trek was easy, by the third hour, our feet inevitably got quite tired again. We finally finished the official trail around 1:30pm and at the bottom of the mountain, there was a taxi waiting to take hikers back to Karakol. It was at least another 1-km walk into the town of Ak-Su where we could take the bus back, which was our original plan. But tired after three days, I caved and decided we should just take the taxi back to Snow Leopard Hostel in Karakol. I think it was worth it.
I was so proud of having completed the Ala Kul hike and not feeling dead at the end of it. Of course, I did feel dead after Day 2, but by end of the entire hike, I recovered better than I expected and felt quite okay. For me, that is a huge win. We have a much longer and more difficult 8-day hike coming up later in Kyrgyzstan. I am still a bit nervous for it, but Ala Kul has increased my confidence to tackle our next big hike!
Last Night in Karakol
Our last night in Karakol, we went to Duet Hostel Café for dinner and the traditional Kyrgyz music and dance show. I ordered lagman and Nate ordered a burger (of course). But we were still hungry from the trek so we ordered a pepperoni pizza as well.
I’m glad we went to see the show even though we were tired because it was a great experience. There was one man singing/reciting pieces of the Kyrgyz Manas epic (storytelling) and another one singing traditional love songs. The second half of the show had a group of women performing traditional dances. Last on the agenda was inviting the audience to come dance together. We both joined for the dance which was very fun. All in all it was a great time to end our time in Karakol before heading out for a restful week at Kyrgyzstan’s beautiful lakes.
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