Day 1: 45km of almost flat terrain from Karakol to Ak Bulak
After the mal bazar we are finally on the road. It starts gently through fields and small villages, with thunder always rumbling somewhere in the mountains and a bit of rain from time to time. In Ak Bulak (should mean something like “white spring”) we leave the road, the plain and civilization and start climbing on the mining road cross the Ala Too Range (the road has been rebuilt in the eighties just before independence and closure of the mines) … but before that it’s time for the first camp a bit outside Ak Bulak.

Day 2: A bit more than 20km and 800m up to Kokija
In fact, there are a few more kilometers on asphalt, but there is no village anymore, just a few isolated houses and almost no traffic. At lunch time, we reach a beautiful open valley ground with a picnic place and views on grazing grounds, yurts and snow-covered mountains. Soon a family from the valley arrives to celebrate an anniversary; they install a huge picnic table covered with doughnuts, different kinds of salads, roasted liver, a big pot of cream, a samovar for the tea, and a Beshbarmak, the national mutton dish, slowly simmering in a big pot. Of course, we are invited … and of course, we do not go much further anymore this day; we say goodbye towards the end of the afternoon, just before the Beshbarmak … and the vodka. But we drink our first kumis, fermented horse milk which is appreciated by every Kyrgyz … for our untrained stomachs it’s a bit tough ( more on kumis here ).

Day 3: not even 20km and 900m up to just below the pass
The day starts with a steep climb and a halt at a yurt where we get a big bowl of kumis with delicious homemade bread, again served with thick cream. We also see that the electric wires leading up here are an illusion; they are used as the clothesline of the yurt! We are now above the treeline without a spot of shade. After a day full of steep climbs, we stop on a beautiful meadow just below the pass and below a huge watchtower, apparently used for hunting the Marco Polo sheep (we hear some shooting, followed by noise up in the scree).

Day 4: almost 80km and only a few short climbs (2-300m) to Mayda Adyr
After a good night, we arrive quickly at the Chon Asuu pass (3822m) with breathtaking views on Tien Shan. Follows a day of mainly downhill ride, first through green pastures, and then trough drier and drier, sometimes narrow, sometimes a bit wider gorges. The river is first crystal clear and after meeting the main Sary Djaz River it gets brown and muddy. We meet a group of cyclists who come down from there and from Karkara accompanied by 6-wheel driven military trucks. They say that one wouldn’t want to do that fully packed. Finally, we reach Enylchek, an ancient mining town where lived 5000, now almost a ghost town, just a few kids from Karakol who are here for summer holidays! It’s already late, and we have another 15km facing headwind up the Enylchek River to reach the first alpinist camp Mayda Adyr.