Kyrgyzstan – before the second Trip

June 2023

 

 

I was in Kyrgyzstan for the first time in March/April 2022. I liked it very much, but it was too early in the year to meet nomads (they were not yet on the road) and to do a lot of (multi-day) hiking. I would have to come in summer for that. Actually, I had something else in mind this summer, but it didn’t work out. And then I remembered Kyrgyzstan and thought it would be a great opportunity to give myself even 2 months to see and maybe understand much more of the country.

 

When I was in Nepal in March this year, I wondered why so many travellers actually flock there and not to Kyrgyzstan. OK, there are 8,000-metre peaks there and they are also very impressive. It’s a good place to go. And even a second or third time. But why not go to Kyrgyzstan once? I was inwardly marveling about the few tourists there. In Nepal, you meet other travellers at every turn in the better-known trekking areas. Not in Kyrgyzstan. Well, maybe it would be a little different in the peak tourist season. But I’m sure it won’t be that crowded at all.

 

What Kyrgyzstan probably has more of than Nepal are great mountain lakes. I want to see a lot more of them.

 

 

In 2022, I travelled part of the way with Rakhat. I won’t meet him there again – his life situation has changed completely: he has moved to Switzerland, married his girlfriend there and is looking forward to fatherhood. That’s a bit of a pity. But I can meet other people!

 

 

At the moment I’m sitting in Georgia, another post-Soviet country. In 2022, I was still wondering why I was going to such a country again after Armenia – it depresses me in parts. But the beautiful experiences had outweighed that and made me forget. Now in Georgia, I realise again how much trouble it is for me. Especially the areas with the Soviet blocs depress me. On the other hand: just take the chance to approach it more. For many people it was and is no “walk in the park”. And I can experience that more intensively and share a little of the reality of life. And hopefully understand the whole “Soviet Union” issue a little better.

 

 

At 200,000 sq km, Kyrgyzstan is much smaller than Germany (350,000 sq km), but much slower to travel due to the mountainous landscape and a more rudimentary road system. In 2022 I had only seen a part in the east. I’m still missing more parts of it – and the whole west! Or rather, even after these 2 months, I will still be missing many parts – but I will have caught up mightily.

 

I had already offered Kyrgyzstan as a travel destination after my first trip and had already referred someone there. I hope that there will be many more in the future and that I will be able to advise travellers much better through many more experiences.

 

 

I am excited!