Sunday, September 7, 2014

kontaineristan

Below is a detail of a map of our trip so far, and for the next few days.



After leaving Cholpon Ata we drove across the northern shore of Lake Issyk Kul to the town of Karakol on the eastern edge edge. This gave us the opportunity to visit Jeti Oghuz up in the foothills of the nearby mountains. It is known for a rock outcrop called 'The 7 Bulls' and is also the site of an old Soviet sanatorium.



Karakol also has a beautiful old wooden Russian Orthodox church.



From Karakol we journeyed along the lake's southern shore stopping briefly to snap a few photos of a strange and abandoned cultural centre that was never completed.







About 80kms from Bishkek we made a small detour to take a look at Burana Tower, a 9th Century minaret and all that remains of an ancient city.

Paul and myself on the tower:






One thing that really interested me was the abundance of shipping containers used across Kyrgyzstan for homes, shops and market stalls. Unfortunately most of the ones I saw were from a speeding car and therefore difficult to photograph. Bishkek has an enormous market on the edge of the city that is made from thousands of them.





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