I only traveled to Issyk Kul once last summer, so I’m attempting to get myself out there a few more times this season. A few weekends ago some friends and I traveled to the south shore for a relaxing weekend in Tamga and Kagy Sai.
It was wonderful, I got to float around in the lake (which was cold. What a lie to call it “warm lake” just because it never freezes. “Not frozen” does not equal “warm”) and mostly I sat around getting tan (/sunburned, oops), eating shashlik and picking ripe peaches and raspberries from the massive garden at the guesthouse we rented.
And I did a lot of people-watching.
A bit of advice: try booking your accommodations earlier than the day before you intend on arriving. Places are mostly booked solid (it turns out) during peak season. Who would’ve guessed? (This is all sarcasm.) Farrell booked us at a guesthouse in Tamga and even though the owner insisted yes, she has space for all of us and reservations were made, we showed up only to be told, “Eh, well, my place is full already. Let’s see if some friends nearby have space, and then you can walk back and forth to my place for meals.” No thanks, ma’am. Luckily we did find a guesthouse nearby for Friday night and an even better private house for Saturday night (because neither were available for the whole weekend). Oh well, lessons learned.
Are any of you guys enjoying mini-vacations this summer? Is anybody lucky enough to experience the clear blue (and chilled) waters of Issyk Kul?
Oh yes! I spent 6 days in a modern resort on the north shore. But still, my adoration lies on the south side. My family owns a little house in Ton, in between Bokonbaeva and Kadji-Sai, it has this derelict Soviet harbor and beautiful cliffs. Also, the weather always seems nicer, the water cleaner on the south side and the sunsets are just unforgettable.