Karakol, as Wikipedia tells us, was: "formerly Przhevalsk, the fourth-largest city in Kyrgyzstan, near the eastern tip of Lake Issyk-Kul, about 150 kilometres from the Kyrgyzstan–China border and 380 kilometres from the capital Bishkek. It is the administrative capital of Issyk-Kul Region."
While the guesthouses had been pleasant and interesting, it was good to be in a nice hotel again. It was quite new and a lot nicer than the structures that had evidently been pulled down to facilitate it's construction. The location was close to the central square and we did quite a bit of unguided exploring on foot.
Much Soviet era housing has now passed the end of its practical life and well over half the 'panel apartments' we've seen have been abandoned. Yet, new apartments are unaffordable for many, particularly young adults.
According to Google AI: "Kyrgyzstan, formerly part of the Soviet Union, has numerous Soviet-era apartment buildings, particularly in cities like Bishkek. These buildings, often referred to as "Khrushchyovkas" or panel buildings, are characterized by their low cost, concrete-panelled or brick construction, and typically three to five stories." Here they are a standard size: 46 m2
So, it was interesting that on our second day there was a police presence downtown for the arrival of President Sadyr Japarov to open a new residential complex, to house essential workers, priced out of the market. None of this is helped by the typically large size of Muslim families.
In the evening, we went to a local restaurant for dinner. If featured local music, in a semi-yurt, to draw customers in. Some menus have English sub-titles but almost all have pictures and obviously prices. In any case, by this time, we could pretty well guess what might turn-up. Almost every meal is preceded by the traditional yogurt-like drink - fermented mare's milk. It's nice.
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An evening meal - moderately up-market - pretty typical
The following day we were taken on a, wider-ranging, tour of Karakol, visiting the Dungan Mosque (1910) and the Russian Church (1885).
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Top left: The view out of our hotel window - soviet-era housing
Top right: The local mosque - infidels not admitted
Middle left: Lenin showing the way (again)
Middle right: A peak inside - the minbar and mihrab partly visible
Bottom: The historic wooden Russian Orthodox church and its iconostasis
We spent some time in the parkland that surrounds the museum and grave of Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky - the Russian geographer and a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia.
The museum has it's own guide, who was very effusive concerning the achievements of Przhevalsky. I was reminded of hero-worshiping the guides at the George W Bush Presidential Library in Dallas and at the Stalin Museum in Gori (Georgia).
Przhevalsky was the first European to explore Central Asia and 'discovered it' in the same way that Captain Cook 'discovered' Australia or Columbus the Americas - by bringing it to European attention. In this case, it had already been populated by humans (if we count our partial ancestors the Neanderthals and Denisovans) for well over 100,000 years and some of the cultures passing through here here been civilised for over two thousand. Yet the outcome was similar. Przhevalsky died in Karakol in 1888, leaving behind his journals, and in less than two decades the Russian Empire had absorbed these hitherto unknown territories and subjugated their peoples. Very interesting.
Nearby, is the memorial to Kusein Karasayev a Kyrgyz and Soviet linguist, lexicographer, teacher, literary scholar, folklorist, and Turkologist. Karasaev compiled the first Russian-Kyrgyz Dictionary and made a huge contribution to the study of the Kyrgyz epic "Manas". Among 20 other dictionaries he compiled, is the 'Dictionary of Manas', said to have "special scientific and practical value". Has anyone noticed that the epic of Manas, a poem, dates back long before Przhevalsky discovered these lands?
Nevertheless, Przhevalsky's influence on modern history was profound. Again, very interesting.
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Top left: Przhevalsky memorial - lacking a suitable likeness the sculptor made him resemble Stalin.
Top right: The Karasayev memorial - with a Yurt allusion
Bottom: The central square - the sign shows the various regions within Kyrgyzstan
highlighting Issyk-Kul. The text translates to: "Issyk-Kul – The Pearl of Kyrgyzstan".
The earlier statue of Lenin (above) presides over the end of the square.
As I remarked above, Soviet era images still abound in Kyrgyzstan. Here, in Karakol, Lenin is still pointing the way - out there - somewhere. The country collapsed into extreme hardship when the USSR failed and several domestic revolutions followed. So, no doubt, some remember the past fondly. The reminders remain.
That evening we walked a couple of kilometres through the rather 'down at heels' town to a recommended 'more authentic' Kyrgyz restaurant, an experience in itself. After another comfortable night and early breakfast it was off to the border with Kazakhstan.
