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Another day of driving on our way
to Song Kul Lake. We have an early start, so we are up at 6 AM to pack
up our tent. But we did laze a bit in our sleeping bag to enjoy the
rays of the sun rise reflecting off the canyon walls. After breakfast,
we packed up the truck and headed off for the day. But first our
morning exercise - we had to walk up the steep dirt path to the road while
the truck drove up without any passengers. Gave us a chance to take
some great pictures and get some exercise.
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We drive on the road that hugs
the canyon wall above the narrow, winding reservoir, passing through the
numerous check points along the way. The canyon gives way to arid,
rain swept mountains. Numerous cemeteries dot the the landscape.
We need to take the long way around as the short
cut that is shown on the map apparently no longer exists. We stop for
lunch on the side of the road.
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In the afternoon we drive further
into the mountains and it becomes more green and fertile. There are
valleys and rivers that are dotted with yurt huts. It all is only
marred by the constant presence of the extremely high tension power lines
that carry the energy generated by the massive turbines at the many dams
that dot the area.
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We reach the Ala-Bel Pass at
3,175 meters just before 3 PM. We stop for a rest and to take pictures
of the yurt huts. The local people working or hanging out in front of
the yurts beckon us over. They want to chat with us and ask where we
are from. They immediately offer us a bowl of fermented mare's milk
and kurut, small balls of dried fermented cow's milk. Not our
favorite, but we must be polite and at least try some. It tastes as
you would imagine. They let us take pictures and then we have to head
on.
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We head into a broad valley with
a flat base and steep mountains in the distance. After driving for a
while, we turn off and head into a narrow valley where the cliff walls come
straight down to the white water of the river that passes through the bottom
of the valley. The sky has cleared and we begin the search for a bush
camp. We see a few spots, but we want to make more progress, so we
head on.
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In the end, just before 6 PM, we
do find a nice spot near Kyzl-Oy along the river with a view down the
valley. We set up our tent on a patch of sand right near the river's
edge. A great camp site. The moon is slowly growing and we watch
it set over the mountain behind us. It will be nice when it is
full. After dinner, we hang around the fire and just enjoy the
serenity of the place. The stars are very clear here.
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We head off to bed and lay back
in our sleeping bag and watch the stars sparkle in the sky. As the
moon sets further behind the mountain on one side, the light of the moon
slowly disappears from the mountain on the other side of the river. We
fall asleep to the rush of the nearby white water of the river.
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