I just had the whole beach to myself on Saturday morning and was able to start writing my end of year report, not something I had really planned to do, but actually a useful thing to do away from everything. I did try having a swim but my heart almost stopped it was so cold in the Lake, but it was great just to sit. Only later did I realise how burned I had got. So if this is what it is like off season I hate to think how I would have struggled with the heat in the summer. After lunch my plan was to head off to the museum and to discover where the stone garden was (a site of petroglyphs) but I had forgotten it was Sunday and that things might be different on a Sunday - in my village everything is open all week round - but clearly not in Cholpan Ata, off season. So I did some shopping for stuff for the fundraiser and decided to head on through the town hoping to spot something interesting. Suddenly I spotted a sign and something I had vaguely read about the area came back to me some kind of peace park related to Chingiz Aimatov. Having spent the afternoon there, I am still not quite sure what it is about, but that sort of sums up Kyrgyzstan for me. It could not decide if it was terrible or kitsch, worthy or what, but I still enjoyed pottering around it. Kyrgyz seem to like mixing up nature and representations of nature, all over the country you suddenly see what looks like a plaster caste animal. They also like big entrances to roads etc, and in this grand country that sort of works, again often quite kitsch, but somehow okay, like their big statues of Manas everywhere, so this park was a bit like this but on a small scale, and mixed in with a bit of philosophy for there were statues from Greek stories, references to various faiths, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, statues of people like Victor Hugo, pretend trees next to real trees, dirty great big paintings of key characters from Kyrgyz myth or history, no English explanation so I am not sure and a room dedicated to the great writer, but again just with big pics of him. And all on a very lovely sunny day with views of the mountains and views over the lake a bit like wandering around a historical house in the UK only it has been decorated by Lewis Carroll. This link through may explain it more: Ruh Ordo.
After that I happily pottered back to the hotel via more shops with English speaking staff, very good English speaking staff and even found a cup of tea at the taxi stand. I had hoped to do some work online in the evening but the internet was not good enough so watched Sherlock Holmes and Treasure Island in Russian, a typical English bank holiday yet very Kyrgyz too.
This morning I pottered on the beach as long as I could, sat on my balcony writing up some of my report and then finally established that there was a reception and they even knew how much I was paying - half a month's salary, but well worth it, and headed off. I had also figured out that there was probably a bus back from next to the taxi stand so caught the 12 o'clock bus back to Kemin. In the village next to Cholpan Ata, there were lots of stands with animal furs on sale, in other places, dried fish, bits next to the lake are like dessert, then you come across tons of apple trees and loads of blossom, it really is a lovely area, but Cholpan Ata did seem the best place for having a sort of standard tourist experience rather than something authentically Kyrgyz. Once in the mountains the road is being rebuilt, but we still made good time, a few yurts in sight, but nowadays most of the road vendors live in containers instead. However, the back route to Kemin had several selling goods. Although Kyrgyzstan is very empty in terms of the size of population even in the most remote places one sees someone walking along tending a herd, or a couple sat on a precipice overlooking the river gorge I was watching one woman walk away from her yurt installing family only to realise she was heading for a pee unaware everyone on the road above could see her.
I got to Kemin just after three and almost got a lift with someone who said that they were going to Chon Kemin, but who was not going that way at all. However, one of my Kalmak Ashu neighbours rescued me, I thought I had recognised him, and he clearly recognised me and a few minutes later he secured us both a lift in a nice plush car so I was home by 4. You just pay the driver the bus fare, so it works well for everyone. Then this afternoon I figured I best head up the mountains because who knows how many more chances I will get after this. Soon my bags really will be packed and I really will be heading home. But I have just heard from my Talas colleague and she will have left even sooner, Hellppp the adventure really is over.
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