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Located high in the Tian Shan mountatin range, Lake Issyk-kul is the second-largest alpine lake after Lake Titicaca in the Andes. Chalpan-Ata, situated on the north side of the lake is a popular lake-side resort for locals, Russians and Kazakhs. Here it is possible to relax by the lake while enjoying a plethora of water sports such as water skiing, paddle-boating, parasailing, etc. - or just enjoy some of the spectacular vistas of snow capped mountains peering out from the other side across the lake.
I didn't mean to spend too much time here; however, I met a group of young Kazakhs who had traveled down from Almatay at my hotel whom I befriended. We spent a couple of days on the beach, hiking in the surrounding Chong Ak-Suu Valley, checking out the nearby petroglyphs and getting inebriated at night to that old Russian potation, vodka. After a couple of nights in Chalpan-Ata, I made my way eastward to Karakol. |
