Kyrgyzstan - Central Asia - page 251

archaeology plus a 3D model of Issyk-Köl
showing visually just how very deep the lake
is. Minimal English.
Pegasus¨Horse¨Trekking¨ HORSE RIDINg
( % 424 50; [e-mail]; Soviet 81) Pegasus
Horse Trekking is run by the same lady
who operates the Pegasus Guest House.
She organises horse treks to Ornok Valley
and along the lakeshore, offers expert in-
struction for less-confident riders and can
arrange multiday excursions to Grigo-
rievka and beyond. With a few days notice
she will also organise a display of nomadic
equestrian games (20,000som) at the local
hippodrome. During July these can be seen
for free as part of the horse games.
4 ¨Sleeping
There are more than 100 hotels, resorts and
sanatoria in Cholpan-Ata and neighbour-
ing settlements, and probably as many local
homes rent rooms. However, if you come
outside of the summer season, almost all
will be closed. Contrastingly, at weekends in
July and August virtually everything will be
full and you might need to rely on elderly
ladies who appear at the bus station offering
komnaty (homestay rooms).
Pegasus¨Guest¨House¨ HOMESTAY $
( % 077-245 9901, 424 50; [e-mail]; Soviet
81; dm without/with breakfast 300/450som) Eng-
lish-speaking Tatiana Kemelevna and her
son, Bukit, understand budget backpacker
requirements. They offer advice on local
activities and their horse-trekking outfit is
probably the best organised on this side of
the lake. Their traditional Russian cottage
is contrastingly basic: two three-bed dorm
rooms are each attached to a sitting-area/
kitchenette with extra bed, while the toilet
is a long drop in the extensive garden. If full,
several neighbours rent rooms during the
summer.
Tri¨Korony¨ RESORT HOTEL $$
(s/d/ste Jul-Aug 1800/3500/5600som) Handily
central yet away from the main concentra-
tion of developments, this 60-room resort
has its own stretch of beach and compara-
tively new facilities. Quoted rates are for full
board.
Gosrezidentsia¨2¨ gUESTHOUSE $$$
( % 435 31; www.gosrezidence.kg; Soviet 131; r Jul-
Aug 2500-32,320som, off season 1460-21,000som)
The site of an old sanatorium was spruced

up to host seven heads of state during the
2009 CSTO summit. Mere mortals can stay
here when the politicians are away. Every
room and suite is different, there's indoor
swimming, a covered tennis court and a
beach with a jetty.
5 ¨Eating¨&¨Drinking
Most cafes close between October and May.
In season there are several appealing choic-
es around Green Pub, and sweet tourist-
oriented food windows along the southern
end of Chekirov Soskin (Gorky) on the way
to the beach.
Ak-Jol¨ CENTRAL ASIAN $
(Turusbekov; mains 70-150som; h 8am-6pm Mon-
Sat Oct-Jun, 8am-10pm daily Jul-Sep) Behind the
bus station, this semi-smart if hardly glori-
ous place serves tasty, rapidly prepared local
meals plus more exotic sizzler ( zharovni )
plates.
Green¨Pub¨ RUSSIAN, BARBECUE $$
( % 429 76; Soviet 11; mains 160-490som; h 9am-
10pm Oct-Jun, 8.30am-midnight July-Sep) With
more atmosphere than most and open
year-round, this low-lit, green-decor pub-
restaurant with heavy wooden tables and
a part-covered summer terrace offers excel-
lent if pricey Russian bar meals including
barbecued fish (350som).

8 Information
The main commercial strip around the post
oice on Soviet has three internet cafes plus
several exchange booths and Visa ATMs. The
only MasterCard ATM is at Ayyal Bank (Soviet)
near the Karakol bus stand.

8 Getting¨There¨&¨Away
Cholpon-Ata, being the premier resort town for
nearby and comparatively wealthy Kazakhs, is
particularly prone to luctuating transport costs.
During summer, shared-taxi prices double for
tourists and locals alike. Prices here are low-
season rates.
Westbound transport starts from the Avto-
vokzal (Bus Station) or from the corner of Kuba-
tova at Soviet directly north.
Eastbound transport uses the Karakol bus
stand (Soviet).
Frequency and price can vary radically with
day and season. In season, buses or minibuses
run at least hourly to Bishkek (250som, four
hours) and nine times daily to Karakol (120som,
2½ hours). Of season the choice will be largely
limited to Bishkek-Karakol through transport