Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FEELING¨FELT
Quintessential Kyrgyz felt rugs or decorative pieces called
shyrdak
s are pieced together
from cut pieces of sheep's wool after weeks of washing, drying, dyeing and treatment
againt pets. The appliqué patterns are usually of a
kochkor mujuz
(plant motif),
teke
mujuz
(ibex horn motif) or
kyal
(fancy scrollwork) bordered in a tyle particular to the
region of production. Designs became trikingly colourful after synthetic dye became
readily available in the 1960s, but natural dyes are making a comeback, notably using
pear and raspberry leaves, dahlia and birch root. A handmade
shyrdak
tends to have
irregular titching on the back and tight, even titching around the panels. More pictorial
ala-kiyiz
(rugs or hangings with 'blurred' coloured panels pressed on) are made by lay-
ing out the wool in the desired pattern on a
chiy
(reed) mat, sprinkling hot water, then
rolling until the wool trands compact.
There are felt-making cooperatives in Bishkek, Karakol and Kochkor with pieces often
sold through CBT and other community tourism oices.
and the Osh-Bishkek highway, courtesy of
the modest
Cafe¨Daan
(Matieva 84; mains 80-
110som;
h
9am-7pm Mon-Sat)
. Chayek is also
the main regional transport terminus with
several daily minibuses and an overnight
bus service to Bishkek via Kochkor.
Heading west, Kyzyl-Oi is a far nicer
place to stay, but there's no public transport
(the Ming-Kush marshrutka gets you as far
as Aral). If you're stuck awaiting a hitch,
Chayek does have a friendly homestay at
the western end of town, misleadingly dub-
bing itself
Hotel¨ of¨ Tourists
(
%
035-362
3879, 070-991 8542; Akal Moldaliev 4; B&B/dinner
450/200som)
.
Place
(
%
055-091 1525; Jibek Jolu 7; B&B/dinner
450/200som)
, backing onto an idyllic stretch
of river. Elvira speaks some English and the
family is building a new (if still outdoor)
bathroom. Next door,
Damira¨ Adurah-
manova's¨Homestay
(
%
055-091 1525; Jibek
Jolu 6)
is marginally the newest, smartest lit-
tle house that we visited in town.
Transport is very thin, with shared taxis
leaving a few times weekly to Bishkek.
Hitching is the only realistic option for the
45km stretch through attractive canyon-
lands to
Aral
where the road branches off
to the dystopian, part-depopulated former
uranium mining town of
Ming-Kush
.
KYZYL
-
OI КЫЗЫЛ
-
ОЙ
The name means 'red bowl' though the
majestic wide dell it occupies is beautifully
burnished in fresh green should you visit in
June. Idyllically quiet but for birdsong, sigh-
ing poplars and rushing river rapids, access
from either direction is through a curtain of
steep mountain peaks and ridges along the
Kökömeren Valley.
CBT¨ Kyzyl-Oi
(
%
031-246 4785, 055-541
7847)
, beside the main road in the village
centre, can suggest horse treks such as the
six-hour ride up the
Char¨Valley
and over
the
Kumbel¨Pass
to
Balik¨Köl
, where shep-
herds graze their flocks in summer. Yurt-
stays might be possible en route. You'll also
encounter shepherds at mid-summer
jail-
oos
in the Sary Kamysh range to the south
of town.
There are around a dozen unmarked
homestays in Kyzyl-Oi, including the home
of helpful CBT coordinator Artyk Kulubaev.
About five minutes' walk along the virtually
silent main road is
Elvira¨Mamudbekova's¨
KOJOMKUL КОЖОМКУЛ
Kojomkul village is named after a local
hero who stood 2.3m tall and weighed
165kg. Kaba-uulu Kojomkul (1889-1955)
remains a legend in these parts. There's a
Kojomkul¨monument
in the field behind
the school, Kojomkul's
mausoleum
sits on
the ridge above, and there's a fascinating, if
tumbledown, yurt-shaped shrine at the end
of town. Built in 1924 it commemmorates
one of Kojomkul's friends and the large
inscribed stone outside the
gumbaz
was
reputedly placed there by Kojomkul single-
handedly. Other of the hero's play-stones sit
outside a small, new red-roofed
Kojomkul¨
Museum
(admission 50som)
on the main road
through town.
SUUSAMYR VILLAGE СУУСАМЫР
Suusamyr village is equidistant (13km by
gravel road) from both Kojomkul and the
Bishkek-Osh road. Kubanychbek Amanku-
lov (aka Nayaber) has a homestay marked
'tourist info' very close to the main road.
