High Adventure Begins – Into Kyrgyzstan
The road to Peak Lenin:

I knew that following the erstwhile comfortable experience with a driver and hotels in China, Kyrgyzstan and onwards would be rather more adventurous and distinctly less comfortable. I was abruptly introduced to this reality with the debacle in getting from the Chinese border to Sary Tash in Kyrgyzstan, which I mentioned in my prior blog post. It was quite cold and very windy in Sary Tash, but oh the views and the location, stunning is all I can really say. I have a decent amount of photos from Kyrgyzstan despite the short stay, I will try to get these professionally edited someday.
The drive to Sary Tash:
Sary Tash
Sary Tash is a small village in Kyrgyzstan with a population of a little under 2,400, sitting at about 3163m in altitude in the beautiful Alay Valley. Its name means “yellow stone” and despite its diminutive size it’s a relatively important crossroads between China, Tajikistan and Osh in Kyrgyzstan to the north. Indeed, it would be the only outpost of civilisation until Karakul Village in Karakul Lake, Tajikistan (with the 4280m Kyzl Art pass in between).
After arriving I wandered into the desolate and lonely Alay Valley to take a few photos and get a feel for the place. Unfortunately, a number of the photos irritatingly didn't turn out and it was very cold and windy (and starting to snow) so I headed back to the homestay to relax and enjoy the view from there. I stayed in Sary Tash for one night, having a pleasant local meal (bread, meat stew, tea), with a view to head to the Peak Lenin base camp, and then Sary Mogol, the following day. The homestay which I stayed in, Pamir Extreme, run by a fellow named Shamurat (as mentioned in a prior post), was good, and fortunately well insulated from the howling winds and snow outside.
A selection of photos from Sary Tash:
To my present knowledge, apart from being a key waypoint, Sary Tash does not feature largely in Silk Road history. That said, the famous Swedish explorer who I have mentioned previously, Sven Hedin, did pass through on his way to Kyzl Art pass, his caravan attendants offering up prayers for their safe travels before venturing further; I would eventually follow suit.
A pleasant local dinner in Sary Tash (sorry no food photos):
Peak Lenin Base Camp
Before heading to Sary Mogul, the one major attraction I wished to see during my sadly short stay in Kyrgyzstan was Peak Lenin, from the basecamp. At 7134m, Peak Lenin is the second highest peak in the Pamirs, surpassed only by Ismoil Somoni Peak at 7495m. It would be the highest peak I would have a relatively easy opportunity to witness up close, as my journey would not take me close to Ismoil Somoni Peak, and I decided not to take the extra days to drive the Karakorum Highway in China (I will save this for another trip). I thought that going up to the base camp would also help me acclimatize to Karakul Lake in Tajikistan, where I intended to camp. I had some concerns that driving straight to Karakul from China might result in an unpleasant experience as regards the altitude, so I think spending at least some time in Kyrgyzstan was ultimately a good decision. As a final note, Peak Lenin is supposed to be one of the less technical 7000m+ peaks, so I would like to try to climb it someday.
The drive across the Alay Valley from Sary Tash to the base camp was impressive, with fantastic views in all directions, it very much had an isolated and out-there vibe, it was magnificent. After the plains of the valley below you enter glacial moraine and rolling hills, passing mountain lakes, Yaks, and yurt camps along the way. Ultimately, we would stop at the highest yurt camp, and I would hike the rest of the way to the base camp. It was actually a very short hike, perhaps an hour and half, though I took my time, as I had all my camera equipment with me, extra clothes and water – the weather was good, but I wanted to be prepared in case it turned.
Views from the drive to Peak Lenin. On closer inspection and comparison with other photos of the Summit, I believe I actually did see it during the drive, but didn't quite realize when I asked the driver to stop briefly for some photos. It is clearest in the last two photos:
A clearer shot of the Peak Lenin massif is below. If you count 7 electricity poles down from the right, and look straight up, that's the summit I believe:

The views were spectacular. Unfortunately, however, Peak Lenin itself was shy and decided to disguise itself in cloud for the duration of my visit to Kyrgyzstan. I caught a few glimpses of it through the clouds and I think I may have got a few shots of the summit from a distance, but never really got a clear image it in all its grandeur, alas. I did manage to get a few shots of the impressive surroundings, of course.
A selection of photos from the base camp:
This would have been the best unobstructed view of Peak Lenin were it not for the clouds:

Despite the wind and altitude, I managed to get the drone up for a bit I'm still not very good at using it, but did manage to get a few photos and some video. Video will follow later once edited:
The image immediately below is what I should have seen on a clear day from Sary Mogul some 50km away from the base camp, meaning that Peak Lenin would have been without doubt more imposing up close!
After waiting for 45 minutes or so at the base camp area, I decided to head back to the yurt camp for lunch, where I had a local meal and met two young guys from Austria and chatted to their Kyrgyz guide who had some interesting things to say about the Tajiks.
Credit for the below photo of Peak Lenin from Sary Mogol goes to Wikipedia, unfortunately, it was obscured by cloud when I visited:

Sary Mogol
After leaving Peak Lenin we drove to Sary Mogol to stay the night. I checked into a traditional homestay and had a decent meal, and during that spoke to an interesting Polish fellow I met named Marek. It seems I really do need to get a visit in to see Poland.
Sary Mogol is 32km to the west of Sary Tash in the Alay Valley, Kyrgyzstan. It is also beautiful, and in my personal experience, given a turn in weather and a sunset, even more so than Sary Tash. It has a population of around 5,200. Unlike Sary Tash, I had a good chance to wander around Sary Mogol for a few hours with my camera. Along with animals (there is easily more animals than people), the town was full of children! I don’t think I have had to say “hello” so many times in one day before in my life (not that I minded), they’re all very charming.
The surprisingly bustling streets of Sary Mogol:

A wander through Sary Mogol at sunset:
Sunset and drone photos in Sary Mogol:

I will let the photos do the rest of the talking, what a fantastic place.
We left Sary Mogol early to make our way to Kyzl Art pass and Tajikistan. Being stupid, I failed to figure out how to get the hot water working and had a cold shower in already cold conditions. I had to keep my feet outside of my boots and rub them halfway to Kyzl-Art to get rid of the damn cold! I will cover Kyzl-Art and Karakul Lake in a subsequent blog post.
For a short stay in Kyrgyzstan, it was excellent, and I would love to go back. I instantly regretted not booking more time there from the moment I arrived in the Alay Valley – really an otherworldly beautiful place.
Onwards to Tajikistan!
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