Travelogue

Feb 8, 2015

Part 1: Cruising Along The Pamir Highway In Tajikistan

sunriseOdyssey / Tajikistan / bulunku, central asia, pamir highway, tajikistan, winter / 1 Comment

Recently we went on an adrenaline pumping 5D4N scenic ride along the Pamir Highway at the roof of the world (the Pamir Highway is the second highest altitude road in the world at 4665m!) and also the Wakhan Valley. The Pamir Highway is known as one of the most scenic drives in the world and we can definitely vouch for that. Definitely a must visit if you’re travelling to Central Asia.

The Pamir Highway was part of the ancient Silk Road trade route and was built since 1932 by the Russians for transportation of goods. It was one hell of a bumpy ride, think long sinuous narrow paths with fallen boulders and loose scree dangerously strewn everywhere. At least the views were extremely rewarding and it was well worth the sore butts (and money)!

Tip: Very crucial to hire a proper driver with a good 4WD. With such uneven roads, I can’t imagine riding in a normal car without proper suspension (ouch!). Also to play safe, make sure that your driver has a proper license and all his documents ready. We were stopped a gazillion times by the local police and border guards.

Do note that the entire journey was mostly along rural villages. So be mentally prepared for very basic accommodation, no hot shower (no shower during winter), simple food, unreliable electricity supply (good luck if your guesthouse is using electric heater) and of course, no wifi. It felt good though, to be disconnected from the digital world for a week.

If you’re planning on sourcing for your own driver just like we did, you may choose to include the places below in your itinerary. Here are some of the memorable highlights of our Pamir Highway (Part 1) and Wakhan Valley journey (Part 2).

Bulunku lake – the coldest place in Tajikistan

The altitude here is much higher and it gets really dry and cold during winter. When we were there, it was -38°C in the morning! That’s the coldest that we’ve ever experienced in our lives! During their coldest month, temperatures can go as low as -58°C ! How is that even possible to survive?! Anyway, we decided to take a short walk out to the lake and it was so shocking to see our hair and eyelashes covered with frost! There was also frost on the buff used to cover my mouth and nose. We literally turned into Frosty.

My very cool frozen hair. Daniel said that I look like those indigenous people of Central Asia haha

Picturesque village of Bulunku

Our first time trying Yak’s meat at the homestay in Bulunku! Not bad, taste like beef

Stunning view of the milky way at Bulunku. Frost formed on the tripod after being out in the open for 10 minutes.

Walking towards Bulunku lake which was too far away and impossible to reach in this weather 🙁

Also, check out our very cool science experiment where we tried to make snow from throwing boiling water into the -38°C air! Success or failure? You decide…

So we heard that when you combine boiling water with super cold freezing temperatures, you get snow! and we decided to try it in the coldest area of Tajikistan where it was -38degrees! this was the result…. success? fail? please advise… #tajikistan #centralasia #snow #bulunkul #footprintsacrossasia

A video posted by Sunrise Odyssey (@sunriseodyssey) on Jan 11, 2015 at 1:41am PST

Bulunku to Langar – Spotted super rare Marco Polo sheep at the Khargush pass

This is another bonus of travelling to Central Asia during winter, not only do you get most attractions to yourself, you also get to spot very rare animals like the Marco Polo sheep! The Marco Polo sheep can only be found in the mountainous regions of Central Asia. A mature ram can weight up to 126 kg and they have really large spiralling horns that can grow up to 140cm. During winter, they will descend from the high mountains to get water from the river and to find grass to eat. But in summer, they usually stay at the top of the mountains and it’s almost impossible to spot them! Our guide has been in this line for 5 years and this was her first time seeing them up close!

We were happily driving along when our guide spotted a trail of rising dust and sand from the distance and our driver immediately sped up to keep with up with these super fast and agile creatures. Then all of a sudden, they started running nearer towards our jeep and cut across the road right in front of our jeep and up the mountain! We couldn’t believe our eyes! People actually pay hundreds of dollars for special tours just to spot these Marco Polo sheep! And even then, most of them would not be able to see them at such close proximity and can only admire them through ultra binoculars. Some hunters will also pay an average of $20,000 to $25,000 for an expedition to hunt a Marco Polo sheep. So I guess, we were really one of the very few lucky few who ever seen these rare creatures up close 🙂

Langar – Ancient petroglyphs

Admiring the petroglyphs. Can you spot the Marco Polo sheep petroglyph?

Petroglyphs are ancient engravings on rocks by people in the past. It’s very interesting as it provides an insight into their way of living and thinking at that point of time. There are over 6,000 petroglyphs at Langar but mostly of the same thing – mountain goats, Marco Polo sheep, hunters, snow leopard. It’s not difficult to locate the petroglyphs at Langar.

How to get to the petroglyphs in Langar: Follow the path behind the shop next to the local school and it’ll lead you to a row of white grave stones and then the path continues all the way to the petroglyphs. We took around 30 minutes of upslope climb to reach the petroglyphs.

Our “guide” very happily photo bombing us -.- He was from Nigina Guesthouse where we stayed at and he automatically followed us when we left to explore the petroglyphs. At first we thought he was just being friendly and helpful, but when we finally reached the petroglyphs, he sneakily took out a small piece of paper from his pocket and on it was written ’25 som”. We weren’t exactly shocked, he merely confirmed our suspicion when we noticed him following us all the way. One thing that we really loathe is the feeling that we were being taken advantage of. In this case, we clearly told the guesthouse that we didn’t need a guide when they asked us and this fella here, happily followed us and then asked us for money. I’m sure he has done the same to many other tourists before. We of course, refused to give him the money as we don’t feel that this is right.

Essential Information

Tour Company: Pamir Offroad Adventure Tours

We highly recommend Pamir Off Road Adventures as they were very professional and responded promptly to our emails. They provided us with a skilled driver, Musa, and guide (his wife), Nadezhda who spoke fluent english, and a solid 4X4 jeep! Trust me, the jeep’s one of the most important factor to consider when travelling the Pamir Highway! The price that we paid was actually for the driver only, and it was a bonus to have a knowledgeable english speaking guide to join us for this tour 🙂 Throughout the 5 days, they were very attentive to our needs and ensured that we were always kept warm and comfortable at night in the different guesthouses. We were exceptionally pleased when on the very last day, both Musa and Nadezhda went the extra mile by sending us to the market at Khoroq to negotiate a very cheap price for a taxi to Dushanbe. This was an extra value added service which we really appreciated. Overall we were very satisfied with their excellent service!

Contact Information: Januzak (Director), 900577888, janpamtour@gmail.com

Please contact Januzak for more information on the cost of the tour.

Check out part 2 where we continued our journey along the Wakhan Valley of Tajikistan and explored ancient castle ruins, fortresses and soaked in natural outdoor hot springs!

Feb 1, 2015

Unique Things to do in Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan during Winter

sunriseOdyssey / Kyrgyzstan / arslanbob, horse trekking, kyrgyzstan, skiing, trekking / 0 Comments

Despite only spending 2 days at this idyllic village at Arslanbob, it was definitely one of our most memorable travel experiences of Footprints Across Asia. The people here were so amicable and helpful, our host was amazing and the village was so picturesque with jagged ridges of snowy alpine mountains surrounding it and a gorgeous partially frozen river cutting right through the village. Oh and not forgetting the cute dopey donkeys that were awkwardly standing around, adding a humorous touch to this quaint village.

On a sad note, these donkeys were in a really pitiful plight though. At the point of writing, there were around 249 of them homeless and living off scraps on the streets. Due to the influx of cheap affordable cars made in Korea, most locals now own a car and it’s obviously more efficient to transport goods using the car rather than to use the slow and cumbersome donkey, hence deeming donkeys irrelevant in this village 🙁

The journey to Arslanbob itself was an interesting one. We had to cross 2 high passes (3500m) and some parts of the roads were really slippery due to the refrozen snow. Lorries that did not bother using snow chains ended up hindering traffic. There was this particular slope where even cars have problems going up and the passengers had to get down to help push the car up. But during the day, the view was spectacular and time passed quickly despite it being a 10 hours long journey.

Not many tourists travel to Arslanbob during winter as they think that there’s not much that they can do during winter. Well, they’re wrong! We travelled to Arslanbob during winter and had a great time! Here are some suggestions on things to do in Arslanbob during winter.

1. Homestay

Over here at Arslanbob, there are no fancy hotels or guesthouses, only simple homestays where local families open up their house for tourists to stay at. So forget about booking.com when finding accommodation at Arslanbob. We stayed at Guesthouse 1, arranged by Hyat from Community Based Tourism (CBT). Our hospitable host, Nazeera, was a cute and cheerful lady who cooked really delicious traditional local food! Her house was definitely not what we expected of a homestay though as it felt way too luxurious! The second floor which was dedicated for guests has been beautifully adorned with large colourful carpets and there were even plants of all sorts lining the stairwell creating a cozy atmosphere. Hot shower was even available upon request!

Cost per pax: 600som/night inclusive of breakfast, additional 180som for dinner. (We heard that the prices would be adjusted from 2015 onwards)

2. Visit the local school

That’s Demir (Hyat’s son) in colourful stripes serving the ball!

We were interested to get an insight on how a local school was being run in the village and asked Hyat (CBT) if we could visit the school. We were delighted when he offered to ask his 12 years old son, Demir (hopefully I spelt his name correctly) to bring us to his school! Demir was such a cool kid! He actually skied to school! It was as though skiing is the equivalent of their rollerblading. We ended up attending 4 classes together him, namely Russian, Uzbekistan, Maths and PE (volleyball). His classmates and teachers were all really friendly and curious about us and tried conversing with us in the limited English that they know. We felt really welcomed when we were at school with him.

Cost: FREE

3. Sign up for a tour with Community Based Tourism (CBT)

For us, we decided to sign up for a 1 day horse trekking and snowboarding tour with CBT. Yes, it’s still possible to do horse back trekking even in winter at Arslanbob! This tour was such an amazing one where we got to ride the horses up the mountains to around 2,500m and snowboard after that. We were also pampered with a sumptuous feast for lunch! CBT offers a wide array of bespoke tours from trekking, skiing, walnut harvesting, horse riding and many more. Just speak to Hyat and you’ll be spoilt for choice after that 😉

Cost for 2 pax: 5,500 som (4700som for rental of horses, guide and lunch, 800 som for rental of snowboard) S$123.43

4. Visit the animal bazaar

This was our first time visiting an animal bazaar and we honestly didn’t know what to expect. When we first arrived at the bazaar enthusiastically, we were confused as it was empty and there wasn’t a single animal in sight. We almost thought we were at the wrong location. After trying to ask around, we realised that during winter the bazaar starts later. When we came back later, we were stunned by the sight of sooooo many people (almost more men than animals actually)! Sheep and goats were lined up at the right wall, cows on the opposite side and horses roaming around in the middle. It was quite cool seeing the locals haggle over the cost of the animal and then finally coming to an agreement. It somewhat reminded us of a stock market!

Assessing the quality of the sheep, considering if it’s worth buying it.

Look at the crazy crowd! Can’t even see the animals from here!

Owners bringing their reluctant sheep to sell at the bazaar

And….it’s a deal!

Cost: FREE

When: Every Wednesday, around 9-10am during winter

Essential information

Contact information: Hyat, Community Based Tourism, 077-834 2476/077-334 2476

Have you been to an animal bazaar before? What was your experience like? Share it with us in the comments below! 🙂 For other things to do in Kyrgyzstan, check out our skiing and snowboarding trip in Karakol, trekking trips to Altyn Arashan, Ala Archa and Kegety Gorge.

Jan 18, 2015

Horse Trekking & Snowboarding at Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan

sunriseOdyssey / Kyrgyzstan, travelogue / 0 Comments

Kyrgyzstan, as highlighted by our guidebook, is supposedly one of the best places in Central Asia to horse trek. Unfortunately, due to it being the winter season now, many tour companies have stopped their horse trekking tours. But lo and behold, look at that! That’s me on a horse in winter, getting ready to trek up the mountain at Arslanbob!

So yes, it’s still possible to horse trek even in winter at Arslanbob! But depends on which month though, we were there in December and the snow level was still manageable for the horses. We’re not sure about January to March when the snowfall is supposedly the heaviest. It’s best to call the in-charge, Hyat, from Community Based Tourism (CBT) a call to check first. We really like the idea of CBT, more about CBT later on in this post.

Us and Hyat in his CBT office

After a passionate and thorough briefing by Hyat about the background of Arslanbob as well as the things that we can do, we decided to sign up for a 1 day horse trek + skiing/snowboarding tour with CBT. Yes, skiing and snowboarding is also possible at Arslanbob! Very cool!

The next morning, our guide promptly met us outside the CBT’s office ready with our horses. We weren’t exactly experienced riders at all but the horses were so tame that even a first timer wouldn’t have any problem at all!

Hehe everybody, please say hi to Karapa (means black horns in Russian), my lovely tame horse! Oh and check out our guide in the second photo below. It was insane how he could carry so many equipment with him while he rode his horse! (2 snowboards, snowboard shoes, skis, food and more!) Poor guy…and horse.

We happily rode the horses up the mountains to about 2,500m where we reached a wide gentle sloping agricultural land which has been entirely covered with a thick layer of fresh powdery snow. As you can see, the slope was rather gentle, but still, it was great fun going down on the soft powdery snow! Even if you fall or flip over (some of the skiers had really dramatic falls), it wouldn’t hurt at all because you’ll only just end up crashing into a thick layer of fluffy snow!

We had a great time snow boarding down the slope albeit it being a much shorter distance compared to the slopes at Karakol Ski Resort. But of course, both experiences are different and this somehow felt more authentic and interesting!

Another highlight of this awesome tour was none other than…..LUNCH! Our guide specially prepared for us a sumptuous spread of local snacks laid out in a picnic style for us. We had the traditional spice-laden Shashlyk (Central Asia’s version of Kebab or Satay) cooked over charcoal fire for our main course and boy was it the most delicious and succulent meat that we’ve ever tasted, well at least for Daniel. Personally I didn’t like it as much as Daniel did as they used this spice that was very commonly used in most local dishes in Central Asia and that spice didn’t go very well with my taste buds. But other than that particular spice, it was really tasty and yummy!

Overall we had a really great time with Hyat and his team! We really like the flexibility of CBT in Arslanbob and how they make us tourists feel very much at home during our stay there 🙂 CBT also offers a wide array of bespoke tours around Arslanbob at any time of the year! Just look for Hyat and he’ll be more than happy to share with you the details of each tour.

Essential Information

Cost for 2 pax: 5,500 som (4700som for rental of horses, guide and lunch, 800 som for rental of snowboard) – S$123.43

How to book the tour: Hyat, Community Based Tourism, 077-834 2476/077-334 2476

Where we stayed: Guesthouse 1 (Call Hyat and he will arrange the homestay for you

Have you been to Central Asia before? Where are some of your favourite places to horse trek or ski/snowboard? Share it with us in the comments below!

Jan 10, 2015

Part 2: The Long Journey to the Hot Spring at Altyn Arashan

sunriseOdyssey / Kyrgyzstan / 0 Comments

The hardest part of our journey to Altyn Arashan has only just begun (click here if you’ve missed part 1 of our journey where we bumped into unexpected visitors who sort of saved our lives!), the snow was now knee deep and we were struggling to keep warm by constantly moving ahead. Snow was hitting our faces from all directions and icicles have started to form at the edge of our jacket’s hood (see photo below for proof). All that hindered our vision and made it even more difficult to identify the earlier defined path, which has now been blurred by the fresh snow.

We know we said that we wanted to see snow, but we didn’t expect THAT MUCH snow! icicles

The river crossing was even more challenging as the rocks were entirely covered with snow. Daniel had to use his gloved hand to brush away the thick layer of snow on the rock in front of him while carefully balancing himself on another rock. It was scary to determine which rock to step on as the refrozen layer of ice on it made it treacherously dangerous. The last thing that we wanted to get was hypothermia in this crazy blizzard. (By the way, the photo below of the river crossing was taken the next day on our way back when the sun was out. We did not manage to capture a shot while crossing the weather in the blizzard as all of our energy was focused on crossing the river in one piece.)

The sun was slowly setting and it was getting darker by the minute. We were getting worried that we wouldn’t be able to make it when miraculously, after seven grueling hours, the view finally opened up into a vast plain flanked by a majestic valley. We were ecstatic as we spotted in the distance a green hut with smoke rising from its chimney. Fueled with energy, we marched over as quickly as we could to the hut. As we got nearer, we could hear a dog barking and saw a figure shoveling the thick snow to clear a pathway to its main door. We soon reached the hut and were promptly welcomed inside where it was so warm and nice, it almost felt like we could live there forever. We sat as near to the fire stove as possible to get all the warmth that our bodies needed. Our host, a disheveled old man with dirty fingernails, served us hot green tea with sugar and bread to go with it.

The photo above doesn’t look too appetising now, but back then in that crazy weather, it was like godsend to us! Once our bodies have completely defrosted, it was time for us to claim our reward and to experience the amazing wonders of the natural hot spring! Supposedly it’s able to heal skin problems, kill any harmful germs in our body, increase metabolic rate and digestion, and the list goes on. To our chagrin, our host said that it was not feasible to visit the outdoor pool as the snow was waist deep and that it was too cold and far to trek there. We had to make do with the indoor hot spring and were actually thankful that we didn’t have to strip in the open where it was freezing cold! The hot spring was inside a small dimly lit wooden shed with a frosted exterior and icicles lining its roof. By now the sun has almost completely set and temperatures were dipping even lower! It took us quite some time to get into the hot spring as our body needed to adjust from a freezing -20degrees to a scalding hot 45 degrees.

We were like pieces of meat being boiled in a cauldron of Shorpa (traditional soup dish with meat in Central Asia). After being happily and willingly cooked for about 10mins, we decided to check out the shed adjacent to the one that we were in. Feeling lazy to put back on all our clothes, we crazily made a quick dash barefooted on snow in our intimates to the other shed and entered the steaming pool as quickly as we could. Once inside, we were in bliss again. Then came the torturous part, exiting the pool and braving the bitter cold while putting back on all our clothes as fast as we could (not many, only about 17 layers of clothing). We could have broken a record for that I think. We had enough of the hot spring for the day and went back to the hut where our noses were immediately greeted with a delicious fragrant whiff of our dinner! Our host cooks excellent food and his soups were delectable (though we tried really hard not to think of the hygiene factor).

Looking back, this whole journey felt like an epic adventure and we’re really not sure if we would do it again if given a choice. Given the same weather conditions, maybe not. But if we were in spring, summer or autumn, yeah why not?!

Us fooling around with makeshift icicle swords

Where are your favourite hot springs? Share with us in the comments below! Check out our other trekking adventures in Kyrgyzstan to Ala-Archa and Kegety Gorge!

Jan 4, 2015

Skiing and Snowboarding in Central Asia

sunriseOdyssey / Kyrgyzstan, travelogue / 0 Comments

So recently, we went for our first skiing and snowboarding trip at Karakol in Kyrgyzstan. You know how the saying goes, when life throws you lemons, you make lemonade. So since there are very limited activities that we can do during winter, we did what’s best for winter, and that is skiing and snowboarding!

Disclaimer: The last time I skied was 15 years ago and it wasn’t really proper skiing. I only glided around a little at the beginner slope and didn’t dare take the ski lifts to a higher slope. So, I consider this experience as my first proper ski trip. Whereas for snowboarding, this was my first time trying it! Daniel on the other hand is more experienced and has done quite a few ski and snowboarding trips. He was also my extremely patient instructor for the day.

Skiing: The Ups and Downs

Like most first-timers, we would start out by dragging our skis to a slightly elevated slope and get a feel of skiing. It almost seemed impossible initially when my legs refused to cooperate with each other. My skis either went inwards (bow legged) or outwards or in opposite directions. Of course, I ended up falling most of the time. But after awhile, under the patient guidance of Instructor Bob, I kind of got the hang of it and managed to traverse down the entire slope without falling, and then he said, it was time to head to the next level.

The most exhilarating part of our ski trip was taking the ski lift to 3300m which was the 2^nd highest slope at the ski resort after just trying out the beginner slope a couple of times and skiing (tumbling) down all the way. As I took the ski lift up to the top of the slope (which took 20 minutes by the way and it was freezing!), my heart almost stopped beating as I saw the slope. It looked so steep and intimidating! The heart-thumping factor was that beyond the pine trees that lined the path was a steeper slope filled with a myriad of trees. Imagine if you were to swerve off course, you’ll end up crashing into those trees at a lightning speed. I didn’t even dare think about the repercussions of that happening. I was confused for a moment if I was shaking because of the cold, or in trepidation.

The slope was made up of different sections alternating between crazy steep and slightly gentler slopes. The steep section was so steep that when I fell, I literally slid all the way down to the bottom of that section, which was a good thing as I could also conveniently collect my detached skis and poles that were scattered around me. The most tiring part was getting up (while trying to balance on the slope) and putting back on all my gear. Finally after much struggling and falling, I finally made it to the bottom and was almost in tears from the shock, disbelief and an immense sense of achievement!

So yes, skiing is challenging, but once you get the hang of it, it’s exhilarating! The adrenaline rush from gliding past at a high speed, narrowly missing other skiers by an inch and feeling your heart race when going down a steep slope. Everything comes with a price, just check out the damage done to my legs. The dark patch is not a birthmark by the way. It’s my battle scar from fighting the skis. All’s worth it though 😉

Snowboarding: Defying Gravity

Snowboarding is definitely an interesting sport. It’s a total different ball game from skiing. It was a challenge trying to switch my mentality as I only just learnt skiing the day before. One thing interesting about snowboarding is that the snowboarder can be leaning very much to one side and yet still balance on the board without falling over. It really seemed as though he was defying gravity!

Again after just a couple of practices on the beginner’s slope, we took the ski lift to 3300m to challenge ourselves. As we were going up, the weather started to change. The fog intensified, snow started to fall and the temperature dropped drastically. We were joking that by the time we reached the top of the slope, we would have turned into human popsicles.

When we finally alighted from the ski lift, we were in the midst of a snow blizzard! Visibility was probably less than 5 meters and some skiers even had headlights on (good idea actually)! It was no joke trying to snowboard down the slope in such a crazy weather. Snow kept flying into my face and eyes from all directions and we didn’t have any ski mask on to shield our eyes. I could hardly keep my eyes open and it was scary as hell as there were many pro skiers racing down the slope despite the almost diminished visibility. But luckily, somehow we made it to the bottom of the slope, alive and unscathed.

To me, snowboarding was easier to grasp as compared to skiing. Maybe because I’ve done wake boarding before and the feel was somewhat similar. Although when I first snowboarded down the beginner’s slope, I fell the entire way down. But I guess that’s how you learn, if you don’t fall, the fear of falling will always be there and you’ll be too scared to take the next step.

Overall, skiing here in Central Asia is really affordable as compared to the other more commercialised places like Japan or Korea! It’s also less crowded and at times you feel like you have the whole slope to yourself, which is good for a beginner!

Essential Information

When to go
Nov to April

Where
Karakol Ski Resort
(One of the staff, Sergei, provided us with excellent service! I had problems finding the correct fit for my ski shoes and he patiently gave me multiple shoes to try and even stepped out of his counter to assist me with wearing and tightening my shoes.)

Cost
Ski lift pass: S$13.70 (weekday M/T/W), S$21.70 (T/F/S/S)
Rental of Skis/Snowboard: $9
Taxi to ski resort from city centre: S$11.40 (one way)

Tip: It’s best to arrange a taxi to pick you up from the ski resort when you’re done as rarely there’ll be taxis available at the resort. Most people drive their own vehicle there instead. Or if you dare to take the risk of having to walk your way back down, you can try hitch hiking. We did that on our first day and thankfully after multiple failed attempts, a jeep finally stopped and agreed to give us a lift. They were kind enough to send us all the way back to our hostel!

Any recommendations for other awesome places to ski or snowboard? Do share it with us in the comments below! Do also check out our experience on snowboarding at Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan!

Dec 23, 2014

Our Favourite Treks of Twenty-Fourteen

sunriseOdyssey / China, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, travelogue / 0 Comments

How time flies, 2014 is coming to an end and this also marks the half way mark of our 279 days Footprints Across Asia quest! Trekking has become one of our favourite past times and this year, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to trek at so many different places across the world! Definitely, some treks have left a deeper imprint in our hearts and so we’ve decided to come up with a list of our favourite treks of 2014.

1. Hua Shan, China

Climbing the world’s most dangerous mountain, Hua Shan in China. Standing on a foot wide wooden platform at a height of 2600m above sea level and trying to act fearless while posing for the camera. It was indeed one of the more challenging and exciting treks that we’ve done in China.

2. Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia

Most intense trek that we’ve ever done in our lives so far, ascending to 4,095m in one day. But the views were extremely rewarding and the sense of achievement from completing the trek was incredible.

3. Huang Shan, China

It’s no wonder that this is one of China’s most popular mountains. It’s also the mountain that inspired many Chinese paintings. Interesting hike up with different challenges along the way which made it more enjoyable.

4. Altyn Arashan, Kyrgyzstan

Definitely an unforgettable experience for us as we braved through knee-deep snow, crazy blizzard, biting cold wind, treacherous river crossings and ran almost naked in -20°C to get our reward at the end of the trek. Also, we bumped into some kind souls who saved our lives!

5. Zhang Jia Jie, China

If you love the movie, Avatar, then you’ll definitely be mesmerised by these beautiful mountains at Zhang Jia Jie National Park, the place that inspired the mystical Hallelujah mountains in Avatar.

Have you trekked at any of the above places before? What are some of your favourite treks? Share it with us in the comments below! 🙂

Dec 7, 2014

Part 1: Trekking The World’s Most Dangerous Road to Altyn Arashan and Bumping into Unexpected Visitors

sunriseOdyssey / Kyrgyzstan / 1 Comment

It was minus twenty degrees outside and while flipping through our Central Asia guidebook, we chanced upon a natural hot spring at Altyn Arashan and we knew, that our plans for the next two days were settled. The idea of a hot spring in this blizzard was heaven to us. We contacted the owner of the hot spring and met up with him to discuss our plans. The owner, Valentin, was a scruffy old fella with a persistent cough who assured us while smoking a cigarette that it was no problem for us to proceed with this trek despite the cold weather. He also mentioned that it was an easy trek and it shouldn’t take us more than 4 hours to reach the hot spring.

So off we went the next day, optimistically with a backpack that carried only a 500ml water bottle and some snacks. We did not pack lunch as we assumed that we would reach by 1pm if we took four hours to complete the trek. As for the water, it was no problem as we could always refill our bottles with snow later on (or so we thought). After trekking for awhile, we began to understand why this road was given the title as the “world’s most dangerous road for motorists”. The road was severely uneven with potholes of varying sizes almost every few metres! With the snow, it was trickier as it was slippery and the snow disguised the uneven surface, which made it harder for drivers to know where to avoid. There were also 2 small rivers that we had to cross. No wonder our guidebook mentioned that walking might not necessarily be slower than driving.

Any hope of hitch-hiking was dashed after around 2 hours of trekking and still not a single soul or vehicle in sight. Just as we were resigning to our fate that no other person in his sound mind would pass through this route during winter, we suddenly heard the roaring engine of a vehicle drawing closer to us. We couldn’t believe our ears and was unsure if we heard correctly or was it from the gurgling river next to us. We stopped in our tracks and waited for awhile before a pickup truck appeared before us. We were delighted and immediately stretched our hand out to flag it down and signaled if we could take a lift from them. Two of the guys had to reach out their hands to pull us up into the back of their truck where there were remnants of wood shavings and hay, and also a very stale and funky smell. There were about 6 guys at the back of the truck and later we found out they were a bunch of woodcutters on their way to work! Islam, the guy on my left in the photo below, could speak some basic English and told us that every day, they would drive up to the mountain around this time to cut wood and then return to the village after dusk.

We chatted with the guys and one thing that really struck a cord in us was their immense love and pride for their country. Islam said that he didn’t know what heaven’s like, but to him, living here in Kyrgyzstan with the beautiful mountains and forest was like heaven to him. The truck soon came to a stop after twenty minutes and Islam informed us that it was their break time and invited us for some tea and bread together with them. We had our break inside a small communal brown wagon with a traditional stove at one end, work boots neatly lined at the side and a table with some used utensils in the centre of the wagon. There were also a few axes and saws lying at a corner and a row of mattresses for the workers to rest at the end of the wagon.

It felt so good drinking hot tea in this chilly weather. By then the snow has gotten much heavier and we were so grateful that we were holed up here, feeling really warm and cozy with something to eat and drink especially since we did not pack any lunch. Islam started sharing with us stories about the dangers of the mountains. He said that in the mountains, there are plenty of wolves and wild boars which will attack humans if they see them. Especially when it snows, the wolves will start to roam around and search for their next prey. Exact words from him, “many snow, wolf will come. Danger to human”. That really scared us as while trekking, we did come across several dubious looking footprints, which looked like it might have belonged to a wolf.

Lunch break was soon over and we climbed back onto the pickup truck. By then the snow has gotten even heavier and the wind was howling! Visibility was almost zilch and we could hardly open our eyes! The truck started moving and shortly after 5 minutes, it stopped. Islam said that they’ve reached their destination and they will be alighting here for their work. We were disappointed as we thought that we could at least hitch-hike for a longer portion of our journey and wasn’t expecting to alight so soon. We were shivering in the back of the truck when Islam casually mentioned that the radio was playing a song by “Enrique Iglesia”. Excitedly, I asked if it was the song “Hero” and then he laughed and said, “No, no hero. You are the hero, for trekking through this snow to Altyn Arashan” as his crew and him bid us farewell into the vast treacherous blizzard…(to be continued)

Check out part 2 of our long journey to the hot spring at Altyn Arashan where we braved the blizzard, ran almost naked on snow and finally reaped our rewards at the end of it!

Nov 30, 2014

The Frozen Waterfall of Ala-Archa Kyrgyzstan

sunriseOdyssey / Kyrgyzstan / 0 Comments

After our first winter trek at Kegeti Gorge, we were really excited for our next trek to Ala-Archa Kyrgyzstan, another famous highlight! We actually planned for a 2D1N trek to Ala-Archa and Ak-Sai where we supposed to sleep at the hut at 3300m. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it. Trekking through snow was sooooo challenging 🙁 It made the trek so much harder and we took double the time as compared to if it was in summer! That’s me and our guide, Misha, in front of me!

The day started out great! It was relatively warm (around 0 degrees) and sunny with clear blue skies! As compared to the past few days when it was mostly foggy and snowy with temperatures averaging around -10 degrees. So yes, Misha, also told us that we were really lucky to have such great weather for our trek 🙂 Here’s me looking all ready and raring to begin the trek! Looking kind of professional right? Thanks to our awesome local guide, Misha from Kyrgyzland, who helped prepared us for the trek by loaning us all the necessary gear. He loaned us the trekking pole, alpine boots (yes even shoes can be loaned!) and gaiters (a waterproof garment that you wear over your shoes and lower pants to prevent any snow from entering your shoes). He has all sort of equipment for rent and you just need to tell him what you’re lacking.

We started our trek around noon and to mentally prepare ourselves, we asked Misha what was the average amount of time needed to reach the hut and he told us around 3-5 hours. That sounded not too bad. Hence we were mentally prepared for a less demanding journey as we’ve definitely trekked longer distances in a day before. But boy were we so wrong…After 2 hours of trekking, we were not even anywhere near our halfway mark which was at the waterfall! The original plan was to stop at the waterfall for our lunch break. But we were so hungry after 2 hours of trekking, we decided to stop there and then to have our lunch break instead.

Tip: When packing a sandwich for lunch during your trek, avoid water logged vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers as well as putting too much sauce. This will reduce the chances of a soggy sandwich and also reduce its weight. If you are really a sauce person, pack the sauce separately and only add it into the sandwich when you’re ready to eat it. See that bag of white mushy stuff on my lap? That’s the egg mayo that we prepared to go with our sandwich.

Trekking on snow was tough. But trekking on LOOSE snow was 10 times tougher! It snowed for the past few days which explained the fresh loose snow. It took a lot more effort to trek the same distance on snow as compared to normal ground. Our legs were already aching despite a gentle sloping terrain. Not forgetting that in the mountains it was much colder and our finger tips were almost turning blue albeit wearing waterproof gloves! Blood flow to our legs were compromised as well due to the muscles overworking and tensing up while trekking uphill on a loose snow terrain. Read here for tips on trekking on loose snow as well as preventing frost bite!

After we were done with our lunch, with some food in our tummies, we were definitely more energised and hyped up for the next part of the trek! After a lot of slipping and fumbling on snow, we finally reached the half way mark, which was the completely FROZEN waterfall! By the way, it took us around 4 gruelling hours to reach the waterfall. Compared to summer, you probably need around 2 hours to reach the same waterfall. But anyway, here’s the really cool completely frozen waterfall! From afar, it actually looked 2 dimensional as it blended in with the rocks so well! Misha shared with us that it’s very popular for avid mountaineers to ice climb on this frozen waterfall! The incline wasn’t that steep and the layer of frozen water was thick enough, hence making it safe to climb on it. Also, even if you do fall, you’ll end up on soft fluffy snow which won’t hurt as bad I guess.

Can you spot the waterfall?

After we were done admiring the frozen waterfall, it was almost 5pm and the sun was setting really soon. That really scared me as we were only halfway through our trek! That was when we had to decide if we wanted to carry on as per our initial plan or to head back to our van and call it a day. We were quite disappointed as we were all prepared for an awesome 2 day trek. But considering that we took 4 hours to reach our halfway mark, we will probably need another 4 hours or actually more since the second half was a lot steeper and twice as challenging! That would mean we’ll only reach our hut at 9pm or later! Maybe in summer it might still be possible, but during winter the days are much shorter and when everything is covered in snow, it’s super challenging to identify the path. With a heavy but slightly relieved heart (we were almost going to collapse from exhaustion), we decided to call it a day and to head back downhill.

We could feel the temperatures dropping drastically and we had to add on more layers. But going downhill on loose snow was faster and super fun! Half the time we were sliding and falling on our butts (didn’t hurt much though), it felt as though we were skiing! Sometimes beneath the snow lies a smooth rock which can be really slippery with a layer of frozen ice on it! At least when going downhill, our muscles are more relaxed as compared to going uphill and hence blood flow to our legs was more regular which kept our feet warm. Eventually the sun has totally set and we were surrounded in darkness. Thankfully we brought our trusty headlight which is a must bring for any trekking trip! Read here for other must bring items for trekking! It took us about only 2 hours to reach the bottom of the mountain which was much faster as compared to the 4 hours taken to trek uphill to reach the waterfall.

That basically sums up our experience on trekking in Ala-Archa! The frozen waterfall was definitely a unique sight and we were glad we made it 🙂 We’ve learnt so much from this trek and have even come up with a long list of useful tips for trekking in winter. Hope it’ll be useful to you too! 🙂

Essential Information

How to book this tour

We highly recommend Misha (local guide) from Kyrgyzland as he’s really professional and experienced! He’s an avid mountaineer himself and has been offering guided treks in Central Asia for the past 15 years. He also offers a wide array of interesting tours around Kyrgyzstan and the rest of Central Asia (Treks to Inylchek Glacier, Terskey Ala-Too, Juuka, Barskoon, Tosor valleys and more!) He responded really quickly to our emails and we’ve had excellent service from him 🙂

How much

1 day trek to Ala-Archa to the waterfall – Euro 45 per person
2 day trek to Ala-Archa and Ak-Sai – Euro 85 per person
Fee includes transport, lunch, basic trek equipment, entrance fee to Ala-Archa and trekking guide. Fees may change accordingly depending on group size and service required.

For information on other treks/tours in Central Asia, feel free to contact him directly.

Contact Information

Misha (“Kyrgyzland” Tourist Company)
+996778789717
travel@kyrgyzland.com, d-sasha@elcat.kg

Nov 23, 2014

Winter Wonderland in Kyrgyzstan – Trekking the Kegety Gorge

sunriseOdyssey / Kyrgyzstan, travelogue / 0 Comments

Finally! We get to trek again after a long hiatus! It felt so good to give those legs a good workout. This was our first time trekking in snow and the entire experience of trekking the Kegety Gorge was incredible! Coming from someone who lives in the tropics and has never experienced snow before…imagine how ecstatic I was to trek in snow! BUT it was also no joke trekking in -10 degrees! (Tips on how we survived the harsh cold weather at the bottom of the post!)

You feel like you’ve been teleported to “Winter Wonderland”. You know how shopping malls (in Singapore and maybe other parts of the world too) often love to decorate their interior with a “Winter Wonderland” theme especially during Christmas? This was like seeing it come alive! We were surrounded by beautiful snowcapped mountains with neatly lined pine trees dotting its slopes and vast crisp snow covering almost every inch of the land. The sun rays shining against the snow causes it to sparkle so much which made it nearly impossible to look at without squinting your eyes or with the help of sunglasses. This was my favourite part of the trek actually – the glittery snow, it definitely felt magical. Sadly, you can’t see the “glitter” of the snow from the photos, you have to be there to experience the magic for yourself.

Another highlight of the trek was getting to see a partially frozen waterfall. It was so cool! (geddit?? haha) The droplets towards the lower part of the waterfall have completely frozen as well as part of the water at the base of the waterfall. Our guide shared with us that in March, the entire waterfall would be frozen. How cool is that?! But it would also mean that it’s probably way too cold to trek during that period. Our sweat would probably form droplets of ice on our face and our water in our bottles would be impossible to drink.

Trekking uphill on snow is no joke. Remember how in my previous post about Mongolia, I mentioned that trekking the sand dunes was one of the hardest trek we’ve ever done in our lives? Well, I think we’ve found its match. Trekking uphill on a snowy terrain is equally tough! Or maybe even tougher because of the bitter cold! Fresh and untouched snow is so powdery that every step you take causes you to slide back down. During this trek, there was a section where we could either choose to take the short cut (very steep and challenging uphill climb) or the longer path (much gentler but longer route). We chose the short cut and it was not easy at all! It was probably just 2 metres uphill, but it felt like forever when your foot keeps slipping every time you try to take a step. It was also very slippery and scary as one slip might mean you falling all the way back down! Plus the snow was freezing and it wasn’t easy maintaining our balance while trying to grab fistful of snow or whatever that we can grab on to. But we made it and it was worth it!

Oh and I really like how our brightly coloured TNF jackets stand out against the white snowy landscape 😀

Useful tips on surviving -20 degrees while trekking:

1. Layering is a super useful method in keeping your body warm. Air gets trapped between each layer and helps to retain your body heat. Also, layering makes it very convenient to removing your extra layers or putting them back on when the need arises. For us, we wore our TNF thermal long sleeve top and pants, dri fit top and TNF tri climate jacket which has a detachable inner fleece layer. The outer shell is also waterproof which makes us feel invincible when it snows. What we wore doesn’t seem like a lot, but it was able to keep us warm and comfortable during the trek.

2. BUT avoid wearing too many layers such that it causes you to sweat. You might feel really cold at the start which will make you feel like wearing your entire wardrobe, but trust me, you don’t want to end up sweating! Your sweat will only end up causing you to feel even colder and uncomfortable. Before we started the trek, I was feeling really cold and decided to add TNF thermal ball jacket beneath my tri climate jacket. Yes it was warm and nice at first, but once we started trekking, I could feel droplets of sweat forming on my back and after 10 minutes, I could’t take it and had to remove the thermal ball. The thermal ball really keeps you very warm and it’s probably more suitable for less vigorous activities.

3. Don’t forget your hands and feet! We wore 2 layers of socks to keep our feet as warm as possible! The first layer was a Mund Elbrus thermal liner and the second layer was a thicker pair of Mund Elbrus trekking socks. We got our socks from Adventure Gear Post. It’ll be best if your shoes are waterproof and high cut to keep the snow out of your shoes. The last thing you want during your trek is a pair of useless frozen feet. We also had our TNF waterproof gloves to keep our hands warm. Waterproof gloves are the best as you can touch snow without your gloves soaking through and freezing your hands!

Essential Information

Trekking Union – they organise one day trek every weekend during winter to Kegeti Gorge, Ala-Archa and even ski trips at Karakol!

How Much

400som (S$9)

How to book

Call them to reserve a slot (+996312909115) or simply drop by their office to book on the spot

Hope you enjoyed our winter wonderland post! 🙂 If you have any other useful tip on keeping warm while trekking during extreme cold weather or trekking for beginners, do share it with us in the comments below!

Nov 21, 2014

Tips On Hiking In Winter

sunriseOdyssey / blog, Kyrgyzstan / 0 Comments

We’ve hiked quite extensively previously but it was mostly done during summer or autumn. This was our first time hiking in winter and it was definitely an eye opener for us. We did a simple 1 day hike at Kegeti Gorge and more challenging hikes at Ala-Archa and Altyn Arashan in Kyrgzstan. From these hikes, we’ve learnt so many useful tips and we thought it might be beneficial to you guys too! You never know when it’ll be your turn to hike in winter. Always better to be over prepared than under prepared 😉

Proper attire and gear to keep warm and dry

Waterproof alpine shoes – It’s no joke hiking on snow and definitely not funny when snow gets into your boots! Your toes will freeze in minutes and eventually you won’t feel your toes at all (okay, slight exaggeration, but frost bite is really not something that you’ll want during your hike!). Alpine boots are completely waterproof and usually high cut. This will help reduce the chances of snow getting into your shoes.

Gaiters – This was our first time coming across gaiters. It might look like an added decoration to your outfit, but it’s actually very practical! Gaiters are a type of waterproof synthetic garment that you wear on the outside of your lower pants and boots. Besides it making you look more professional, it also further prevents snow from entering your shoes and adds extra warmth to your legs!

Waterproof clothing – Ideally your outermost jacket and pants should be waterproof when hiking on snow. Should you slip and fall (very likely) or even snow while you’re hiking, at least your clothes will not absorb any additional water. Also, don’t forget your waterproof gloves! Thank god I had those, I lost count of the number of times I slipped and my hands dived straight into the snow. My fingers would have been gone by now if I didn’t have those gloves on!

Thermal wear – Learn to regulate your body temperature properly. Wear just enough to not sweat too much when you’re hiking. You don’t want to end up as a frozen popsicle! I made the same mistake again of wearing too many layers and after an hour of hiking, my entire back was drenched with sweat! Best option is to practice layering. That way you’ll be able to remove or add more layers when necessary. If you’re staying overnight at the mountains, a down jacket is essential. Temperatures during the night fall drastically and you need all the warmth that you can get.

Hiking more effectively

With our awesome guide, Misha, from Kyrgyzland!

Angle your feet at almost 90 degrees instead of pointing it forward when treading uphill on loose snow. This will help reduce the chances of your foot slipping backwards, It definitely worked, but the con is that my ankles hurt after all the twisting and turning of the feet.

Never go on an unguided tour during winter unless you’re an expert in that region. Or perhaps maybe it’s also possible to hike without a guide during summer when the path is more visible and obvious (but of course, you’ll need to have some experience in hiking first). During winter, it’s a whole different ball game! Everything is covered with snow and if you’re not familiar with the hiking route, it’s impossible to know which way to go. The snow also disguises the uneven rock surface and you might not know if it’s safe to step on. But with a guide, he will clear the path for you and ensure it’s safe before you continue.

Estimate your time properly. Start off your hike earlier during winter as the day is much shorter as compared to summer. Hiking uphill is much harder during winter and you might end up taking double the time needed as compared to during summer. We underestimated the time needed for our hike at Ala-Archa and started our hike only around noon. By the time we were at our half way mark, the sun was already setting and it was almost impossible to finish the hike 🙁 If we had started our hike at say 7am, perhaps we might have made it to the hut. You can read more details about our arduous hiking experience at Ala-Archa here.

Understand your body. When you feel pain in your toes or fingers due to the cold, it is still a good sign. But once you don’t feel anything at all in your toes or fingers and they’re turning blue, this is a telltale sign that you might be having frost bite! When you’re climbing uphill, you’ll feel your muscles working harder and becoming more tensed, which will reduce the blood flow to your feet. That’s when you should slow down, do some simple leg exercises by swinging your leg front and back to its maximum for about 10 minutes to increase blood flow to your legs. Drink some hot liquids and get as much warmth as you can. The last thing you want is to lose any of your fingers or toes! When going downhill, your muscles are more relaxed and you shouldn’t feel any numbness or pain in your feet as the blood flow is more regular.

Essential items that you should bring

Hiking in knee-deep snow was really not an easy feat!

Water bottle or even better, a thermos flask. Forget about your water bag. I know, I did mention in my other posts about how useful a water bag is for hiking. But when hiking in sub zero temperatures, the water at the opening will freeze and makes it impossible to drink any water from it! If you have a thermos flask, fill it with some hot sweet flavoured tea of your choice. Misha offered us his hot tea when we had our break and it was so soothing to drink it in such a cold weather!

Bring about 500ml or 1L of drinking water as recommended by our guide, Misha. He shared that we could actually just boil snow or ice when we’re at the hut and that there’s no need to bring so much water. We stupidly brought 2L of water each which really weighed us down!

Hiking poles – 2 poles are the best. hiking on snow is really a test of your balancing skills. Sometimes when you take a step forward, the snow might cave in and throw you off balance. In such a situation, a hiking pole will save your ankle. Also the poles will be useful in prodding the snow ahead of you to ensure that it’s safe to step on before you take the next step. Besides this, the poles will also reduce the pressure on your knees and ankles.

Sunglasses – With the sunrays shining against the shimmering snow, it’s tough to hike without squinting your eyes. A good pair of shades would certainly be useful in this case. Doubt you’ll want to carry on this hike with your eyes half closed!

Sleeping bag – Choose a good sleeping bag that’s made for sub zero temperatures. Check the label at the side of the sleeping bag which will indicate the comfort level of the sleeping bag. Down bags are the best, but bearing in mind that you have to ensure that they’re kept dry as once the feathers are damp, it will not be able to keep you as warm and might in fact cause you to be even colder!