Kolsai lakes
After a long early walk/run to the bus station we found hamza (the lovely driver, not the delicious snack we ate whilst waiting to leave!) and set off through amazing scenery to stay with Joldiz and co. at her house in the little village of Caty.
We had an awesome time! Had so much proper traditional food, showered like a Kazakh (sit in a sauna until near death… Then scrub!) drank local vodka with drivers of crazy relics left over from the soviet era, and even drove in some too!We had many a long hot wet cold muddy dry snowy walk to some local lakes with varying degrees of success, one army guy even checked that we hadn’t come from Kyrgyzstan! But he was happy when we gave him a potato and a boiled egg!
We enjoyed it so much we even stayed an extra night, it left such an impression on us, and we genuinely felt welcome and at home, and they were definitely impressed with how much we could eat!