Arslanbob 

Arslanbob is home to the world’s largest natural walnut forest, covering thousands of hectares, where locals still harvest nuts seasonally. We were there in September which happens to be the start of harvest season for walnuts, apples, and plums. The village population is approximately 15,000 people with a vast majority of residents that are ethnically Uzbek. There was a stronger Muslim culture here (and in southern Kyrgyzstan in general) than the north with mostly men out in the streets and more woman fully covered. 

Arslanbob wasn’t even on our radar until I found the Holy Lakes hike, and I’m so glad we came here as it remains a hidden gem. This little mountain village sees some backpacker traffic but still remains off the list of top things to do in Kyrgyzstan. The cars and old white mini vans looked like they belonged in a 1970s Soviet film. There were so many little kids in the streets and they all came up to say hello. Some asked what’s your name and how old you are. And that was the extent of their English. But they were so happy to interact with us. They would be standing outside their houses playing then we walked by and they would wave inside to their siblings to come out and say hello to the foreigners. According to Google in the region of Jalal Abad (where Arslanbob is) children 0-17 make up 38-43% of the population. It felt more like 70%. 

Getting In

Oof this is a lame story, but travel is about learning from your mistakes. Ken and I decided to take a shared taxi to Jalal Abad (recently renamed Manas) rather than flying because I read it was a really beautiful ride; plus it was the cheaper option. We had no real urge to go to this city but it was the best option for getting to Arslanbob the following day. Our first big mistake of the day was starting so late. We had a 12 hour taxi ride ahead and should have started earlier, but instead we had a slow start to our morning. First I walked with Ken 25 minutes to an athletics store so he could buy a new pair of hiking boots after the great marmot scandal. This was a necessary move, but he should have done so the day before when we lied in bed hungover doing nothing. Then we got a sit down breakfast at a really slow cafe. So we didn’t even start our taxi adventure until a little after noon. There was confusion over whether to go the new bus station or the bazaar to catch a shared taxi to Jalal Abad. The information online was limited and mixed on where to go. Even our guesthouse owner and her husband told us different places. 

We decided to go the new bus station. It was a 30+ minute Yandex getting stuck in shitty Bishkek traffic. When we arrived there wasn’t many options for Jalal Abad, and being this late in the day, we were at a disadvantage for our bargaining power. I had read that it should cost around 2500 som per person (a little over $25), but who knows how recent this information was. The only guy that even gave us time of day tried to charge us 14000 som for both. No chance! We kept ignoring him and asking other people but he seemed to be following us and ruining our chance to barter with other drivers. Finally he said okay 7000 for both of you. Still a bit high but it’ll do. What choice did we have at this hour? He called over another taxi driver, who he called his brother, but I don’t think it was his brother in the family sense. We got in this taxi and he picked up an Australian guy too. Except he was just driving the Australian guy into the center of Bishkek. The taxi driver dropped him off then drove us to the bazaar where he was looking for more passengers. I guess we should have just gone there after all. A few minutes later he told us to get out and go with another taxi that already had two passengers. But first we had to pay him 2500 som (even though it would have been a 500 som Yandex) and we would give this new driver 4500 som. I guess it was a finder’s fee but the percentage he was taking of the fare seemed awfully high seeing as he drove 30 minutes and the other guy was taking us nearly 12 hours. We showed the other guy 4500 on our phone to confirm. He nodded and we were on our way. I should have just paid him right there to make sure it was okay because I had a bad feeling about the agreement.

The car was us two, a Kyrgyz woman in the front, and an Uzbeki guy in the back with us. The driver drove like an absolute madman. He was passing other cars on blind corners on winding mountain roads creating a third lane when one didn’t exist. I would later find out when I drove the Pamir Highway that this was the norm and would do the same. But where he was really crazy was the speed at which he was driving – tailgating other cars, passing in dicey situations, and bullying cars on the other side of the road. I was in the middle seat and spent the first few hours fearing his crazy driving style, but ultimately got used to it. I’ll leave it at that. We made it safe in the end.

As advertised, it was a beautiful drive as we winded our way up and over the mountains through long, dark tunnels and weaving between shepherds on horses herding sheep on the busy highway. Just another day in Kyrgyzstan! The driver even stopped at Too-Ashuu Pass so we could take photos of the views. 

Three hours into the trip, we stopped for gas, and this is when the great argument began. The driver asked for our payment and we handed him 4500 som; the difference between the 7000 som we agreed upon and the 2500 we paid the other guy. He looks at us confused and angry. He didn’t speak any English so we were forced to use Google Translate. He said no it’s 4500 som per person. I was mad but Ken was furious. We told him no we had an agreement, we even showed you the number before the ride. He told us the other guy deceived us and the price is 4500 per person. Then we got into this back and forth argument via Google Translate about the price. He was telling us that’s what the other people paid, but of course who are we to know if this is true. We had our doubts. What was particularly infuriating was that we already paid the other guy 2500 som. And for what? 

The driver was pissed but ordered us back in the car. We drove another 10 minutes then he pulled over to argue again. It was an intense back and forth using Google Translate and some of what he said didn’t make a lot of sense; lost in translation. Things were getting really awkward at this point since we still had another eight hours in the car. Plus we were going to have to stop for dinner down the road. I was worried he would just drive off with our bags during dinner. It was also an embarrassing look for us to the other people. But we kept arguing and holding our ground because we had made what we thought was an agreement with the other guy. In the end, it was only another 4500 som (around $50) which means more to the driver than to us; and to be fair that’s a reasonable price for how long the drive was. We were more arguing out of principal. It’s not about the money; it’s about the feeling of getting ripped off. Especially since we had already paid considerably more than what it said online. I was beginning to really hate the original guy who charged us 2500 som for nothing more than a short drive to the bazaar. 

Even though we had already paid the driver 4500 som, Ken and I were debating getting out to hitchhike. More out of frustration than anything else. But then then the driver starting driving again. There was a lot of tension in the car. The driver gave up and said we could keep the money if we thought he was ripping us of. Ken and I discussed the situation and decided we would pay the 4500 som to ease the tension. It wasn’t that much money, but we just hated the feeling of being played. We could have taken a 45 minute flight for only a little more money than the 11,500 som this now would cost us. An hour later we stopped for dinner and we paid the driver the 4500 som. He said thank you and everyone in the car could breathe easy again for the remaining seven hours of the drive. If this is the worst experience I’ve had in my travels after being in Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil than I’m doing pretty good.

The driver kept driving like a madman after dinner even when it was dark, but to his credit he shaved nearly an hour of time off our travel time. At the next stop, he apologized for the situation earlier and kept making sure everything was okay between us. I don’t necessarily blame him for the scam, more the other guy that sold us the ride. It is what it is. After 10.5 hours of crazy driving, we made it to our hotel in Jalal Abad by 11:30. We were both so relieved to have that experience over with. It could have ended much worse, but it still sucked.

The next morning we got breakfast in Jalal Abad, shopped for our trek (because Arslanbob only has mini marts), and took a 1.5 hour Yandex to Arslanbob. We didn’t even feel like messing with a shared taxi or taking multiple marshutkas. After the day we had before, it was worth paying a bit more to go the hassle free route.

Lodging 

We stayed at the Alpinist Guesthouse Lodge, which was a wise choice since we planned to do the Holy Lakes Loop trek which had very limited information online and figured the place was named as such for a reason. The old guy who ran the guesthouse had done the loop many times. He even climbed the peak towering over the village Mount Babash-Ata multiple times. Sadly he was now very shaky handed, but he was a great alpinist in his early times. He had even summited the famous 7,000 meter Lenin Peak in southern Krygzstan which is known to be one of the “easier” 7,000 meter peaks and a potential life goal of mine, but easy and 7000 meter peak don’t belong in the same paragraph. He spoke great English and you could tell he really loved chatting with his guests. 

It was a generational business – his son also helped out with guests and his many grandkids ran around the backyard during the day and provided waiter service in the evening for the dinners. The whole place had family vibes even amongst the guests. Breakfast was included in our stay, and for a small fee, they had nightly dinners where everyone sat together outside to eat and socialize. The first afternoon we checked in, they gave us tea and snacks; as well as when we returned from our trek. They really provided next level hospitality. The backyard had a beautiful garden full of flowers as well as apple and plum trees where we could pick as many as we wanted. They were super fresh and delicious. I didn’t realize how much I liked plums!

This place was a little slice of paradise. I could have easily stayed here a few extra days reading a book and hanging out in the garden of Eden. The only downfall was that the electricity and plumbing didn’t always work (although I think this was a town wide issue and not specific to the guesthouse) so sometimes we had to use the outhouse rather than the indoor toilet. Small price to pay. Also instead of beds they had padded mats that you picture when you think of Central Asia, but that was surprisingly comfortable. If anything it added to the experience. 

Walnut Forest Hike – 3.07 miles; 945 feet elevation gain

On our first day in Arslanbob, we arrived in the afternoon and after receiving tea and snacks as our welcoming gift in the guesthouse, we walked into the center of town to get lunch. However no restaurants were open at 4pm and we just got some snacks to eat by the river. I wanted to walk through the walnut forest after, but Ken was tired and headed back to the guesthouse. On my way out of town I walked through a neighborhood heading toward the forest and passed by countless little kids who came up to say hello to me. I tried to hike to the little waterfall, but Maps.Me sent me through someone’s private property and they told me to turn around because they have a protective dog. So I continued into the walnut forest which provided some nice shade from the afternoon heat. I didn’t make it far enough into the forest to see any walnuts, but it was already late afternoon and dinner at the guesthouse was at 7 so it was time to turn around. 

I was treated with some nice views of the Babash-Ata mountain range and the towering Friendship Pass. I tried to take another path that Maps.Me showed toward the small waterfall, but it was closed off with a gate. Another fail. Instead of turning around I continued along the path to connect with a small road in town. Once I reached an area where I had service, I discovered that I was 35 minutes from the guesthouse on the other side of town. Man this little village is more spread out than it looks on a map. I walked along winding roads through the neighborhoods to make it back shortly before dinner time. It wasn’t the most exciting hike since I didn’t make it to the true heart of the walnut forest, but it was nice to stretch my legs after a few lazy days and long car rides. 

Four Day Holy Lakes Loop Trek – 35.22 miles; 12,530 feet elevation gain and loss 

There was a missing piece to the Holy Lakes Loop called Friendship Pass (Dotsuk Pass) that wasn’t on any of the maps apps Maps.Me, AllTrails, or Gaia; and you couldn’t find any real info on it online other than a brief trip report from a guided tour back in 2018. We asked the owner of our guesthouse and he pointed it out to us from his backyard. It looked like a vertical wall. But don’t worry he also gave us this very detailed tourist map. 

The drawing was actually more helpful than it appears because that ridge leading to Babash-Ata peak was drawn accurately to how it looked with the naked eye. Now we knew exactly where the mountain pass was relative to the peak. Next step was finding it on the maps apps as there was no pre-defined trail for the pass. I did some research into contour lines and topography to understand the basics. Then I was able to use the contour lines on AllTrails and Gaia to identify exactly where Friendship Pass was. I felt like a true Magellan. There was still some uncertainty as to what was on the other side of the pass, but I used my newfound knowledge of topography to map out the best route to get into the valley. We told the old man we planned to leave the following day and he warned us that Friendship Pass was much more difficult than the popular Ala-Kul Pass (which we fully expected), but he also recognized based on our gear, the way we spoke about our mountain experience, and the level of preparation we did beforehand; that Ken and I aren’t just some half assed hikers. He gave us his blessing and wished us good luck. If it became too difficult or too hairy to navigate then we could always turn around. Ken and I know how to communicate this to each other. It’s a team effort.

Holy Lakes Trek Day 1 – 5.68 miles; 4,771 feet elevation gain; 0 feet elevation loss 

After breakfast at the guesthouse, we packed our bags and hit the trail. The day started by walking through the village to get out of town where we once again passed by a swarm of kids on their way to school saying hello to us. Boys were dressed in suits and girls in traditional Muslim outfits. There were so many kids in the streets that Ken said “It feels like walking around during Halloween night.” He wasn’t wrong. 

The trail began as a moderate incline on a dirt road through the cow fields that had no shade so it was incredibly hot. The 4×4 road to get out of town wasn’t the most interesting, but it did provide some nice views of the Babash-Ata mountains ahead. These sheer rock faces looked like Wyoming or Yosemite. After a few miles, we found a shady spot behind a rock to stop for lunch. 

The final mile up to the Holy Rock was very steep, and made even more difficult by the blazing afternoon sun. Ken and I walked at our own pace as I raced ahead of him. He is a strong hiker but not nearly as fast as me. I call him the steam engine. Slow and steady but never stops. 

We made it up to the Holy Rock and climbed the somewhat sketchy looking ladder onto the rock to get views of the expansive valley with the village nestled below. The Holy Rock is a sacred Islamic pilgrimage site for locals to leave sacrifices, perform ritual prayers, and seek blessings. There are two local legends behind this rock: (1) Arslanbob-Ata, the 11th- or 12th-century mystic and legendary founder of the village, traveled up the mountain to pray next to this giant rock. The high altitude made him feel closer to God (2) Arslanbob-Ata was betrayed and killed at this exact spot, and believers say his footprints and bloodstains are still permanently visible on the rock’s surface. 

For us it provided a nice view and a good place for a snack. It was also by the last stream of water we could fill up until we were on the other side of Friendship Pass so we stocked up as much as we could for the evening and following morning.

From here on out there was no more trail. I had saved some GPS coordinates I found online for a campsite below Friendship Pass so that was our target. It was only another three quarters of a mile but required walking along side angled cow tracks and a steep hill. We were a tenth of a mile below the coordinates when we found a good spot with flat ground to camp and decided to settle. 

There were ominous clouds hovering over the Babash-Ata mountains so it was a good time to call it a day. The clouds lingered for about an hour giving us enough time to setup camp and make our typical ramen dinner. But then the winds picked up and it started to rain on us so we hid in our tents for about 30 minutes until it stopped. We then hung out for a bit outside the tents. Darkness was approaching when we saw two teenage looking kids coming down from the hill above us. Where the heck did they come from?! Did they really just descend Friendship Pass at 6pm? We thought they might come approach us, but they stuck to the side of the hill and vanished out of sight. Very strange! Maybe it was the ghost of Arslanbob-Ata checking up on us. We will never know! We went to bed soon after that. 

Holy Lakes Trek Day 2 – 7.2 miles; 3,531 feet elevation gain; 3,721 feet elevation loss

Today was game day. We woke up early, had a quick breakfast, and got on trail by 8; which was early by our standards this trip. We had to make sure we got over the pass before any afternoon storms rolled in. Luckily the weather to start the day was perfect. We walked up a small, steep hill before reaching the base of Friendship Pass. It was even steeper than it looked from afar; and full of loose scree. The bottom looked hard, but the top looked absolutely insane. It was a sheer vertical incline. One step at a time.

We both went at our own pace as we worked our way up the incredibly steep, but manageable, mix of loose scree and boulders. I tried to pick a route that favored medium size boulders over the scree. There is nothing worse than sinking in crushed rock. We slowly made our way higher, taking a few five to ten minute pauses for snacks and water. There’s no way this pass could be conquered without breaks. As we started getting closer to the top, it was so steep that I basically had to get on all fours to grip the scree. Add on a heavy backpack and it was a crazy amount of effort just to gain a few feet. 

The last quarter mile was so steep, and the rock so loose, that we decided there was no way we could tackle this gulley head on. It was better to make our way to the rock wall on our right side so we could grip the wall and inch our way up the slope. This is when I let Ken lead. I am faster at hiking up steep slopes than him, but he is better about leading technical sections. We were less than a quarter mile from the top, but this part took us more than 45 minutes. Luckily the rock wall had a good grip, but it was also sharp, so you had to be careful not to over grip. We hugged the wall and slowly climbed up the steepest incline I’ve ever ascended. Concentration and focus were at an all time high. The bluebird day we had when we woke up was gone and the newly formed clouds were getting caught in the mountains. At least they were friendly white clouds. We had to keep our attention on the task at hand. It was a slow climb, but we safely made our way up thanks to the grip support of the rock wall. We were almost there. Just one small rock climb where we had to use our hands and upper body strength to reach the top. 

Wow! We did it! That was the hardest mountain pass I’ve ever done especially since we had our big backpacks. We knew this was going to be a challenge beforehand. It certainly lived up to the billing…and then some. We had gained 1800 feet in 0.5 miles on incredibly loose scree; an unfathomably steep incline. It was cloudy at the top but it didn’t matter. We could still see the peak of Mount Babash-Ata poking out. The mountain looked challenging but doable from below, but once up close we realized you would need ropes and actual rock climbing experience to summit. Props to the old man from the guesthouse for having summited multiple times. He just got even cooler in my book.

I felt a great sense of relief and a huge sense of accomplishment to be done with Friendship Pass. No way those teenagers descended this at dusk the night before…right? We reveled in the moment for about five minutes, but the clouds forming in the sky were going from white to grey so it didn’t take long for us to get back on the move.

It was very rocky terrain on the other side, but not nearly as much of an incline as what we just climbed. Nonetheless it was still a steep decline and we had to keep track of the terrain ahead as we were a few miles away from a marked trail. The topography was wild! We were completed surrounded by sheer rock faces. It felt like we were walking on the moon. I got the sense that not many people cross over Friendship Pass and get to see this landscape. The road remained rocky ahead but spirits were high. Behind us the clouds over Babash-Ata got darker and rain seemed imminent. 

We stopped for lunch before continuing our way into the valley. We reached a point where the lake was directly on the other side from us, but separated by a tall ridge. There was a little pass we could have gone directly over to reach the lake, but we weren’t sure what was on the other side; it very well could have been large cliffs, and I didn’t trust my ability to read the topographic map well enough to know for sure. So we decided that descending all the way into the valley was the safer route, even if it added extra mileage. Once far enough in the valley, we would meet up with the trail and go back around on the other side of the ridge. It was a beautiful valley surrounded by cliffs and sheer rock walls. It made the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado look small. I was exhausted, but life was good! 

We were almost at the end of the valley, and both starting to fade, when we arrived at a freshwater stream under some shady trees. It was our first water source since the Holy Rock the day before. We chugged a couple bottles of water and had a snack. This ten minute break really brought us back to life. We made it to the end of the valley and came across a yurt camp that had been deserted for the season. Next to the yurt camp was the trail. We had successfully climbed Friendship Pass and down into the valley back to the trail. Woohoo! 

Now that we were on the other side of the ridge, we had to walk up a small uphill incline to reach the first lake, Paynav Kol, which had a deep blue color to it in the late afternoon. We considered just calling it a night and camping here, but decided we had come this far and could hike another 45 minutes to the Holy Lake. First we stopped for ramen to give us energy for the final push. 

Then we hiked 700 more feet uphill over the course of a mile and arrived at the Holy Lake, Mazar Kol. Just like the Holy Rock, it is a sacred sight for local villagers to make the pilgrimage to either by walking or on horse (there is a way to get to the lake without doing Friendship Pass if you take an in and out trail; we had just wanted to complete the loop). There were a couple pilgrim huts built around the lake, but this late in the season the place was completely deserted and we had it all to ourselves. I had read they perform sheep and goat sacrifices by the lake, and this immediately became apparent when we saw a bunch of sheep fur on the ground. 

The lake sits in a rocky glacial bowl at an altitude over 9,000 feet and is surrounded by craggy limestone rocks, alpine tundras, and rolling valleys. It was stunningly beautiful and well worth the effort! It turned out that we could have skipped the valley and just gone over the pass we saw on the other side. It wasn’t totally cliffed out and would have been a steep but manageable downhill. Oh well! The hike in the valley was gorgeous. 

There was a big fire pit by one of the huts and even a pile of wood with our names on it. After treating ourselves to a second helping of ramen, we had our first campfire of the trip. It was so nice having the fire to mindlessly entertain us and to provide a source of heat. I got used to going to bed when it got dark, but I didn’t realize how much I missed a good campfire. 

Holy Lakes Trek Day 3 – 12.0 miles; 3,806 feet elevation gain; 3,406 feet elevation loss

We had a slow start to the morning after the long day we had previously. After breakfast, we decided to walk along the lake to see the viewpoint from the other side. It was about a 2.5 mile detour roundtrip and provided some different perspectives of the Holy Lake.

Then we packed up camp and walked back down the valley past the small lake and abandoned yurt from the day before. Next up was a steep mountain pass where we gained 1,500 feet in a mile, which normally would have been difficult, but it felt like nothing compared to Friendship Pass the day before. The ground was rocky, but it wasn’t loose scree, and there was a fair amount of switchbacks which helped lower the grade of the incline. Ken and I were both in our zones hiking at our own pace and enjoying the surrounding landscapes. 

After this pass, the limestone cliff landscapes shifted to dramatic rolling green hills. We walked along a long flattish stretch through the hills with lots of small ups and downs where general direction hiking rules applied. It wasn’t just a singular dirt trail, there were countless cow tracks to follow, and we just had to make sure we didn’t stray too far from the Maps.Me “trail.” While it was nice landscapes, this section went on for a while and started to drag toward the end so we played music to distract ourselves.

Then we came up on mountain pass two of the day, which was a long set of switchbacks that were fairly steep. There was a lot of horse shit on the trail; this must be how the locals get to the Holy Lakes. Even though the first pass of the day was statistically more difficult, this one felt harder because we were exhausted. At least it was shorter. 

We made it to the ridge and had to hike a few more miles before getting close to the GPS coordinates I had saved for a campsite that I found in an article online. In order to get to camp we had to down climb to the river. You could tell it was late summer because the river was more like a stream, but the water was still flowing relatively quickly. We walked along the stream for another half mile before arriving at the campsite. The ground wasn’t super flat, but it was better than anywhere else. There were a few rock pits for campfires so this was clearly the spot. We were treated to a nice alpen glow while we ate our ramen dinner (somehow I still wasn’t sick of ramen after all these treks. We would get different flavors and different brands and always add our cucumbers, carrots, and hard boiled eggs. Well except this trek we didn’t have eggs). Normally we bring way too much food, but this time we planned it perfectly so our packs were nice and light heading into the last day. We had the right amount of salami, cheese, and snacks left. For the second straight day we didn’t see a single other person.

Holy Lakes Trek Day 4 – 10.32 miles; 500 feet elevation gain; 5,403 feet elevation loss

After breakfast, we walked along the river hoping we could follow it all the way until it connected with the trail, but the cliffs on the sides started getting steeper and it was time to get out. We had a short climb up to the ridge and found a path to follow that led us into the valley on the other side. We passed by a few more yurts and huts, but no one was home. People must have packed it up for the winter and gone back into the village. The next few miles were pretty mindless downhill on a moderate grade path into the valley. 

We stopped for lunch by the river before reaching a dirt road in the farm country just outside Arslanbob. We walked for 5.5 miles along the road and it felt never ending. The best part was that we could see Friendship Pass and the Babash-Ata mountain range towering over the village in the distance and know that we conquered the pass. We were one mile from the center of Arslanbob when we got picked up by an old Russian mini van that drove us to the main square. Where were they five miles ago?! Oh well it saved us a mile and it’s hard to complain about a free ride. 

They dropped us off at the main square in Arslanbob and it was packed with people, but it was all guys; no women at all. We really felt the strong Muslim masculine presence. We got lunch in town (yay the restaurants are finally open) ordering chicken wings, manti, and plov. We were so hungry. It was the best plov I’d had yet, but maybe circumstantial since we just finished a four day trek. 

We got back to the homestay and told the old man about our success. He was proud of us. They gave us more snacks and tea and we chatted with a Dutch guy named Emiel (little did I know we’d be spending a lot of time together the next few weeks). He had gone on a horseback ride to the walnut forest and gave us some fresh walnuts. We also had a nice convo with a German couple. After another tasty dinner at the guesthouse, we called it an early night after a long four days. Plus we had to wake up at 5:30 the next morning to catch the 6:45am marshutka (shared mini van) to Osh.

Osh 

Osh is the second largest city in Kyrgzstan with a population of around 492,000 people. It is over 3000 years old making it the oldest city in Kyrgzstan and one of the oldest in Central Asia.  There’s a few attractions to see, but not too much, and I didn’t end up doing anything in the city besides eat, drink, and struggle with a hungover.

Getting In

We got up at 5:30 to walk to the center of Arslanbob and catch the marshutka. Ken had told me some horror stories about his marshutka experiences, but this is a common mode of transportation in the Stans, and I was excited for my first one. It turned out to be seamless. It was more of a bus than a mini van, and they didn’t charge us extra for our luggage. Ken said it was one of the best ones he’d been on. Also on the marshutka was our new Dutch friend Emiel. It was a little over a four hour ride to Osh.  

Lodging 

We stayed at a hostel a little outside the center of town that Emiel recommended because he had stayed there prior to Arslanbob. It had a nice modern feel, cheap laundry, and a good backyard to hang out in. And the Kyrgyz lady working the desk had a great sense of humor. I walked in the door after the other two guys and I heard Ken give a loud high five and go what up man! The guy also knew Emiel. It turns out it was the German guy Tobi who was on our bus from Almaty to Karakol. And he knew Emiel because they met in Almaty airport. Small world! 

A Plan Set into Motion

Originally Ken and I had come to Osh as a stopover for doing a trek in the Alay Mountains in southern Kyrgyzstan, but the weather for the next week looked rainy and possibly snowy so we decided to scratch that plan. Over the prior few weeks, we had talked on and off about doing the Pamir Highway after Kyrgzstan but never got our shit together to figure it out. The new plan was to hang out in Osh for two days then Ken was going to fly home to Bangkok. He even booked his flights. And I was going to head to the Fann Mountains in Tajikistan to do a trek before it got too cold. 

But then alcohol got involved and all plans changed. Ken, Emiel, Tobi, and I went to the nearby Globus super market to get beers to drink in the backyard of the hostel and exchange stories. Tobi had hitch hiked all over Kyrgyzstan so he had some interesting tales to tell. As we started to get a buzz going; Tobi, Emiel, and I began to discuss doing the Pamir Highway. None of us had any set plans to do it, but we came to the conclusion that we already had a group of three people that got along well together and would just have to find one more person. We also agreed that we preferred to rent a car and drive ourselves rather than join a group tour with a driver; even if it was riskier and required significantly more planning. In my mind, if I was going to do the crazy adventurous Pamir Highway then going on a group tour with a driver was a bit of a cop out; might as well get the full experience – either by hitchhiking or renting a car. Plus how cool (and slightly nerve wracking) to get behind the wheel and drive the Pamir Highway going on rough roads and over mountain passes in Tajikistan and Kyrgzstan. 

I’m not sure what was rising faster, our excitement levels for the developing plan or our BAC; but Ken sat in the corner more quiet than usual as he was the odd man out. When all of the sudden, he goes “okay guys I’ll be your fourth!” We all yelled and cheered as we hovered over his phone while he cancelled his flight home to Bangkok that he had just booked less than a few hours before. Now that Ken committed to cancelling his flight and being our fourth person, we had to turn this idea into reality. There was no backing out. We had so much to figure out ahead, but on this afternoon we celebrated by continuing to drink late into the evening. 

The next morning I woke up with a terrible hangover. Ugh what did we do to ourselves? Oh yeah we only decided to rent a car and spend seven days driving one of the craziest highways in the world. It was a rough morning/early afternoon and the thought of what we had agreed to the night before was a bit daunting, especially when hungover. Luckily we had time to figure out the next steps.

When doing the Pamir Highway, you either drive from Osh to Dushanbe or Dushanbe to Osh. We were already in Osh, so obviously the first way would have been more logical if we had made this plan awhile back. But since we made the plan the day before, we had some major things to figure out such as renting a car, getting the mandatory GBAO permit for travel authorization in certain areas of the Pamir Highway, our itinerary, etc. All four of us only had five to seven days left on our Kyrgzstan visas (you can stay in the country for 30 out of 60 days) and we needed to time get our shit together. The GBAO permit alone takes a few days to be verified and approved. So rather than staying in Osh and risking not getting everything together before our Kyrgzstan visas expired, we decided to head to Tajikistan to visit a few cities and hike in the Fann Mountains. Then we could start the Pamir Highway from Dushanbe and end in Osh. This plan bought us more time to prepare and allowed for us to explore Tajikistan while figuring out all the admin tasks rather than just sitting around Osh doing nothing. Even though going to Dushanbe required quite a detour just to ultimately end up right where we started, it still made sense logistically for everyone’s future travel plans – me and Emiel were headed to Uzbekistan, Tobi was hitch hiking to China, and Ken would fly back to Bangkok from either Kyrgzstan or Uzbekistan. Just like that we had organically formed our Pamir Highway group and travel crew for the next two weeks.