23/08/2019
The first time I visited Kyrgyzstan in 2018 I really wasn’t sure what to expect. When I told people back home I was going the general response was … “where?” Most people in the UK, even those fairly well travelled, have hardly heard of Kyrgyzstan, let alone able to spell it.
And therein lies the charm of this beautiful, landlocked country. Tourism in Kyrgyzstan is still in its infancy and it’s that limited footfall which presents the rare opportunity to explore a stunning, offbeat, affordable country without crowds of tourists which really is like gold dust in this day and age. The country has only been an independent nation since the breakdown of the Soviet Union in 1991 and its slowly and deservedly gaining a place on the bucket list of life. It’s even been referred to as The Patagonia of Central Asia.
Kyrgyzstan is a trekker, photographer and nature lover’s paradise. Over 80% of the country is mountainous, there are countless crystal clear, turquoise alpine lakes, the culture is fascinating and that’s before we mention the amazing hospitality of the Kyrgyz people. The Kyrgyz are traditionally a nomadic race, so what the country lacks in historic buildings (they’ve been on the move) it makes up for in the amazingly friendly, generous and hospitable nature of its people. The people of Kyrgyzstan love travellers, even referring to tourists as ‘guests’, and it’s part of the custom to welcome passers-by into their home, break bread and offer them tea, or in more remote places Kymyz (a fermented horse milk) which let’s just say is a very acquired taste that I haven’t managed to acquire yet!
Last year’s photo trip wasn’t hugely planned. I remember spending the first few days in the capital Bishkek, snow-capped mountains towering invitingly in the distance expecting a huge culture shock from back home. It turned out that Bishkek isn’t what I was expecting at all, for the better. Bishkek is a charming (if slightly grey), gritty and cosmopolitan city full of westernised (I hate that term) cafes & restaurants and a real multi-cultural vibe. The soviet era buildings and apartments grow awkwardly out from the tree lined, leafy streets and parks. The city feels sleepy and unhurried, relaxed yet on an exploratory mission.
It was when I had to go to a camera store in Bishkek that rivalled my store in Belfast that I panicked and thought I wasn’t going to get the images I’d hoped for on my travels – Kyrgyzstan was way too advanced for my liking. But that all changed as my trip took me to more and more remote locations. Still fairly unplanned I made small trips and one overnight trek to amazing spots such as Ala-Kul (Kul means lake for those reading back home), Skazka (or fairytale) Canyon and an amazing 2 day road trip in the very North East region of the country. And though and behold, as I’d hoped, I had stepped into photography heaven.
The collection of images from last year quickly went viral. With over 6500 likes and 1800 shares the feedback on the photos was amazing, and further allowed me to interact and connect with the local people. I was interviewed and featured on many news agencies and travel websites. But I now have a conundrum – I have a huge Kyrgyz following on my social media accounts (thank you) so in theory I’m publishing these new 2019 images for 3 groups – the Kyrgyz, people back home and fellow photographers. When I’m travelling, I shoot the obvious breathtaking landscapes, but my eye is also drawn to the differences and peculiarities to what I’m used to back home. I always say if there is no culture shock then you’re not really travelling, and it’s with this mindset that these images must be viewed. Some of them celebrate the country's incredible scenery, faces, colours and textures, some of them the shock worthy scenes that people from the UK would struggle with. Last year I posted a few images of old soviet apartments which I genuinely find beautiful in a brutalist kind of way. Some Kyrgyz people objected. So, it’s important to remember that these images are a celebration of Kyrgyzstan and all it has to offer, but also what catches my eye. It’s a mixture of landscape, portrait and documentary travel photography that I’m slowly becoming recognised for.
So, this year I wanted to approach my trip differently. I planned to explore the South of the country. I planned it meticulously, researched for weeks and spoke to contacts from last year. I even visualised certain images using the very powerful Google Earth app. I reached out to a few agencies that were interested in purchasing the images last year and luckily the amazing folk at Kyrgyz Concept agreed to help and come on board as the main media partner – more on that later.
The plan was to cover as much of the country as possible in the first 2 weeks, to really challenge myself. No mean feat when a 120 km drive can take 5 hours! When I posted online the planned route a few people said it wouldn’t be possible in the planned 2 weeks – challenge accepted!!
So, after arriving on 25th July and spending the day meeting the lovely staff at Kyrgyz Concept and Ak-Sai travel, I collected my border permits from Ak-Sai and the Nissan 4x4 kindly supplied by Kyrgyz Concept, and hit the road on the 26th.
I’ll give details on most images in the image captions below each photo (and they aren’t in chronological order as I always like to start with the strongest first) but for now here’s the road trip itinerary for those fellow travellers researching the country…
26th July – Bishkek to Chychkan Gorge
27th July - Chychkan Gorge to Arkit
28th July – quick visit to Sary-Chelek then on to Arslanbob for 2 nights
30th July – Arslanbob to Osh for 2 nights in a well deserved great hotel
1st August – Osh to Peak Lenin base camp for 2 nights
3rd August – Peak Lenin to Kazarman
4th August – Kazarman to Naryn
5th August – Naryn to Kel-Suu (fav part of trip – check the image captions)
6th August – Kel-Suu to Taldy-Suu
From 6th to 12th August I was based from Taldy-Suu village and headed for a 2 night camping trip to the canyons on the South shores of Issyk-Kul, another visit to the animal market in Karakol and a day driving around aimlessly visiting various yurts and soviet 'vagons' to meet some welcoming locals and work on acquiring that elusive acquired taste for horse milk!
I finally headed back to Bishkek on 13th August and flew home on 14th. A crazy and exhausting 3 weeks combined with lots of illness, severe lack of sleep from chasing early morning light. I joked before I left that I would come home needing a holiday. I definitely do. I worked a bit too hard on this year’s trip. Maybe it was the pressure of wanting to match last year’s images. I hope I succeeded.
So please take the time to look at the following 200 images, read the captions and if you like them or have any questions please let me know. Like, share and share again, it’s important the rest of the world realises just how amazing this landscape and these people are.
For those who haven’t seen the images from my previous trip in 2018 you can check them out here on this page.
Please follow this page and also give my Instagram page a follow at www.instagram.com/richardwatsonphoto
I’d like to thank the amazing Kyrgyz Concept company for coming on board as my main media sponsor for my trip, for their huge support and for providing the 4x4. Hopefully I returned it close to the shape I got it in. It's a great tourism company - check out the website below.
https://concept.kg
I’d also like to thank Ak-Sai Travel for arranging free accommodation at their amazing Achik-Tash Peak Lenin base camp and the new but beautifully located camp at Kel-Suu. And thanks for the border permits too.
https://ak-sai.com
Enjoy.
Richard
