Stage 113: From Bishkek to Kemin

On May 20th, we continued our journey east. Aman had two more days of cycling before he wanted to return to Bishkek by bus. So we had enough time to drive together to Lake Issyk-Kul! The main road was less crowded than when we arrived two days ago. We quickly passed through smaller suburbs and villages with many curious students. Always close to the Kazakh border, we drove through Tokmok, where a large Soviet Air Force base used to be. About 10 kilometers south and off the main road is the Burana Tower from the 11th century, which is often listed as one of the most important sights in Kyrgyzstan. But we skipped the detour and settled for pictures of the tower.

In the afternoon, Aman had a flat tire again. During the repair break, a curious schoolboy joined us and accompanied us to the next village. He was very excited about exotic coins. We bought supplies in Kemin before we went in search of a nice camping spot. It looked promising at the Tschuy River, but it took us a while to find a more secluded spot. After setting up our tents and just when we wanted to cook, another curious farmer passed by with his herd. He probably owned the land, but he didn't mind us being there. We couldn't reach the river because the bank was too overgrown, but fortunately, our last shower wasn't that long ago!