Jeti-Ögüz

I did find my comfort zone in Karakol. The hostel was quiet, the market was just around the corner for emergency beer and snack runs. I was a bit of a regular at Pinta and the boys would toss me the odd freebie, plus the grocery store and a fantastic deli/take out section. What more could you ask for when living out of a backpack? In the end we ended up staying there for a week, and I was happy to stay longer however, it was time to say goodbye to Robert and Kaori. More on that later. 

First up, Jeti-Ögüz. A small resort town about an hour from town via a marshrutka that is famous for its thermal springs and the Jeti-Ögüz Rocks. Today was going to be about the Rocks and a bit of hiking. It was only Kaori and myself as Robert held back. I got the feeling he knew the end of the intrepid trio was near. 

Finding the right marshrutka

No seats set up in the aisle for a change

You get dropped of in the town of Jeti Oguz, then you need to negotiate with a taxi to take you the 10 KM to the resort area and the rocks. In the end the 20 minute ride was about $5 and the driver said he would look for us on the way back. Let me tell you this, it would have been an excellent idea to stay at this resort area. It was pricey for Kyrgyzstan, about $40 a night in an URT at various camps within the area. Some near a fast moving mountain river, others tucked back in to the mountains. 

The small hike up to the viewing point made for excellent photos and a great place to grab a coffee at a hut that a smart you lad had setup. Kaori's ankle was still a mess, so hiking was not an option, so we hung out and enjoy the view for a while.

We ended up walking around quite a bit. There was a small town across the river that needed to be explored. In the end, it was more intrusive of us to be there than welcoming. Not dangerous at all, but you got the sense we were on the wrong side of the river and needed to get back, so we did. Our taxi driver found us, and offered us a ride with the 4 other people plus their 3 kids, so we piled in back to Jeti-Oguz for the bus back to Karakol. A good day trip and worth the effort to get there.