Larry Memmott's Blog

A couple of weeks ago I visited the Bordunskiy/Krasnyy Most area near Boom Canyon on the road to Issyk Kul Lake. I’d been told to expect a Grand Canyon-type experience. Well, that’s a bit of an exageration, but the area is gorgeous, anyway, and pretty unspoilt. Definitely worth a day trip, and I’d love to […]

My favorite Bishkek nightspot, Zeppelin Rock Club, will reportedly re-open September 10. It’s been closed all summer for renovation. I got a bit of a look into the place today and it looks like it will be significantly bigger and greatly improved. Hopefully the “spit n’ sawdust” character of the bar will not give way […]

We had a great week visiting Lake Issyk Kul. Issyk Kul is the centerpiece of the biosphere reserve of the same name, and one of the most famous sites in Kyrgyzstan. At more than 5,000 feet above sea level, 113 miles long, up to 37 miles wide, and more than 2,000 feet deep, it is […]

The Adigene Valley Loop Trail is one of the closest hikes to Bishkek, and yet is an opportunity to get away from it all.  I’m sure it gets traffic on a summer Sunday afternoon, yet the three times I have been up there I haven’t seen a soul.  It runs through woods and meadows, and […]

The hike to Kel-Tor Lake is one of the most rewarding, but strenuous, of the short hikes near Bishkek.  At only about three miles each way, the hike is not long, but the climb of close to 3,000 feet makes up for it – and makes some steep stretches of the trail at least as […]

You need a long weekend to visit Turkistan.  In fact, a four day weekend would be ideal.  And spring or fall would be best, as summer is going to be very hot. Turkistan, lying in South-Central Kazakhstan, is one of the major silk road cities.  Not too far from Samarkand, it is no surprise that […]

This is a relatively short trip into Kazakhstan from Bishkek, but would make a challenging day-trip.  It is probably better thought-of as a stopping point on the way to Turkestan or Tashkent.  The mausoleums are about five hours from Bishkek (including border formalities to get into Kazakhstan – your wasted time may vary). According to […]

This weekend’s camping trip is to Kel-Tor Lake, or perhaps Kok-Moinok Lake.  Not sure, since it’s a complete Google-Earth-based explore.

This is a nice day trip from Bishkek into the Ala Too Mountains.  This one is a little further down the road from Sokuluk, but further has its advantages.  It definitely doesn’t feel as “trampled” as some of the closer canyons. Attached is a .gdb file you can use with your GPS or open in […]

Using .gdb files