June 6-8
Cholpon Ata is a resort town on the north shore of Issyk-Kul. Supposedly in summertime it's brimming with Russian and Kyrgyz tourists, with jet ski renters terrorizing the lake front and night clubs galore. In the off season, though, the beach is mostly left to the cows. We could see evidence of what it might be like at its peak, with the innumerable hotels, cafes, and corner stores. Unfortunately for us, almost all of them were closed. We had to try 3-4 cafes before we found one that was serving lunch.
The lake front is beautiful, though. Turquoise blue water as far as the eye can see, nice sand, and the mountains make a dramatic backdrop. The clouds seemed to condense over the mountains and just hang there. We were lucky to have a sunny day and headed down to read and soak up some rays (while fully clothed with sunblock, of course). The gentle waves and pleasant weather made for a very relaxing few hours. It was a nice pit stop on the drive from Karakol to Bishkek.
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