DAY 7 (2nd September 2024)
Kazakhstan (Saty - Kolsai Lake and Kaindy Lake)
A simple breakfast of bread and butter with coffee was delivered to our rooms. Our rooms were actually modified cargo containers – comfortable enough, with a morning view from another dimension. However, we were somewhat ‘deprived’ of the view due to the incessant rain that was pouring down accompanied by heavy mist. It had threatened to spoil our entire day, too, and it almost did. So much so, that when we drove up to Kolsai Lake National Park, we had no choice but to purchase raincoats.
We went first to Kolsai Lake and later in the day, we went to Kaindy Lake on board a Russian-made UAZ-452 van, which is a throwback to the 1970s. It was a heavy-duty ‘loaf of bread-shaped’ van (actually a bit bigger than the conventional vans), and it is made to be able brave through all kinds of rough terrains and even wade in shallow rivers. It was purpose-built for such places, and I am so glad for this van – we wouldn’t be able to reach Kaindy Lake otherwise.
As the weather turned for the better in the afternoon, and we had some spare time, we ventured to Saty Gorge, but since there weren’t any signboards, we weren’t really sure if we actually got there! The road wasn’t really great, so we didn’t want to venture too far for fear of being stuck.
Kolsai Lake National Park
Since we were staying at the edge of village on the east side, we had to drive through the entire length of the village and then continue on for about half an hour uphill to arrive at Kolsai Lake National Park. Along the way, we stopped and took several photos, but had to take them from inside the car. The rain had slowed to a heavy drizzle, but with enough intensity to enforce the purchase of the colourful raincoats! At the parking lot, there was a row of shops consisting mostly of restaurants and several convenience stores. We bought our raincoats here.
The Kolsai Lake National Park is located on the northern slopes of the Tian Shan Mountains, a large system of mountains encompassing China’s Xinjiang region in the east and Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan in the west. The three Kolsai Lakes form part of the attraction for the park, which has been recognised as a World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO.
These lakes were all formed by tectonic landslides along the Kolsai River at different times in its history. The rocks and soil which fell in from the slopes along the river formed natural dams which flooded the valley behind them creating these three lakes, all of which can be accessed on foot.
The Lower Kolsai Lake is 1km in length, about 400m in width at 80m in depth at some places, located at an altitude of 1,818m. This one is directly below the car park, and easily reachable. In fact, it was the only we did stop at, as the other two were some distance away up a hiking trail. The Middle Kolsai Lake is 5km upstream and is the largest of the three. A further 6km upstream is the Upper Kolsai Lake, which at the altitude of 2,850m is said to be surrounded by spruce trees and alpine meadows.
There was a group of local boys who came along later, and they all came with their fishing rods, but it seemed like they didn’t have any luck. I tried to help them out, but neither was I able to land one. Come to think of it, I have never gone fishing in a foreign land, and I have certainly never caught any fish outside of my own home country! Sounds like I have a new item on my bucket list!
We left the park shortly after, as we were simply not able to enjoy the place in the rain. We made a short detour to the Kaindy Lake van station (it is the only one, located just outside the village) to book our van for the afternoon, hoping the rain would not spoil the rest of the day as well. Once lunch was done, we returned to the van station to start our journey. Indeed, the rain had not stopped by the time we boarded the UAZ-452.
Kaindy Lake
Kaindy Lake is actually also located within the Kolsai Lake National Park, and, also created the same way as the three aforementioned Kolsai Lakes. The 1911 Kebin earthquake caused a major limestone landslide into the Kaindy River, blocking up the river that formed this 400m long and 30m deep natural lake, located at an altitude of more than 2000m above sea level.
You know they say that it’s not about the destination, but it’s about the journey? Well, our journey was one-of-a-kind indeed! So, we arrived at the van station, and our driver was already waiting, a well-built guy who doesn’t speak English, but had a broad friendly smile. He bundled us into the van and started revved up the engine without any hesitations. And he was blaring all kinds of English music including songs by Black Eyed Peas, throughout the whole journey as we rocked and tumbled inside the van!
The entire journey was on muddy and rocky soil, and we crossed two shallow rivers in the process. And our driver was just speeding along even on this road, giving the van a solid punishing – no other vans in the world could’ve made this journey!
After a 40-min wild ride, we arrived at the bottom of a hill. We had to take a different van to go up the last leg. It was a much shorter journey, and then we arrived at this plateau where all vans have to be parked. From here, we had to walk a short distance down a dodgy and slippery slope, not helped by the fact that it was still raining…
Lake Kaindy is at an elevation of 2,000m-plus above sea level, hence when the dam was created in 1911, the super cold mountain waters preserved the Asian spruce trees that grew in the valley, turning them white in colour after some time. Now, even after more than 100 years, these trees can still be seen, preserved in almost cryogenic-state and still sticking out of the surface of the water. In summer, many people carry out cold water dives into the lake to view the scenes underwater (Bro Ray: I can only imagine that it must be quite eerie down there).
The view that greeted us when we arrived at the end of the trail after the tumble-and-rumble van ride followed by the perilous walk on uneven surface coupled by the forbidding weather – worth every bit. Seriously, this place is a hidden gem, a pristine lake in its almost purest state, unspoilt and devoid of the menace of human greed…
Once we have had our fill of the place, we trudged back up the slope to our waiting vans and headed back to the van station in Saty. We said our goodbyes to our driver, and returned to our hotel for a short rest. The weather actually turned for the better by this time. About time, too!
Now We Know
Most countries adopt the colour brown in their road signboards to indicate a recreational or cultural area of interest. They could appear next to or together with regular signboards (normally in green or blue) to indicate the direction of the said areas of interest. So, the next time you see a brown-coloured sign board, and you have time on your hands, turn in and have a look – you never know what you will find! Happy adventuring….
Saty Gorge
While driving through the village throughout the day, I noticed a brown-coloured signboard indicating that Saty Gorge was 8km to the south of the village. So, since we were relatively free this early evening, I convinced the rest to take a slow drive down this path and see where it would lead us to.
And with the sun beginning to dip below the horizon, we ventured out onto this unknown territory and some dodgy roads. There was a section of the journey where part of the dirt road had collapsed into the stream that was running parallel to the road. And after some driving, the road opened up to a huge valley dotted sporadically with houses built beside a slow meandering river. The dirt road seemed just go on and on into the distant hills, and we were also not very sure if we had driven the 8km to Saty Gorge. We can assume we arrived – there were no signboards or welcoming parties to greet our arrival, so we can only assume we did reach the gorge. Check out the photos and let me know if we had arrived at the right place!
Dinnertime
We stopped when we saw that the roads ahead were muddy and our car may get stuck. For safety, we decided to turn back. We went back to the hotel to freshen up before driving out to town to look for a place to eat. Most places were already closed for the night, but we saw a house with a big signboard outside and drove up to it, which turned out to be a homestay called Aisya’s Homestay, but it was not listed in any of the websites we searched. The host showed us the many rooms inside, and they certainly looked very cosy.
The couple who ran the place were Turkish but the homestay belonged to the lady’s sister. Although they were just about to close up for the night (all the chairs were already stacked up!), they obliged us and opened the dining hall for us, on the condition that we just ate whatever they could conjure up. No problems there!
Summary of Day 7
Saty is the gateway to so many lovely destinations. It is an unassuming village, with friendly people and a wonderful surrounding. When we were searching the Net for places to stay, there were limited choices, or so it seemed, but in actual fact, there are many hotels and homestays, probably only listed on Russian-language sites, not on Google English version. Later, we would meet a group of people who said that there are even small hotels at Kaindy Lake and Kolsai Lakes.
Both the destinations that we visited today are worthy of their UNESCO Heritage status, and long may it continue.
