Place: Lake Issyk Kul, Balykchy, Kyrgyzstan
The southern shore of Issyk Kul
The waters along the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul were not frozen, although there were patches of snow on the beach. The sky was bright blue, and the waters of the lake were an astonishing turquise...
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Description
If you look at a map of Kyrgyzstan, you cannot miss Lake Issyk Kul, the largest lake in the country, located in its northeastern quadrant. The lake is roughly 182km long by 61km wide, and at its deepest, it reaches a depth of 702 meters. Additionally, Issyk Kul is a mountain lake, located roughly 1600 meters above sea level, and ringed by spectacular peaks of the Ala-Too mountain range. Issyk Kul is the most popular tourist destination in Kygyzstan; if you ask any locals where they spent their last vacation and inevitably their answer will be Issyk Kul. The name Issyk Kul translates from the Kyrgyz as “hot lake” although given its year-round chilly temperatures, this is clearly a misnomer. However, prior to the winter of 2008, Issyk Kul had never been known to freeze. The winter of 2008, the coldest in Central Asia’s recorded history, saw large portions of the lake freeze over, to the consternation of many locals.
(No street address given)
Balykchy, Ysyk-Köl Oblasty, KG
Discovered by Jane Keeler
on 27 February 2008.
Viewed 350 times.
