Central Asia and Kazakhstan

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25.07.2012 16:05, Nikolai Rubin

So, I'll try again. This is what is called "we were interrupted".

Hello everyone

A short report on a three-week trip to Alai. So to speak, the second approach to the projectile. The first one, two years ago, was unsuccessful, due to the well-known events in Kyrgyzstan.

The first part is Tienshan.

Since the idea of driving through a third of Central Asia and not fishing anywhere did not fit in my head, and at the same time, in order to go through high-altitude adaptation, it was decided to make several stops on the road on the Kyrgyz Ridge, Talas Alatau and in the western spurs of the Ferghana Ridge. Therefore, we drove to Osh in the end for four days, but everything turned out very well. That's about it:

Well, some mattresses:

Continuation is possible next week.

Likes: 35

25.07.2012 17:22, rhopalocera.com

So, I'll try again. This is what is called "we were interrupted".

Hello everyone

A short report on a three-week trip to Alai. So to speak, the second approach to the projectile. The first one, two years ago, was unsuccessful, due to the well-known events in Kyrgyzstan.

The first part is Tienshan.

Since the idea of driving through a third of Central Asia and not fishing anywhere did not fit in my head, and at the same time, in order to go through high-altitude adaptation, it was decided to make several stops on the road on the Kyrgyz Ridge, Talas Alatau and in the western spurs of the Ferghana Ridge. Therefore, we drove to Osh in the end for four days, but everything turned out very well. That's about it:

Well, some mattresses:

Continuation, possibly next week.

Alabel was subjected to a massive attack )))
Poor badromiuses. Most of all suffer)))

Likes: 1

30.07.2012 11:28, Nikolai Rubin

Hello everyone Well, the second part has arrived - the Alai (northern macroslope).

The first part adequately ended with a meeting with a solpuga the size of a man's palm (with legs, of course) in the south of Karakul. A photo of this monster may
be posted by my companion. The most fun thing was that the offspring of this cute bug (one and a half times smaller) decided to travel with us as a hare at night and
solemnly announced himself, climbing out at full speed on my wife's lap somewhere in the Tash-Kumyr area. I still can't imagine how we didn't dive off the track to Naryn
. In general, there was a big commotion in the car.

Alai met Osh market. Noise, uproar, confusion, and a 45-degree heat wave. After the coolness and silence of the mountain peaks, this quickly tired us out and, having bought the necessary
amount of vitamins, we rode west. As it was clear from the maps, the Ferghana Valley is one big village and fields, fields, fields. Maybe somewhere
in the small sun-baked hills life was preserved (satirids do not need much), and although the prospect of finding Pseudochazara panjshira there was quite real,
it was still decided to quickly hide higher in the gorge, where there are still fewer people. And then the first surprise is the border post. As always, the information about the border zone
was not correct. According to all my data, in the border zone in the south of Kyrgyzstan, only the Alai Valley with a checkpoint on the highway in Sary-Tash, and the northern macroslope
is free to enter. Well, we made passes for ourselves to those areas that are located in the valley. But the lieutenant came into our position and let us pass (and without any reward).
They thanked the "nemirovs" having already passed the barrier, and then for a long time they persuaded them that they really "sincerely".

First stop in the Isfayramsay gorge

The plans for the northern macroslope included the Isfayramsay Gorge and the Koyandy Pass. Moreover, they expected to reach at least an altitude of 2200, and then backpacks
on their shoulders and in an autonomous car for five days. Earlier (under the Soviet Union), the road there was also through the pass to the Alai Valley, but we hoped to get at least to Lyangar
, where back in 2009, judging by some reports of hikers, the road there was suitable for off-road vehicles. The state has not been engaged in such a small thing
as maintaining mountain roads in proper condition for a long time. A small bulldozer now clears areas only in those gorges whose residents will pay for this service. Lyangar didn't pay.
Therefore, instead of 8 km of walking, I had to walk 20 (with an altitude gain of 2 kilometers). The road for the car ended at the arrow of Surmetasha (height 1700 m),
and then it just fell asleep and there was only a path in some places, and then not everywhere. The mountains recover what they've lost very quickly.

Where should Charlton be here

Everything is against us. And the pass was still closed. After two days of dying under a backpack, we ran into a wall of snow 50 meters high. Well, okay, the tent
stands at 3600, around the slopes of 4500 m, in general, there is something to profit from, if you have enough health. True, like everywhere else in the highlands, the species diversity is small,
but many butterflies are new to us and everything was very interesting. That's just Paralasa hades was almost inaccessible physically. It flies almost exclusively along narrow
clay gullies in scree with a slope of about 50 degrees. Moreover, in these gullies, the clay is as hard as concrete and it is possible to stay on such a slope only
by clinging to all four limbs, otherwise you will simply slide down the gullies like a bobsleigh chute (the width is about the same, only the
length is 200-300 meters). I wonder how long you'll make it to the end. So, basically, we just looked at this butterfly (which received the nickname Paralasa "muck").
No more than a dozen were caught. Then we met several more times in different places, but the picture is the same. They came here mainly for Simonius, but it seems that "in the next life".

Here it is, a pass under the snow

Somewhere on Simonius ridge

Alai was not original. You catch up to eleven, then you get a" charge of cheerfulness " in the form of hail, then the tent and everything around you begins
to cover with snow softly and insinuatingly. But in the evening, all this atmospheric ugliness goes to the east and in a clear sky, the setting sun again portends a cold night.
Nothing, nothing, just a little below zero.

Three hours ago, the jacquemonti were frolicking on this slope

The eternal paradox - no matter how high you climb, cows are still higher

That's the end of bad weather

Advantages of fishing at 4000 m-birds are already under you.

After two days on this hilltop, we set off on our return journey. This time it was faster, 20 km jumped down in a day. Moreover, places at altitudes between 3000 and 2200 turned out to be the most
"delicious" in terms of species diversity. But with a backpack on your back, you can't catch much, and obeying the hated word "schedule", they just turned their heads and licked their lips as they went. Nothing,
we'll catch up on the southern slope.

Koyanda River gorge in the morning haze (this is where they just licked their lips)

Meanwhile, our remaining satellites are systematically hoeing the middle mountains in the Surmetasha Valley. Unfortunately, all the most interesting things were already flying away there, but it was practically
a "resort area".

Well, now back to Osh and through Taldyk to the Alai Valley. On the way, everyone takes photos of the local landmark-the sloping bridge over the Isfayramsay. Especially touching is the inscription about the slope.

***

Results:

Southern macroslope of the Scarlet River in the next series.

Likes: 29

06.08.2012 11:20, Nikolai Rubin

Hello everyone Part three-Alayskaya (southern macroslope).

So the journey continues. Of course, normal entomologists would be sitting in the Isfayramsai Valley, systematically combing its tributaries. But for us, new
experiences were more important. After stopping by on the way to Osh and buying another watermelon, we left the Osh-Khorog highway. The road is super. It was built by the Chinese as
part of a program to develop trade routes with Central Asia and Europe. Basically, they built it for themselves. They do not allow other people's heavy trucks to visit them,
but they are very happy to "visit" their neighbors. Yes, and the cars themselves are impressive-clones from European manufacturers, but the semi-trailer has as many as
six "sparks". In Europe, then six wheels, maximum. I can imagine their weight. But in the hill prut very quickly. And asphalt without ruts.
There's a nice concrete cushion underneath. In any case, on Taldyk (the only section where the road is not finished yet), we saw how this pillow was installed -
30 centimeters thick.

The mountains south-east of Osh are quite densely populated (at least in the area of the Chayyrchyk pass). All the slopes
are covered with yurts and covered with a dense layer of cattle. The Gulchi Valley is very beautiful. The river has dug a deep ditch in its long history, and everywhere you
look, you can see clay walls cut vertically by spring streams. The shapes of these walls can be absolutely futuristic,
and the color ranges from white to bright red, with all the transitions. In general, solid impessionism. I have seen such things in the south-eastern Dzungarand in the Asa Valley
in the Trans-Ili Alatau, but here this splendor stretches for more than a hundred kilometers.

We found a very picturesque valley with juniper forest for parking. Only water had to be collected in advance in Gulcha at the exit from the highway. The Kuuganda tributary,
in whose valley we are located, dries up completely in the summer. In the morning, run to the slope. And here the difference in biotopes on two opposite
slopes of the east-west ridge was very clearly manifested. From the north - juniper forest with tall grass lawns and a characteristic set of butterflies
(Parnassius mnemosyne, Colias alta, Erebia meta, Coenonympha nolckeni, Eumedonia eumedon, Aricia allous). You climb 300 meters to the crest and the fauna
changes dramatically-Parnassius tianschanicus, Colias romanovi, Colias regia, Hyponephele laeta, Karanasa abramovi, Farsia sieversi.
A kind of semi-desert with kurtinki grass on red clay with scree and rolling pins. But the fun quickly ended. The whole Alai west of Gulchi was covered with black
clouds (we got out of there in time), there is a thunderstorm on Taldyk, only we are in some kind of climatic oasis. That is, although the sun spoils once every half hour, but at least
it does not water. During breaks, we sit on the peaks, admire the surrounding landscape and kumai trees soaring above us. In rare moments of sun, we jump up, catch a few
happy butterflies and again half an hour of meditation. So another day passes.

These are the hippos found in the Eastern Altai

Yes, the sun probably won't be turned on again today

The height is small, only 3100 meters, so the birds are still higher

According to the plan, the next parking lot was supposed to be on Taldyk. Very convenient pass - the highway climbs to 3600 and the ridges are only 400 meters away.
But, as it turned out, not this time. The weather is disgusting - the strongest wind and, although the sun was shining, after walking around the alpika for half an hour, we met only one blackie.
Moreover, there is absolutely no place to spend the night on the pass and wait for better times there now - the Chinese make the last section of the road on the pass and all more
or less suitable places for camping (that is, flat) are either torn up or occupied by vehicles and trailers. Therefore, it was decided to go west and
explore the Sary Mogol Valley on the southern macroslope of the Alai. And here we are in Sary-Tash, where, as in a fairy tale, you can choose your future path. If you go to the left
, you will get to China (via Irkeshtam), if you go straight, you will find yourself in the Pamirs, if you go to the right, this is the Alai Valley. We're on the right.

As you can see, located between two towering ridges, everyone in Sary-Tash suffers from megalomania. At the very least, this gas station is clearly sick.

What a beautiful word "OFFICE", just like a balm for the ear

We missed the border post. Thank God, no one is interested in us, given that we have a completely different person written in the pass, even if with the same last name
(as it turned out). And here we have the Alai Valley. The wind doesn't stop. When photographing, I had to sit down on the ground, it is impossible to shoot standing up, it is so shaky. The wind
drives a huge wall of fine dust along the valley, the sun in an orange halo and the gigantic wall of the Zaalaysky ridge is not visible well, but it is still impressive.

And the water in the river is really red

As always, we got to the Sary Mogol Valley from the third approach - there are an insane number of paths in the steppe, even more than on the map (although there are also enough there). But, in the end
, we stopped at almost 3400 and, most importantly, above all the yurts. The valley is quite wide and moderately moist, which is not quite usual for the largely deserted southern
slope of the Alai (although this remark is more true for the western part of the ridge). Unfortunately, almost nothing new for us - the same butterflies that we met in the area
of the Koyanda Pass (Parnassius jaquemonti, Parnassius staudingeri, Solias eogene, Solias cocandica, Erebia radians, Polyommatus amor). However, Colias thisoa,
Colias regia, Erebia progne, Melitaea fergana, Muschampia kuenlunus were added. Simonius was not found again, and above 3850 the butterflies disappeared completely (except for a few
isolated P. staudingeri. But my wife set a personal altitude record of 3,900 m, which she was very proud of. So, after a day of fishing (the wind died down and the sun spoiled us),
we went on.

Sary Mughal Valley

Once out of the Sary Moghola Gorge, we were rewarded with a spectacular sight. Lenin Peak floated above us in the morning haze. It makes a very strong impression when
you realize that you are already at three thousand, and four more are above you.

A nasty worm of dissatisfaction with itself (after all, we did not see how Simonius flies) drove us further and, after passing the fertile Kyzyl-Eshme gorge and passing yurts in
the valley of the Dangi River, we began to climb along the serpentine to the Shiman pass. Well, "skipping" is an understatement. Who can safely pass the gorge, when from under the wheels
fly paralysis, Romanovi yolks, all sorts of meliteiki and cabbage rolls. So we were "somewhat delayed" and, as a result, we began to approach the pass closer to six in the evening.
And then, removing another stone from the road, the team had some doubts: "go another four km in a straight line and gain another 500 meters vertically, and if
we can't move the next stone and we can't turn around in this place; and soon it will get dark; and in general, what's so important about this simonius, maybe it
doesn't even exist in nature," and so on. In general, we were not very generous and somehow turned around and stopped for the night right on the road at 3500. In the end, there is also
a roller coaster ride around.

It was a little harsh

Instead of the Shiman Pass, we were content with the Shiman-Belem pass, which was located below us

I was freezing all evening, waiting for the setting sun to illuminate the Zaalaisky Ridge. I waited. Not Roerich, of course, more modest, but still

And in the morning, again the ascent from the tent to half a kilometer up, again in some places four limbs were missing, again dimensionless scree on the crests of the ridge, and on the other
side vertical walls of 200-300 meters, again just looked at the "muck". But we did find Simonius. In the area of the Jangi-Jer pass. True
, only four copies were given in the hands, but after all, happiness is not measured by quantity.

It was on this top of the head between the "ears" that Simonius was found

Shiman-Bel pass in the morning sun

So the goal was achieved and, having slightly thinned out the standard set of erebia, karanaz and cabbage rolls for these heights, we quickly gathered and spent the last two days
in the upper reaches of the Kyzyl-Eshme. Of course, the most" delicious " there are Colias wiskotti and Colias alpherakyi. Romanovs, violas, tienshanikuses
and all sorts of satirids and nymphalids are already a worthy setting for these jewels. But these coveted butterflies turned out to be few and very laborious.
Of the five that you really chased (the rest you only see off with your eyes), you catch, at best, one. Therefore, after catching a few specimens in their collection,
the people decided that spending two days on the slope and risking breaking something, catching a dozen yolks, was not the best thing for the final days of the expedition
and switched to simpler butterflies. And there was something to catch-some pigeons counted 25 species.

All good things come to an end, as always, too quickly. Goodbye Alai, I'll see you again.

And again the road. We flashed past OSH and Jalalabad, Naryn Canyon and Alabel, the tunnel under the Teo-Ashuu pass and the Kara-Balty gorge.

And now, in the rearview mirror, the setting sun is escorting us to the airport.

***

Actors:

Yulia (Grodno, Belarus)

Zhenya (Ulan-Ude, Russia)

Sergey (Ulyanovsk, Russia)

author (Grodno, Belarus)

***

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31.01.2013 17:03, Sergey Rybalkin

Report on a trip to Eastern (Saur), South-Eastern (Dzungarian Alatau) and Southern Kazakhstan (Trans-Ili Alatau). Route: Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk region) - Omsk-Pavlodar-Semey-Zaisan-Taldykorgan-Ili River-Almaty-lake.Balkhash – Karaganda-Astana-Kostanay-Chelyabinsk-Snezhinsk.
Mileage 7000km, time from 10.06.2012 to 09.07.2012 - 30 days. Composition of the expedition: me and my wife. Car Chevrolet-Niva.

10.06.2012 at 5.30 am start, I drive 1150 km in a day and spend the night outside Omsk in the village of Cherlak (near the Kazakh border), in the morning, in twenty minutes, without any problems, we cross customs, pass Pavlodar and Semey, and go to the village of Georgievka, where we spend the night in a motel. We arrive in Zaisan after lunch and stay in a cheap 190r hotel. per person, per day.

In the morning of June 13, 14 and 15, we went fishing 5 km from Zaisan along the steep gorge of the Zhemeney River. Height 900m. Parnassius ariadne, it seems, flew away, did not see any, there were fresh Pseudochazara hippolyte, Hyponephele interposita, Hyponephele lupina, Chazara enervata, Melanargia russia, pigeons Neolycaena sp., Coenonympha amaryllis, swallowtails, carrion, etc. During the night, scoops, oak-leaved cocoonworms, and Euroctis kargalica swam in. In general, nothing special, I hoped that it would be more fun on Saura.

So on June 15, after lunch, we started moving to Saur. The road is at first more or less tolerable, then extreme, even for Niva.

Alpika on the Alatai pass.

The last 40 km, we had to overcome on the first low one, we pass the Alatai pass 2100m,

and with grief in half we drive to a height of 2400m, almost to the foot of Mount Tas.

A camp was set up on the bank of the stream. I managed to put up a tent, and it started raining with hail… It rained 5 times a day for 4 days. I managed to catch fish for half an hour a day. Parnassius phoebus sauricus, Slossiana frigga annae, Boloria altaica, Oeneis fulla, Erebia callias sibirica, Cupido pigeons, Eumedonia eumedon, Albulina orbitulus, Colias thisoa aeolides, Euphydryas (aurinia) asiatica, Oeneis tarpeia were not lucky with the weather, and the place is not bad. At night, scoops, small wine and bedstraw hawks flew in.

Golden Root-Rhodiola rosea

[attachm
entid()=165034]

Oeneis fulla

Сlossiana frigga annae

Boloria altaica

After staying 4 nights and 4 days, on 19.06.2012 we started to descend through the Alatai pass 2100m from Saur to Zaisan, the descent was even worse than the ascent, the car was pulled out all the time, but with grief we went down to the 1400m mark, where we caught a female Parnassius ariadne, various interesting pigeons and a lot of Metaporia leucodice. We stopped for the night in the forester's cottage.

Eumedonia eumedon

The road to Saur. I was happy when the stones under the wheels, although I sometimes got hit on the bottom, but I drove sideways on clay....My wife pushed me once, and I was about to get stuck, but we missed...