Word: kul
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...face one more hot-stone massage? No desire for another body wrap? For anyone suffering from spa fatigue (and that could be many of us, given that every corner of the planet seems to boast a Thai-style treatment pavilion or Ayurvedic retreat), Kyrgyzstan's Lake Issyk-Kul should come as an intriguing discovery. Or perhaps that should be "rediscovery," since travelers on the Silk Road knew of the lake's therapeutic value for centuries. Soviet apparatchiks were also fond of it, holidaying in one of the 40 workers' sanatoria built by the communist state around the lake...
ROAD TRIP When the workweek is over, Bishkek's better-heeled hit the road for the twisty four-hour drive to Issyk-Kul, a 170 km-long lake in the mountains of northeastern Kyrgyzstan. In Soviet times, despite being the site of secret torpedo tests, Issyk-Kul was a famed R. and R. spot for party cadres in search of pampering at the area's plush hotels and sanitoriums...
...Although this summer's visitors included former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Issyk-Kul now draws a more mixed crowd. "The best kebabs in Central Asia, then the discos and, in the morning, the beach" is how my city-slicker friend Aidai described the lake's attractions as we set out. By late afternoon we were lolling on cushions in a garden caf?, munching on skewers of delicious grilled meat...
...Passing on Issyk-Kul's Soviet-era resorts, we opted to rent rooms with a local family for a few dollars. Besides, Aidai pointed out, why shell out for hotel rooms when we'd be out all night? Come evening, Aidai took me on the local disco crawl. Consisting of tracksuited Slavic youths throbbing to Russian and Turkish pop, the scene was not exactly sophisticated. One place offered little more than loudspeakers on an outdoor basketball court and a projector showing Britney Spears videos in reverse. Luckily, the cheap Moldovan wine flowed copiously...
...prodding we also paid a visit to the famous Aurora spa, hoping to experience one of Issyk-Kul's other attractions: the mud bath. But it was not to be. On offer instead were such dubious delights as "lavage of the stomach" and "urological prostate massage." This might be Boris Yeltsin's cup of tea. But for us, the beach beckoned...