A Trip to Issyk-Ata and Drinking Egg Water

    Since moving to my village over a month ago, I kept hearing about this resort nearby called "Issyk-Ata," and my host family kept telling me they would take me eventually. Well, that day finally came.

    I came home from class one day and my host family told me to put on a swimsuit and get in the car. I don't actually have a swimsuit so what I ended up in was a pair of random boy's shorts and a tank top (the epitome of fashion in my opinion). We (my host mom, dad, sister, brother, and cousin) got in the car, drove about 20 minutes up into the mountains, and arrived at Issyk-Ata. 

The view from the pool we were at (the picture DOES NOT do it justice)

    Issyk-Ata is a geothermal spring/hot spring that is thought to have healing powers. In 1891, a sanatorium was built for medical treatment, and it was even used as a healing center during World War 2. Today, it still features a medical treatment center along with several restaurants. There's also a waterfall that you can hike to, but that takes an entire day so I haven't been yet but I'm hoping to go soon. If you're looking to read more information about the Issyk-Ata here's a link with some good information https://central-asia.guide/kyrgyzstan/destinations-kg/bishkek/issyk-ata

    There were several pools in the area that were filled with hot spring water. My family stopped at the largest pool (about the size of a lap pool). In addition to the hot spring pool (which had two pipes continuously pumping in hot water), there was also a smaller, cold pool. Apparently, going into the cold pool and then immediately into the hot pool is good for your health. I only went in the cold pool once for a few seconds, but there were a couple of people who stayed in for 5 minutes at a time. We stayed and swam for about 40 minutes during which my host brother and cousin challenged me to several races (I won obviously s/o the Heatherwood Hurricanes). I also simultaneously impressed everyone with my diving skills while also being laughed at for what I was wearing -- totally understandable though if you saw what I was wearing. 

The pool we were at

    After swimming, we got back in the car and drove a couple minutes up the road to where the hotel and restaurants are. We walked around for 20 minutes and up many flights of stairs to reach a Buddha carved into the side of a rock. This Buddha was made between the 2nd-7th century and is supposed to symbolize the healing properties of the water.  

   

Buddha & I

    From there, we walked up even more stairs to a place where you could drink water from the hot springs.  This water is supposed to be good for your overall health, and more specifically your stomach. They call the water "jamutka soo" or what translates to "egg water." After trying it, I can definitely tell why they call it that...it tastes exactly like egg. My host mom also packed this sweet bread that I cannot remember the name of but surprisingly went really well with the egg water.

    The egg water was at the top of the mountain, so after that, we headed back down the hundreds of stairs back to the car. Along the way, we walked host sister over to her work (she's a waitress at one of the restaurants). We stopped to get ice cream and then headed home, bringing my Issyk-Ata journey to an end.

A goat statue at one of the many staircases

    For me, this day had more of an impact on me than I ever could have imagined 1 hour of swimming and walking up many stairs could do. It was my first time seeing somewhere in Kyrgyzstan other than the places we've been for training. It was also something that I had been anticipating since moving in with my host family, as they have mentioned Issyk-Ata and the pool every day since I've been here (close to 6 weeks). Most importantly, it was the first thing I did with only my host family, and it was something they took great pride in showing me. By bringing me to a place that means so much to their family, I felt like I had officially become 100% part of the family. I think they felt that too, because afterward, they told me that I would always have a place in their home even after I leave.

    In conclusion, this trip to Issyk-Ata, although short in duration, brought forth many things. From a swim in the hot spring, a Kyrgyz history lesson to strengthening my relationship with my entire host family, Issyk-Ata is 100% something I would visit again.

Side note: this post is dedicated to my cousin, Caitlyn, who said she enjoys reading my posts even though she doesn't like reading. love you training wheels.