In the season, a lot of Kyrgyz, Kazakh and Russians rest at Lake Issyk Kul. As my place of stay, I chose the popular resort of Cholpon-Ata, which, however, made a depressing impression on me. Everything around looked like it was under constant renovation, and getting to the water was quite a feat, as most of the roads ran parallel to the shore. On the other hand, swimming in the lake with a view of the distant Tienshan mountain range was an amazing experience.