Talas sits in a valley of its own, in the far northwest of Kyrgyzstan, hemmed in by the Kyrgyz Ala-Too to the south and the border with Kazakhstan to the north. It is a town of about thirty-five thousand people, and a place that Kyrgyz people regard with special warmth because it is closely tied to Manas, the hero of the country's great oral epic. Said to be one of the longest poems in the world, the epic follows Manas and his companions as they unite the Kyrgyz tribes, and the Manas Ordo complex near town, with a mausoleum said to be the hero's tomb, draws visitors from across the country.
Talas also appears in a quite different story. In the year 751, an army of the Tang dynasty clashed here with forces of the Abbasid Caliphate, in a battle that marked the high-water line of Chinese power in Central Asia. Tradition holds that Chinese prisoners taken after the fight passed the secrets of papermaking westward. Historians argue over the details, but the legend suits the place, which has always been a crossroads of the Silk Road.
Getting here is a ride in itself. Coming from the Suusamyr valley, the road crosses the Ala-Bel pass, a little over three thousand metres, and descends toward the Talas plain through green slopes and then farmland. Bends are tidy, the surface is decent in places and rough in others, and livestock and trucks share the lane with you. The valley below is warm, irrigated and fertile, with orchards, poplars and fields of beans, quite unlike the high pastures above. Spring and early autumn are the pick: blossoms, or gold, and no heat.
As a town stop, Talas does everything well. It is large enough for fuel, shops, pharmacies, small hotels and plenty of cafes, and it is a sensible place to resupply before or after the mountains. Try the local manty dumplings or lagman noodles, drink plenty of tea, and enjoy the unhurried pace. There is a bazaar worth a wander, and the people, as in much of Kyrgyzstan, tend to be curious about a foreign rider and quick to offer a seat.