Issyk-Köl is the second Alpine lake in the world (after Titicaca between Peru and Bolivia), it's 105 X 45 miles
It is at 4800ft between the Sunny Alatau (12000ft) on the North and the dark Alatau (15000ft) on the South.
With the soft sand to get there, I would have never slept that close to the water without my 2WD sidecar.