Kyrgyzstan - Yurts and Out of Control Horses

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  Bishkek, Kochkor, Naryn, and Tash Rabat, Kyrgyzstan
Friday, June 13, 2008

This post comes as a summary and not a blow by blow, as our access to internet was limited throughout our time in Kyrgyzstan....

We touched down in Bishkek after a short flight from Tashkent. We immediately noticed the numerous U.S. Air Force planes next to us on the tarmac. The US has leased space at the Manas airport for a whopping sum of around $2 million, which has led to some tense interactions between Krygyz folks and American Servicemen (including an alleged murder by a serviceman a couple years ago). The next thing we noticed was the complete shift in car models dotting the road. Instead of old, dilapitated Russian Ladas everywhere, we saw Passatts, Jettas, and Audi Taxis.

After a quick evening in Bishkek and cold responses from our compatriots at the very cheap and very hot youth hostel, Scott negotiated a shared taxi ride to Kochkor (three hour trip through the mountains) for $6 each. Our taxi driver, Kochkin, kept our attention with stories of his land and his insights on the benefits of stability and jobs during the Soviet Era, a sentiment that almost every person we met repeated. This has led to spirited reflection and discussion on the communist system, a conversation which seemed to have died 15 years ago with the fall of the U.S.S.R.; yet the reality of poverty in Central Asia adds a new wrinkle to the debate over "how in the world do you make this massive global system work for all?"

Statues of the national bird, the eagle, greeted us at a number of turns on our mountain drive and brought forth a revealing sentiment of "hey but that is the symbol of America." An obvious question arises: how does the American tradition of the eagle compare to the thousands of years of eagle hunting history in Kyrgyzstan? Then again, perhaps ours is also that old and spans beyond the European presence in the Americas.

Alas, we did not get to view any eagle hunting but our amazing tour organizers, Community Based Tourism (CBT), did set us up with a trip up into the mountains outside of Kochkor which required a three hour horseback ride to a "jailoo." The jailoo is an open alpine plateau where yurts (a traditional living structure for nomads) are set up by herders to provide them a summer home as they take their cows, sheep, goats, and horses to pasture up into the mountains. Let me just say that essentially our horse ride up and our stay at the Jailoo was like riding through Middle Earth from Lord of the Rings or Narnia. Seeing streams flowing down from the still snow-covered mountains evoked the spirit of renewal and reminded us all of ancient water cycles. The drinking of kumys, fermented mares milk, came straight from the source and tasted as you might imagine (like sour milk). It was enjoyable but we didn't purchase bottles for the road...

Needless to say, there were several moments at which we needed reassurance as each of our horses slipped on the steep slopes and our bottoms were too sore for the horses uncontrollable galloping. As we wandered back down the mountain at the end of our stay, we discussed the probability that our hosts held more assets than any of us. With 300 sheep valued at $1000 per sheep, the mountain lifestyle of an outhouse and no electricity put wealth and standard of living into perspective and perhaps the concept on its head. This was confirmed by our bed and breakfast host the next night in Kochkor, where we learned that shepherds were some of the more wealthy members of Kyrgyz society. This was accompanied by more comments about how post-Soviet times have led to many folks lacking the skills and training of shepherd life choosing to take it on nonetheless. Hmmm again.

Our B & B hosts filled our tummies with good food and lively conversation and a very genuine connection that seemed to bridge our nationalities.

From Kochkor we grabbed a shared taxi to Naryn with a wheeling and dealing taxi driver that tried to scam us more then once. In Naryn we met up again with a CBT outfit and hopped in a hired car to Tash-Rabat, an old Silk Road outpost and Yurt camp. The dust was a little too much on the drive, but well worth it to again arrive in Middle Earth/Narnia and experience this mystical world for one more night. This stay was right next to a 10th century church and then mosque and outpost. Our entry fee to Tash Rabat included a walk around the old outpost and its empty rooms that held strange deep holes and spooky entryways that led to...nothing? This time it really, really felt like an Indiana Jones movie.

And from here, we headed to cross the border into China (see Zoe's post).

Well, it is quite late here in Kashgar where I write this from...

Last word, Kyrgyzstan is a hidden gem and we all feel honored to have been there.

Kate

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