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Kyrgyzstan is magic, pure and simple
Hello once again, Comrades,
Generalissimo Jeff here for the 5th 'Eyes Only' report from Central Asia. It appears I have eluded the sneaky CIA operatives cunningly disguised as fellow passengers, though the two Spaniards continually insist in talking in some mysterious Latin code. They insist it is already spoken all over the world, but anything spoken so fast, and with so many words ending in 'o', 'i' or 'a', is clearly made up.
Anyway, after a 4 hour border crossing, we finally entered the mountainous
world of the Kyrgyzstan Republic (and, once again, YES, it is a real
country, you unbelievers!!). From the outset, the only words to describe
the scenery and atmosphere is 'stunning', 'amazing' and 'gob-smackingly
beautiful' ... words used by everyone, everyday, for over 2 weeks!!
The whole nation is over 2000m, with the legendary Tien Shan Mountain
Range blanketing half the nation - they are not called the "Mountains
of Heaven" for nothing. Each day you unzip the tent to be greeted
by yet another panorama of snow-capped peaks and azure blue lakes ...
imagine London on a cold, wet, grey winter's day, well, Kyrgyzstan is
exactly nothing like that.
At all. Ever.
Our local guide, Remil, told us that there would be a chance that we would get nothing but rain (up to 3000m), turning to snow above this. We laughed and told him we had paid extra to Dragoman, and that 'guaranteed’ good weather would be coming out of the Kitty Fund. He laughed, and said, "What, in Kyrgyzstan, in spring?! Ha! No chance!". Two weeks later the blue skies just rolled on to the distant horizons from dawn until dusk!
Our first encounter with the gloriously friendly people of the Kyrgyz
Republic was at some nameless small town in the low hills of the East.
A Tuesday Cattle Market was in full swing, so we pulled over for a buy
cows... and chaos followed. We were way off the tourist trail and the
locals made no effort to hide their surprise and enthusiasm at greeting
the first ever westerners to their tiny village. Old men with long beards,
creased faces and tall peaked hats, surrounded us, posing majestically
with proud smiles, before bellowing with laughter as they viewed themselves
on the small digital screens. Soon everyone was in on the act. Boys
leapt on horses, women beamed huge gold teeth smiles and children managed
to squeeze into every other shot. All the while 'fat-bottomed sheep',
goats and horses created a whirlwind of noise, smells and colour around
us. We were offered food (I think you'll remember the wonders of 'Manti'
and 'Plov' from my last message) and large swigs from bottles of fermentated
mare's milk. One woman saw my confusion over what was lurking within
the plastic bottle being thrust into my face ... so she dragged me across
to an unsuspecting horse and began tugging on the udders, splashing
milk across the floor to the howls of laughter from onlookers. Oh. It's
alcoholic milk from a horse.
Ok... when in Rome and all that!
And that is pretty much how all the people of Kyrgyzstan were. Smiles, laughter and the constant hand of friendship. What is it about people who have so little, that it makes them so bloody nice?? There's a lesson in there for us all, somewhere!
For the next few days we drifted from bushcamp to bushcamp. Each more stunning than the last. Snow capped mountains reflected in the deep blue, ice cold, waters of glacier fed lakes. Stunning. Dotted on the high Alpine meadows were Yurts, the traditional summer homes of shepherds ... their smiles and waving hands following us wherever we travelled. And then there was Isyk-Kol Lake, 'the Azure Eye of Kyrgyzstan', an ice cold 2500m high lake, totally surrounded by 5000m+ snow capped peaks of the Tien Shan. Huge wow, you can see why the Russian cosmonauts (Yuri Gagorin, among them) all came here for their high-altitude training in days long past. The Russian tourists all left with the collapse of the USSR, the old run down hotels and abandoned factories are a testament to the nation's changing fortunes.
To come to Kyrgyzstan is to spend a lot of time trekking, riding and
climbing. There are NO historical monuments or ancient citadels. These
have always been a nomadic mountain people, their legacy is their traditional
way of life in a museum that stretches from border to border. This country,
the mountains, lakes, glaciers, rivers and meadows IS history. It was
the gateway from China to Europe through the virtually impenetrable
Tien Shan peaks. To come here is to tread in the footsteps of Marco
Polo and 2000 years of countless traders in exotic spices and silks.
As you trek the mountain passes, your footsteps fill those of the countless
travellers before. You have just become a part of the living history
of Kyrgyzstan.
Pretty cool, eh!?
There's nothing more to say, really. Kyrgyzstan is magic, pure and simple. I saw my first ever glacier, climbed up into the snowline, swum in freezing lakes, slept in (and helped build) a Yurt, drank vodka at less than US$1 per bottle, laughed with the locals, eaten more fatty mutton than you can shake a stick at, and, swilled some 'interesting' fermented mare's milk. All the time surrounded by some of the most wonderful scenery and people you are ever likely to meet on this lump of rock called Earth.
Kyrygyzstan put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. It was,
we ALL agreed, our favourite nation in Central Asia. But, like everything
else, this is just a load of words and phrases ... to understand Kyrgyzstan,
the people, the landscape and culture, well, you have to come and say
'Hi!'.
See you on the next flight.
Not the usual Generalissimo banter of near-death experiences and boozy stories ... but Kyrgyzstan is just one word. WOW.
Take care. Keep in touch ... especially those who text and email all day but are too lazy to send me one!! You know who you are, gits!!
Generalissimo Jeff ... now in Central China. And that is a VERY different story indeed!!
Ultimate Overland
Comrade Jeff is on 16 week overland trip from the UK
to Beijing. This is a combination journey that encompasses Turkey,
Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China.
For those wanting shorter journeys check out our:
Caucasus
& Trans Caspian (TCT)
25 nights, Istanbul to Ashgabat. Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan
TCT56 has a 30% discount
Samarkand
& Tamerlane's Testament (STT) - 14 nights, Ashgabat to Tashkent.
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
STT45 has a 30% discount
Mountain Kingdoms of Kyrgyzstan (KYR) - 15 nights Tashkent to Bishkek. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan
Other combination trips are available making up journeys ranging from 4 to 22 weeks.
Don't miss next months Comrades Jeff's next installment of crossing of China.