Kyrgyzstan

The first thing people always ask is, "Why crackastan/kirjistan/kirjikistan/kragastan?"  To be honest, I have no good answer.  I knew absolutely nothing about it, and had no idea what to expect.  It was always that weird country I had no idea how to spell when I played "name that country" in sporcle.  It was one of those "stans" that always seems to get lost between Russia and Afghanistan.  There's not even a lonely planet book for it.  I had no idea  what food they ate (always my first question), what language they spoke, or even what the people there looked like.  So naturally, I wanted to see what it was all about.  As it turns out, the food is delicious, they speak Russian, and the people are awesome. 

Right between Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.. now you know where it is, right?

Before I start, I need to give credit to my boyfriend, Matt.  He's too cool to write a blog but he's the one who discovered Kyrgyzstan before I even knew how to spell it.  After I was heartbroken about not being able to go to Nepal (it was monsoon season) and Pakistan (it was Ramadan), he started googling random countries in Asia.  And he found images like this:

RIGHT??

And then there was no turning back.  He found our flights.... and then he planned our entire trip.  Thanks Matt!

Kyrgyzstan, or land of the Kyrgyz (stan meaning "land" in Persian), gained independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed.  Since then, it has struggled with political instability, corruption, ethnic conflicts, and transitional governments (in no particular order).  It is technically a democratic nation with elected officials, but it did not stop the people from overthrowing the president in 2010.  Though a new Supreme Chancellor was elected, there is a lot of dissatisfaction with him.  In 2010, there were violent conflicts between Kyrgyz people and Uzbeks (an ethnic minority).  The political instability and supposed danger has made Kyrgyzstan and unlikely destination for many tourists, but a goldmine for those that can see past the risks.  

Bishkek

We spent our first day in Bishkek walking around Chuy Street (pronounced "Chewey"), seeing the "sights," and people watching.  I put sights in quotation marks because seeing all of the designated "attractions" took about an hour.  There was their version of the White House, which just looked like a large communist-style building.  There was the national museum, which was also a large square building filled with random pictures of old people... and it smelled weird.  And that was the extent of the "sights".   

The White House

The National Museum

It was outside of the museum that we were really able to experience Bishkek and observe the Kyrgyz folk (pronounced Kirg-izz) in their natural habitat. Bishkek is the first soviet style, or "Czarist planned" city I have ever been to.  Always having been interested in the Soviet Union, I was pretty psyched.  The streets were wide, and the buildings looked like large stone boxes.  While it wasn't aesthetically beautiful by common standards, it had a unique charm to it.  I had fun sitting in the University plaza, walking around, eating deliciously greasy, meaty breads, and checking out the architecture.  People around us seemed to be enjoying themselves.  Everyone was relaxed and having a good time.  Little children were playing everywhere.  There were public bouncy castles that kids could use for a few cents (baller, right?)  People were using 90's style cell phones, listening to 90's music, driving 90's cars, and wearing 90's fashion.  Pretty much my kind of place.

Kyrgyz children are so friendly

meaty, stuffed, fried goodness

public bouncy castle

car from the soviet union

swimming in the fountain on a hot day

The streets of Bishkek

The main square

Teens ordering some kebabs and "samsas-" doughy pouches of meat

Observing the Kyrgyz people, I was confused about their race.  We saw people that looked East Asian, Mongolian, Caucasian, Persian, and Turkish.  I did some research.  It turns out that all central Asians descend from 3 groups: Mongols, Europeans, and Iranians.  A combination of Mongols and Europeans make up Turks.  Ethnic Kyrgyz people are a combination of Turks and Mongols.  In other words, ethnic Kyrgyz are 3/4 Mongols, and 1/4 European. If you can picture that. For your convenience, I'll laid out this simple diagram I've made:

you're welcome.

Of course, along with ethnic Kyrgyz people, there are other ethnic minorities.  There are Russians, Uzbeks, Dungans (Chinese Muslims), Kazakhs, Tajiks, and Ukrainians.  80% of the population is Muslim.  While people appeared to be hard and unapproachable (sorry, Russian stereotype), they were very kind and friendly.  We had no problem getting around, asking for directions, or ordering food.  A lot of people (especially the younger generation) in Bishkek spoke English, and were eager to help us.  Almost everyone was psyched to be meeting Americans and really wanted to show us the best of their country. 

On our second day in Bishkek, we decided to take a tour in hopes of seeing more than just the center of the city.  Our tour consisted of the guy who's house we were staying at driving us around in his car. He showed us a lot and we really enjoyed it.  We started off our day at Dor Doi, the largest market in Central Asia.  What made this market so fascinating is that all of the shops are located in large shipping containers.  Thousands of them.  There were so many shipping containers that they practically made a building just by being put together. We tried on fur hats, tried on faux designer sunglasses, and touched vests made out of felt.  The hats were really expensive.

Dor Doi from the outside

Shoes for sale

Muslim fashion shop

Hats for sale!

So nomadic.

chillin' in the market

Courtesty of MR

We had lunch at a fantastic restaurant at the foot of the mountains.  It was a great taste of what we were in for the rest of our trip.  We sat in a yurt, and ate traditional Kyrgyz food.  Shashlik, which are kebabs of sheep, chicken and beef, were delicious.  We had our first taste of Kymyz, the national drink which obviously has no vowels, per Kyrgyz custom.  Kymyz is fermented mares milk, and it wasn't awful.  It tasted cheesy and smokey but tart.  It was at this restaurant that our tour guide, Martin, told me something I couldn't believe.  In Kyrgyzstan, there are NO FAMOUS PEOPLE.   Is that true?! How is that even possible?!  I still don't know if it was true, but as Matt would say, "That's something they should be famous for!" He's so clever, that Matt.

Drinking kymyz inside the yurt

Shashlik: chicken, beef, and sheep kebabs

From the restaurant, we went a bit further into the mountains and got out to look at the river, where our tour guide goes every week to get water for his family.  Though Kyrgyzstan doesn't export much, it is famous for its water.  Seriously. You can put your face in a river and drink from it, because it's all glacial melt. Imagine doing that in the Hudson!

The day after our tour, we put on our athletic clothing and headed to Ala Archa National Park outside of Bishkek.  We went on a nice hike to a waterfall and had the most amazing views of the mountains, the snow-capped peaks, the valleys, and the butterflies.

Cholpan-Ata at Lake Issyk-Kol

When it was time to leave Bishkek, we bid farewell to the Korean family that we were staying with and boarded a Marshutka.  A marshutka is a mini-van used as public transportation instead of buses.  They seat about 12 but are usually packed with 30.  They leave when they're full.  So for 7 hours, I couldn't move my legs, the boy next to me kept falling asleep on my shoulder, and they were blasting horrible 90's techno mix CD's.  It was... an experience.  I was so relieved to arrive at our destination,  only to get off the marshutka and find a group of old women swarming us and yelling at us in Russian.  It was at this moment that we heard the voice of an angel.  "Hey, you guys need help?"  And this is how we met Nurlan and his family- our now Kyrgyz friends and some of the most awesome people I've ever met.  We spent the weekend at lake Issyk Kol with Nurlan, his wife Kanykey, and their adorable daughter Daniella.

Lake Issyk Kol is the second largest Alpine lake in the world (after Lake Titicaca).  It's saline so although it's surrounded by snow-capped mountains, it never freezes.  So in other words, it's absolutely gorgeous and you can swim in your bikini while gazing at snow-covered mountains in the distance.  It's a summer destination for Kyrgyz, Russians, and rich ostentatious Kazakhs that drive down the street in fancy cars and yell "Almaty forever" out their windows.  We spent out days hanging out at the beach, taking paddle boats out on the lake and eating delicious Kyrgyz food at our favorite restaurant.  We spent our nights relaxing, except for the one night when we went out with Nurlan's family and his friends that were in town for the weekend.  We took shots of "Russian standard vodka," smoked hookah, and did karaoke.  Matt and I sang "Brown Eyed Girl" while Nurlan and his friend did a cover of "Yesterday" by the Beatles.  I really enjoyed Lake Issyk-Kol.  The woman who ran the guest house, Kate, was so kind to us.  We had our go-to restaurant where the staff was excited to see us come back meal after meal.  And most of all, hanging out with Nurlan and the gang was awesome.

Lake Issyk-Kol

A nugget on the beach sayin' hello

The gang! Cuba, Kanut, Nurlan, Daniella, Kanyke, myself, and Matt

Daniella

Kids and their technology these days!

Laghman

Out drinking "Russian Standard" at Lake Issyk-Kol

The boys

Nurlan and Kanut sing "Yesterday"

Paddle boats out on the lake

Daniella at the beach

At the "president's beach"

Snow-capped mountains in the distance

Maanti- dough stuffed with meat and chunks of fat, and then fried

Our go-to restaurant

Kate and I at the guest house

Mountains rising over Lake Issyk-Kol

Karakol

After Lake Issyk-Kol we began our outdoor adventure.  We headed to Karakol, which is a ski-resort town in the winter.  But in the summer, it was really sketchy and run-down.  Compared with the well-kept buildings in Bishkek, those in Karakol were dirty and falling apart.  The streets were cracked and dusty.  Fortunately, we only stayed a night before starting our trek to the natural hot springs of Altyn-Arashan.  Hiking the 8 miles up and then into the valley was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.  I can't even describe how unreal the scenery was.  From the valley where we stayed the night, we saw a glacier and a rainbow.  Yeah, that happened.  And after 8 miles uphill, those hot springs felt DAMN good.

Run-down apartment in Karakol

The start of the hike

Finally reached Altyn-Arashan

this is real

A rainbow! A motherfucking rainbow!

A glacier in the background

Hot spring huts

Hot springs.. mm mm mm

Hot spring shed along the river

Kochkor, The Jailoos, and Song-Kol Lake

The next stop after Karakol was our big yurt-stay adventure.  This was going to be the big kahuna of the trip.  We headed to Kochkor for a night and stayed in a lovely home-stay.  This was where we would have our last shower for 5 days.

old man baby at the homestay.. he had the biggest personality!

Kochkor

Now is where I should probably say, I have never been camping.  As in.. I've never slept in a tent.  I've never slept outdoors.  I've never gone to the bathroom or brushed my teeth outdoors. The only time I've gone 5 days without a shower was by choice, and that was in high school when I was on the swim team, so no one can judge me for that.  So, sleeping out on the prairies for a few days and using bathrooms like this was a big step for me:

No pipes attached.

Our trek was to be 3 days on horseback, 4 nights in yurts, and then a day at a Kyrgyz festival.  The trek was called "jailoo hopping," jailoos being the summer pastures of the Kyrgyz nomads.  The people of Kyrgyzstan are traditionally nomadic.  They speak the traditional language, Kyrgyz.  Their yurts are similar to those of the nomads of Mongolia (who at one point conquered Kyrgyzstan.. or something).  During the Soviet era, the Kyrgyz nomads were forced to collectivize agriculture and the people moved into transitional settlements, towns, and cities.  After 1991, the people were allowed to continue their nomadic traditions, and many did.  They live during the winters in villages, and spend their summers in yurts on the jailoos, herding their flocks.

Our 4 day excursion began in the village of Kyzart, having lunch with this nice family.

We then rode horses with this man.  When I say man, I actually mean boy, because he was only 20.  He was great on a horse and smoked 2 packs of cigarettes in 24 hours.  

We rode up a high pass our first day-it was around 3,600 meters.  Once we were over the pass, we could see the sparkling Song-Kol lake.

up the pass

Getting higher

Climbing upwards

Top of the pass! 3,600 meters.

Finally- Song-Kol lake in view

Then it started to rain. And it was freezing.  Fortunately when we got to the yurt camp, the rain had stopped. I spent the evening watching people milk cows, warming by the stove in the yurt and watching the family make supper.  I had a chill I could not shake but fortunately by morning, the sun was up and shining. 

I wanted to milk it but felt weird asking.

Making noodles for the stew

Yurt camp #1

Inside the yurt

We spent the next couple of days with the same sort of schedule.  Riding during the day along the beautiful lake, looking at animals, watching the wild horses gallop, and retiring at a yurt in the evening.

Song-Kol lake

Matt on horseback

The flocks of sheep, goats, and cows

Kyrgyz pride

Always with the pups

No internet + No TV leads to a stuffed animal photo shoot

Mooch getting friendly with the nomads

Song-Kol lake

baby cow

The mountains at sunset

These boys were badasses on their horses- I was impressed!

Our last day on the shores of Song-Kol lake was spent at a Kyrgyz traditional festival.  Of course it wasn't actually for Kyrgyz people, and it was just a demonstration for tourists.  But, that's okay.  We ate Kyrgyz traditional foods, listened to Kyrgyz traditional music, played games, and most importantly, watched the horse games!

Traditional music

For the games of strength, they asked for volunteers.  Matt volunteered the the 1 vs. 1 tug of war game.  He won, and then went onto the finals, where he won again! An old French woman came up to me and gave me a thumbs up.  And then, she took pictures of his back while he peed through a crack in the outhouse door.

Matt wins!

Man must demonstrate strength

The horse games were what we had been waiting for.  It was part of the reason we went to Kyrgyzstan.  They started off slow, but still interesting.  In the first game, the game master placed a coin or a bill on the ground.  Riders had to gallop on their horses and try to pick up the object.  It looked terrifying.

Next, 2 men wrestled topless, on horseback.  The goal was to knock the other guy off.

Last was the big finale: Kok-boru.  The game also goes by some other names, which you may have heard:  Ulak-tartysh in other regions of Kyrgyzstan, kokpar in Kazakhstan, and the famous Buzkashi in Afghanistan.  Cracked.com gives an accurate (and hilarious) description of the sport, which I cannot rival, so I'll just copy and paste it here: 

What is it? 
The national sport of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and other unpronounceable Central Asian nations, it involves a large amount of ululating Arabs tearing around a large area on horseback, trying to wrestle the carcass of a goat from each other in an apparent effort to reaffirm every negative stereotype the world has about them.

The two mounted teams try to throw the dead goat over a goal line or into a tub.  This elecits a great deal of enthusiasm, so we assume it constitutes scoring a point.  Play is rough, and competitors often wear protective clothing to protect themselves from other riders' boots, whips and probably stray bullets.

Interesting fact: Buzkashi games can go on for several days, which says as much about the stamina of the players as it does about the total lack of any alternate form of entertainment in the regions the sport is played.  (cracked.com)

Yup, we saw that happen.  As in, we saw them slaughter a little white goat, and then throw it around a field on horseback.  It was awesome.

Draining the blood from the goat head

Goat head firmly detached

The games begin

Oh yeah the head is still detached. And lying inches from me.

The Games

And that was it for our jaunt on the jailoos.  Soon enough we were back in the city. 

Yup, back in the big city.

Actually, we spent the last day before our flight hanging out with Nurlan and Kanykey in Bishkek, which was a lot of fun.  We ran some last minute errands to pick up gifts and see a bit more of the city.  Then, we watched basketball and ate shashlik at one of their favorite spots.

And by errands, I mean the vodka aisle

The gang

And that was that! Our big trip to the wonderful land of Kyrgyzstan.