It had been a crazy few days trying to get to Kyrgyzstan as quickly as possible to begin a three-day horse trek as we had been in three countries in three days, arriving late the night before in Bishkek. A driver picked us up early in Bishkek for the almost four hour drive to the start of our trek. The nearby town of Tokmok was infamous during a 1916 revolt against Tsarist Russian rule and attempts at conscription that resulted in 12,000 Kyrgyz deaths. The event, known as the Exodus, also had another 12,000 fleeing to China and thousands more dying en route over the Tien Shan Mountains that ring this part of the country. The town sign included a MIG fighter jet.
When making the plans for the horse trek, we made sure the drive included a quick stop at Burana Tower, Kyrgyzstan's only major Silk Road site. According to one of the travel guides I consulted in preparing for this trip, the Silk Road, the ancient overland route from Asia to the Mediterranean, flourished during the first millennium and was at its prime during the Tang Dynasty of 618-907 and again during the 13th century under the Mongols. The Silk Road, a term coined by a German geographer in the 19th century when explorers and archaeologists began to rediscover long-lost cities, was far more than a conduit for silk, one of the earliest and most valuable commodities, and other trade goods.
In addition to merchants plying the Silk Road, there were travelers, missionaries, invaders and pilgrims who spread their ideas. "The scientific knowledge, inventions, religions and foods that passed along the Silk Road transformed isolated countries into an interdependent global community. This made it the first, and perhaps the most important, information superhighway, helping to lay the foundations of the modern world. The internet has been lauded as a 21st century 'Silk Road'. As researchers swap ancient documents online, it's clear that the Silk Road as a metaphor for international exchange as valid today as it has ever been."
In fields about 25 kms from Tokmok, were the ruins of the Burana Tower, a huge brick minaret identified as the 11th century Karakhanid city of Balasagun. That was all that was left of the city that was excavated by Russian archaeologists in the 1950s.
As our driver happened to pick up the person working at the tower outside of Tokmok, we were its first visitors of the day.
The stairway to the top was narrow and steep but at least it was easy to hold onto the bricks jutting out from the sides that acted as a sort of handrail!
From the top, we could see a collection of Turkic totem-like stone markers called balbals. We didn't realize then how many balbals we'd see elsewhere in the next two weeks here in Kyrgyzstan.
I think the sight's most interesting feature were the petroglyphs, figures that were engraved on the rocks and stones that dated from the 1st millennium BC to the 16th century AD.
Tombstones, inscribed with inscriptions in the Arabic alphabet, dated from the 14th to the first half of the 20th century, were found close to the Burana Tower.
Grindstones, millstones and threshing stones, dating from the 10th century and later, were found in the ancient Burana settlement.
The yurt sold expensive souvenirs so we only were there for a minute or two.
The small museum, which didn't allow any photos, had 11th century Christian carvings, Buddhist remains, Chines coins and information on a local literary hero.
In the complex were several mausoleums for rulers of the 11th century Karakhanid khanate. The preservation was completed in 1975.
As we drove toward Kochkor, where we'd pick up our guide for the trek, there were striking mountain views and memorials along the highway.
I noticed all of the restaurants had yurts next to them, likely spots to sell souvenirs!
We passed so many cemeteries that we later found out were a mixture of Russian Orthodox and Muslim graves.
Lina and Gloria: I could only think of you both here knowing of your concerns for public bathrooms. I hate to tell you but these ones looked pretty good compared to those we faced on the trek!
On hills around the world, we have seen signs written in white rocks. This one said 'Save Our Forests.' Joomart told us there are six million Kyrgyz people and, or including, I'm not sure which, another one million Kyrgyz working in neighboring Russia. The country has been independent from Russia since August 31, 1991. In the 120 seat government, there are five political parties with the Social Democrats having the most representatives. Joomart told us the President, who can be elected for a maximum of two terms, happened to be from the Social Democratic Party but is not required to be from the leading party.
I thought we were pretty adventurous about to embark on a long horse trek until we saw these long-distance cyclists!
The woman had prepared a delicious lunch of potato and onion soup cum stew for us before we would begin our five hour ride. We soon got used to the big dish of candy on every Kyrgyz table, thinking perhaps initially Kyrgyz people thought all tourists had an incredible sweet tooth. We discovered later that it was actually the reverse with Kyrgyz people having a love for all things sugary as we noticed the row upon row of candies and cookies in every market and shop in every town here in Kyrgyzstan! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a premium made on dental care as we've rarely seen people with so many missing teeth and/or gold teeth.
In each of the yurts we stayed in or had meals in, we had to remove our shoes before entering and sit on cushions on the floor around the low-lying table when meals were served. In the middle was our guide, Joomart, with the driver who picked us up bright and early from Bishkek that morning.
In case you didn't know, a yurt is essentially a temporary felt home used by nomadic herders along the length of the Silk Road that can be assembled in a couple of hours. They have been around for more than a thousand years; Genghis Khan reputedly had a yurt. First comes the hearth, then the floor decorated with appliqued carpets, then the collapsible concertina-like frame, the poles and finally the felt, the key to a yurt's success. Felt is warm in the windy summer and surprisingly waterproof as we later found out! The wheel-shaped circular skylight, called a tunduk, is depicted on the national flag of Kyrgyzstan.
We soon realized family members in the yurt didn't eat with their guests, making sure their guests had plenty to eat and hot tea to drink.
I am sure my horse knew he, rather than I, was in control all three days as Joomart was always telling me to use the whip more than I felt comfortable doing because I was concerned, needlessly as it turned out, I might hurt the horse. Because I wasn't as forceful as I should have been, my horse seemed to come to a complete standstill sometimes and I had difficulty getting him going despite my constant 'ch, ch' sounds!
Joomart, seeing I was having difficulty at times, would occasionally have to turn his horse around to get mine going. It seemed that my horse only needed to hear Joomart's far louder and assertive 'ch, ch' sounds and a well placed use of the whip to know he had better get a move on!
A few posts ago I wrote about the beautiful, woven saddlebags we saw in the Carpet Museum in Baku, Azerbaijan. As you can see, the ones Joomart used to carry his and our backpacks for three days were very utilitarian by comparison!
Seeing cattle grazing in the jailoos or summer pastures was to be a common sight during the horse trek.
Those specks in the distance were a couple of yurts.
The first day was the perfect introduction to our adventure as it was an extremely easy ride for two novices like us taking us through valleys and up and down easy hills with easily navigable paths for the horses. We really appreciated that the first part of the horse trek wasn't very arduous as neither of us had spent much time on a horse in years!
One of the most special times during our horse trek was the first afternoon when a herd of horses came thundering down the hill to our right and then passed very close to us before settling in a nearby pasture. Joomart said all but one of the horses was female and the stallion had led the other horses on the mini stampede!
Sorry for the blurry and too dark of a shot but it was all I could do to try and take some shot while still holding onto the reins and the whip to ensure my horse continued following Steven and Joomart!
I didn't set my watch or anything but my sense was that the whole event likely only took a couple of minutes if that. But it got my blood racing seeing such an amazing act of nature. They landed up in the valley in front of us.
It was a thrilling ride as we never knew what view we might have as we turned a bend in the horse path.
As we rounded the hill, we were greeted with the sight of more horses grazing on the slopes of the hill. Steven and I didn't know right away that our path would take us down and around the bottom of the hill so we would end up looking back up at the horses.
One of the foals got skittish around us, however, and tried to escape by going in front which kept putting him further and further away from the other horses.
Fortunately, he was able to rejoin the others after making it up the steep incline!
Another small yurt settlement:
That was the first time any of the horses had had the chance to stop and drink and my horse pulled hard on the reins so that I was half leaning over his head so he could drink from the creek! When I tried to pull up on the reins, he yanked his head so he could still keep drinking. It only took a few of the familiar 'ch, ch' noises from Joomart to get my horse going again!
On the other side of the creek were sheep, the first ones we'd come across that afternoon.
Another of the 'highway' markers!
The scenery was just stunning with beautiful vistas all around us. We hadn't seen a soul apart from horses, cattle and the sheep since we had set out. We were on the narrow path on the bottom of the photo.
For a good stretch of time, we passed these gorgeous red berry bushes that were about five feet or so in height. My horse, who had loved to take as many opportunities as he could to munch on grass as we rode along, wasn't at all interested in any of these berries, however.
Joomart said most trekking guides think July is the best time of the year to go on multi-day tours in Kyrgyzstan because of the warm temperatures. Even though it was overcast and we think the temperatures were probably in the 50s, Joomart still wore sunscreen on his face as he said the sun was so strong at that altitude.
The clouds looked very ominous but luckily rain held off. For the first time ever, we had had to buy wet pants in preparation for this horse trek because we were going pretty late in the season and might get a lot of rain.
It was clear that countless horse treks had resulted in many paths crisscrossing the mountain.
Joomart told us the farm had been abandoned.
After riding for about five hours, the sight of the yurt camp, our home for the night, in the Kilmeche Pasture was heavenly! Joomart had kindly given us the option of stopping much earlier for a break but Steven and I were concerned that, if we had taken him up on his offer, we might never manage to get back up on the horses again!
I could only look on in amazement as others, who had presumably also been riding for a good chunk of the day, went out hiking as dusk began to fall. I barely had the energy to move and walking any distance would have done me in at that point! Steven declared that this would have to be the last of our multi-day excursions like this as it was pushing us too hard at our ages to deal with sleeping in an unheated yurt when the temperatures would dip low that night, using pit toilets located a hundred feet or more from the yurt, riding for five hours and also having climbed about two thousand feet in elevation.
The prospect and allure of going on a three day horse trek had seemed like an incredible adventure months ago in the safety of our home but, even after just a few hours out, we realized we had bitten off more than we should have. While ooing and aahing at the exterior of the stunning Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Baku several days earlier, I had missed a step and fallen again so my left leg was giving me real issues again which made it very tough getting on and off the horse.
The head of the camp and Steven watched as another guide and a Brit drank vodka and played chess.
It was so chilly in our yurt that I finally made my way over to the cooking yurt as it had a stove where our dinner was cooking so it meant it was warm! Bet you'll never guess what was in the pail to heat the stove!
They were cow patties that the man was responsible for collecting and then drying for several months before they could be used as fuel! I am glad to report that, when dried, they gave off no foul smell!
I could no longer put off using the privy but even I had qualms about this one especially since it was located so far from our yurt!
Steven and I really enjoyed getting to know the three young men who had just visited the World Nomad Games here in Kyrgyzstan. One of them was a dentist from Wales who had an acute case of wanderlust and was about four months in on his third trip around the world, one was in finance in London and was on his second trip in three years to the country and the other, from Utrecht in the Netherlands, worked for his father until the travel bug hit him again! After dinner, I got my second wind and had a hoot playing the card game Asshole for a good hour or so with them and Joomart while Steven had sensibly gone to bed at a decent hour after we'd been up since before dawn.
Mindy: Thought you would get a kick out of knowing there were Brent gas stations in many places here in Kyrgyzstan!
We only stopped in Kochkor for enough time to stop at Kyrgyz Riders, the travel agency where I had made our reservations for the trek back in early March, as we would be back after the trek for a night. We had to walk through the adjacent market to use the toilet.
On the drive to the yurt 90 minutes away where we'd pick up the horses, we passed about ten more similar cemeteries. Joomart, our 22 year-old guide, told us he spoke four languages: Russian, Turkish, English in addition to his native Kyrgyz! It would have been so helpful had we learned some basic Russian for this years's trip as Russian is spoken by everyone in this part of the world known as Central Asia.
Finally, about 1, we were excited to arrive at the yurt camp where our long awaited horse trek was about to begin! Joomart explained that families tend to their animals while they live in the yurts from May-November each year before they move to the village.
I liked this view from inside the yurt through the low doorway to the mountains and the young boy playing outside with the horses in the background!
At last, the day of reckoning had begun and we were ready to start the horse trek that had been in the works for the last six months! I had done almost no horseback riding ever before so was more apprehensive of what the next few days might entail than Steven. I had been assured by the owner of the company that he and his guides were used to taking out beginning horseback riders on the treks.
What a shame seeing all the trash as we set out. Luckily, we saw very little trash after that.
Our five hour ride started up the hill and behind the ceremonial stone yurt to the valley beyond.
Joomart was wonderfully patient telling us in very decent English that we needed to tell our horses "ch, ch" to get them moving and also not to be leery about using the whip on the horses' hind flanks as necessary.
Even though we weren't blessed with sunny skies, the views in the Chaar-Archa Valley were still very appealing. I couldn't get over the fact that here we were horseback riding out in a deserted part of Kyrgyzstan!
It was so funny seeing the first of what turned out to be many directional stones on the trail!
The snow-capped mountain views were breathtaking!
We had been hearing the creek for a while and thought we'd be able to take the easy way to cross it across the bridge. However, Joomart felt the horses might get mired in the mud on the other side so led us through the swiftly moving creek.
We really knew fall was in the air with the chilly temperatures but if there were any doubt, one would only have to take one glance at these red and orange bushes on the nearby hillside. Steven always feels the cold worse than I and he was bundled up in four layers up top, a warm woolen hat and gloves and a scarf around his neck and was still cold!
I stupidly had left my warm hat in my duffel bag back in the travel office in Kochkor and hadn't even thought about bringing a warm scarf along on the trip. Steven didn't need his sunhat so I wore that under my riding helmet and was plenty warm - a fashion statement I was not, but warm, yes!
Joomart explained that the family owning the yurts where we'd be staying never know who and how many people might show up at their camp because communication was nonexistent in the remote region. It wouldn't matter in terms of not having enough food because the woman only needed to add more potatoes and vegetables as meat made a rare appearance on Kyrgyz menus. If you're a vegetarian, Kyrgyzstan is the perfect place!
I had difficulty standing up when I got off my horse as my legs were so wobbly! I was so happy just collapsing in the yurt that had been assigned to Joomart, Steven and myself for a while.
Hanging from the center of the yurt was what we later realized was a weight so that in case of high winds, the yurt wouldn't blow away.
What a fabulous view of our horses and the valley out our yurt's door! The clouds looked more and more ominous, though.
The only woman in the camp was a young woman whose job it was to prepare meals and get the 'beds' ready in the guest yurts. The beds were skinny mattresses on the floor covered by lots of blankets so it wasn't exactly a five-star hotel accommodations but we had known what to expect. The family yurt, aka the cooking tent, also had solar power for a light and to charge the young woman's cellphone. Behind the screen on the right was where bedding was kept in a yurt.
Next post: We awaken to snow - yippee. Not!
Posted on September 24th, 2018, from Osh, Kyrgyzstan.
WOW!! what a wonderful experience. Very desolate. Not very green. Lil Red
ReplyDeleteYou are right that the entire horse trek was a phenomenal experience and one we're both so glad we did, especially now the memories of the strong winds, the early morning chill and awakening to snow have dimmed somewhat!
DeleteI think I would just pee outside the toilet shack. Must have smelled bad.
ReplyDeleteI think I was too cold and in too much of a hurry to stop and smell the ...!
ReplyDeleteI always have to soak in a hot bath when I go riding after not having ridden for a while. I admire how you managed without! Chris
ReplyDeleteOh, how heavenly! I'd be curious to know what you thought about any similarities with, or major differences from, Mongolia? I adored the open steppe there, and much of what I have seen and read about Kyrgyzstan suggests that it might be similar.
ReplyDeleteLexie, Afraid I can't be too helpful as we were in Mongolia on our first overseas trip together all the way back in 2013. We 'only' went then on separate three-day and two-day trips via van to see as much as we could from the capital. Mongolia is so vast that we barely touched the surface of what there is to see and do there to get a good sense of all that it has to offer. We stayed in very basic accommodations also in Mongolia which wouldn't be everyone's first choice.
ReplyDeleteSorry not to be more helpful.