It’s nine o’clock in the evening. We are sitting on a bench near the river, the sun has set and the sky is pitch black with millions of stars. We pull the blanket a bit tighter around us. Svetlana and her two daughters join us, to check if ‘it’s’ already visible. We have absolutely no clue what we are supposed to see, but it must be special. A few minutes later the girls start to jump up and down and point towards an opening between two rocks. A bright star shines exactly in the opening. Aha! Time to hit the sack and get warm!
Svetlana with her husband and daughter
Today we were spoiled by Svetlana and her girl friends. As soon as we arrived, they gave us tea with bread and jam and a large plate of rice. We are stuffed! But it’s not enough! We are invited to join the group and a glass of cognac is put in front of us. They tell many stories to us, all in Russion, we don’t understand a word, but keep laughing! By the time they leave, we both get big hugs! Friendly people!
Kyrgyzstan and horses is like Holland and wooden shoes. That’s the way it should be, one can’t do without the other. So, in order to feel the real life in Kyrgyzstan we decide a horse ride is the way to go. In two days we ride from Kochkor to Kol Okuk Lake and back, like Clint Eastwood and our own Dutch Anky! My God… we were soooo lucky it were only two days! Our asses are hurting like hell, a bicycle saddle is so much more comfortable… But the ride was worth it; from the valley we slowly (well Bonfire is) climb up over narrow trails through a green lush valley. Near the top it’s very steep and in order not to fall of, I hang on to its neck and on the downhill I nearly kiss its royal ass! How the hell does he (or she) do it? The pass is at 3100 meter and on the other side a beautiful valley opens up with Kol Okuk Lake and majestic mountains in the back. Near the lake are two yurts and it’s here where we will stay the night. It’s very primitive and hygiene is something they’ve never heard of… If we don’t get the shits again, we would be very surprised!
Goat head
At 10 PM we finally have dinner; sheep soup we guess.. more bones than sheep. That night we find the rest of the sheep in a bowl next to our beds in our yurt… We have no idea where the head went…