Wonderful Kyrgyzstan!

We ride through the Kyrgyz steppes, feeling incredibly free in the vast open spaces that we are crossing. We are  lucky to participate in a buzkashi game, a traditional equestrian game in Central Asia. In this country of nomads, people as well as landscapes impress us a lot.

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We pass through the metallic gate that separates China and Kyrgyzstan. After the first military checkpoint, we still ride for two kilometers and arrive at the customs. The officer that stamps our passports is very likable. He welcomes us, recommends that we see the Issikul lake, in the North, and notifies us that we have 60 days to discover his country. When taking our picture for immigration purposes, he asks me to smile. What a contrast with China!

We stop at Erkeshtam, a small village just after the customs, made out of old trailers sitting on wood planks. We buy some groceries and then eat in a kitchen managed by a woman with her two daughters. We get along with the eldest, who speaks English very well.

Our first meal in Kyrgyzstan

Elnura and Siyuta, our restaurateurs

We get back on the road, enthusiastic about discovering this country that seems so welcoming at first glance.

Shower time!

During two days, we struggle against a violent headwind, that makes the successive uphill slopes gruelling. Still, the scenery is breathtaking: vast green grasslands full of horses and sheep, with snowy peaks of the Pamir range in the background.

The road stretches along the Pamirs between Erkeshtam and Sary-Tash

8% uphill slope with a violent headwind, under the gaze of our bovine audience!

We've found the perfect spot for the night

On Sunday afternoon, we sight a gathering of horse riders further on the road. We get closer and realize that it's about buzkashi, a traditional game which is very popular in Kyrgyzstan. Rules are simple: about forty horse riders fight for a sheep carcass, which they have to keep as long as possible (or in some versions of the game, to bring in a goal).

We stop to observe the scene. In a matter of seconds, I find myself on a horse galloping behind the aforementioned carcass, as one player took me on his mount. I can tell you that it is little reassuring to find yourself in the middle of a melee formed by forty frenzied horses. And needless to say, I didn't catch hold of the sheep.

A horse rider reaching for the sheep

Everybody chases the "ball"

This game, that enables to gather men from different villages of the region, is the counterpart of the Sunday afternoon football game in Switzerland. Not every man is playing, some just lie on the grass and follow the game. We stay for a while, chatting with them.

The Sunday game is above all a popular festival

A group of viewers (note the drunkard on the left)

One of the riders asks me for water, I hand him my bottle. It travels from hands to hands (visibly this game makes one thirsty) before disappearing. Half-hour later, a child comes back to me with my bottle that he refilled by the river. Nice.

The quintessential Kyrgyz panorama

We arrive in Sary-Tash just before the rain, where a local offers us a room with full board for 500 soms (10 CHF).Immediately, we get along very well.

His name is Seyit and he studies law in Osh. He talks passionately about his country and it's a pleasure to listen to him. In our room, a wolf pelt is hanging against the wall. He explains us that his father is the official wolf hunter of the village during winter (wolves are coming down from the mountains with the cold season).

With our host and friend Seyit in Sary-Tash

Musical interlude: Seyit sings an a cappella Kyrgyz song for us. He also shares via Bluetooth some mp3 songs in his mother tongue (file1: Бб_Дарижа.mp3, file2: нурлан_Насип_кыргызстан.mp3).

Riding through the Kyrgyz steppes gives an indescribable feeling of serenity. There's no traffic, a lot of wind and magical landscapes. From time to time, a shepherd walks to us, shake hands or just press his hand against the heart while bowing slightly, then goes back to his flock, without hurry. Just simple, but so beautiful.

A kid and his donkey come to greet us

Bad weather coming over to the steppes

From Sary-Tash, we leave the vast grasslands and cross a mountain range before riding down to Osh, 3000 meters lower.

Pass at the exit of Sary-Tash: a climb...

...meeting people at the top...

...then a long downhill ride

Every time that we cross a village, children greet us by waving their hands with all their strengths and shouting "Bye bye". One day, as we enjoy a small break in the shade, a group of kids brings us cheese and water.

After barely one week, it's already time to leave Kyrgyzstan. Just these couple of days were enough to make me love this country, with its proud and incredibly warm citizens.

The grandparents invite us for a tea

Next stage: the Ferghana valley, in Eastern Uzbekistan, before the race for visas in Tashkent.