In Kyrgyzstan, mountains and green colour are everywhere. It´s a nice change after all the deserts we have gone through. Once you leave a main road you find a lot of yurts spread in the side valleys. In yurts a big number of Kyrgyz people still spend the warmer part of the year. On the pastures around there is enough grass for their cows and sheep. This idyllic silence is sometimes cut by a sound of a motor of a Lada Niva or hooves tramping. Horses are ever-present. We could watch this spectacle for hours.
This song (“Wild horses” in Czech) keeps playing in our heads. If you like calmer music, you might appreciate its original version.
Heading south
Osh is the second biggest city in Kyrgyzstan and the centre of the southern part of the country. We stopped for a couple of days due to some minor health problems. At least we could do a regular back up on OneDrive and thanks to our Toughbook also increase the number of views of online streaming of the ice hockey world championships.
When all the antibiotics had been eaten we headed to the Allay Range (the foothills of Pamir). The darkness was setting on narrow valleys of these mountains as we were forced to conduct a several hours´ long test of our front winch. Fortunately, the winch did not disappointed us. Hooked to a big stone (which was slowly moving in the mud) it got our car out of this tricky stuff.
Then, Martin gave it a go on his paraglider. Apparently, local donkeys can carry everything. Therefore, it is unthinkable that a precious visitor would carry by himself such a huge backpack all way up to the mountain. Amazed, we observed two shepherds – our self-proclaimed guides – emptying a bottle of vodka during our 700 vertical metres climb. “I can’t drink, I am a pilot” Martin kept refusing their invitations while I was hiding behind the tripod and camera.
And then north
During our way to Bishkek – the capital – I tested the snow pack of the northeast face of a probably unnamed peak (3900m) above the Ala Bel pass (3100m). It was a strange kind of firn snow into which you sink at least to your knees no matter if you are ascending or descending. We have never seen anything like this back in Europe. It seems snowpack might be quite tricky over here.
The weather forecast then promised some sunshine – at least for the mornings. “The afternoon storms will surely not be so bad” we did not lose optimism before heading to Ala Archa – one of the most beautiful valleys of the Western Tian San Mountains.
#SkiToCloud
You can find further news from our journey here https://instagram.com/microsoftcz
Yurts and nomadic life
Green color all-around
Best from bird´s eye view
Typical Kyrgyz hats
Architectural beauties of Osh
Home cinema
Powered by Panasonic Tough Book CF-C2 and GoalZero
#SkiToCloud
View of Osh
On a muddy way to school
On a muddy way to school
Core skills such as sitting and staring should be trained from early age
Village life in the Allay Mountains
„Give me your bag my friend, our donkey can carry everything“
Milka country – the Kyrgyz edition
Para-waiting (waiting for a right moment to start)
#SingingRock, #Directalpine, #Julbo
Flying time
Green world
Green world
“So, I will put it in reverse and maybe we will be able to drive up then”
Photo taken by Lumia 830
The driving maneveru failed. The night shift is beginning.
Photo taken by Lumia 830
Along the way to Bishkek you can meet horses as well as old Mercedes – both typical Kyrgyz means of transport
Birds parade at the Toktogul Lake
Searching the safest route in the northeast face of a probably nameless peak (3900m) above the Ala Bel pass (3100m)
