Day 14 - Karakol

We are nearing the end of the trip and we haven't done much shopping, so today we are going to fill that void.  The sun has decided not to come out today, which is fine with us. The weather is warmer here than at Song-Kul, however it has remained cooler and only been in the 20's.  Feels more like home, which is a nice way to end the trip.

We wake up and start to gather the troops.  It turns out that Erik is really sick. We aren't sure if its something he ate or drank...but he's down for the count today and Robert is still sleeping, so Brian, Emily, Bruce, Wendy, Dave and the kids and I head into town for Breakfast.  Our guide and driver had arrived at 10am to pick us up and we had them drive us to another highly google rated breakfast spot and then gave them the rest of the day off. 

Tomorrow we would be driving all the way back to Almaty in Kazakhstan and it would be a pretty long day. It was also Emily's 30th birthday, and so we were trying to minimize our time in the car and be able to get to Almaty in enough time to begin the birthday festivities. We decided we would leave at 6:30am tomorrow and hopefully that would get us into Almaty by 3ish. We would be stopping at Cheryn Canyon along the way, which we really hoped would not be 20km off the highway on gravel.  I had been able to ascertain from our hotel that the road would be bad in Kyrgyzstan until we hit the border, but that as soon as we hit Kazakhstan, they would improve greatly.  So I gathered that the drive tomorrow morning until we hit the border might be rough.  It certainly seemed like it was going to take us a very long time for a quite short distance.

We had really nice coffees and breakfasts, and realized that they did box lunches to go. So we decided we'd come back later on and order lunches for everyone for the next day. That would eliminate us needing to find somewhere to stop tomorrow.  If my timing was accurate, we should hit Cheryn just before lunch, we could visit the canyon and eat and then be back on the road again.  Fingers crossed that all went well.

After breakfast we wondered down the main road.  It is not what you would expect from a main road of a pretty significant sized city, with broken sidewalks, rough roads, run down shops, again I'm reminded that its not a wealthy place.

We are on a mission to find the One Village One Product Issyk Kul store. It is a gift shop that sells mostly hand made and hand died felt products from the region. Their story is what is so powerful though. They are an association established by local regional producers in the surround lake region to promote community empowerment through the creation of unique products.  The women that produce the products are paid fair wages and taught safe work practices.  Supporting them while we were here was high on my list.

We found the shop tucked along the main street and it would not disappoint. The shop is bright and clean and beautifully laid out.  The felt products are stunning, and I'm not sure how we will choose what to not buy! There are slippers, hats, scarves, ornaments, purses, jewelry and more.  I'm in heaven and we do our part to support the local economy with slippers, a beautiful rug, and various other items.

We wander down from there in hopes of finding some felt sweaters, but no luck. We do find a very strange mall that sells everything from baby gear to gift cards in open stalls over multi levels.  It's interesting for sure, but no sweaters.  Our last stop is a Soviet antique shop that I had read about. It's so awesome and filled with so many cool things.  Avery gets a couple of very old stirrups and stirrup buckles, Cadence gets an old pocket watch. Fiona had gone off with grandma and grandpa for lunch, but would go back and get herself a couple of trinkets later on.  There is something for everyone, and when we fall short on enough money for Cadence's old pocketwatch, he gifts her the remainder. Everyone feels like they've found a treasure.

We wander further along to the place we went for dinner last night and grab some lunch. It is equally as good as the night before. Sort of a fusion of local cuisine and chinese food. Delicious.

We head back to the hotel to nap and relax a little. It's been raining off and on, so its becoming hard to continue walking around.  Back at the hotel I sort through our newly cleaned laundry and do some packing.  Dave isn't feeling well and so he naps and girls hang out, Fiona plays Xbox with the hotel manager which is pretty hilarious.

We head out for dinner a while later to a place suggested by the hotel. It has pretty good reviews so we give it a go.  Unfortunately they seem out of most things on the menu, and once everyone else's dinner shows up, they tell me they don't have my item. Could have honestly poked her eyes out. I share some of Fiona's food and we get by.  The boys order a large bottle of vodka, which seems to get drunk very quickly, and then its time for bed again. The days just seem to slip by. We bring Erik back a burrito, he feels finally able to eat something.

We get organized for he day ahead and head to bed. I had had to sleep with earplugs the night before as we wanted the windows open to get some of the cool air, however their appears to be a wild pack of dogs in the surrounding area that are constantly barking and scrapping with one another. I now can't find my earplugs, so tonight's sleep might suck.  Also, Dave is still not feeling well, so between his movement and the dogs, 5:45am feels very early when it arrives.

Day 13 - Song Kul to Karakol

I didn't sleep as well last night. My sunburnt skin was sizzling and I thought my tiredness from riding would put me right to sleep, but it was the opposite. 

We got up and had another nice breakfast in the dining Yurt. I had really enjoyed the experience of eating here, but I have to admit that most of us don't seem to be built for sitting on the floor like this.  My poor knees and back were protesting. I guess I should do more yoga.

Our plan was to leave around 9am as we had about a 6-7  hour drive today. We would have to drive the 50km out of here on the dirt roads, and then the rest of the drive we hoped would be easier and paved.

We packed up our things and loaded into the van.  We said our goodbyes to the family and thanked them for their amazing hospitality....then we were off.

We all resumed our positions in the van.  Carsick people nearer to the front and us more "robust" persons at the back.

We bumped along for the couple of hours until we got to the main road and from there we drove north to the edge of Issyk-Kul Lake where we turned east and followed the edge of this lake to Karakol. 

We still had some snacks from our drive in, and that kept us alive until we were able to find a small town on the edge of the lake to buy some groceries.  We took them down too the lake edge and rented a couple of umbrellas and swam in the lake.  I had a much needed nap in the sand and around 4pm we picked up and head off.

Today we experienced some of the worst bathrooms of my life.  Without a doubt, Kyrgyzstan is my favourite place on this trip and has the most beautiful countryside I've seen in a long time, but the towns and villages are poor and the infrastructure is in need of serious upgrade.  Apparently it has the second lowest GDI in Europe and Central Asia.  It relies heavily on agriculture for export but has few natural resources to help support this.

While this doesn't impact us greatly,  it does mean that we can't as easily stop at a restaurant outside of the big cities, or find clean bathrooms. The infrastructure just doesn't allow us to be certain of the cleanliness and our guide warns us that past tours she had done through here have ended up sick. So we stick to things we can buy in a grocery store.

Fiona, Emily and I had a very humbling bathroom experience at a rest point where we all lined up along a series of holes in the floor with 3' partitions between us.  Fiona is getting to be quite adept at the squat toilet...and somehow Avery manages to avoid them the entire trip. Once we emerged from this lovely facility, a small boy was demanding payment. Amazing how business saavy a 5 year old can be. He wasn't letting us get off scot free!

The beach stop was great, just what we needed to rest and relax.  There were lots of people at the beach and mom made friends with a young guy who was hoping to move to Canada one day.

The rest of the drive to Karakol was uneventful and we arrived at the Hillside Boutique Karakol. It was darling and so clean and comfortable. Just the ticket after two days in the Yurts.  We got settled in, cleaned up and then headed out for dinner.  We had asked our guide and driver to come back at 10am the next day in case some of us wanted to go to the beach again, so we took cabs to a very well rated dinner place.

It was a great place and the food was amazing and the portions were great. From there, Robert and Erik went off to do some Karaoke and drinking.  The rest of us went back to get a good nights sleep. Our cab driver home was hilarious and although he could barely speak any english, he did say "me Karakol Kyrgyzstan, you?" to which we replied Canada.  "Ah Kanaada!". Then he was quiet for awhile, then blurted "Gretzky!". We all laughed and said yes, he's from Canada.  Then he was quiet again for a bit, then blurted "Lennox Lewis". I didn't know who the heck that was, thank goodness for Dave and his sports knowledge. Anyways, it was cute how he wanted to find a way to connect with us. The people here have been incredibly kind and friendly. 

Day 12 - Azamat Yurt Camp: Riding the plains of Kyrgyzstan

Its a beautiful morning and I'm surprised that its already 7:30am when I get up.  There is nobody out when I exit the Yurt and I have a nice moment to myself with the lake in the distance and the beauty of the mountains around me.

The Yurt camp starts to wake up and the bustle of activity starts. The family that owns this place are incredibly hard working people.  They have young kids and there are a constant stream of new travelers coming and going.  A lot of people trek in here on foot or come in on horseback.  I didn't know that was an option! haha. that would have been fun!

We have a nice warm breakfast and some of us linger in the dining hut and drink our Chai.  We haven't had a lot of days where we haven't been heading off right away after breakfast, so the calm is nice. 

Some of us decide to walk down to the lake to swim and others decide to go for a hike up the mountains.  Robert had been making friends with the local young men last night, who I had originally thought belonged to our Yurt camp but as it turns out, were just guides spending the night before they went back to their camps.  You can stay along the entire perimeter of the lake, and many people do a multi-day journey along the 29km lake. I had assumed from the chatter that they were all playing nice and that he had had a fun night with them, but I gather they wanted his playing cards but then wouldn't let him play with them, so he took his cards back. Good on ya Robert!

The lake is beautiful and Erik swims and the rest of us sit on the shore with the cows and just take in the scenery.  When we get back to the camp three new travelers have arrived, they are from Belgium, and have arrived on horseback.  We spend time chatting with them, playing cards, hanging out on the swings, and before you know it its time for lunch. It's a lovely white fish from the lake which at first glance I think will be awful, but actually is quite tasty. 

I had joked with the family that Avery had been counting the days in our trip until we would be horseback riding and that after we rode she would be counting the days until we got home and she could go see Fox, the new pony we bought during the first week of being away. We had gone to see him the weekend before we left and fell in love with him. We were doing vet checks and coordinating his arrival to Vancouver during the first week of our trip - so of course Avery is desperate to be home to see him. We are both feeling sad that we can't be home to greet him when he arrives but we know he is in good hands with our coach while we are away.

So the day arrives and if Avery could bounce of the walls of the Yurt she would be. I think everyone is a little excited.  Avery had been up early and had been watching them bring the horses in.  They hobble their horses here so that they don't wander off too far, and most of the day they are tied up and saddled next to the Yurt camp, but in the evenings they let them go. In the morning they were bringing them in and she is counting them until she gets to the magic number of 11 plus guide horse. 

With lunch behind us its time to get ready for our adventure.  I had brought jeans for this day alone, an extravagance but I didn't want to ride is shorts.  None of us had boots, just runners, except for Robert who had somehow managed to lose his already, so he would be riding in flip flops.  They seem to ride in all sorts of footwear and didn't seem to mind at all.

The tack here is of course pretty rudimentary. It's definitely more western, but not as elaborate. They use a saddle blanket on the base, and then the saddle itself is sort of a metal/leather frame with a horn, but the seat is not built out to sit in, they instead strap a very large velvety blanket to the seat of the saddle to sit on. This is very comfortable to start, but as the hours wear on, that blanket starts to feel pretty thin! The bridle was a bit bridle with rope reigns in most cases, and the stirrups were leathers with metal stirrups, so more English style.

As we all move towards the horses, our guide helps us to discuss with Azamat who has ridden before and who hasn't.  We tell him that I have ridden, Avery has ridden, Emily has ridden and that mom had ridden a long time ago.  While I wouldn't have wished my horse on anyone else in the group, there are times when I really wondered what the hell I had been thinking.  They handed me the reins to "$hithead" (yes, I named him that) first and up I went.  The horses aren't beautiful, but they are mostly pretty and calm, and mine was tall and strong and as I tested out his steering, he did respond.

Avery hopped up on a beautiful buckskin, as did Emily. Slowly everyone was given a horse and everyone mounted.  Erik ended up on a very small horse and I have to admit I couldn't help but giggle at his long legs on that tiny horse.  We made sure that Fiona was on a very slow calm horse, and they took this seriously and I felt very comfortable with the choice.  She stayed at the rear on her pokey horse which is exactly where I wanted her. Not what she was hoping for, but she would get over it. Cadence had a lovely little horse with a lot of spunk, and Dave was on a very calm horse who kept a pretty even speed of slow throughout the ride. I was feeling nervous having all my kiddies on these horses with no safety gear, but sometimes you have no choice but to throw caution to the wind. I had to hope that the little they knew was enough for them to get by, and it was, they all did great and nobody got hurt.

Once we were ready we started to head towards the lake.  Azamat does not speak English at all, and he would be our guide for the afternoon.  It was going to be interesting.  I did ask if the horses had any special commands, and they use "Tchou" (like the end of a sneeze) to get their horses to move faster.  They don't seem to have an equivalent to whoa - so I just used whoa....over and over and over again. He was going to learn whoa dammit. 

As we got going I quickly realized that I had my hands full. This was no ordinary trail horse, he wanted to move.  Actually the front pack of horses, all ridden by women, were fast movers.  Poor Erik's horse kept turning around and wanting to go home and Fiona's horse was going so slow that she had to be lead and we were getting all spread out.  Mom said we were riding the feminist horses, haha, as the people who had ridden (all women) before seemed to be able to get their horses moving more quickly.  

The one thing that I had noticed the day before was that they really ride differently, the horses heads tend to be high and they seem to always have a very constant and hard pressure on the bit.  It became apparent that this was going to be the way we would need to ride, as letting off the pressure on the bit meant "go time" for these horse. If I let off the pressure, this guy was off like a shot.

$hithead wanted to be in the lead, so he pushed his way around everyone else to be out front all the time unless I really worked hard to keep him back.  I just sussed him out a bit, but realized that I was going to have to be one tough cookie to keep this guy in line.

Azamat rode up to me at one point and gave me the ok sign...was I ok? I wasn't sure. I wanted to ask him where the hell low gear was, but no english, I would have to figure this out on my own. We were doing lots of circles and my hands were going to be sore from pulling back on the reins all the time. But I like a challenge, and he wasn't going to be in charge unless I let him be.  We were fighting each other, but I felt like I was getting the upperhand.

The scenery was gorgeous and we rode up and down the rolling hills and along the lake side.  At the crest of a hill Azamat took a couple of group shots and we did some horse trading...haha. Poor Erik was having a hell of a time, so he traded up. After some shuffling we seemed to get into a good rhythm. I think mom ended up on Erik's horse and she was able to get him going. She took Fiona's horse on the lead line and that worked out really well.  I couldn't safely take Fiona behind me, this guy just had no slow speed.  I had to work hard to keep him in check and if I let off, we were not cantering, but galloping.

At one point, I had pulled back to check on Fiona and some of the others got out in front.  Well, you know who was not happy about that, I decided that I would let off the reins a little and see what would happen...well holy crap...I don't think I've ever gone that fast.  We were moving fast already when he decided he wanted to pass Emily and he found a whole new gear.  The surge of speed with which he took off almost took my breath away.  This boy had legs, but the brakes were another thing altogether.  If I had been more confident it would have been interesting to see how long he would have run for and where he would have taken me. He clearly had a mission in mind and I was obviously hindering it.

We followed the shore for quite a while and then headed inland.  We would circle back to the camp up and over the hills which was exciting. We climbed hills and dropped into beautiful valleys. We would sometimes come upon other Yurt camps, and other times feel like we were the only people on the planet. 

The fields were speckled with beautiful purple and yellow flowers and they seemed to stretch on forever in each direction.  At one point Azamat got off his horse and picked me three purple flowers for my three daughters. Very sweet. I also think he was curious to see the way that we were riding.  With our recent English riding training, we hold the reins very differently from him.  He was riding a very young gelding who was clearly still in training.  He too was working hard to keep his horse in check.

Robert aka "the flip flop rider"

$hithead looks tired out now doesn't he??

Avery and Cadence wanted to gallop more and they clearly were having a blast. It was making me a little nervous but they seemed to be in control so we let them have their fun.  As we looped back towards the lake and our camp came back into view, it was go time all over again.  Even grandpa Bruce got some gallop from his boy. We all came charging into the camp at full speed and they stopped on a dime at their hitching posts.

My butt was killing me, the soft blanket had been comfy at first but the metal of the saddle below had been steadily stabbing me for the last hour or so.  We dismounted slowly and walked off the stiffness that was settling in.  I was going to be sore tomorrow. It had been a long time since I'd ridden for that long.

Unfortunately, it had also been incredibly hot today, and while we had put sunscreen on multiple times, the areas that I missed were now super burnt. I guess at higher altitudes there is less of the earths atmosphere to block the sunlight.  According to google, UV exposure increases about 4% for every 300 m (1000 ft) gain in elevation.  Oops. That would explain the vibrant shade of red my skin was now turning. Fiona also had burnt hands and Cadence and Avery each had small patches on their shoulders where the sunscreen was missed. My skin would slowly blister over the next few days and then peel off in sheets. I've got to be more careful! 

After riding it was back to the lake for swims and then we read in the fields, played cards, the girls played soccer with the kids from the camp and generally we just had a really nice time.  Supper was another great meal of soup and bread, then more socializing and hanging out until the cold was too much to bare and we all huddled into our Yurt for the night.

We decided against having a fire and despite my toes being cold for the first little while, and we were snug inside for the night. There had been some concern that it would rain tonight, but we would take our chances. 

At one point during the night, Dave and I both woke up and decided to trek across the field to the bathroom.  As we stepped out of our Yurt, the sky above was spectacular.  The rain had obviously stayed away. It was like being in a planetarium.  The stars were magnificent and you could see with utmost clarity the milky way.  That night sky, surrounded by this magnificent countryside is a memory I won't soon forget.

Day 11 - Bishkek to Song Kol (Azamat Yurt Camp)

Today we embark on what has been my most anticipated part of this trip. We are travelling to Song Kul lake which almost directly south of Bishkek, although the drive will be long.

Our drivers meet us at our hotel just before 9am and we have a female guide this time named Jamal. We load into our large van and off we go. We decide to stop at a supermarket on the way out of town because there won't be much along the way that will likely be "safe" for us to eat...so we load up on bread and salami and snacks and large things of bottled water (for the yurt camp) and we head east from Bishkek.  We travel right along the Kazakhstan border for a long time before turning south.

We are not sure what to expect from the Yurt Camp. I have had some correspondence with them recently which is interesting as I know they don't have power or wifi at the camp, so they must have someone stationed in town maybe.  I was asking them about food and horseback riding and no alarm bells are going off, but I've told everyone that they should expect the worst, no water, no toilets, no clean beds etc.  I have read that yurt camps can be dirty and not well cleaned...again, we are going for authenticity here, so that doesn't always equate to creature comforts.

The drive is beautiful and when we take the turn for Song Kol which says 50km, I think...huh..that wasn't so bad...except I know the next 50km will be slow.  They anticipate it will take 2 hours from here.

It is bumpy and we are climbing way way way up.  We will reach 3016m high at Song Kul lake which is just shy of 10,000 feet.

As we wind our way up and finally reach the crest, an amazing valley with the lake in the distance opens up around us.  It is magical...and we can see yurts dotted across the valley and horses, sheep, cattle and donkeys roaming freely everywhere.   I've never seen anything quite like it. It is a beautiful beautiful place.

We bump along and as we round each bend we think...is that it? No. We bump along a while longer...is that it? No. Then we start joking that it will be the furthest one we can see from here...and when we pull up to that one...and get out to see if its the right one...it isn't'! haha. It's even further.

We do finally pull up to Azamat Yurt camp, which we learn is named after the son who owns it. I say son, because his mother is a prominent figure in the camp and will truly feel like our host, although Azamat does make us feel welcome as well.

We are greeted warmly by Zuura, the grandmother as we will call her, and Azamat's eldest daughter, Aidai. We are shown to our Yurts and we unpack and get settled in.  The Yurts are all in a line, with some smaller ones in behind. In the center is the dining Yurt which is the most beautiful of them all. To the left of the dining Yurt is the cooking Yurt where the family cooks and eats, and to the left of that is their sleeping yurt. Our Yurts are to the right of the dining Yurt and the parentals will get a small Yurt behind us after dinner once its clean.

In front of the Yurt is an open field with a soccer pitch, volleyball net, swing set and some seating. The whole area is delineated by large painted white rocks. Something that we noticed is done at most of the camps to mark out the area.

The Yurt camps are only open in the summer, these are summer pasture for the cattle and horses and its too cold here beyond probably September.  What's amazing is that all the cattle seem to just roam around freely with fencing, and some seem to be tagged or branded, but not all of them...so I don't know how they keep track of things...and nobody owns the land that their Yurt Camps sit on, but apparently everyone is respectful of each others space and they come back year after year.

Upon arrival, mom made friends with Zuura and was invited in for tea. Our guide went with them to help with the translation.  The rest of us unpack and sort of wander around a little in awe of the landscapes.

Its early evening by now and what we noticed as we climbed up here was of course the temperature drop. What we didn't anticipate was that as the sun went down, the temperature was dropping even further. It was starting to be damn cold - and we had mostly packed for 40 degree weather.  I had expected 20-23 degree weather up here, like home, but it was dropping to 10-13...maybe less.

An exciting realization is that they actually have western toilets here...they are rudimentary for sure, and way off away from the Yurts, but they flush during the day and are a far cry from the squat toilets.  Our two days here are really looking up. haha. They also have a makeshift sink station too, and the water here is clean.

As we are sitting and enjoying the scenery and waiting for dinner to be served, we all of a sudden hear the bleating of what we think is a goat....turns out to be a sheep, but whatever...its bleating...and not sounding happy.

This next section might be a bit offensive for some, trust me, we found it a bit hard being there.  We just live differently and have a different sentiment about animals, so we will chalk this up to a learning opportunity.

So the sheep is bleating, I suspect, as I watch these two men carry the sheep in behind a small mound of dirt, that I know what is about to happen and I call to Avery to join me near the swings. I suspect she has a more clear view of what is going on behind the mound. Unfortunately I'm too late and she also knows what is happening.

We had been sitting with a Portguese family on the swings and we are all now alert to what is going on.  The bleating has stopped. Is this supper perchance? If only...it will be something much more fantastic.

We carry on with our conversation and a short time later we notice the young men around the camp start to gallop around on horseback.  They ride from an incredibly young age here and they ride their horses hard.  I find it hard to watch, but they love their horses, and they are a critical part of their lives, however they don't treat them like they do at home.  They work them hard, run them hard, and ride them with their heads very high, which appears to bee hard on their mouths.  It's both amazing to watch and uncomfortable at the same time.

As the boys race around, at some point we notice that something has been introduced into the mix, something black hanging and dropping from their hands.  Its not long before we realize that its the sheep that has been decapitated.  It might also have had its feet cut off....we aren't totally sure and I don't want to get close enough to find out.

After watching them play around for awhile, one of the young men comes up to us and asks us if we want to watch them play their national game.  Of course we do, I say, so he tells us to come over to the far field now.  We gather our troops and head over along with the others staying at our Yurt camp.

What ensues is something unlike anything I've ever seen before. There are probably 7-8 riders and there is some kind of rug that has been placed in the field.  One of the riders drops the sheep opposite the rug about 50+ feet away and then the game is on.  They rush for one of them to pick up the sheep...while on horseback! It's incredible reach and the tack they use is pretty rudimentary.  Then off they go, riding, circling, yelling, whipping each others horses and so on, trying to stop the one with the carcass from dropping it on the rug at the other end of the field.  To me it looks like every rider for himself, but as it goes on, we realize that there are teams and that there is tactical defense and offense going on. One rider is clearly better than the others, he hooks the sheep under his leg and employs great strategy in outmaneuvering the others and scores several goals.  Once that sheep is hooked under his leg, the others are almost totally unable to get it away from him.  This would be Azamat, he is older than the other young men, and clearly has the upper hand.  Even his son, Adil, who is only 11 plays a few rounds.  It is obviously a multi-generational game, with the elders teaching the youth.  From that standpoint, its pretty amazing. The riding abilities on their own are pretty unbelievable, especially when you consider the age of most of these men.

We will learn afterwards that this game is called Buzkashi, and is a game played throughout the Stans in variations. You can read more about it here.

After a while I'm getting a bit turned off of the whole thing and so the girls and I wander off and go find the baby foals that are tied off in the distance while their mamas graze.  They are friggin adorable! We pet them until finally the mamas decide we've overstayed our welcome and come down to shoo us away.

Its dinnertime once all the gaming is over and we wash up and head into the dining Yurt.  It is beautiful. Zuura sews the interior decorations for the Yurts which takes her apparently 6 months.  We all sit on the ground on cushions at low tables and dinner is served.  Its a simple salad and the most amazing soup I think I've ever had.  Big yummy thick noodles with meat and vegetables.  They serve bread and there are always little desserts and fruit available.  I had been worried about the food here and what we would eat, but I shouldn't have been. The food is delicous, clean and wholesome.  They also serve endless tea...Chai? Chai? They don't like you to have an empty cup.  The hospitality is truly remarkable.

After dinner a game of soccer gets going with the local young men, our boys and the other guests.  It's awesome and they are all having a great time.  I'm freezing and layer up to watch the game.  Two pairs of pants, a long sleeve and a hoodie...that's all I've got.  The girls also have their airplane clothes which consist of sweatpants and a hoodie.  It will have to do!

Dave is feeling a bit sick from the altitude, and the cold starts to get a bit much, so we get ready for bed.  The Camp does put a generator on for a few hours in the evening, so some people are able to get a phone charge.  I've had mine off or in airplane mode today so am still at 87%. I have a full day to go tomorrow and want to save my battery for tomorrow as we are all going out on horseback.

There are small battery operated lights in our Yurt and mom brought some flashlights for us to use. At around 9:30pm they come into our Yurt and light our stove.  I don't notice what they use, and the smell is a bit much for me and I start to feel like I'm suffocating.  I'm thinking coal given the sightly toxic smell, but I would learn that they use cattle dung to heat the stoves, which is pretty awesome as they have an endless supply of that out here. I can't stand the smell though - and we end up having to prop open the door for most of the night to bring in some fresh air.

We all read for awhile and although the beds aren't super comfortable, they are clean, and the duvets are thick and comfy.  Dave and I sleep right in the middle in the two beds that are pushed together. Our Yurt has 6 beds so I pull off the extra duvet from the 6th bed and put it across us, and use the extra blankets for the girls.  I suspect we will have a pretty good sleep here in the mountain air...I just hope I won't have to get up to go to the bathroom! It's such a long way over there in the cold :(

I'm so exited for tomorrow...and I know that Avery is too. We are going horseback riding at 1pm for 4 hours. It's going to be awesome!

Day 10 - Dushanbe to Bishkek

Not much exciting happened today. I did survive sleeping on the crappy bed, but didn't have the energy to do any sightseeing. Dave, Erik and Robert went out to explore a little and I tried to put down some of the breakfast they served us...eggs, some kind of rice pudding and instant coffee...yum.

We were flying to Bishkek today in Kyrgyzstan and it would take us hours to get there as we need to fly through Almaty. We were leaving around lunchtime and would spend the rest of the afternoon flying around and making connections.

Erik, Cadence, Avery and I managed to get another cab driver intent on playing his music super loud and driving like a fool. Same music even...hilarious.

We arrived into Bishkek and it felt cooler already...it might be just in my head...but I'll take it!

As we drove in from the airport on the highway a herd of cattle crossed in front of us with two people on horseback who gave us a wave. I could have reached out to touch one of the cows. So fun! I think I'm going to like it here.

The original hotel that we had booked here had been sending us emails to cancel our rooms and so I had booked us elsewhere and it would not disappoint. It was a lovely hotel with soft..oh so soft beds and pillows. Yippee!

We got settled in and then walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. It was pretty awesome. We ordered these amazing platters of food that actually came with mini fireworks in them. This place was also some kind of Karaoke/DJ bar with live entertainment. It was a riot and they were playing all kinds of music...some we knew and some which were obviously Russian classics.

Erik got dancing with Avery and Fiona but the girls were exhausted so I took them back to the hotel to bed.  I understand that more dancing was done with the whole family after we were gone!