We are having tons of fun here!
And it is way more beautiful than I would have ever imagined once you get out into nature, which is the vast majority of the country. After a couple more interesting stops in the city, Stephen, Leah and I headed out for a tour of a few cooler places surrounding Lake Issyk Kul (Hot Lake), which is one of the largest salt water lakes in the world. Here is the story in pictures.
Similar to underground walkways in Chicago, this pathway was how to cross one of the busiest streets in Bishkek. I was shocked to see it jam-packed with vendors selling all assortments of merchandise: sunglasses, shampoo, art, etc. My picture does not do a good job of showing that. I think that girl was annoyed that I was taking a picture.
I caught the changing of the guard! They walk slowly back to their... barracks(?), goose-stepping it in style.
The next day we began our trip.
On the 4-hour drive to our first stop, we occasionally had to deal with herds of cattle or sheep.
This is the yurt camp where we stayed the first night. You can see the mountains in the far background. Yurts are like fancier versions of tee-pees or huts. They have a somewhat complex latticework holding them up, while being layered in what I guess used to be sheep's hide, but now is very, very thick wool or cotton.
The entrance is through small wooden doors. Then a giant hide flap folds over those to keep the heat in. They reminded us of Smurf huts. We met a few others staying in the camp including a couple guys from Slovakia and a girl from Vienna, Austria. We got to know each other over a traditional community-style dinner in the dining yurt.
This is what the dining yurt looked like inside, kind of. I didn't meet these people. I stole this picture from the internet.
We slept in a yurt like this (also stolen from internet). The blankets were surprisingly thick, heavy, and very warm.
All those wooden supports meet in the center at the top of the yurt. The sun shining through the opening (this one is covered) is the basis for their flag:
The next day we explored a really cool nature park. This was one of several connected rock formations. We even saw some mountain goats walking up those cracks.
We had to wait while a pretty large horse drive (80-100 horses!) moved past us down the mountain. All summer, livestock grazes on the hills higher up the mountain. They head down to the valleys and plains for the winter months.
Some semi-domesticated turkeys, clearly not intimidated by us.
We stumbled upon this cool area fairly high up the trail and decided to stop for lunch.
I couldn't believe I was looking at this while eating lunch. Ridiculous. The grass is short from all the animals eating it. Cool huh? No mower!
I think the dogs just wanted some of our food.
My favorite pic from the trip.
We were sitting on yet another rudimentary bridge. They were all pretty sturdy but I still help my breath every time we crossed one. We saw one made out of an old shipping container. I wish I had taken a picture of it. Sorry.
This is another park we went to on the trip. One thing that stood out was all the golden aspens we saw everywhere. This picture doesn't do it justice at all. Up close and caught by the sun, they looked like glittering gold leaves. Really cool.
Back in Bishkek! Last night Stephen had hockey practice so I went to check it out. I think he's the one in the back in yellow. Fun times.
I head back to Cape Town tomorrow morning. It's been a really awesome stay here. The best part has been catching up with Stephen and Leah. Bonuses include seeing awesome nature, meeting Russians and Kyrgyz and being able to at least start conversations with them, and learning about the culture and history of this town.
My secondary goal of testing my ability to get around in a 3rd world country has certainly been achieved here. I am very happy to see that, while I clearly can't do everything a typical person could do, I can manage alright... ESPECIALLY when I have awesome friends to help me get around everywhere. I see no reason why I would be unable to travel to pretty much anywhere. People everywhere I go are consistently willing to help me whenever I need it. Here in Kyrgyzstan, random strangers have carried my wheelchair up a flight of stairs, helped me out of cabs, retrieved my crutches for me, etc., all while barely being able to communicate with me. I'm increasingly convinced that people are inherently good with good intentions. We may get side-tracked with selfish motives or ambition, but overall I think people want to do what is good and right.
Dear Lord, thanks for this awesome experience. Thanks for Stephen and Leah for helping out so much and being such great friends. Help me to continue to live my life unrestrained by my physical limitations. Let me remember that when we partner with others, we can always accomplish more and that when we partner with You, we can accomplish the most. Guide us in all we do. Remind us that ambition without concern for Your will is a chasing of the wind. Everything we do that is not for You is meaningless. Please keep healing me, and heal everyone else, too. Help everyone through their personal struggles and remind them that keeping You close makes life so much easier. In Your name, amen.Cheers,
Chip
PS - I set my mom up with a blog. She e-mails prayers ALL THE TIME to the family. Typically they reference bible verses and quotes from authors and pastors. I thought it was with sharing with everyone else. If you want to check it out, here it is - http://battoeprayers.blogspot.com/
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