Nnantew ho akwantu ahorow wɔ Kyrgyzstan

Freedom!

Kyrgyzstan showed its best side to us from the beginning: We had just left the Chinese border building when a brand new car stopped next to us and the Kyrgyz driver asked: Can I take you?

So we drove in a fancy electric car (unfortunately of Chinese make) in front of the Kyrgyz border guards and got our stamp. The "health check" consisted of taking our temperature, and after the device stubbornly refused to give a result on my forehead twice (the battery was probably dead), they didn't even try it with Patrie anymore and just wished us a good trip. Total time: 5 minutes.

It was not just the help that followed, but also the fact that the first truck driver took us for two hours and the first person in town drove us to a guesthouse in his car. It was the feeling of security that we suddenly felt. To be safe among people who are simply nice from the bottom of their hearts. These green alpine meadows, where cows and wild horses graze, the wide U-shaped valleys and the snow-capped mountains - they also promise unique living conditions :)

Now I understand why everyone raves about Kyrgyzstan! It is rarely as cozy as there and at the same time the mountains exude a unique sense of freedom. It must have felt like this in the Alps before tourism became big.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the smell of cow dung. Many people have alpine farming, which is very similar to the alpine farming in the Alps. In summer, the cows come up to the yurts, while vegetables are grown and hay is harvested in the valley. The food also often reminded us of home. We were able to try many dairy products and dishes in the form of regular milk, yogurt, cream, rice pudding or butter with jam. Everything homemade on the alpine meadows or in the yurts. Only the offered fermented horse milk was, in our view, something for very special connoisseurs :P

The Alai Mountains

We did a lot of hiking!
In the Alai Mountains, we decided to do a 3-day hiking tour. On the first day, we met the Spaniards who we had met at the Chinese border the day before. Spontaneously, we decided to go together. The five of us were taken by a truck to the next hiking village, which was a really funny experience :) A local hotel owner then gave us tips on the best hiking route over a cup of tea and coffee.

Day 1 turned out to be the most athletic, as we started early, but completely misjudged the time. The good Wi-Fi connection at the hotel, a late lunch, and another cup of tea made us start hiking at 5 pm. The sun sets at 8 pm. In the three hours, we covered a total of 1500 meters in altitude and were almost at the summit at 4300m (my second highest peak ever!) at sunset. The air felt as thin as on Mount Everest :D But despite the late hour and the thin air, we safely reached the Sary Mogol Pass. Always keep moving, slowly and steady (maybe also in life?)

In a line with flashlights in front of and behind us, we snaked and sometimes slipped down the mountain. Thanks to good GPS, we arrived at the yurt at midnight (after crossing a wet stream) and first slurped a cup of tea. How the Kyrgyz can still sleep at midnight after drinking green tea is a mystery to me.

Despite the enormous effort, it was an amazing experience with impressive nature and a cold night with a wow-star-filled sky! Even in the next two days of hiking, we were sometimes speechless from the breathtaking beauty.

After our hiking tour, we followed with a 2-day horse riding tour. In my life, I have only ridden a horse for two hours, and now for a whole 2 days! Well, luckily, I had two good riding teachers, Patrie and Aktilek, our guide. By the way, he often works in Germany in winter, on TUI cruise ships, he works in the restaurant. Next winter, he would like to work on a German farm because it is difficult for him as a Muslim to serve alcohol in the TUI restaurant. According to his good German language skills, we were greeted with "Good day, how are you?" and had a lot of fun with him :)

The first day was more relaxed, the next day was pure adrenaline. We rode down narrow paths only 10cm wide. We were speechless about what people transport on horses and use these really narrow, steep paths for. Nevertheless, we had great respect and were glad to be able to dismount safely at the bottom. My pelvic bones were happy too :D But building a connection with the animal was definitely a beautiful experience.

Tomorrow we will be taking a train for the first time! The whole night trains will be very exciting. I'm really looking forward to it!
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Georgia, and Turkey are still ahead of us!

Uzbekistan is hot!
Uzbekistan is nice!
We will have a lot of time for more poetry!