A trip to Kyrgyzstan: a real adventure – Schmalkalden

Bravely, my three daughters and I set out. Soon there will be complaints of hot and cold showers and a boiling intracranial. I’d say things are going to fizzle out – if not, yeah, that’s right… there’s cool water to be found. Spring water runs out from a pipe on the side of the road, where we refresh ourselves and rest. Save us! In the evening the sweltering heat subsides and we continue up Chong Kemin Valley.

The roles of women and men

In Channybek we will stay for the night. Stefan, who is a good friend of Suhl’s, knows him. He is also recommended as a horseback traffic regulator. Chanibek is about 45 years old, wears an Islamic cap, and has a long beard. We live in his apartment in a beautiful room. His garden is an oasis of peace and green as well. At an altitude of 1800 meters above sea level, it is not hot either. Smilla closely monitors the activities of family members. There are clear tasks for males and females. You wonder, why are gender roles so strictly defined here? Why are men more present than women? We discuss a lot.

Andre’s assistant

After the first wave of diarrhea with two days of fasting and a forced rest period, we start with Christina, an Italian woman traveling alone, hiking through the mountains of Lake Issyk Kul. She is really kind, telling us about her tour of Iran as a solo traveler, and the warmth and curiosity of the people there. Salma and Christina get along very well and speak their common language, English. One of the party is Asylbek, our local guide – also with a gorgeous beard, calm and unenthusiastic. I help Asylbek gather the horses, put up the tent and make a fire. He leads me with “Dway! Andre.” (Axel and Andre are almost one anyway…) He cries, grins at himself and calls me “Hilfsandre”. loving right?

Asylbek advances, tight chain behind a horse with gear from our convoy of six. Somewhere behind us we are galloping with the third horse, which is alternately ridden by Sumila and Salma. He is very forgiving and has his own idea of ​​speed. So we plunge into the world of mountains, slowly, deliberately, crossing rivers, on the narrowest paths, watching, fascinated. When a thunderstorm strikes, any ghost ends. Except for Asylbek, who sits quietly on his horse, buried deep in the pouring rain. Maybe he can keep riding like this for another couple of weeks. It’s not quite homey among our weight-saving outdoor jackets. Our salvation is a log hut with an oven, where we get food and wait for the rain. We feel in the middle now. Yes, far from civilization.

The long day ends at an altitude of 2,500 meters above sea level at the mountain lake of Kell Kogur, which looks like a dark pearl, carved deep among the slopes of the mountains. It’s raining, but we make a fire to cook and drink hot tea and look into the dark night.

This day alone feels like a complete journey. Maybe feeling like Alex Supertramp (Chris McCandless in Into the Wild). A sequel follows