05
Jeti Oguz
1 day
When we leave Khorog, a grandfather drops off his grandson. He asked another man on the marshrutka to take care of him. During our lunchbreak the young boy is chaperoned by the man and the whole drive they converse or the elderly man fixes his lollypop gun. It seems like children are a common responsibility and everyone is glad to take care of the future generations. When the little boy gets off the bus he greets his little roundfaced friends/brothers/cousins(?) with a mature handshake.
Two elderly men in front of us are drinking alcohol from the bottle. One of them tries to strike up a conversation but does not process that I only speak basic Russian. The double tongue also does not make it easier. When they get off, they wave at us and wish us good luck.
There is no shortage of beautiful places near Karakol and we found it very hard to choose. One place that seemed different was Jeti Oguz. On the edge of the village are amazing red rock formatios and it is the starting point to an eas hike to a place calles the valley of flowers.
The marshrutka drops us off where the main road along Issyk-Kul meets the start of the road to Jeti Oguz. 2 seconds later someone offered us a taxi ride. He will spend the monet on icecreams for his sons in the back seats.
During our delicious dinner at Emir guesthouse we strike up a conversation with our friendly hosts. Cholpon used to be an English teacher. For years she worked two jobs and the guesthouse. We talk about our observations of Kyrgystan and she translates them for her niece Nazik and her husband Tommy. The guesthouse is perfectly located near the sanatorium, has horses and a sauna.
The hike to the valley of flowers is exactly the landscape that we like: mountain views, a blue river, pine trees and green meadows. We ask for a coffee at a yurt camp and sit down in the flower speckled grass. Buttercups and forget-me-nots make sure the valley lives up to its name. Friendly passers-by wave from their car or strike up a conversation. Before we leave we walk past the red rock formations to buy some local honey on the main road.