Bush Camp from Hell...Is Actually Quite Nice

19 June 2009

Alas, Bush Camp from Hell has evolved into a slightly more difficult prospect than originally envisioned. Song Kul, while beautiful and austere and all that, was also colder than a witches tit. Snow on the way up along precariously perched roads—stopped for buckets of snow to cool the drinks. We towed a family's truck containing their un-assembled yurt, and followed them up to the “summer” pastures—draped in icy cold gales and bitter grey clouds. So a tad bit colder than last year...camped one night beneath majestic peaks and promptly turned around to drop altitude and find some sunshine. Lest thou think us complete nancies, the weather has kept most Kyrgyz families away thus far this year too, so no games or horses could be organized.

Now, goat polo being a prime motivation for camping up here, we obviously had to pursue it to any length. A local guide told our Acel that we could go on to another summer pasture (yurts present and accounted for) a few hours away. Attempted that, only to be stopped by roads that are completely washed out, and bushcamped on a mountainside overlooking the thriving metropolis of Kochkul. By which I mean there are roads that don't have boulders in them. The photo below right is the main road. Seriously.

We'd voted in the majority for leaving Song Kul, though not everyone was thrilled to leave—the promise of four days in one place was a mighty temptation, to be fair, as we haven't been anywhere for more than three days in more than two months. Personally, freezing to death in Kyrgyzstan was not a temptation, especially with nothing to do for days and days, so was desperately happy to be anywhere else. Having spent two nights of the Promised Four, we made ready to move on another 80K to a third summer pasture (yurts present and accounted for, but actually this time), with the addition of a new guide who knows the area better than Acel. He is apparently called Michael Jackson. Thriller.

(He is also the guide who told Tim that Inhospitable Summer Pasture Number Two was easy to get to.)

Anyhow, we are finally at a summer pasture which contains Kyrgyzstanis, yurts, horses, and (happy and somewhat relieved sigh) goat polo.