Descending down on that bumpy dirt road into a vast green valley dominated by a single glistening deep blue lake was an experience I'll never forget even though it was almost 3 years ago. Lacking any trees or vegetation except grass and ground-hugging wildflowers, the seemingly endless green meadow ringed by snow-capped peaks in the horizon had no sense of scale.
Soon after we arrived, the clouds started to coalesce together, a foreboding sign of a thunderstorm. Soon thereafter, the thunderhead towered over the lake and the distant mountains even while sun shined brightly. Nevertheless, it was time to head back to the safety of the yurt.
Eventually, the thunderhead did disappear, but not before unleashing a torrential downpour on this fragile landscape in the heart of Kyrgyzstan.
Songkol
Kyrgyzstan