The recent news of the turmoil in Kyrgyztan, a land-locked country in the heart of Central Asia, nestled in by the towering Tien Shan mountains, was heartbreaking. Protests and riots have erupted around the ongoing political unrest regarding the elections. This crisis, coupled with the economic impacts from the pandemic, has proved to be devastating for this nation.
It feels like a different era compared to the time I visited the beautiful countryside inhabited by nomadic herders and sparsely populated towns and villages. I still remember standing in awe admiring the snow-capped peaks of the Tien Shan range reaching for the azure skies.
I do hope that, for the sake of the amazing people I met in Kyrgyzstan, that things return to normalcy.
Arslanbob
Kyrgyzstan
Junebug
Eons ago, when I first stepped foot in the US after having lived in a tropical country close to the equator, I was astonished to find the sun shining brightly at 8pm. While many take the long halcyon summer days for granted in the Northern hemisphere, it was a bewildering surprise for me when 6am and 6pm used to mark the boundaries of day and night through the year.
Now, even after almost spending 4 summers in the Pacific Northwest, the 15 hour days still seem a shocker every time summer rolls around. However, for the most part, they make up for the short dreary days of winter. Furthermore, these long days are perfect for traveling, as you seemingly get more time to explore.
As I sit home-bound this June, here are a few memories from the past taken in the long halcyon summer days from around the world.
The Morning After
The thunderstorm had reverberated through the yurt that stormy night. And high up in the windswept plateau at 3000m in the heart of the Tien Shan mountains, the sheepskin rugs outside the yurt had been the only protection against the raging weather. I had forced myself to sleep in the thin air of these mighty mountains that ran along the spine of Kyrgyzstan.
After that restless sleep, I had hoped that the morning sky would be more forgiving. And when I had stepped out, the sky had redeemed itself. The sun had just cleared the eastern horizon, and the overcast weather from the prior evening was replaced with a clear sky dotted with puffy clouds. Across the deep blue lake, the snow-capped peaks rose to meet the fleeting clouds. In the distance, I spotted a row of yurts belonging to another tourist camp nestled at the base of the hills.
I watched as the light slowly transitioned from hues of deep pink to bright orange, and life slowly started seeping into the tourist camp I was staying in. Soon, it would be time for breakfast, and it would be time to step away from the freezing cold and pack my gear. But I didn't want that moment to arrive.
Songkol
Kyrgyzstan
To the Mountains
Two years ago, to the day, I found myself staring at the end of a long dirt road weaving by a gushing creek of ice-cold melt-water. Silver-capped mountains gleamed in the distance. My destination for that night was somewhere there, deep amidst the towering peaks in a beautiful valley pine forests, vast open meadows and lush green hills.
That excitement and giddiness of hauling all my clothing and gear up into the mountains apart, it made me wonder why I made the decision of heading to this mountainous heartland of Central Asia. I already knew the answer: I love being amidst the mountains. And that was why I was relocating back to the west coast after that trip, where mountains are not just a dot on a landscape, but a region with innumerable nooks and crannies waiting to be explored and photographed.
I could not think of a better place to enjoy my last few days in this amazing country, for in going to the mountains, I was going home.
Altyn Arashan
Kyrgyzstan
It's a wonderful world
I love the mountains
I love the clear blue skies
I love the landscapes
I love when great whites fly
I love the whole world
And all its sights and sounds
…
Boom de yada, boom de yada
Boom de yada, boom de yada
…
Its a wonderful world out there, full of new surprises around every corner, and full of new adventures every day. And unless you go seek those adventures, you never get to experience the magic the world has to offer!
Songkol
Naryn Kyrgyzstan
Dawn on the Jailoo
I stepped out from the warmth of the dark yurt to a freezing cold outside. In the gentle pre-dawn light, I spotted the beautiful rolling hills covered with a thin crust of overnight snow. A cold fog was flowing down from the heavens along the smooth contours of the surrounding hillscape. High above, the sky was aglow with a bright pink, while down below, horses and cattle gently grazed on the fresh summer grass.
This is life on the jailoo, a harsh, silent and beautiful landscape in the heart of the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan.
Songkol
Kyrgyzstan
Hidden in the Mountains