village

Abode of the mountains

"Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world"

The warm afternoon sun was shining brightly over a remote village nestled of Arslanbob in the southern reaches of the mountains country of Kyrgyzstan. The jagged snow-capped peaks of the Krebet Babash-ata mountain range rose from behind the foothills, anchoring the beauty of the alpine village. Fresh montane breeze flowing down from the mountains was a soothing relief after the hard climb to get here.

This remote village at the heart of the largest naturally occurring walnut forest was perhaps one of the most picturesque and relaxing villages I have every stayed in. Time and people proceeded slowly, and with surroundings like this, I don't blame them. While I didn't stay in this place for long, I got to experience a slice of this peaceful life.

Arslanbob

Jalal-abad, Kyrgyzstan

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The Village Life

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The bus took it's own sweet time, winding through and around the forested mountain ranges in the eastern part of Honshu island. Through the wide windows, the life and landscape of rural Japan sped by: snow-capped peaks waiting for the summer sun with glacial blue waters heading down from them, terraced farms in every available piece of arable land in the valleys below, and bright green buds of the deciduous woodlands standing side by side with the evergreen conifers in the hills above. And in-between were tiny farmhouses with the vestiges of cherry blossoms, the perfect epitome of village life in Japan.

My destination was the village of Shirakawa-go, an old village in the Gifu Prefecture of Japan, that was so set back in time that it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, partily due to the unique farmhouse style called the gassho-zukuri. And while the day, with gentle spring sun and mild temperatures, was perfect for visiting a place like this, it also drew in a thousand other tourists who all had the very same idea. I wandered through the village, transported back to a simpler era of feudal farming and sericulture. And were it not for the contrivances of modern civilization, I most certainly would have been. To be fair, that is the main draw of this picturesque village set amidst snow-capped peaks.

Here is a sampling of that beautiful timeless village, replete with cherry blossoms and modern selfie-stick carrying tourists...

Shirakawa-go
Gifu Prefecture, Japan