Can the Stans handle the Merck girls (minus 1)

October 5: On the way to Karakol

Well we learnt two new professions today: how to erect a Yurt and how to catch foxes and other wildlife with a golden eagle.

First to yurts…. We watched an installation of one, which took around 30 minutes. Could this be the solution to our affordable housing crisis. Yurts start at around $3000 and a big one might cost $20,000.

Using wood from willow trees, a basic frame is created; the struts to form the roof are then placed into the structure; the outside is then wrapped with bamboo and felt; a door and roof are inserted, and hey presto… you have a yurt.

The inside was pretty cool, with the sun forming a halo!

Now, mastering hunting with a golden eagle. There is a strong connection between owner and eagle, developed through training the eagle on a felt and leather glove.

The eagle weighs about 4 kg and can swoon up and collect an animal weighing as much as 20 kg. The eagle stays with his owner for the first 15 years of his life, and the owner will train him to survive in the wild. A sad farewell for the owner when he sends him off into the wild to find a mate and breed. The eagle lives to around 60. The owner demonstrated how he communicates with the eagle, and the eagle’s reward for capturing wildlife or just returning to his owners glove is fresh meat ( here, a rabbit ear).

They work as a team, along with their Afghan-style dogs who find and collect the wildlife which the eagle has killed.

We got to touch the eagle’s claws, and hold them on our arms ( and he felt much heavier than 4 kg

As you can see, we have experienced some amazing landscapes today.

All the brightly coloured rocks are from a place called the Fairy Tale Valley ( the colours reminded me a bit of the Atacama desert). The valley is located on the southern shore of Lake Ysyk Koi. Also called the Issyk-Kul lake it  is one of the world’s largest mountain lakes. It never freezes, even in winter, thanks to its slightly salty water. It is an endorheic lake (no river flows out of it — water leaves mostly via evaporation) and saline (i.e., somewhat salty). The lake is surrounded by steep mountain ranges: Kungöy Ala-Too to the north and Terskey Ala-Too to the south.

The lake is very long, about 182 km. We drove its entire length to get to Karakol, and near the southern end, there are seaside resorts starting to be developed. The backdrop to the lake is amazing….

And at the appropriate time, a full moon came out!

We began the day with a visit to Burana Tower, the only surviving part of an ancient 10th century settlement not far from Bishkek. The surrounding area has remains of grindstones, stone statues and petroglyphs.

So it’s been a pretty full day….

Now here’s a question. Why would a boy on a horse be waiting at a Russian bus shelter?