Can the Stans handle the Merck girls (minus 1)?

October 6: Around Karakol

First stop today was a beautiful wooden Russian Orthodox Church. Now remember, some time back, I told you about squinches…well I didn’t realise that squinches aren’t just found in mosques but also in many other structures such as this Church. The squinch in this church is covered by a panel in each of the corners.

Then to a Dongan mosque (btw, last night we had dinner in the home of a Dongan follower ….lots of veggies, salad and noodles but forgot to take photos). This mosque was designed by a Chinese architect, has the feel of a pagoda and was very colourful.

Next we visited a museum dedicated to Nikolai Przhevalsky who was one of the most famous Russian explorers of Central Asia in the 19th century. He was born in Russia but died in Karakol in 1888.  He carried out four expeditions, exploring Mongolia, the Gobi. Desert, Tibet, the Yangtze and Mekong rivers, but died in Karakol before completing his 5th. Near the museum (which overlooks Lake Issyk-Kul) is a memorial and his grave. .

Now why I am telling you all this? Because there is a link between this explorer and Dubbo Plains Zoo. His  most famous legacy is the Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) — a small, sturdy wild horse native to the Central Asian steppe, named in his honour.The Przewalski’s horse is the last true wild horse species in the world — unlike mustangs or brumbies, which are feral descendants of domesticated horses. By the 1960s, it was extinct in the wild due to overhunting, habitat loss, and competition with livestock. Fortunately, a small number(12-14) survived in European zoos and from this small number, a global breeding program began.

And guess who is the world leader in breeding Przewalski horses? Our own Dubbo plains zoo. Dubbo Zoo has successfully bred dozens of Przewalski’s horses, many of which joined international reintroduction programs. Some Dubbo-born horses have gone to Mongolia to help re-establish wild populations.

Time for lunch, and we had to do our thing in the bustling city of Karakol. On our guide’s recommendation we went to a modern coffee shop called Il Giraffe. When Lisa got her hamburger, there was a pair of black rubber gloves on the plate. We thought they had been left there inadvertently by the cook. Not so….they were purposely there so Lisa could hoe into the burger with impunity!

Another stunning afternoon of awesome landscapes when we visited the Djety Oguz gorge, called “Seven bulls” because there were seven massive cliffs standing side by side — said to resemble a line of bulls. ( Now there’s like 14 due to erosion, climate change etc).

The scenes from the top of the gorge were magnificent.

Over the last couple of days, Lisa and I have noticed Russian monuments which remain in place. Here’s a selection….

Tonight we had a group of local folk musicians play us all the local instruments, and then dinner at a Uighur family home.