Rygsækrejsen 2015-2016

mandag den 11. maj 2015

Felt making in Kochkor

A couple of hours in the truck today. The landscape wasn't as impressive as the other days and it was cloudy and a bit hazy so we all had a nap in the truck. Stopped at a mountain pass where there were a few old carts functioning as cafes for the locals. This is also the place where you would take a turn to go to the beautiful Song Kul Lake but since it's early spring it's too cold to go there. Cold as in the road is blocked with snow. It can get down to minus 20 during the winters so it is really a place where spring comes late and the summers are very short.

Our homestay for the night is in Kochkor and before arriving we spent a couple of hours in the town

getting lunch and buying snacks etc. and we went to a felt making place. A nice woman showed us how to make a little felt blanket which we had to help out with as well. Cleaning the wool, making the pattern, rolling it up inside a bamboo mat, hot water on it and then stepping and dancing on it before the women opened the mat and rinsed it. It looked super professional ;-) Of course there was a souvenir shop with lots of felt products. Some people bought hats and Malene bought two bracelets and a felt ring.

Our homestay is a huge house with a brand new first floor. Still smelling very new.

Ripped pants. Mikkel taped and sewed them.

Leave shoes outside the homestays

Cafes for the local truck drivers

Seems like some Danes have been here - or export of Danish cars to Kyrgyzstan?

We really understand now why food pics are a great help

Yummy Lakman

Carl

Very normal supermarket - half of it is vodka

Bread man

Felt making step 1

Felt making step 2

Felt making step 3

Felt making step 4

Felt making step 5

Local hat - and Mikkel

Emma with local hat and a felt ring

Homestay

søndag den 10. maj 2015

View from the roof top seats

Woke up to a beautiful morning in the gorge. Malene was on the cooking team this morning so she left the tent early. Hot porridge for breakfast sitting there listening to the sound of the river while the sun slowly rose over the ridge constantly changing the colours of the hillsides. How about that for a Sunday morning. Everything feeling a little relaxed. We didn't have to hurry this morning since the drive to the homestay was only 40 kilometres.

The drive down the gorge followed the river and after a few minutes the roof top seat were available since there was no other traffic and no overhead power lines. So we sat there in the front row while the truck moved along at a very steady pace sucking in the landscape, sounds and smells.

We finally made it to the homestay in Chaek Village and had a much needed shower after three full days of wild camping – as in NO facilities at all. But the camping has been great fun. In the homestay there was a bit of shared accommodation so we shared a room with Michael on an elevated “plateau”.

Malene and her cook group made lunch in the courtyard – nice with coleslaw - and then a walk down the main street to check out the local shops and do some shopping for the truck. Sunshine, blue sky and 25 degrees. In the afternoon most of us sat in the beautiful garden surrounded by lots of blossoming fruit trees. Kyrgyzstan has been good to us this morning and afternoon.