THE BORDER
INTO THE MOUNTAINS: JALALABAD TO NARYN
The next day we left Jalalabad, and the valley in a taxi, and began Kyrgyzstan in earnest. We crossed three hundred miles of green Kyrgyz mountains on terrible gravel roads. Other than the gritty town ofKazarman, small pastoral settlements and yurts were the only humanhabitation. But it was hardly a miserable trip, actually, becauseKyrgyzstan has cool weather and is visually spectacular. I'll postpictures when I get home, but you'll have to believe me when I saythis country is shockingly, almost offensively beautiful. Its the typeof place that makes you wonder what country you'll have to visit nextto be impressed.
Leaving Jalalabad
Sunflowers
Into the mountains
Things went well at the border at first, a few packs of Marlboros(which I'd brought for this purpose) greasing up the abnoxious Uzbekbureaucracy. But then the Kyrgyz border guards brought us into a boothand did a thourough search of our bags. Ross had written EUR240 on hisUzbek exit form, but he actually had EUR280, so for reasons of national security, the Kyrgyz officials (really just teenagers)"confiscated" EUR40. I screamed and shouted and made a scene butnothing came of it, although they released the Uzbek souveniers which I hadn't declared. There was a second round of this with a more seniorguard asking if we had any "presents" for him but they released us when we held our ground.
THE HAREM OF JALALABAD
Avro offered us his house in Jalalabad (our destination), and itturned out to be a very nice villa ($250 a month, he boasted). We saton one of the elevated outdoor seating platforms that are common hereand were served good food by two of his four wives (I'm not joking),whom he rarely acknowleged. "You should have just given those guyssome money at the start and they never would have searched you," heinsisted after the fourth vodka toast to "friendship". At number fivehis eyes started rolling into the back of his head and he lay down fora four hour nap. Ross and I hung out there till dark debating whetheror not it would be cool to have four wives and whether English orChinese is the language of the future.
Avro offered us his house in Jalalabad (our destination), and itturned out to be a very nice villa ($250 a month, he boasted). We saton one of the elevated outdoor seating platforms that are common hereand were served good food by two of his four wives (I'm not joking),whom he rarely acknowleged. "You should have just given those guyssome money at the start and they never would have searched you," heinsisted after the fourth vodka toast to "friendship". At number fivehis eyes started rolling into the back of his head and he lay down fora four hour nap. Ross and I hung out there till dark debating whetheror not it would be cool to have four wives and whether English orChinese is the language of the future.
INTO THE MOUNTAINS: JALALABAD TO NARYNThe next day we left Jalalabad, and the valley in a taxi, and began Kyrgyzstan in earnest. We crossed three hundred miles of green Kyrgyz mountains on terrible gravel roads. Other than the gritty town ofKazarman, small pastoral settlements and yurts were the only humanhabitation. But it was hardly a miserable trip, actually, becauseKyrgyzstan has cool weather and is visually spectacular. I'll postpictures when I get home, but you'll have to believe me when I saythis country is shockingly, almost offensively beautiful. Its the typeof place that makes you wonder what country you'll have to visit nextto be impressed.
Leaving Jalalabad
Sunflowers
Into the mountains
Tea break in the mountains
Snow in July
Man in standard Kyrgyz hat and thick jacket
The unappealing mining town of Kazarman, where we thought we might be stranded when the "station" didn't have a single vehicle in it.
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