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Only the occasional "shish, shish" and "drrr" to tell the horse to go and stop break the placidity of the surroundings. The gallops of the horses seamlessly blend with the hum of nearby river and the melodic hymns of the birds. The sweet scent of pine trees permeates the air. Verdant alpine mountains and poplar tree-lined valleys splash color to the framing snow-capped peaks. Chilly air contrasts with the heat of the sun upon the skin.

Resistance is futile. I give in to the irresistible invitation of Kyrgyzstan mountains and join a number of other backpackers from couchsurfing in horse-trekking part of the Central Tian Shan mountain range in Karakol up to the Altyn Arashan hot spings in the middle of an alpine valley (3000 m) for camping.

Karakol is an idyllic but sleepy town in the northeastern portion of the country. Only few interesting structures are left in the town as most have been destroyed by the Bolsheviks. Like in other areas outside the cities, it only seems to come alive around the bazaars, or markets, where there is a very limited selection of produce and commodities.

"That horse seems to be not going anywhere," says Kate, as she points to the weak-looking animal tied to one of the trees. The typical houses in the town have big yards with many apple trees.

Just my luck. The horseman assigns that horse to me.

Horses here are very important for herding livestock, transporting people and goods, and entertainment. Locals in the rural areas bring their horses, sheep, cows, and yaks for grazing up in the jailoos, or high altitude summer pastures that abound in, if not mostly comprise, Kyrgyzstan. A game is held in jailoos during summer, where horsemen atop their horses vie for a headless goat.

"This is a quiet horse," remarks the head horseman as I saddle up and take the reigns for the first time.

"Is it okay? It doesn't want to walk and it looks sick." One of the horse's knees keeps on buckling and I fear I may not make it up the mountains.

"Just the new horseshoe placed yesterday. After 50 meters it will be okay," he reassures me. We reach one hundred meters and there is still no improvement.

"Take this," as he hands over the reigns of a larger brown stallion, "but this

apple cheeks!

horseman will ride with you."

Stemming from their nomadic origins hundreds of years ago, Kyrgyz horsemen are probably some of the best presently alive.

"But it is also their first time to ride a horse. Why will he join me?" Having a passenger behind me is not part of the bargain, good horseman or not.

"This is not a quiet horse. Difficult horse," he explains.

True enough, it gets really wild whenever other stallions get close by. Fortunately, not while I am riding it up to the camp site. Poor Tom. He gets the crazy horse on the way down.

First encounter with snooty traveler/s

Traveling allows one to meet various individuals under a much different circumstance. Being on the same road somehow provides a common ground for bonding, though it may fleeting most of the time. Clicking with everyone is, of course, not always possible.

However, I believe that anyone should always carry with them the following:

1. Politeness.

Being polite, if not friendly, is the least one can do, especially when traveling solo.

"We only have 3 cans of sardines and 2 persons will share per

Sleepy town of Karakol

can," Girl X asked Boy Y. Boy Y is also traveling around Central Asia and joined us for dinner.

"What food did you bring?" Girl X bluntly asked, with the tone of her voice somehow implying that all the food on the table are well accounted for and an extra person is not welcome. Prior to the trek, we contributed money to buy supplies.

"I gave you my bread!" Boy Y responded. Girl X somehow went silent.

Okay, so probably I just saw it in different color but back home (and actually almost all other people I've so far met in this travel, except her), the people I climb mountains with would just share everything with everyone even if it means getting only crumbs after. Why be so uptight over these things? Yes, food is limited but there is always a better way of asking about such.

Or maybe she is just brutally frank. Or maybe I am just getting old(er).



2. Respectfulness coupled with tolerance.

Respect for others chained with tolerance should also be fundamental.

Two groups occupied the common room in Altyn Arashan: a group of locals and our backpacking band. As the night went on, the locals broke into songs and started dancing, having a really great time. Some individuals from our table started getting a bit annoyed of the "noise".

When the Unchained Melody started playing, one of the men tried to strip-tease a bit to the delight of his companions.

"Okay, that's it. I'm going!" Boy Y loudly said. His comment could have been very well heard by these people on the nearby table.

"They are very nice people. It is their team-building activity, that's why." I could not just keep quiet anymore.

"How do you know?" Kate asked.

"Because I was with them up until this morning," I responded. "They were kind enough to let me go with them on their way here."

Initially hearing no word from one couchsurfer about where to meet for the trek, I requested the staff of the Community-Based Tourism in Bishkek to let me join them on their official outing at Karakol. I did not want to trek alone and going with them is the next best thing. Traditional Kyrgyz songs, conversations, food, and vodka filled the van throughout the 10-hour drive. Meeting and interacting with these wonderful people compensated for the much more expensive fare I had shelled out.

One of the things I have so far learned is not to make hasty judgments about a person, thing, or event because the truth may be far from the surface. Even if it is just in jest. Jokes, as they say, are always half-meant. Just because something looks weird, different, or unsuitable to your liking does not mean that it deserves less courtesy.

Or maybe I am the stuck up one.

Backpacker Notes:

• In the camp site are two hot springs enclosed in cottages that one can splurge on. Bring swim wear, if you want.
  
• Selecting an area to pitch tent in can be tricky as the ground is studded with animal dung. If you do not have tents, there are cottages available for rent at a cheap price.
  
• Going up to the hot springs takes about 6 hours by horse, much longer going back if the road via the national park registration is chosen.
  

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