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Published: August 20th 2012
I woke up on Sunday morning at 4:30am to the sound of a prayer call. Today was a very special day for the Muslim world as it was the last day of Ramadan. Today was also the day of the Karakol Animal Market and you had better get there early! So, after sitting up in bed and enjoying the call to prayer I got up and headed out; camera in hand.
"Which way to the market?" I thought to myself. Then I spotted a family of three with two calves walking down the street. "I bet THEY might know." I followed them, and every other piece of traffic in town, all the way to the market which kicks off at 5am. I followed the calf family, a guy with his flock of sheep, truck loads full of haybales, Ladas, Lorries, and all kinds of vehicles joined the parade to the market grounds.
The market looks like a small state fair: an open field with makeshift cafes and shops. There are fenced in pens about the size of a football field that segregate the animals. You reach the sheep and goat pen first. Everyone is in a frenzy in this part of the market. Sheep definitely get the award for "Worst Behaved Animal" as they thrash about and baaa and pee on everything and everyone. I saw a lot of sheep that did not want to go where the shepards commanded them. I saw a few sheep that REALLY did not want to go. As far as farm animals go, sheep aren't that big, but as far as all animals are concerned; a sheep is pretty damn big. A pissed off/terrified sheep is a force to be reckoned with. Three able bodied men vs. a sheep is a pretty even match up, especially as they try to force it into the back seat of a Lada or the trunk of a mercedes benz. I saw both and I have pictures of both. I look forward to uploading them. One guy putting sheep into the back of his truck got peed on pretty bad, too. No picture of that unfortunately. The man was also quite calm about it (probably not the first time). That feels strange to say about ANYONE.
After the sheep and goats (goats get the award for "Best Behaved Animal" by the way), you get to the cows and horses. This pen is DISGUSTING. You have never seen (or heard!) so much cow urine in your life! The floor is dirt but it is bone dry so the liquid just settles on top of the earth. Also, thankfully, this is all out doors. The cows are loud, too. I like the guys wandering around and checking out the cows. Guys that actually know what they are doing. Feeling here, poking there, a rub here and a tug there annnnnd NO SALE! On to the next one.
I sat down at a small coffee shop and watched the spectacle for a while over a hot cup of Russia's best instant coffee. The lady at the shop said "a;ldskfjl;asdjjkj?" while pointing to her mouth. Ah food! Yes, I would like some of that. Later she said, "adfskl;asjdklfjasdk?" Sure! I'll have that, too! Breakfast was served! Hot peta bread stuffed with potatos and a bowl of noodle soup. Not a bad way to start the day while listening to the siren song of bleating sheep and screaming horses.
After the market (it was about 7am by the time I had my fill), I wandered about the town. If there is not much to do at 9pm in Karakol on a Saturday night, there is NOTHING to do in Karakol at 7am on Sunday. I went back to the guesthouse and packed my things. After an hour, I put on pants and wandered over to the Russian Orthodox Church in hopes of hearing their choir. P.S. I was wearing shorts before, not nothing. Anyway, at the church, the bells were ringing and it was time to start the service, so I decided to join the crowd. No pews... Hmm... I stood next to some old ladies that seemed to know the drill. One gal was at the podium chanting prayers while the church bells kept the beat. The old ladies bowed and crossed themselves and muttered prayers of their own. I was entertained by the beautiful woodwork and frescoes around the sanctuary. Still no where to sit. What gives? The answer is: there is no where to sit. Everyone stands the entire time. Now, I have never been to an Orthodox worship service before so I imagine a lot of you haven't either. I will explain it now: instead of a sermon, there is chanting. The head honcho of the church is only apparent for about 10 minutes of the hour. He doesn't say or do much. There is his assistant that does most of the work. The work entails chanting and carrying around this HUGE gilded bible. He is also in charge of spreading the incense around the congregation and the altar. The chanting is joined by the choir which is why I came in the first place. It was a small church so the choir only consisted of I think four ladies. You cannot actually see them so I'm not sure how many there were or if they were ladies or eunichs or what. I enjoyed the really fancy getup that the priests get to wear. The assistant gets a really beautiful blue cloak while the head guy gets a pure white one. Both are inlaid with fancy designs. Very nice. Also, thats about it for the worship service. Chanting with the choir, incense, big bible, repeat, go home. This takes an hour. They also open and close the chancel screen door a lot of times and you can see a big picture of Jesus behind it. Did I mention you have to stand?
After the service I decided to get the hell out of town so that means I get the privilege of visiting Karakol's magnificent bus terminal. Holy shit this place sucks. A prime example of a local government with big plans that were never realized. You see it a lot in China, too. Anyway, the place is DESERTED. Barred and broken windows, signs with letters missing, and it is huge. The door was unlocked so I had a look inside. Ticket windows that were boarded up, spider webs, and one solitary bum asleep on a bench. It was like the setting to a gunfight in a movie or video game, so I left. You buy your tickets at the bus itself (this time there is only one bus and it only goes to Bishkek, thankfully). So, off I went. Got to Bishkek about six hours later and my Karakol adventure draws to a close.
Karakol: a place you would NOT want to live. I don't know how it failed to capitalize on its growing tourism industry, but it failed hard. And it continues to fail. I don't know what is happening in that town. Parks that are overgrown with weeds, grafitti on buildings, street lights that don't light up at night, dirt roads, busted sidewalks, etc. It is sad to see, but, isn't this what us travellers are looking for? Is the alternative China's Lijiang? Totally over tour-ized and overpriced restaurants and shops that sell the same junk you can buy anywhere? I did like Karakol and I did not enjoy Lijiang, so I guess there is something there. I feel for the residents of Karakol though...
Fast foward to today and after some wandering around I ended up at the largest bath house in Bishkek. This came after my visit to the gorgeous Central Train Station where I saw the Bishkek - Moscow train depart on its 4 day trip. Lots of excitement on the platform. Guys running around with huge boxes and bags, tearful lovers and families, and a lot of excited faces. They have quite an adventure of their own ahead of them. Anyway, I will go to the bath house, thanks. The bath house was very similar to those in South Korea so I fell into my old rythem pretty easily. Shower, hot room, cold shower, dip in the pool, repeat. It feels REALLY good! I didn't realize how much I missed it. I might go again tomorrow before my bus ride. The place is really beautiful, too. It used a lot of Middle Eastern architecture with domes and blue tiles. The place smelled nice, as well.
SO, this will be my last update in the 'Stans as I will board the bus bound for Kashgar tomorrow. This will be an all time record THIRTY SIX HOUR jaunt. I bought provisions this afternoon at the supermarket. Fruit juices that I will freeze and hope stay cold for half of the trip, Snickers bars (old reliable), dried fruits, nuts, and a book that I am only 1/4 of the way through. Alright, I hope all is well and I will update again in two days HOPEFULLY back in FAR EAST Asia where I everybody knows your name.
Love,
Michael
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Ma
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mkt
Sounds like prime material to submit for a guest spot on David Letterman or Jay Leno...or Saturday Night Live, for that matter. Sheep in the trunk of a Mercedes. I bet THAT is not in the sales brochure. Glad you had a touch of home--even if that touch is a public bathhouse. Little things mean a lot. Wishing you a smooth crossing back into China, where "Michael" just rolls off the tip of the tongue. Love, Ma