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Published: June 22nd 2013
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Tajik Women
Dressed for work, note the shovel After a very nice breakfast the gang of three set off from Tashkorgan to Konjirap pass at the Pakistan border, but before we left Abdul asked if I wanted to buy a pass for $10 that gets you past the second check point before the border, the first check point being the one we went through the day before. So this pass would let us get 3 ks past the check point to actually view the the border gates, that brought a belly laugh and I thought it so inventive and such a cheek I said Yep lets go view the border gates. After driving around to find who sold these tickets we found this particular bureaucrat’s office empty, oh well it started our day off with a good laugh.
The 2 hour steady climb took us away from the river plains to the highest Tajik herding village at 4600 meters, it must be the banished end of the clan that gets to live and work in such a rugged environment compared to their cousins basking on the fertile river flats.
At this altitude we were beginning to gasp a bit even sitting in the car, at one photo
op. did a short brisk walk to see how it would affect. Dizzy and very short of breath was the conclusion.
We were stopped at the check point before the border, given 10 minutes to take photos, not of the soldiers or their installation and briskly sent on our way.
Back at the Kyrgyz family Yurt beside Lake Karakol, our homestay for the night, I was shown my personal airy Yurt, although the two Abduls joined me later after the fire had been lit, and because it was getting so cold immediately set up camp under a stack of blankets. Abdul Guide did say he wanted his guests to get a feel for the hardship of these families’ lives on these barren Mountains and this was the middle of summer.
Dinner was in the family Yurt, rice with vegetable mix followed by a pastry slathered in butter and baked in an oven powered by Yak shit, very basic but edible except for the fact that had been unable to eat much, Abdul of the knowing look assuring me it was a result of altitude and this was where the yak milk comes into its own as a
Almost at the Pakistan border
literal translation:
the border high elevation will show us the changes of the beautiful scenery on the ancient Silk Road nutritional, staple, altitude food. Breakfast the next morning was Nam bread and Yak milk tea, very hard work. It was humbling to sit there and be fed by this family, although they get a small income as diversification with their participation in this fairly extensive network of local Uyghur tourism. After dinner we sat around the warm Yurt and talked about the typical Kyrgyz life while other guides and drivers came in and out, sitting round shooting the breeze and playing checkers. Fun to sit amongst listening to their banter and chatter between each other and our host family.
What’s an in depth study without a few stats. A typical Kyrgyz family unit would be 15 yak, 40 sheep, 20 cows, 15 goats, 2 horses out of which they make approx. $18,000 a year, a $1000 from the small café/B&B, and a little from jade and pretty rocks gathered from the Mountain. Summer is a process of accumulating for the winter, yak shit for the fire, collected and dried on the roof, scything extra grass, if it grows late August September, storing wheat for the Nam bread and anything else that’s required to help keep out the staggering cold.
High Country Farmers
Small Tajik village 4600 meters, Wheeeeew ! 15088 feet for those of us without a handy calculator It was bloody cold that night in the sleeping yurt even with a small fire going, reminded me of race nights in the yurt, full regalia; skins, jeans, merino top, jacket, beanie, extra blankets, none of it worked, oooooh the tribulations of Tommy Tourist, including the ice cold crap behind a rock. However we were rewarded with a stunning morning and a few early morning shots of Mt Muzztugutta 7740 meters, apparently a bit of a trial run Mountain for K2 climbers.
After our Yak milk tea, I’m sure my little team struggles with it as well, we are back on the gnarly highway, down through a damned river gorge, avoiding bitzza trucks, a few parked on the road broken down, one climbing a cliff obviously run out of brakes, coming from the hydro scheme, from the iron ore mines that cling to the ever shifting face of the Mountain side, my god they look unsafe, and more trucks doing the Pakistan run.
Today Bo we divert a little, I think you would like to see trees on the Mountains so we go to Forested and Glacier National Park and it proved to be a great drive
Sheep Transport
Its bloody cold up a river valley, colourful clay Mountains, Uyghur villages nestled amongst the trees, looking a lot more bearable and liveable than those bare Mountain tops and sure enough some scraggly pines on the Mountain sides, such a beautiful day, one of the best Abdul has seen, as only a top Uyghur guide could organise I suggest.
Both Abdul Guide and Abdul driver have been impeccable and patient teachers and has been great to be able to spend the time with them at such short notice and I give them full credit for dealing as delicately as they could with the political questions.
It must seem like the Aliens have landed.
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jacko
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amazing landscape bowen