As the immigration officer stamped my passport and waved me to pass, he smilingly remarked “Why would anyone go to Kyrgyzstan”.
It was our 1st group trip to Kyrgyzstan. In the 160 trips I have lead, this was the first batch with more boys than girls. A batch that had been warned that Kyrgyzstan didn’t have many veg food options, “so get a lot of ready to eat stuff”. It’s a country where hardly anyone speaks English.
Maybe I had good reason to think about what the immigration officer had said.
As it goes, the seven days we spent there were nothing short of a dream. For seven days and nights, most of us were always with each other. In rooms, in buses, and in Yurt tents.There was star gazing on a blisteringly cold mountain night. There was drunk dancing on a city street at 4 am.
There were 3 am walks. There was the best half day of horse riding in one of the most beautiful and wildest places in the world. There was a boat ride on a glacial lake that left us drenched and ecstatic. There were cafe parties where we tried Kyrgyz lagman, ganfan and other items. One afternoon where everyone got their food out and we had a magnificent Indian lunch.
If there were any hiccups, nobody complained. A bus broke down, so we sauntered 2 kms up a hill. A camera got left behind and our guide backtracked to get it and the rest spent a good hour listening to songs and chatting.
There was constant laughter. We joked and joked and laughed and laughed till our sides hurt. I don’t think I have ever laughed in a trip as much as this, and I have been leading trips for nine years.
There were soulful conversations which made an entire bus full of people cry. It prompted a 60 minute stop near a river, and people just hugged each other or sat by the water.
As the immigration officer stamped my passport and waved me to pass, he smilingly remarked “Why would anyone go to Kyrgyzstan”.
The answer. Because its a super beautiful country.
My first group trip to Kyrgyzstan, and these 16 will probably be among my favourite all time batches.
