5 litre bottles of strawberry jam.
Some of the goods which have travelled from east to west for centuries.
A little fellow we met in the mountains near Bishkek.
Russians, Kazak, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Tajiks love their mountains. A short bus ride from Bishkek, Ala Archa National Park has day and multi day hiking options.
The park contains 50 peaks and 20 glaciers, which feed two small rivers, the Adygene and the Ak-Sai.
Wild goats, deer, marmots and squirrel inhabit the park, as well as the elusive snow leopard, which was camera trapped in 2017 for the first time.
The party danced in the open, after a party inside, and hikers and day-trippers joined in the fun.
Dancing and general merriment in Ala Archa National Park. The accomodation was toe-freezing cold. The restaurant would rather not have served anyone, but it was all worthwhile.
On forgotten junction on the road to Bishkek, the forgotten symbol of a forgotten system.
THE KYRGYZ CAPITAL is a likable enough place with some good choices for food. It is also so conveniently located to some great mountain areas that you probably forget much else about it.