Barskoon
Among a string of quiet villages around lake Issyk-Kul rests the town of Barskoon. The town has multiple guest houses including the sanatorium Yuri Gagarin stayed in after returning from Earths orbit in 1961. The village sits at the opening of Barskoon valley providing passage through the Terskey Ala-Too mountains. The range consists of peaks reaching near heights of 17,000ft.
Just over the snow capped mountain in the distance (above) was the scene of an avalanche that covered a group of hikers while trekking through the Jukku Pass. This occurred just one day before I showed up in the big yellow marshrutka.
Yuri A. Gagarin
“The first cosmonaut of the world”
Its been said that Gagarin himself touched this rock
“Waterfall” in Kyrgyz
The yurt is the traditional style of nomadic housing which can be easily constructed or taken down within the hour. Thousands of these are used throughout Central Asia. While some yurts are used as a primary residence, others may be found sitting in the backyard of someones house or along the side of the road for shopkeepers to sell goods from.
This nice gentleman offered me a cup of Kumis. The unpasteurized milk from a horse or goat is fermented which tends to contribute a small percentage of alcohol. It was served warm and probably killed a lot of bacteria in my system. The white balls (below) is a common snack called “kurut.” It’s dried yogurt that delivers a sour taste.
This is a samovar used to boil tea. The stainless steel pot holds a few liters of water. There is a pipe in the center of the pot that is stuffed with small sticks of wood or coal in order to heat the water.
Azamat I miss you my friend
Barskoon Revisited
I returned to Barskoon in the summer of 2023 during my second study abroad experience in the country. I found myself in some serious traffic this time around…
Looks Like Home
Skazka Canyon is a slice of Arizona nestled between the shores of Issyk-Kul and the snow capped mountains. Skazka means fairytale when translated from Russian. I’ll leave it to you to discover the origins of the mysterious rock formations.
This is my friend Adilet, the cultural program director at the London School. Thank you my friend for putting together such a wonderful trip.
Building a Yurt
The first step involves unfolding the lattice frame made from wood and tying it to the door frame
Building a yurt is a communal effort. Someone usually stands in the middle to hold the center dome piece called a tunduk while others place wooden poles into the slots which are tied to the lattice.
Small colorful ribbons are wrapped around the lattice for interior decoration. The yurt is covered with bamboo and a blanket for insulation. Some yurts like the settlement in Barskoon have extra layers due to the colder temperatures.
