Krygyzstan

The customs agent did not look at me, quickly stamped my passport, and said, “Hello tourist.”

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Driving from Bishkek to the mountains south of the city was an amazing experience. I felt like I was in 1200 B.C., 1980, and 2018 all at the same time. Herders with goats, sheep, donkeys, and cattle all over the place and in the middle of the city and of the roads. Old Soviet cars from what looked like the 1980s being driven, alongside brand-new SUVs. Ancient mosques had scrolling electronic signs on the side of them, and everyone had new cell phones.

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The driver took me to my resort about 45 minutes outside of the city. The sun shone on the mountains and God’s promise never again to flood the Earth illuminated the sky.

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Hiking around Kyrgyzstan is one of the most favorite memories of my entire life. My pictures cannot capture the immense beauty. The sunlight shone through the black clouds and lit up the fields in a tremendous array of greens.

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One morning, the resort manager came to my cabin and said, “Horse?”

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We walked over to the horses, he picked one out, I hopped into the saddle, and he said, “Go!”

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“Where?”

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“Anywhere!”

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And off I went.

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When I returned he gave me horse milk to drink.

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One evening, I sat on my porch and looked up…3000 feet above me I saw men on horseback herding their goats. Their small black silhouettes on top of the mountains interested me. What a life. Somedays I wish I could lead it.

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