(See also parts 1 and 2)

Ala-Archa gorge I took a trip into the Ala-Archa gorge which was pleasant and very peaceful, the only people around being me and my guide, Ayk-ke-kul, a student from the American university. One route takes you up past a climbers’ cemetery to a valley from which several peaks are accessible.

The snow got quite deep higher up, in places close to a metre of powder snow that you sink right in to. We had a good laugh going down and up some snow slopes, but it was slow going and pretty cold.

The guide had some trouble keeping her footing and was wearing totally inappropriate footwear but put a brave face on it. Hopefully she didn’t lose too many toes.

Kyrgyz TV
Broadcast television in Kyrgyzstan is mainly Russian channels. Russian television is utter drivel and makes you appreciate UK TV one heck of a lot more. In fact, watching Russian TV is a bit like watching a pastiche of Western popular culture. One programme I encountered involved a whole evening devoted to Abba songs translated into Russian and sung by various people. All of the TV isn’t Russian however and some channels have an Asian focus. I found a hip-hop show on a cable channel V TV which featured whatever the Eastern equivalent of a “wigga “is (I go with “yigga”).

Bride Kidnapping
It is not unusual in Kyrgyzstan to obtain a wife by kidnapping her. This can be consensual (for fun or to avoid parental disapproval) or non-consensual. If you kidnap a girl it is typical to take her to your parents place to show her to them and to convince her to accept the marriage proposal. A few years ago legal protections were instituted to prevent non-consensual kidnappings, but apparently there is still some stigma attached to taking legal action in rural environments. I was speaking to one girl who told me she helped organize two kidnappings, in both cases of her friends by cousins of hers. Apparently on the last day of high school guys go and hang about outside the schools looking to get themselves a wife. I was told that the tradition is not especially popular amongst most females in Kyrgyzstan, but most people seem quite accepting in stark contrast to strong disapproval from human rights organizations.

Miscellaneous photos: