Barskaun Gorge
"I'm much too young to feel this god damn old", Garth Brooks, 1989, his debut single, have been a fan ever since, tells the story of a struggling ageing rodeo rider.
It has got bugger all to do with Kyrgystan, but after the next couple of days scrambling up the sides of mountains I know the feeling. I get the sentiment.
Are we there yet? Leave me breathless, the scenery and the exhaustion, but worth every aching muscle and every chest burning inhale.
The legend of these falls tells us that a snow leopard gave birth to three cubs. Leaving the cubs alone she went out hunting, on her return she found the lair empty, the cubs had ventured out, fallen and were lying injured. Her tears of sadness became the waterfall.
I never expected to see these memorials to one of my heroes, completely surprised me. When the greatest cosmonaut ever returned from the first manned space flight, he took a well earned holiday near here.
Away from intrusive western media as at the time Kyrgyz SSR, was a forbidden zone to rest and recuperate. On one side of the road a pedestaled bust and the other an oversized rock carving.
The billions of dollars and roubles wasted on a "my cock is bigger than your cock", symbolic gestures of the cold war.
Djety Oguz Gorge
So miles down a dusty track we arrived at our overnight field. A bunch of yurts at Kok-Dzayyk
All five star amenities, alas non ensuite.
The night survived, up early before everyone else, for no other reason than I could "drop the kids off at the nursery" in peace an quiet....if you get me drift.
So a hand-full of us set off, most stayed in the camp as they didn't fancy the exertions ahead.
The waterfall we were meant to see was pretty rubbish, as though someone had switched off the tap
Not my travelling companions but a couple of the locals who had made the effort
There was no way, no fucking way I was going to allow Dedushka and Babushka to beat me down the mountain, I mean I have all the gear on, they are in their sunday best...and guess who was sweating the most?
BEEP BEEP! coming through
The Seven Bulls
Leaving the wilderness of the Jety-Oguz gorge, we stoped to see some unusual red rock formations, erm erm "seven bulls lying on the ground". Kyrgyz people have a legend about how they appeared.
But first food.
The van exited
The foodery entered
The menu perused
Mr G exited
Something spotted
Mr G enters
Mr G doesn't need a menu
All is good in Mr.G's world
In ancient times, of two warring rulers. One had a beautiful wife. His mate didn't and wanted one, so he stole her. A war broke out between them, the original husband demanded her back
Like that was going to happen! The plan hatched, hubby No 2 would kill her then give back, as poor old hubby No 1 forgot to mention he wanted her back alive.
A festival was organised lasting seven days and one bull was slaughtered every day. When the seventh day came, the last bull was slaughtered, and then hubby No 2 killed the woman.
At the moment when the blood of the murdered woman sprayed onto the rocks, hot streams of water poured into the valley, destroying hubby No 1 and his gang.
Since then, the gorge where the woman died is called Jety-Oguz – “Seven Bulls”
Nope I can't see any bulls either, then or now
I Dunno about bulls but these bastards were in stealth mode and crept up on me from behind
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