From Bishkek I took the minibus to the beach. Anyone who doubts her/his or my knowledge on geography is not entirely wrong. The nearest sea from Bishkek ought to be the Caspian Sea, a few thousand kilometers away. I therefore, went not to the sea, but to Issyk-Kol. Issyk-Kol is the second largest mountain lake in the world.
I didn’t go to any place, but to Cholpon-Ata, the touristiest place at Lake Issyk-Kol. I chose this place to watch the beach life of Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Russian tourists. The beach life is not very different from ours; there is a little less playing ball, Frisbee or other games and more drinking beer. The highlights were Russian / Kazakh men getting tanned while standing and a donkey painted as a zebra.
Beyond the beach there are other things in direct proximity to Cholpon-Ata are petroglyphs (drawings carved in stone). The eldest were carved in Bronze Age, while the latest that I've seen was from the year 1995. Although the Federal Republic of Germany has paid for the restoration, they wouldn’t let me see the petroglyphs for free. Unfortunately my camera battery was discharged due to moisture, so there are no photos of the petroglyphs. However, it is not that bad, the petroglyphs look like being painted by a five year old. Popular motives are hunters (stickmen with bows and arrows), antelope or ibex, wolves and snow leopards.
During my stay I had, as usual, in Kyrgyzstan, rented a room in a private home. The daughter of the house was exactly as I 25 years old, but unlike me, she had a six-year-old son. This would be not worth mentioning, if youthful recklessness would have been the cause. However, an unbelievable part of Kyrgyz culture was responsible. In Kyrgyzstan, there is a tradition that is still partly carried out, that young men abduct their bride. The above-mentioned daughter of the house was at the age of 17 years, when she was pulled into a car and taken to the house of her future mother-in-law. Neither her mother nor she could do something about the situation, because it is a socially accepted part of Kyrgyz culture. She is now divorced from her husband, however, she has not completed school education. Nevertheless, she did not only think negative of heir forced relationship, at least her son is the product of it.
I didn’t go to any place, but to Cholpon-Ata, the touristiest place at Lake Issyk-Kol. I chose this place to watch the beach life of Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Russian tourists. The beach life is not very different from ours; there is a little less playing ball, Frisbee or other games and more drinking beer. The highlights were Russian / Kazakh men getting tanned while standing and a donkey painted as a zebra.
Beyond the beach there are other things in direct proximity to Cholpon-Ata are petroglyphs (drawings carved in stone). The eldest were carved in Bronze Age, while the latest that I've seen was from the year 1995. Although the Federal Republic of Germany has paid for the restoration, they wouldn’t let me see the petroglyphs for free. Unfortunately my camera battery was discharged due to moisture, so there are no photos of the petroglyphs. However, it is not that bad, the petroglyphs look like being painted by a five year old. Popular motives are hunters (stickmen with bows and arrows), antelope or ibex, wolves and snow leopards.
During my stay I had, as usual, in Kyrgyzstan, rented a room in a private home. The daughter of the house was exactly as I 25 years old, but unlike me, she had a six-year-old son. This would be not worth mentioning, if youthful recklessness would have been the cause. However, an unbelievable part of Kyrgyz culture was responsible. In Kyrgyzstan, there is a tradition that is still partly carried out, that young men abduct their bride. The above-mentioned daughter of the house was at the age of 17 years, when she was pulled into a car and taken to the house of her future mother-in-law. Neither her mother nor she could do something about the situation, because it is a socially accepted part of Kyrgyz culture. She is now divorced from her husband, however, she has not completed school education. Nevertheless, she did not only think negative of heir forced relationship, at least her son is the product of it.
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