Try that in a small town

 "I want to go to the western bus station to go to Bokonbayevo" I said. The receptionist looked like I just asked him to explain quantum entanglement.

"I don't know. Show me" I showed him the name written in Latin alphabet. He looked just as puzzled. 

"Ah! Boknbay" he said and lit up. 

"Yeah?..."

"Ah! You want to go by taxi?"

"No, by bus, but I need a taxi to take me to the bus station"

He looked puzzled again.

"You want taxi to Boknbay?"

"No to the bus station"

"Ah! You go to bus station? Not to Boknbay?"

"I want to go to Bokonbay by bus!"

"Yes"

"Yes what?"

I will cut the convo short there. But he finally understood my request, and got me a local version of an Uber. A small car with the insides reeking of petrol fumes showed up and took me to the bus station. Well, what do you expect for two dollar fifty?

Some may ask, "why not just use translator app on the phone?". Well. I...errrr...didn't think of that until later on this trip...

At the bus station, I asked "Boknbay?". One taxi driver got exited. "Yes, I drive!" I shook my head. "Mashrut!" I said. He looked disappointed. Some other guy pointed in the general direction of some mashrutkas. After some asking around, I finally found one that was going in the right direction.

As is the norm in many countries, these minibuses leaves when full. Whatever definition the driver decides is appropriate for that term. In this case, it was every seat occupied. Luckily. I have tried some in Africa, where "full" means people hanging off the side of the bus. Those are the cheap tickets.

I sat in my seat and enjoyed the scenery. We moved into the mountains. With a river flowing beside the... waitaminute. Is the river flowing upwards? I looked forward. We were definitely going downwards, but the river was going in the opposite direction. What did they put in the bread I ate? I looked at the road, the surroundings, and at the river. It WAS flowing upwards. I was sure of it. But that was impossible! Finally, I saw a human made construction, and I realized we were in fact going upwards. But my brain told me otherwise for some reason. The world fell into place again.

The not-so-magic river

Back in reality, we soon stopped at a restaurant for some r&r and bodily fuel. I had eaten on the bus, so I opted for some enjoyment of the scenery. Beautiful mountainous landscape all around. 

As we were closing in on Bokonbayevo, I checked the map, and found that I could jump ship a bit out of town for the shortest walk. I got up and tried to get the drivers attention. But it wasn't until some of the other passengers chimed in, that he noticed. He stopped and let me off.

I started walking up towards where my guesthouse would be. The streets were dirt roads. Small houses lined the streets. And as I ascended the slow incline, I was greeted with the greatest backdrop imaginable. Snowcapped mountain peaks in the distance. What a sight!

My gps was telling me I had arrived. I looked around and saw nothing but what I assumed were barns. With stacks of hay and the distinct smell of horse. I walked back and forth and tried to see if the gps would "jump" as it sometimes dows. But no. Then a young woman came walking. "Ragnar?" she asked. Surprised to hear my name, I nodded. She smiled. "Our guest house is here!" she said and pointed at the "farm-house". "Not easy to find!" I said. She laughed. "We know!"

Guest house, or farm house, or both?

Inside was a different story. A big yurt (traditional nomadic tent) was erected there. And a beautiful room had been built at the top of some wooden stairs. The young lady (daughter of the owner), showed me the room. It was beautiful! With fresh wooden panels, wooden floors and the wonderful smell of wood! It was like entering a mountain cabin in Norway! I love the smell of wood in the morning. It smells like... nature! And at only $18 a night, breakfast included, it was practically free!

The yurt you could rent. My room was up the stairs to the right

I unpacked my bags, and got ready to go into town for some exploring.

"Moon and tenderness"

A young girl sat there a bit shy at first as a descended the stairs from my room. "Hi!" she said and waved. I smiled and waved back. "What, is, your, name?" she asked. She was obviously eager to speak English with a foreigner.

"Ragnar! What is yours?" I asked. She told me and I asked what I usually do. "What does it mean?" She looked puzzled and smiled insecurely. Obviously she didn't understand the question. I brought out my phone and found the translator. I wrote the question in English, and showed her. She smiled. And flung out her own phone and wrote. She showed me. It read "Moon and tenderness!".

"What a lovely name!" I said. She laughed. "You?" she asked. I wrote it in English. She read it in Russian. She flared her eyes and looked at me. "Wow!" Then she smiled again. "You want to see our hotel?" She was of course the youngest daughter of the owner.

I let her show me the whole hotel. It was very nice indeed. All home made. And wonderfully so. She also showed me the garden with "300 apples"... I resisted the urge to correct her... And their two horses. One boy and one girl. "The boy is a little aggress!" she said in a serious voice. 

After showing me around, she hopped on her bike and took off to meet a friend. And I had a wonderful walk around this small Kyrgyz town.

The town was nice. Quiet, with the afore mentioned backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Most of the streets were dirt or gravel. It was nice to walk around. I found the usual war monument. But unlike the others I have seen around these countries, I didn't hear the patriotic Russian male choir in the background. You all know what I am talking about. The perfect soldier pushing forward, leading the troops into battle. 

More muted war monument

Lenin still here

I also saw some other local "attractions", as you can see below.

Something in the middle of a roundabout

This sign could use some more love

Local sheep grazing in the streets

Given that this was just a small town without any obvious things to study, why did I even bother going there? Stay tuned for tomorrow's revelation. Wow! My first ever cliffhanger!

"Divine" light on my way back to the guesthouse

Ragnar

Newly minted creator of cliffhangers