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Splendors of the Silk Road: Kyrgyzstan
My charter bus was second in line to cross the Chinese border and this clearly set the tone for how the rest of the day would play out en route to Naryn, Kyrgyzstan. Luckily, my guide and bus driver were both veterans of the crossing, and they knew that getting up at four in the morning was an essential start to the day’s long journey.
Crossing the Turugart Pass required great patience, but it rewarded with even greater beauty. The scenery as we wound through the basin of the Taklamakan Desert and the Pamir Mountains was like a painting. The air was crisp and clear and the vistas absolutely gorgeous.
Whenever we stopped in our journey through the countryside, I heard, over and over, “What are you doing here?” The question was one of innocent curiosity, and was always quickly followed with “Thank you for visiting my country—welcome to Kyrgyzstan!” The people were some of the friendliest I’ve ever come across. They were eager to know more about my country and what had brought me to theirs. And I was similarly curious and interested in them.
These people-to-people encounters were high among the many memorable moments of this adventure.
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Read more from the Splendors of the Silk Road blog series:
Splendors of the Silk Road: Xian
Splendors of the Silk Road: Dunhuang
Splendors of the Silk Road: Kashgar
Splendors of the Silk Road: Uzbekistan
For more information on this journey, visit The Silk Road: A Journey Through Time or call a GeoEx destination specialist at 888-570-7108.
