Oh the “Yurt Mice”, Fermented Horse Milk, Travelers in Kyrgyzstan and Visa Woes

It was brought to my attention that our latest yurt was infested with little mice running around the edges. I dutifully assumed the role of “mice whisperer” and tried to encourage them to leave our habitation. However this was to no avail, as these pesky little furry critters kept up their scuffling about all night. My spot in the yurt this evening was next to a 2 liter plastic soda bottle filled to the brim with some sort of berry jam that was resting on a part of the “floor” not covered with blankets, but rather just grass and gravel.

Our highlight drink of the evening was a bowl of fermented horse milk. The taste is strong, the alcohol is not although you can certainly smell that this is an alcoholic drink. It is fermented naturally – no yeast added. What I could not finish was given to a young boy who wasted no time downing the entire drink.

When meeting other travelers in Kyrgyzstan (and it is very easy to do) countries such as Uganda, The Gambia, Iran and Tajikistan among others come up much more often in conversation than say countries such as Italy or France as examples. The type of traveler you meet here is well heeled and tends to visit countries that are off the normal beaten path.

Always a conversation starter is the topic of securing visa’s in this part of the world. One couple we met had their visas finally issued after a lengthy wait only to discover the dates they requested to enter the country were totally wrong on their visa in their passport. As a result they were denied entry at the border. We have heard a number of stories about embassies often holding obscure hours, making people come back again and again before issuing the visa, and changing rules at a whim, and some countries only issuing a few days on the visa unless you are with a guided tour.

Video: Enjoying Vodka next to Song-Kul Lake: