Ala-Archa as a Foreigner

After spending a day in the rain seeing Ala-Archa as a Kyrgyz, I proceed to see it as a foreigner, by hiking out into the wilderness.

The view as you begin the trek to the waterfall. Heading away from the photo into the valley is the Ala-Archa river, to the left, the waterfall.

Lower portion of the waterfall, simply breathtaking.

After reaching the waterfall, I continue onwards towards some hut at the top of the mountain as I've heard it has an amazing view from some Russian mountaineers I'd met at the waterfall.

Unfortunately for me, it starts to sprinkle when I'm mere metres shy of the top, and, sensing the impending downpour I turn back and break out into a sprint.

Half an hour into my run, the downpour begins and I'm very quickly drenched. The rain turns the trail into mud and soon I'm falling again and again as I descend from the mountain.

By the time I reach the main road, I'm drenched, cold, covered in mud and sporting a few nice scratches to add to my collection. I walk past a group of five Kyrgyz, each clutching a bottle of Kyrgyzstan's finest vodka and overhear them saying "Crazy foreigners, what the hell do they see in those mountains anyway."

Some horses eating and chilling as there's a pause in the rain.

Washing off in the river, I hitch a lift back (after an hour's walking) with a couple of Kyrgyz working for a hydroelectric company. I promise Aibek (the man in charge) that I'll say hi to Australia when I return. Given that it won't happen for a while, hi Australia, from one Kyrgyz working in the mountains in Ala-Archa.