In Kyrgyzstan you'll see white domed tents dotted across the steppe. Many people say, "That's a Mongolian yurt!" In fact, that name makes us think of it too narrowly.
Setting the record straight on the "Mongolian yurt"
The yurt doesn't belong only to Mongolians. This round, felt-covered tent that nomads can take down and carry is called a "yurt" in English and boz üy in Kyrgyz. In Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries, this is the traditional home of nomadic peoples.
Did you know? The sun-like symbol in the middle of the Kyrgyz flag is the yurt's roof crown, the "tündük". The flag alone shows how important the yurt is to this country.
So of course, in Kyrgyzstan you have to stay in a yurt camp.
A secret meadow between two rock walls
Tonight we stayed at a yurt camp run by a nomad family.
Between two great walls of rock lies a flat, grassy meadow: a perfect, blessed spot. Where could be better to make camp?
Sleeping in a yurt from the last century
The yurt we stayed in was a traditional one preserved since the last century: so precious it could almost go in a museum.
Its wooden frame is ingenious. In the morning you pull open the crown in the roof and sunlight pours into the round room. That must be the proper way for a nomad to start the day!
Campfire, mutton soup and a ukulele
Dinner was made the true nomad way: in another yurt that served as the kitchen, a big pot of mutton soup bubbled on the stove. Well fed, we gathered around the campfire. Someone told ghost stories (some things really are the same in every country), and someone else took out a ukulele to play and sing.
Breakfast was even better: jam made from wild mountain fruit and tea brewed from mountain herbs and flowers. It's the way of life closest to nature.
Tang Hong-an's and my Kyrgyzstan trip was arranged by Bek and Ruby. For the best way to travel Kyrgyzstan, they're the people to ask!
