I have finished up the Natural Dyes component of the this training just in time. The sugar beets were ready for harvest, and the Horse Ear seeds were a deep brown. I will miss, however, spending my days cleaning onions in the bazaar, in exchange for the onion skins I collected. I’ve got lots of pictures, folks, and even plan to make something of a video. This will all sit in a little section of my website, of course, god willing.
Now, on the coat tails of that success, the bitter tentacles of winter of probing aggressively into the highlands of Sunny Naryn. We had our first snow this year, already.
It was warm kind of a snow, with big fat flakes and a heavy dose of rain. So heavy, in fact, it brought down tree limbs and electricity transformers. We lost power for only a day in Naryn city, but much of the surrounding region is without it completely. It’s a grim portent for the onslaught of winter, and people are already saying this year’s gonna’ be a doozy.
But it hasn’t been all cold and white, folks. For along with this bitter cold, we got a few more guests in town, the interesting kind. This crew hailed from the What Took You So Long Foundation. They wanted to know about camels. That’s right, camels.
We’ve got camels out here, folks. Kyrgyz people say they were the trucks of the ancient times. Before roads and cars, when you wanted to move your yurt, you put it on a camel. They purportedly can hold a full ton on their backs. Plus, according to our guests, they make excellent milk.
So, with the help of my Kyrgyz, their cameras, and my host-father’s local knowledge, we drove high into the mountains and found a camel.
It was a training camel, and it came barreling over the snow. It’s owner told us all about riding it and caring for it. She even, contrary to what everyone else said, told us about milking them.
“Today, our people have forgotten how to milk camels, or they just aren’t interested.” She said, “but we used to do it. It took three people: one to hold the reigns, and two to milk them, because they are very big! Yes, we used to make camel kymys, but not camel cheese.”
These guys, you see, want the world to know the wonderful magic that is camel cheese. Now they’re in Uzbekistan, I think, learning, I imagine, of things we’ve never dreamed. (btw, they liked me so much, they asked if I’d talk a little bit for their cameras. For anyone who wants to see how skinny I’ve gotten, follow this link.)
And now, folks, I’m in Bishkek, living the high life. Old Man Winter has let fall sit around a little longer here, and that means crisp air, acorns, and multi-colored leaves. It’s a pretty world, but there is another thing.
This pretty Autumn is reminding me that, once again, my family in America will be having Thanksgiving without me. As wonderful as life is, sometimes, distance is a hard pill to swallow.
Love your families, folks. Do it for me.
