Jane’s travelogue

Making decorative ropes

Making decorative ropes

Traditionally made by hand, the family now weaves them on a homemade loom. These ropes are used both for decoration and to enhance the support-strength of the yurt.

A family business

A family business

This local family runs the traditional yurt-making and handicrafts business in Karakoo.

Traditional yurt making in Kara-Koo

Traditional yurt making in Kara-Koo

One family in Kara-Koo continues the tradition of making yurts, traditional Kyrgyz homes, which they sell to locals (many of whom still spend the summer months in yurts) as well as foreigners. This is their yurt workshop. On the right is a pile of raw wool, which they will turn into felt to make the walls and roofs of various yurts.

The view from over the wall

The view from over the wall

Bishkek's remaining Russian Orthodox Cathedral, as seen from the sidewalk along Jibek Jolu Street.

On the wall of the Orthodox Church

On the wall of the Orthodox Church

Tuz-Kul: Kyrgyzstan's Salt Lake

Tuz-Kul: Kyrgyzstan's Salt Lake

Come here to bask - and float - in the warm, salty waters which locals believe will cure you of all your ills.

Not Your Typical Day at the Spa

Story written 29 June 2008

The idea of a day at the spa evokes images of pampered luxury; one certainly doesn’t think of lounging around inside of dank concrete sheds… unless one is thinking of the Altyn Arashan hot springs “spa” located just outside of Karakol, Kyrgyzstan.

Dusty downtown Kara-Koo

Dusty downtown Kara-Koo

As I wandered the streets of Kara-Koo, these two women asked me to take their picture.

Hot Lake? Really?

Hot Lake? Really?

Issyk-Kul means 'Hot Lake' in Kyrgyz, but as my friend Joe Scarangella will attest, the name is definitely a misnomer!

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