valerie

July 26, 2025 - Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan. A tourist village with mostly Uzbek residents

view of mountains with trees in front

July 25, 2025 - Jalal-Abad sign in Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan

tall Cyrillic letters spelling out Jalal-Abad

July 24, 2025 - near Ala-Too Square with relatively new fountains at night

fountains at a square lit-up with purple lights at night

July 23, 2025 - taken at the end of May, at dawn

sunrise behind mountains

July 22, 2025 - small field in the central Kochkor park that is turned into an ice rink in winter

grassy field bordered by tall trees with green leaves. small, closed abandoned-looking building on the right that is used for skate rentals in the winter

July 21, 2025 - from last month when I walked to another village

small canal running through a green field; mountains in the background

July 20, 2025 - I’m glad BiLi is loved
Kochkor, Kyrgyzstan

brown wooden bench with 'I love BiLi' written on the backrest

July 19, 2025 - for sale! This “child’s partner” could be yours! but I don’t remember the price..
maybe the actual doll looks better, but this box art creeps me out

box with a close-up picture of a baby doll's face

July 18, 2025 - there is a soccer ball on the neighbor’s roof (left side)

house with a brown foal in the yard in front; soccer ball on the left side of the roof; green field (of potatoes?) to the left and back from the house. picture taken from a second floor room looking down at their house (is that creepy? :) )

July 17, 2025 - I knew these cookies were suspiciously cheap, but wow, they are bad!! They taste like paper 😧

paper package of lemon cookies, with a price tag on them (25 Kyrgyz som)

July 16, 2025 - need to go to the outhouse but not able to (or don’t want to) squat? Get yourself a portable toilet seat!
(I don’t really know if anyone uses it other than my sister. I think my family had it out for guests, but sometimes it disappears)

outhouse with a plastic, white portable toilet seat stored in the corner

July 15, 2025 - two and a half bottles of kumyz on the wall, two and a half bottles of kumyz..
(kumyz = fermented horse milk)

two and half bottles of kumyz on a kitchen windowsill

July 14, 2025 - a few days ago. 5:30 AM

mountains in a blue dawn sky with a full moon above

July 13, 2025 - “watch out for children”, in Russian
Kochkor, Kyrgyzstan

old blue sign within some tall, green plants with the Russian text внимание дети (watch out for children) next to a road

July 12, 2025 - why did the cow cross the canal?
to get to the other side 🙃

brown cow crossing a canal at sunset

July 11, 2025 - Mr. Chicken dozing off

rooster with eyes closed, sitting on grass

July 10, 2025 - on Tuesday was stuck at a teacher’s house because of rain. She showed me the shyrdak (colorful patterned Kyrgyz felt carpet) she had in progress (bottom and top left; top right is finished). She said these will become cushions for chairs rather than carpets for the ground

three felt cushions on a carpet; top left and bottom unfinished; top right finished

July 9, 2025 - it was so hot here last week, in the 80s F, about 30 C (which feels really hot when you’re up in the mountains!). Finally back down to the 60s F and 17-20 C because of passing rain. I don’t like hot weather, but I also don’t like rain…but if I had to choose one, I’d rather have rain

mountains in the distance on a cloudy day, with some low clouds passing in front of the mountains

July 8, 2025 - ever wanted to spray 15+ things into your hair, but worried you would inevitably forget something? Well, now there’s hope!

July 7, 2025 - yurt camp at Kol-Ukok

about ten yurts and some vehicles close to a bright blue lake

July 6, 2025 - took advantage of a sunny day to go on a (long) walk to another village. It was close to the mountains. Hitchhiked back with a lovely family who was on their way to Issyk-Kul to relax. They said that the primary industry of their village is raising cows and horses

arch over a road indicating the entrance of a Kyrgyz village

July 5, 2025 - a bouncy place for kids that I saw for the first time in Kochkor. There were clothes and toy shops in the same area

shark/island themed large bouncy castle thing inside a building

July 4, 2025 - Kol-Ukok Lake (Көл Үкөк), about 20km from Kochkor. You can stay in a yurt here, but my friend and I just visited for the day. You can hike there, ride a horse there, or get a taxi there. We opted for a taxi since we were short on time, but it was expensive and the road was very bumpy

mountains behind a light blue lake

July 3, 2025 - looking down at the sheep at my host family’s friend’s house

herd of dark sheep scattered within a valley. mountains visible behind the valley

July 2, 2025 - guesting at a local English teacher’s house

Kyrgyz dining area in a kitchen, with a TV in front of the table