Happy Saturday everyone! Not that today is a holiday or anything, but I had a good day today, and I can’t wait to start sharing about it. And as always, I’ll start at the beginning.
Because Dad is an ISP man, he got to meet some computer geeks this morning, and talk with them about servers, and voice-over IP, and a bunch of other stuff. I went with him, and learned some more about computer language. After that was over, he and I met up with another couple of the local guys that we had made friends with, and took a trip to the local bazaar (if you think I said bizarre, look again). It was a new experience for me, seeing as the majority of merchandise I see is in K-Mart, iTunes, and between quarters during a football game. The bazaar was the size of two or three Wal-Marts stuffed together, and there were clothes and hats and shoes and people and cigarettes everywhere. The vendors had their wares on ropes, against their stall wall and even hanging from the trusses of the many coverings we were under.
We mostly looked as we walked, but there were a few times where we stopped to examine and scrutinize a few items, like U.S. Army surplus uniforms, Kyrgyzstan rugs, and a horn bow with arrows and a leather case that was the most beautiful piece of weaponry I’ve ever seen in my life. But it cost too much and it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase, so I guess I’ll have to do without the sweetest, baddest, sickest deer-killing machine that isn’t illegal in the 50 states. >Sob< . But I did get myself a nice cute little fuzzy hat, so I don’t feel sad anymore.
We left the bazaar around one, and had some pizza at a nearby restaurant. It was good, and filled us up for the upcoming sightseeing trip; a visit into the Kyrgyzstan mountains! The drive up was a tad bit interesting though. You see, there was a thick fog the entire way, the road was a tiny bit bigger than one lane, there was snow and ice everywhere, and visibility was down to about 30-50 feet. In other words, totally sweet! Once we got up to the parking space, we ditched the van and hit the trail.
There was about a foot of snow on the ground, but the people who had gone before us had carved a nice trail in the snow, and we stuck to it for most of the way. We climbed the mountain, slowly ascending above the lower treetops, and into the cloud cover. The air was cold and clean, and it had none of the lived-in taste of normal air down at ground level. We must have hiked around 1½ miles, climbing into the sky. Finally, we ran out of time and had to turn around and come back. But I did get to see some wonderful scenery and a lot of God’s wonderful creation.
When we came back, we ate at another restaurant, and I had me some mutton kebab and french fries. Kind of a combination between ethnic and familiar, I guess. I had a memorable day today, with the food, the friends, the bazaar, and the beautiful scenery. So next time I have a happy Saturday, be sure to tune back in. 🙂
