Kyrgyzstan and its eccentricities

As soon as we crossed the border, the feel of the country changed. We spent two nights in a homestay/guesthouse in Osh, in converted ex-Soviet apartments, and we met our local guide for Kyrgyzstan: Asel, who is accompanying us for the time we are spending here.

Some of the most interesting stories about Kyrgyzstan have come from Asel, she is talkative and well informed about most subjects that we tourists ask about, and many that we don't. One "custom" which she tells us about is the high rate of kidnap of women here, the purpose of which is to force the woman into marriage. She says that one of her friends was kidnapped whilst walking along the street with her, and when she called the girl's mother, she was really happy about it! Happy because kidnap means marriage and this is a good thing here. In fact, Asel's mother was herself kidnapped by Asel's father, and has a remarkably philosophical attitude to it.

Another unusual custom is the Kyrgyz national sport: goat polo. This is a game which plays pretty much how it sounds: two teams of players on horseback try to get the carcass of a goat onto a goal to score a point. The goat is specially killed for the game, and after the game is finished the goat is given to a poor family for food.

We "sponsored" a game (i.e. we paid for a goat and some prizes) and two teams of eager locals assembled the following day to play. The locals don't get to play often because a goat is too valuable to kill regularly, so they were really pleased to get another chance. The various inhabitants of the yurts near where we were camped all appeared nearby with eight or so arriving on beautiful horses to play the game. One was carrying the head and footless goat, we had been spared the actual killing but it apparently involves blessing the goat first. A pad about a yard in diameter is placed on the ground to act as goal, and the players divide into teams. And that is pretty much it for the rules. There are no boundaries, linesmen or referee, and it seemed that anything was permissible in the course of the game including whipping the opponent's horses or even the opponents themselves. The spectators frequently have to run away from the rampaging teams and play often veered through our camp. Only one tent got trampled during the game, and it survived remarkably well.

It sounds really brutal when viewed from a Western perspective, but when you are watching the game without the bias afforded by a television screen it just seems to be a logical extension of their culture. And it is surprisingly good fun to watch: audience participation is high in goat polo.

I was able to visit the yurt belonging to the local bigwig after the game, and since it was his goat which was used, he had the head cooking in the pot. Unfortunately, I chose to visit just as the head finished cooking, and was invited to eat with him and his extended family. Now don't get me wrong, boiled goat head soup, bits of aforementioned head, and noodles mixed with the remains of said head are reasonably tasty, but not as a three course meal with nothing else. All the food was very greasy, and quite difficult for my soft Western stomach to handle, so thankfully Asel managed to excuse me from eating it all. Apparently it is considered rude to offer anything but meat dishes to guests, hence the lack of other foodstuffs. As an aside, here the male dominated hierarchy was blindingly obvious with bigwig sat at the head of the table, other guests, and male relatives nearby, and women towards the far end, with the youngest furthest away.

Kyrgyzstan officially has a population of around five million, but two million of those live overseas. Even our local guide, who is from Bishkek, lives in Almaty in Kazakhstan. This can only be due to the economic conditions, as the country itself is beautiful.

Pics are Kyrgyz scenery and an imported can of Sprite. Try to read where it was manufactured!