Cholpon Ata and Kok-Boru World Cup

Today, we left Bishkek for our 2 week trip around Issy-Kul Lake. As we were checking out of our hostel, we met a friendly Aussie (Dav) who had no plans and decided to tag along with us to Cholpon Ata. After waiting 45min for the marshrutka to leave (they only depart when full), moving seats twice for old Kyrgz ladies and 4.5hrs of driving, we made it to Cholpon Ata.

The next day, we woke up early to go watch the Kok-Boru World Cup at the Hippodrome. We arrived at 8am (the start time listed on the ticket), only to find the Hippodrome almost empty with the first game starting at 10am. As we didn't want to pay for another taxi back into town (a hefty NZ$5), we wandered around the Hippodrome while it was empty and waited for the first game to start. We watched three games, with the strategy and rules of the game becoming clearer with each match (get the goat carcass in your well, pick it up fast and manouevre around the opponent). Despite our hiccup this morning, we had an enjoyable day watching the traditional Central Asian sport.Read more