My First 48 hours in KYRGYZSTAN | Wild Horses, Yurts & My 21st Birthday

[00:00:00]I'm here for the next two weeks. It's going to be a crazy adventure. I feel like I've just gone through the thick of it to get up here. I don't know how that'll go. Oh my god, I've got pins and needles in my knee. We're going on an adventure. This is so cool. Yeah. What if it rains? We get wet.

[00:00:17]>> Something over.

[00:00:18]>> I've just woken up in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, surrounded by rolling fields, rivers, yurt camps, and wild horses. And today I turned 21. I'm here for the next two weeks. It's going to be a crazy adventure and I can't wait to bring you along with me. Let's get the adventure started, shall we?

[00:00:39]Joining me on this adventure, we've got Craig, Josh, Patrick, Grace, and Steven.

[00:00:45]We're all pretty new to each other, but it's going to be a fun adventure. We've got a massive, what is it? A Toyota Seoia, and it's got seven seats, and it's a beast. It's a 4.7 liter V8 engine and it's the biggest car. Like, what is it?

[00:01:04]>> It's the biggest public vehicle. Yeah, it's the biggest public vehicle that Toyota makes.

[00:01:13]>> I was trying my socks out >> this morning. Why does it go up?

[00:01:23]We're walking for a little one on that big rock.

[00:01:31]>> So, Kyrgystan is in central Asia. It's on the border of China, Kazakhstan, Ubekistan, and Tajikistan. I'm not sure if I pronounced that right, but it is gorgeous. They've got a lot of nomad culture. So, they have these yurts, which are like little houses in the middle of nowhere. And we're about to walk through a camp. I just have to get out of this valley that we stayed in last night. Gonna cross some rickety bridges over rivers and go through fields of wild horses.

[00:02:15]>> This is the vehicle.

[00:02:17]Look how big it is.

[00:02:19]>> Hello. Hello.

[00:02:22]I don't even know what year it is, but it is massive. V8 engine going to get us far. Four-wheel drive. And we are currently in a yurt camp.

[00:02:33]>> Yay. The hores.

[00:02:36]>> Hey, horses.

[00:02:37]>> Hello.

[00:02:38]>> We are on the way to Bishkek, which is the capital of Kyrgyzstan. And why are we on the way to Bishk, Grace?

[00:02:46]>> Cuz I need a poop.

[00:02:49]>> You need a sleeping bag. You want me to have arrived in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. I'm trying to get out the car. We're on a mission to find >> coffee and a sleeping bag for Grace and food. It was quite cold last night and then it's probably about 30° C here and up in the mountains I think it got to around 3° C which is crazy.

[00:03:32]>> Food has been secured. I'm on a sweet potato bowl, ice coffee, something else that I really can't decide what the flavor is.

[00:03:41]>> River trout.

[00:03:42]>> River trout. Sorry. Go on. Go on. Go on.

[00:03:45]>> River trout potato. Poached egg.

[00:03:47]Tomatoes.

[00:03:49]uh a chicken bowl and a mango pack.

[00:03:51]>> Lemonade.

[00:03:52]>> Lovely.

[00:03:54]>> Beef scrambled egg bon and >> lemonade.

[00:03:58]>> Almost English breakfast with a liter of lemonade.

[00:04:02]>> Chicken chicken bagel.

[00:04:04]>> That looks good. Lots of food.

[00:04:09]>> After eating nothing but noodles, that really hit the spot. We've had nothing but noodles and Barney Bears >> for over 24 hours. And now we're back off to the shop to try and get some food, some proper food for the next couple of days of wild camping.

[00:04:29]This is about 20p for these noodles.

[00:04:32]That's about 35p.

[00:04:36]Wait, let me take you to show.

[00:04:39]This stuff here is the worst stuff I've ever put in my mouth. It's like fizzy offdate milk. It's fermented horse milk with bubbles in it and it is grim. We were staying at a hotel on our first night after like being 30 hours of traveling and that was disgusting. He came, it was a guy sat downstairs and he was like, "Oh, try this. Try this." All six of us literally tried this stuff and all of us gagged straight away. I mean, try it if you're here. You probably won't like it. It's grim.

[00:05:17]>> Okay.

[00:05:19]So, Kyrgyzstan used to have the Silk Road going through it. So, there is a big mismatch of loads of different cultures here. There's Russians, there's Ubekistans, I don't know if that's the right word. There's people who are local to Kyrgyzstan, but there's people from all over the place because they just hopped off of the Silk Road and now it's just a massive mix match of loads of different cultures.

[00:05:45]We're on the way back into the mountains. The roads are absolutely hectic. I'm so glad I'm not driving.

[00:05:52]Josh is our designated driver for the entire trip and it is so hectic. Right, I'll see you in the mountains.

[00:06:04]We're officially off road. Well, there's never technically a road. THERE'S HORSES EVERYWHERE. WAIT, HORSES.

[00:06:14]We're just heading through a valley now towards a waterfall and then we're going to find somewhere to set camp. might be going for a wild dip because we're all kind of overdue a shower. The car smells like rotten bananas and smelly socks right now.

[00:06:32]>> We're on the way to the waterfall.

[00:06:38]>> It's too hot for a down jacket. I couldn't find my mid layer.

[00:06:46]It's so pretty.

[00:06:48]Oh no.

[00:06:51]A You've got the boots on a >> Oh no.

[00:07:03]A salamkum.

[00:07:08]>> Everyone's sliding everywhere.

[00:07:13]>> I cannot fall over. I have one pair of pants for two weeks.

[00:07:18]These are the only pair of plants I've got. Oh yeah.

[00:07:25]We've been in the jungles and we're just coming out. The waterfall is right there.

[00:07:37]>> This is Bella Gorka waterfall in the Kirky Mountains. Oh my gosh, that's ridiculous. I'm pretty sure the waterfall starts at 4,59 m and we're currently around 2,100 m.

[00:07:55]I'm going to go get a closer look. I made it across without getting my feet wet. That's a first. I can't believe today is my 21st birthday and I'm stood under a waterfall in Kyrgyzstan. Little me would have never thought this would be where she spent her 21st birthday.

[00:08:14]That's for sure. I'm getting drenched, but this is so cool.

[00:08:21]A waterfall in the Kyrgyzstani mountains with that view.

[00:08:29]I think we're going to try and get up to that cave up there and go behind the waterfall.

[00:08:38]Feel like I've just gone through the thick of it to get up here, but this is ridiculously cool. We're walking behind this waterfall, 2,400 m high. Wow. Whoa.

[00:08:53]We're on our way to try and find somewhere to set up camp. So, I think we're going to try and get some off-roading done and find a cool camp spot. Currently about 8:00 p.m. We've been exploring all day and it's just gorgeous. So, I can't wait to find a camp spot. The river. We're going to try and find somewhere along the river, I think, to set up. Maybe get the hammocks out as well. I need to wash my trousers as well because I have two muddy patches on my bum. It doesn't look like I pooed myself, though. So, mission successful.

[00:09:29]>> It's a Kyrgyzstan traffic jam. Oh, got >> Oh my god.

[00:09:48]I got my party hat back on. We're almost all fully set up. We found this cool little spot by the river. That is my tent. That's Patrick's. That's Craig's.

[00:10:00]That is Steven's. And this is Grace's.

[00:10:03]We're having a bit of trouble with the pegs. What a spot. I can see the wild horses and their little foss just over there walking down.

[00:10:20]Just cooking some dinner. I don't know what time it is, but the sun set and then it got dark very fast. I'm on noodles again and then I've got a birthday cake and I've got candles. So, I think that is my plan after noodles.

[00:10:37]We've got a makeshift number two because we broke it somehow. So, it's got some elast from my first aid kit. Thank you everyone for my lovely, lovely happy birthday wishes.

[00:10:51]>> Happy birthday.

[00:10:53]>> I've got blueberry tart. I've been scarred by the desserts here because they had sour milk in them. Okay, I'm ready. Oh, no, I'm not. That's soggy.

[00:11:04]Oh, it's very soggy.

[00:11:10]I've been watching the stars for absolutely ages. I've seen so many shooting stars and I've also managed to lose my mic. So, I don't know where it's gone. I'll probably be able to find it in the morning. If not, I've got a spare. And I will see you all in the morning. Night.

[00:11:34]I'm very tempted to go for a dip, but it is glacial waters. I don't know how that will go.

[00:11:43]Okay, I'm going to try and HAVE A DIP, BUT OH MY GOSH, it's absolutely freezing. That is absolutely Baltic. Oh my god, I've got pins and needles in my kneecaps.

[00:11:58]I've got my mic attached to my head. I'm doing it again. I'm going again.

[00:12:08]That is absolutely Baltic.

[00:12:12]That is how you wash yourself when you don't have a shower.

[00:12:16]You would have never thought this was Kyrgyzstan. It's incredible. I love it.

[00:12:23]I love it so much. I love it a lot. I love it a lot.

[00:12:31]I've acquired coffee. What I ordered as a hamburger is >> hamburger.

[00:12:37]>> I don't really know what it is actually.

[00:12:39]And this is my fork. But you know what?

[00:12:41]I think my my hamburger and my fries cost me about £250. So, on a quick stop off to get some snacks and sustenance.

[00:12:51]And then I think we're staying in somebody's yurt. We don't entirely know.

[00:12:56]We're pretty sure that it's £5,000 some for a yurt, which is around £43. And that's for all of us. This is a delicacy. I can't remember what it's called. It's like a loaf of bread with a hollowed out middle so that you can put soups and stuff in them. And Patrick has had one every single day.

[00:13:21]>> We're heading towards the yurt now. And we're just driving through these roads and they are ridiculous. We're about an hour and 15 minutes away. Did I hear that right? And the valleys are opening up. It's so gorgeous. Just had a quick stop cuz Grace got stung by a wasp or a bee. And we don't know if she's allergic.

[00:13:41]>> So good. I was >> Yeah, it's okay.

[00:13:45]>> All right.

[00:13:47]>> We have arrived.

[00:13:49]Let's go have a look.

[00:13:51]>> All right. This is camp for tonight.

[00:13:53]We've lost a soldier. Steven is in the car. He's very unwell.

[00:13:58]>> Is this our house?

[00:14:00]>> This is our house.

[00:14:01]>> This is so cool.

[00:14:03]>> Hell yeah.

[00:14:05]>> Very big.

[00:14:05]>> Pound dampening.

[00:14:06]>> Yeah. What if it rains? We get wet.

[00:14:09]>> I guess we put something over it.

[00:14:12]>> This is fun. Wow.

[00:14:16]>> Whoa.

[00:14:20]Okay, we've been given food and it it's so tasty. It's We've got a national dish and then we've got like a noodle salad.

[00:14:28]The sun is so bright. I'm going to take you over there. I've just been swinging with my new little friend.

[00:14:42]>> Chicken chicken.

[00:14:46]It's the noodle salad.

[00:14:47]>> Unreal.

[00:14:48]>> Is it's so good.

[00:14:49]>> It is.

[00:14:50]>> Hello.

[00:14:52]Hello.

[00:14:59]>> Yeah.

[00:15:03]>> What is this?

[00:15:09]It's so good.

[00:15:14]Oh, >> Kyrgyzstan is a beautiful country. The best country in the world. The best.

[00:15:21]We're going on a mission.

[00:15:25]>> So, we're all going to the waterfall and there was 20 people in the other car.

[00:15:29]So, >> we now have some additional people. We have >> There's one. I think we have nine in a sevenseater. So, that's not too bad.

[00:15:39]We're going on an adventure.

[00:15:41]They said there's a waterfall nearby.

[00:15:44]>> Obviously, we're going.

[00:15:52]>> I don't know how far it is to the waterfall. I think it's probably about 10 minutes more.

[00:15:59]>> Probably. Yeah, >> probably. They said about 15 minutes drive. Oh, yeah. 15 or 50. We don't know.

[00:16:06]>> But the man said that we get food when we get back as well. He said he's cooking for us.

[00:16:12]>> Amazing.

[00:16:13]>> They're just so kind, aren't they?

[00:16:14]>> Yeah. So nice.

[00:16:16]>> Hello.

[00:16:17]>> Hello.

[00:16:20]>> I'm 21. You're 10.

[00:16:22]>> Yes.

[00:16:25]>> I don't know how far we're going. We've been going for over 15 minutes now. So, it might be 50 instead of 15. We are at the waterfall.

[00:16:39]>> Over there.

[00:16:43]>> These people. Honestly, the people make a place. This is incredible. By far the best travel experience I've ever had.

[00:16:58]>> Wow.

[00:17:05]Hello.

[00:17:16]>> Thank you.

[00:17:27]>> We are back at camp. We're all going to put our stuff into our home for the for tonight, which is that yurt. And then I don't know what's happening. And that's the best part.

[00:17:39]Yesterday was the best day ever. And then today is just even better somehow.

[00:17:44]I don't know how. I didn't think it could get any better, but it has. This is so communal and friendly, and everyone's happy. It's amazing.

[00:17:55]We've been given two of the breads that I was talking about earlier.

[00:17:59]>> Yes. Where are we going? What we doing?

[00:18:01]>> Growing some food.

[00:18:02]>> We're going to eat kodak, which is a national dish here in Kyrgyzstan. And it's meat and potatoes. That's it. And apparently it's very nice, very tasty.

[00:18:13]And we're going into their yurt to eat with them.

[00:18:18]>> There's a car.

[00:18:18]>> Hello. Thank you.

[00:18:22]>> Oh, wow. Yo, guys.

[00:18:24]>> Thank you. Thank you.

[00:18:26]>> Hi, I'm Zana.

[00:18:32]>> Wow.

[00:18:49]>> Birthday. This was that girl's 15th birthday. I just celebrated it.

[00:18:54]>> So bummed.

[00:19:09]>> Whoa.

[00:19:18]How bye.

[00:19:29]They're all leaving now. Um, but we've had such an incredible time. What a crazy few days here in Kanan it has been. I can't wait to show you. so much more. This has literally been the first 3 days of a two week adventure all across Kystan.

[00:19:47]We've ended up in some family's year celebrating two birthdays and eating so much good food, having so much fun, so many laughs, and it has just been incredible. Thank you all so much for watching, and I will see you all on our next crazy adventure.

[00:20:07]Happy roaming. Bye.