Whilst making my way to Karakol and Duet Hostel I got the chance to attend a Horse and Birds of Prey festival in Tamchy. I also got to meet my friends Harri and Sofia for a second time. The festival was organised in a typical Central Asian style. Despite being advertised, everyone was booked last minute and they were late setting up!
The festival was a chance to see a legendary game of the region called Kok-Boru. A game where horse riders battle over the carcass of a goat to score goals. People have referred to it as goat-polo.
Tamchy – The Whitby of Issy-Kul
Tamchy has the same feel and natural bit of tackiness as some seaside towns in the UK. Walking the front gives the same amusement parks for children, a chance to win a cuddly teddy, karaoke or enjoy a Carousel wheel. However, one thing is missing from the lake and that is boats! There are almost none of them. I guess in this part of the world, owning a boat never really took off.
The festival started with some traditional singing starting with Manas. A traditional epic poem dating back to the 18th century but based on events from the 9th century. Each child performer would take on a bit of the poem for us with the backdrop of the ocean behind. Then we moved on to the food! They produced fresh noodles and Beshbarmak, a traditional horse-meat dish from the region. Plus the starting of the mass production of Plov for all guests!
The horse skills of the nomads
The horses and their riders were about to demonstrate why they were some of the best riders in the World. There would be a demonstration of two main skills needed for Kok-Boru.
First up was Tyiyn Emmei. The riders would have to lean down from their horse whilst moving, often at speed, and pick up a coin. Whilst the coin is the traditional item, it was replaced with cloth for this demonstration. But they did have two in a row to pick up. They would set off in turns from a distance so as to gather speed and then lean over so their head was a foot from the ground. They would then reach down for the cloth and return to a seated position in just enough time to stop before running the audience over.
It was exciting to watch their skill and to know they don’t succeed all the time. However, one rider was better than the rest and he would later show the extent of his skill in Kok-Boru.
Next up was the skill of Er Enish. The riders would wrestle each other off horseback. This would usually start with a simple handgrab and then progress to twisting, pulling or pushing their opponent. Combine this with controlling the horse and the forces on each rider are considerable and I am surprised they do not come off more easily.
Occasionally, a horse would join in the battle and drive itself into or bite its opponent. Bouts would go on for a maximum of six minutes and points awarded if a rider was not un-seated. Once again, there was a clear winner amongst the riders.
Kok-Boru – dead-goats and polo
Leaving aside the ethics of using an animal’s carcass as a sports item, the game of Kok-Boru dates back to between the 10th and 15th centuries and is played across the whole of the Central Asian region. The game is played by two teams of four with opposing goals at each end. The objective is to retrieve the goat’s carcass (head and hooves removed) from the ground and place it in the opposing team’s goal.
Naturally, the skills from the previous two demonstrations get a lot of use. Firstly, in retrieving the carcass; although it is significantly heavier than the cloth. Secondly, to wrestle it from your competitors or to retain it. It is ferocious to watch as 8 riders head towards the goat’s carcass on the ground and then there is a tussle for position so someone can reach down and grab the carcass. I don’t envy the one placing his head near the ground whilst horses bash each other!
After someone has finally picked up the carcass, the wrestling starts, usually whilst moving and other teammates step in to help. The grimaces on the faces of the riders show the intensity of the game and this is only a friendly demonstration. The final skill, which evidently needs a bit more practice, is to place the carcass in the goal. It was a simple task but on more than one occasion the rider went in with the carcass!
Volunteering
On to Karakol, cycling the North side of Issy-Kul, it’s a busy road but there is enough space and a couple of really nice camping spots along the lake. But I was just trying to get to Karakol and back to Duet Hostel where I could volunteer and get some much-needed time off the bike. When I arrived the owner, Ana, made me feel very welcome and allowed me to get settled in.
The work wasn’t the normal that you would usually expect working at a hostel with a cafe attached. It wasn’t taxing and allowed me time to recover and catch up with my blog. A task I never ever seem to be up to date with.
Ana wanted us to come up with projects which would either make improvements that would help the business either grow or be more efficient. One of my projects was upholstering a door so as to hide the broken door underneath and give it a new life. Another I came up with was numbered spoons for customer’s orders. Before most of the orders were held in the staff’s memories, which when busy would end up with them shouting out orders to find the customer. Much easier to shout out a number than deal with three customers who all ordered pepperoni pizza!
The favourite task of all
But our ‘favourite’ task, which all volunteers looked forward to (the heavy sarcasm is intended) was de-stalking blackberries and then bagging them up for smoothies. As a team, we started together but some members shirked off and a smaller and smaller number ended up finishing the de-stalking! Something that did annoy me, but I let it go. No need for stress!
They also allowed us to go off hiking for days at a time, which meant I could do the Ala-Kul hike which this region is famous for. But that will be a later blog.