TRAVERSE 213
TRAVEL - KYRGYZSTAN
LEIGH WILKINS
ROADSIDES & REMINDERS
It felt as if something was watching from the roadside undergrowth , a presence seeking refuge from the overwhelming heat of the midmorning sun . We ’ re on the north-eastern edge of Issyk Kul , the world ’ s second largest alpine lake that sits in the centre of Kyrgyzstan . I only knew that the road was called the A363 , a scenic drive of occasionally well-formed bitumen not far from the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border .
The Kungey Alatau mountain range forms most of the border and sit like sentinels on the horizon , the snow-capped peaks belie the almost tropical temperatures around the lake . Verdant trees of countless greens provide respite from the beating sun , the dark undergrowth hides eyes of the ever present , all but one forever witnessing .
The One watched as we passed by to seek a closer look . The undergrowth protecting the Others hid more and we were surprised to discover an overgrown cemetery with a history of the recent past . Salima ’ s motherly gaze looked over us , a black and white portrait forever watched us , I wondered how she had come to pass at such a young age . It seemed a common theme , twenty-four , forty-nine , thirty-eight , everyone taken at a young age . We all looked on and tried to understand what was happening to claim so many , so early .
Many of the headstones described a possible clue , the ‘ Bowl of Hygeia ’ was present on many , perhaps an epidemic , pharmaceutical related , something else more sinister ? Answers weren ’ t forthcoming despite many other clues including the 1970s .
Cemeteries seldom have a negative impact on me , I am one to believe they are a place to celebrate the times of living and not a field of the dead however , this one left
TRAVERSE 213