Kyrgyzstan Bouquet
Kochkor, Kyrgyzstan 2012
We spent a good part of the day watching a Kyrgyz family make a felt rug in their garden or back yard. It is a time consuming process, laying down the wool tufts piece by piece, wetting them with boiling water to cause them to mat together, and then wrapping the whole thing in woven sedge to compress and tighten the wool and to remove the water. I think that’s the process.
While the family worked, I got some shots of their garden. Cabbages the size of pumpkins grew next to trees full of dark red apples as large as grapefruit. These flowers, still beautiful but past their prime, leaned against a picket fence.
Felt Makers of Kochkor
After the women finished the demonstration, we were invited into the house for a feast. We often ate in homes when we were traveling in Kyrgyzstan. Everything was home-made from the piroshky to the butter, cream, cheeses and jams. I can still remember one breakfast when I was served a bowl of ordinary oatmeal but this oatmeal was brimming over with rich fresh cream. Ambrosia!
Kyrgyz Felt Rugs
Some of the rugs made by the family we visited. The matriarch (the woman in the center above) was a well known artisan.
Of course, Torie bought several rugs and from then on she worried that she would not be able to get them on the plane without paying a fee for excess baggage. She was constantly packing and re-packing in her head as we drove. It must have done her some good as in the end she managed to get several bulky rugs, pottery bowls, quilted coats, and embroidered wall hangings in her suitcase with room to spare.
See www.uzbekjourneys.com for information about tours to Kyrgyzstan. Outdoor activities as well as craft tours are Penelope’s forte.