Day 1: Kyzart to Song Kul The shared taxi from Kochkor dropped me at the base of Kyzart Pass. From there, a local guide named Bakyt led me on horseback up the 3,200m pass – my first time in a saddle. The descent into the Song Kul basin was otherworldly: endless green jailoos stretching to the lake, white yurts dotting the landscape, horses and sheep everywhere. We reached Azamat's camp on the eastern shore by late afternoon. Days 2-3: Learning the Rhythm Azamat's family – his wife Aijan, their three kids, and his elderly mother – had been bringing their 200 sheep and 30 horses to this same jailoo every summer for generations. I asked to help. 5am milking. Herding the sheep to fresh pasture. Bringing the horses in at dusk. No wifi, no electricity, no running water. Just the rhythm of animals and weather. Days 4-5: Riding the Jailoo Azamat taught me to ride properly – not tourist horseback riding, but actually working with the animals. We spent hours circling the lake, checking on horses grazing in distant meadows. The shoreline camps are spread out, each family claiming their traditional territory. At night, Aijan made kymyz (fermented mare's milk) while the kids practiced traditional songs. Days 6-7: Departure I planned to leave on day 3. But then there was a foal being born. Then a neighboring family invited us for a feast. Then Azamat wanted to show me the petroglyphs on the western shore. Each day another reason to stay. When I finally left via Moldo-Ashuu Pass to the south, I wasn't the same person who'd arrived. I gave Azamat my solar charger. He gave me a felt ornament Aijan had made. We promised to keep in touch, knowing we probably wouldn't. Some connections don't need maintaining.