Place: Karakoo, Kara-Koo, Kyrgyzstan

Description

Karakoo (pronounced kara-koh) is a small village of a few thousand, located a few miles from the southern shore of Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk Kul. This rural community survives mainly off of farming and herding. The family I visited raised sheep and chickens, although many also raised cows, horses and goats. They lived in a small house, which had electricity but no running water – as do all residents of Karakoo. However, their house was warm, and the hospitality was excellent; the table overflowed with food, tea and vodka during the entire length of my stay.