This morning we set off for southern Kyrgyzstan and the Fergana Valley, on the border with Uzbekistan. Our route crosses the mountains, along the lake of Toktogul then the Naryn river, still embryo of the powerful Syr-Daria, the nourishing river of Central Asia irrigating with its twin the Amu Darya all Central Asia until the late Aral Sea. Known by the Greeks under the name of Oxus, Syr Daria was in its time the northern border of the empire of Alexander the Great, and a natural barrier between the nomadic peoples of the steppes and the sedentary civilizations of the inhabitants of the mythical cities. like Samarkand, Bukhara or Merv.
We arrive at the end of the day in Arslanbob, a picturesque village populated by Uzbeks and nestled in the shade of the mountains, in the heart of the largest walnut forest in the world. Check in with the locals, dine and sleep in good, soft beds.
