After coming back from the incredible Lenin Peak we stopped for one night in Osh to restore our energy and for a good shower. (Ah something I forgot in the previous post, toilets in Kyrgyzstan are a bit different from the ones we use back home, the majority of the towns, some part of the cities and remote locations, don’t have a sewer system, so what they do is digging an hole in ground, cover it with a wooden floor, leave a small hole in the middle and build 3 walls, a roof and a door around it).
After a refreshing night at the Hotel in Osh, we got in our Toyota and our guide drove us for few hours to the next destination, Kojo-Kelen village, which it’s at the end of a 2 hours drive alongside a river and inside an incredible canyon of high mountains.
Motion Control Time lapse with the Dynamic Perception Stage One and R
While we were driving through the jaw-dropping canyon I was looking for a spot to Timelapse, in a scenery like that is quite difficult as you have high peaks on both side and a river in the middle, but after an hour driving, the canyon opened up and on the left side of the river there was a house with nice rocky field looking down the canyon, we asked the landowner if we could stop for a bit and I started to set up my slider, low down on the ground and behind some rocks to hide few houses in the valley.
Happy with the result we said thanks to the owner and resumed our drive to the village and on the road we bumped into the local traffic, sheep, horses and cows! :)
When we finally arrived I was mesmerised by the beautiful red rocks and cliffs that surround the village, the day was also perfect to enjoy the full colours as the sky was blue, giving a nice contrast with the red of the rocks.
That night we were staying at a beautiful Yurt Tent at a Guest House in the village, owned by a very friendly and welcoming local family, also the only guest house in the village at the moment. I really advise staying in guest houses, because in this way you are experiencing the true local food (which is delicious) and lifestyle.
After lunch we decided to explore the mountains and try to reach the high pass at 4000m a bit further down the village, the drive to the path was epic, the landscape was so different from what we’ve seen so far, the ground was so green and in the background the snowy high peaks, STUNNING!
Our brave and skilled driver brought us as close as possible to the path, I loved how happy he was by driving these roads, that was his playground! :)
We started walking and looking for some nice location, after about 30min Albert and I noticed a nice valley full of yellow flowers a river and a gorgeous peak in the background, THAT WAS IT!
We took out our gear and start shooting!
On our way back we stopped by the road, as a part of the river caught Albert‘s eyes! We found a nice spot where the river was surrounded by colourful flowers and very green vegetation, I couldn’t resist so I took out my 1,5m slider and shot a motion Timelapse, which made us late for dinner, ops! But totally worth it!
The first week I wanted so badly to shoot the Milky Way and the night sky, as Kyrgyzstan has almost no light pollution, but unfortunately, every single night was cloudy or with rain and that night wasn’t different as a thunderstorm hit the village. After all, we are in the mountains, the weather can get crazy very quickly!
To see more of the BTS of the trip check out the Kyrgyzstan Highlight Stories and follow me on Instagram @mattiabicchi
Check out my Timelapse gear: https://kit.com/MattiaBicchi
