A four day weekend in early May called for another trip to southern Kazakhstan to Aksu Zhabagly Nature Reserve. A bunch of lady teachers last year took a short trip there, and it was so beautiful I wanted to visit it again, and I also wanted Nic to visit. With 3 other couples, we boarded a train in Almaty Wednesday evening to arrive in the village of Zhabagly early Thursday morning.
The quiet station near Zhabagly, where women selling bread and fresh milk and kumis (fermented mare's milk) crowd the doors.
Even the views from the train station were beautiful green mountains.
Crossing the overpass above the tracks.
Ruslan, whose guesthouse we were staying in, met us at the station and brought us to the Mountain House where we had this view every minute of the day.
Before it was the Mountain House it was a sheep farm, and this old barn stands as testament.
Ruslan leads an idealistic life with his pregnant wife, Asem, and 1 year old daughter Elvira. In the summer they live at the Mountain House, sit and watch for animals in the warm evenings, have a large garden and about 40 bee hives. Ruslan guides guests, while Asem cooks. In the winter, they live in the village with the rest of Ruslan's family, who run another guesthouse there. They are a lovely family who seem genuinely happy.
After breakfast we started our hike into the reserve. Lucky for us, the gates to the reserve are in the back yard of the Mountain House.
The hills and valleys were lush with spring growth.
We were lucky to still find some tulips late in spring.
On the rim of the Zhabagly River canyon.
The blooming apple trees that lined the canyon's rim are relic trees from the last ice age and are believed to be the mother of all apple trees.
Apple trees and puff ball clouds.
Delicate Kaufman tulips.
At a small waterfall. These rocky cliffs are the birthing ground for the ibex who live in the reserve. There had been sightings of ibex with babies, but the week after we left this area of the park will be closed to let the ibex birth without interference.
Lovely, tiny wild iris.
The Turkestan birch with red, peeling bark is endemic to the area.
Not a bad picnic spot.
Bright red tulips lined our trail along the canyon rim.
More wild iris.
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