Last weekend, right before the school year geared up again, we managed to fit in a little trip to the mountains at Ala Archa national park. Misha was eager to do some hiking, so we checked in to the hotel near the park's entrance, left our bags, and got ready to enjoy two days of mountain air. Many tourists come to Ala Archa specifically to hike and camp, but since we have no camping equipment (but we do have a Sebby), we decided the hotel would be the easier way to go.
Saturday was beautiful and sunny. We took the steeper of the two paths and hiked our way up into the mountains overlooking the gorgeous, green valley with the river trickling through it. Misha was gung-ho, leading our little group by a long shot, pretty much always just beyond the next curve. Josh and I followed with the backpack and Sebby, whom we held by the hand to help him maneuver his way over rocks and up dusty, sliding inclines. To his credit, Sebby did a good job of walking most of the way by himself!
Photo time ...
 |
| The Happy Hiker |
 |
| Starting out. |
 |
| Daddy helps Sebby up the path. |
 |
| Lookout Rock |
 |
| Cruising ahead |
After about an hour, we arrived at the Big Rock Landmark and settled in for a nice picnic of yogurt, homemade granola, canned fish, and cookies.
 |
| Josh basks in the sun. |
 |
| Joined by two little hikers. |
 |
| World Explorer |
 |
| The picnic perch: father and son |
 |
| Enjoying the view. |
 |
| Beautiful valley |
 |
| A Rocky Mountain boy |
 |
| The brothers, ready to come back down. |
 |
| Going down was a much quicker process. But we still had to grab Sebby's hand often to keep him from sliding! |
 |
| Independent trail blazer. |
 |
| Our little hotel waits for us at the bottom. |
 |
| Post-hike trail dust ... Time for a shower! |
We cleaned up a bit, ate soup and lagman at the nearby cafeteria, and then took a walk down by the river as the sun descended. That evening, we enjoyed our nice hotel room by playing cards with the boys in pajamas.
 |
| Our room even had a couch where the boys ended up sleeping. |
 |
| The view from our hotel window. |
In the morning after breakfast, we took the same walk along the river. The daylight allowed for nice photos the second time:
 |
| Lunch at the outdoor cafe: delicious lagman. |
 |
| Misha strikes a pose. |
 |
| Sebby contemplates nature. |
 |
| Ready for take-off. |
 |
| One can never get tired of playing in sand. |
 |
| Mom and Sebby watch the churning river. |
 |
| Sebby gives me a real, non-cheesey smile! |
In the early afternoon, we took a taxi back to Bishkek and got everything ready for the First Day of School. Stay tuned.
No comments:
Post a Comment