The Train

The train departs early morning, right before the dawn. Leaving Bishkek, Tokmak and Kant behind, it moves unhurriedly from west to east. Hear the sound of the wheels and people speaking Kyrgyz, Dungan and Russian… Smell freshly-baked samsa, ashlyamfu and fried chicken. Green-yellow valleys outside the window smoothly transform into the chains of Ala-Too mountains. The last stop is where the light turquoise waves of Issyk-Kul hit the shore.