Playing Polo with a dead goat? - Kok Boru- Kara-kul Kyrgyzstan

Spending months and months in front of the laptops working online can be tiring.So we decided to go on an adventure in Kyrgyzstan leaving our laptops behind.Soon we found ourselves taking the road from Bishkek to a town in the south of Kyrgyzstan called Kara-Kul. We camped in the snow in the mountains of the Utmek Pass and we saw the national Kyrgyz sport; Kok Boru in Kara-Kul. This sport is also known as dead goat polo since it's played with the body of a dead goat.We'll be going on more and more hitchhiking trips around Kyrgyzstan in the next months but for now we feel super happy we took a break from our laptops.
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[@journalofnomads]

For more practical information concerning hitchhiking in Kyrgyzstan, read our in-depth article: www.journalofnomads.com/hitchhiking-kyrgyzstan/

[@myvideomedia]

Great video, wonderful country! Best wishes and have a happy time!

[@journalofnomads]

Thanks! We love Kyrgyzstan and just realized that you guys have also been making awesome videos about this country! ❤

[@TheWorldnUs]

I'm so glad for you that you decided to leave screens behind for a couple of weeks and truly disconnect. Also what a great opportunity to get to see the local sport, however, as a vegetarian this would have been very hard for me to watch. We recently had the Melbourne Cup (horse racing) here in Australia and that brings me a lot of horrible feelings every year. I find it so absurd that people dress up, drink and celebrate on a day that brings so much pain and death to animals. - Elisa

[@journalofnomads]

You are absolutely right Elisa , those event do bring a lot of suffering to animals. We hope that in time people will start realising this.

[@HereBeBarr]

You're back !! Yes, travel blogging and vlogging is so time consuming.. Bolshoia Spasiba for this excellent vlog..

[@journalofnomads]

thanks Jon! Yeah it's important to take a well deserved break every once in a while :D

[@DerekCullenOutdoors]

What a fantastic singer that driver was :D Totally know what you mean re having to lug all of your stuff around with you! Great video...i know it wasnt "Romantic" but i loved the snow. Well done for persevering with such good attitudes.

[@journalofnomads]

Our driver had such a nice deep voice :D Really really cool guy! If we could do the blog/vlog thing without having to carry all that gear, we would be so happy!

[@GabMayaBackpackingNomads]

We missed you guys! Wow, we were fascinated by this ancient game... I can't believe it's a beheaded goat they're tossing around! It's crazy. This is a culture we know nothing about and your videos are so unique for that, showing us lesser known countries and their customs and traditions. I appreciate what you said Cynthia, about not being there to judge even as an animal lover or coming from a vegan society background, and this is exactly what we like to do as well. Keeping an open mind to understand other people's way of life and traditions! Spectacular video guys, again! And kudos for camping in the snow... I don't know if I'd do it! (Maya)

[@journalofnomads]

Exactly, it's always important to travel with an open mind and learn to observe cultures and traditions without giving in to the tendency to judge and criticize.Thanks for your support and your kind words as always guys! You're the best!!

[@gregm4112]

Another great video , camping in the mountains looks tough tho ! Kyrgyzstan is an amazing place. Take care, and speak soon 😊

[@journalofnomads]

It was super super cold!

[@travelpockets]

Agree that as a travel blogger/vlogger, you're in front of your laptop basically 24/7. What a great idea to experience your travels without all that stuff! Your driver is amazing!! Can't believe you guys went camping in the snow! Definitely would not be able to do that. You guys are awesome!!

[@journalofnomads]

Yeah as travel bloggers, it's very important to take some breaks every once in a while. Blogging is fun but travelling without being slaves to the laptops is also very important.

[@LookWhosBlogging]

Dang, looks so cold out there. modern day shepherds, haha. the game is interesting.

[@journalofnomads]

It was freezing cold in those mountains!

[@sukh2k]

i love you guys,your videos are so good i mean you guys deserve more subscribers

[@journalofnomads]

Thanks a lot for your kind words Sukhmandeep :D We'll be making more and more videos and hopefully they reach more and more people.

[@ChasingTheOddShapedBall]

I know how hard it is to travel without technology, I tried to film a lot without editing in 2016 but it created too much work for me. The snow on the mountains is amazing! It’s such a stark reminder about the seasons. Love seeing the changes on people’s faces the more east you go as well.

[@journalofnomads]

Yeah it becomes hard when we don't edit for a while and then all that work piles up ;) It's good to take a break from the computers every once in a while though.

[@flydriveexplore]

Looks a fascinating trip, don't envy you in that snow covered tent. Waiting for dead goat polo to be shown on TV, I wonder if it will pay per view?

[@journalofnomads]

Oh the night in the tent was soo cold! We're happy we have good sleeping bags at least!

[@DaveOnArrival]

Great video. Glad you didn't get frostbite from camping. Central Asia looks like something else.

[@journalofnomads]

We were well prepared for it ;) Central Asia is really something else! We're loving it!

[@Ramildinio]

Amazing video and people like always! Beautiful landscape with snowy mountains. You guys are tough bastardos )) I love cold, snow and mountains and I am a big guy, but even I would think twice before camp in a such environment and condition. Take care guys.

[@journalofnomads]

Hahahaha we are tough indeed ;) Well we love camping and we were ready and well equipped for such conditions so it wasn't that bad :D In a couple of weeks we'll be heading back to Kazakhstan hopefully it's not too cold there.

[@TwoTravelingTexans]

Two weeks without internet or a laptop, wow! I hope you guys did enjoy it. I can't believe all the snow in the mountains, makes me cold just watching especially when you are walking around without a jacket.

[@journalofnomads]

It was cold but we had good sleeping bags so it wasn't that bad :D

[@InBetweenMaps]

Love the sights and sounds! Super cool find! Loved tagging along in your travels! Keep the cam vlogging and new episodes coming. Super glad to discover your channel. Will binge a bit on your other episodes, lol. Following you now!

[@journalofnomads]

thanks guys! :)

[@EllaMcKendrick]

I really didn't know what to expect when I clicked on this video! I love journeys where you just go with a flow and don't really have a plan. They can take you to some amazing places. I bet you really didn't expect life would take you here! I love learning about local traditions. I must say, I've never heard of this one before. It can sometimes be hard not to judge as I'm an avid horse lover and heavy whip use can upset me but I agree it's better to respect different cultures and try not to judge others.

[@journalofnomads]

Oh man we weren't expecting seeing a match of Kok-Boru that day :D dead goat polo is a really shocking sport to some extent( especially if you're not prepared to it) We're horse lovers ourselves but it's a bit hard to come in as foreigners and judge a tradition that has been around for thousands of years.

[@KingTolentino]

looks really cold. the scene where horses roam free in the city is cool. the dead goat polo is really an eye opener

[@journalofnomads]

It was super cold!

[@TheWayWeSawIt]

Such beautiful landscapes and so courageous to camp in the snow. Beautiful vlog once again. Safe travels

[@journalofnomads]

Thanks guys!

[@DishyDanTheTravellingMan]

Your videos are always so different and interesting and your interactions with the people who you are so lovely to see! Keep up the great work! :D

[@journalofnomads]

Thanks Dan! :) I think that this is probably our favorite part of travelling; being able to interact with so many people around the world.

[@DanielleMuntain]

Yay this is an awesome video! Adventures are most definately the best way to travel!

[@journalofnomads]

absolutely!

[@ElizabethTravelsNow]

Looks like such an interesting culture there! I've never even heard of that game, and I bet there is so much more I don't know about Kyrgyzstan. I'd love to visit someday too.

[@journalofnomads]

You would love this country for sure Elizabeth! :D

[@TheNewTravel]

We're you able to learn much about how the game is played? It looks hard to see the goat from far away!

[@journalofnomads]

We weren't really able to understand how the game is played exactly at that moment but afterwards when googling it we were able to find all the rules.Yeah from a distance it's not easy at all to see the goat, it looked really heavy though.

[@DerekCullenOutdoors]

PS. Have you ever watched the road to karakol by Kyle dempster? One of the best ever short vids about there. He died tragically last year but a really superb and fun video.

[@journalofnomads]

Just watching the video right now and OMG!! It's an awesome video! Such a shame that he passed away.

[@DerekCullenOutdoors]

Journal of Nomads yeah for sure...best start to a video of all time too 😂😂😂😂

[@riksrsm]

Hey Niko, here in San Luis Potosí, MX, there's a place called Guadalcázar where the people play the same game and it's called el juego de la chiva

[@journalofnomads]

Yes! I visited Guadalcazar when I lived in San Luis Potosi! :D gorgeous place!

[@Heyitsdaave]

Great video, love your channel! new sub here

[@journalofnomads]

Thanks Dave!

[@r0Ky23]

It's not on my top10 list, but it looks interesting. Good for you for being two weeks without laptop/Internet connection. I would be nervous on day one probably.

[@journalofnomads]

It did us super well to travel for a while without being connected to our laptops :) It's needed every once in a while ;)

[@CatherineBlake141]

Wow that cold night in the tent was tough! People seem nice, are they also welcoming to strangers like Georgians and Azeris?

[@journalofnomads]

Yes people here are so so welcoming! And since our Russian is becoming better and better they are even more welcoming :D

[@chievoalto]

this nation did not know it existed. very interesting your video

[@journalofnomads]

Thanks for watching :D

[@BennyAun]

I agree as what HereBe Barr say , u are the real adventure person . Make a new adventure at Year 2018

[@journalofnomads]

Oh 2018 will be an adventure!! That's for sure!!

[@NomadicBuff]

Camping in the snow?!?! BRRRRR!!!!! I've done that, and it's no picnic! That's an.... interesting game. Makes me sad for the goat :-( but I guess if they are already killing the goat for sustenance, and not just for the sport itself, its not that bad...

[@journalofnomads]

Camping in the snow can be super cold indeed! They eat the meat of the goat after gthe game is over so it's actually not all that bad.