Adventure!

One week after my return, Ira, Uulkan, a few of our EC students and I, planned an outing to see the Burana Tower. So at 6:20am we caught the train to Tokmok. After arriving at our destination, we headed, on foot, to the Tower. None of us had been there before, and I think if anyone had, they would have suggested that walking may not be the best idea. The guys estimated that it was about 7km (one way) - which took us about 3hrs. It was a beautiful morning- clear sky, bright sun, and a nice breeze- perfect weather for a trek. We began walking along the road, but then decided to head straight to the Tower and cut through the fields. We detoured around a field of tall grass because we would not be able to see the snakes that may have been hiding and a poisonous snake bite would have definitely put an end to our day! But our new route led us through a field of clovers and then to a patch of strawberries! They were delicious- just what we needed! Crossing the fields led us to another road. We walked that a ways and it was getting closer to noon and the bright sun was becoming hotter! So we stopped to rest in the shade of some trees that were next to a creek. I was glad to be wearing my Tevas so that I could just stand right in the nice cold water! We continued on cutting through another hot and dust field. At the end was another road and another blessing- a water spicket! We filled our water bottles, drank what we could and cooled ourselves down! IT was just what we needed to renew our vigor to make it the rest of the way. As we followed the road, we turned the corner and there it was- the Burana Tower! With still another two miles of road between us and the Tower, just seeing it in front of us made us joyful! Even better were the apple trees that were along the road- another brief snack as we traveled on! When we finally made it we collapsed on a couple of benches and rested before attempting to climb to the top. Once at the top, it was a beautiful view, a stronger refreshing wind and a good place for a much longer rest!