One thing that sets the Markha Valley apart from other valleys in this mountainous desert region is the human habitation that has turned it into a fertile oasis among the barren rockiness. Villages all along the valley floor have been planted with willows, poplars and wheat, providing us with some pleasant, shaded campsites. Another species that has been planted widely is the multi-purpose sea-buckthorn, a spiny bush with tiny orange berries. Rather like our own native brambles, its berries provide juice while its tangle of thorny tendrils form a natural barrier that villagers use as fencing.
The second day passed in much the same vein as the first as we continued along the dirt road to the village of Markha, rising only 250m to 3,750m through a landscape reminiscent of the wild west. Edita made a friend in the owner of a tented teahouse, who showed her how to spin wool on a tiny spindle and knit socks from the thread.
For a trip report see: www.markhorrell.com/blog/2022...
For related photographs see: www.flickr.com/photos/markhor...
Music: Minor Duet for Clarence by Martijn de Boer (NiGiD) Ft: Clarence Simpson (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license: dig.ccmixter.org/files/NiGiD/...
Thank you to Edita Horrell for additional video footage
1 мар 2024
