Through the Horizons. Part 1. Escape

September 30st.

In the morning, I got acquainted with a stranger named Vitya. He is 25 years old and slightly taller than me. He doesn't drink or smoke and has never used anything like that, a sporty guy. We bonded over this topic since I myself am not interested in such things. The only thing I occasionally allow myself is to have one or two cans of beer, and I used to smoke a hookah occasionally, once or twice a month, but it already feels like a past life to me.

Neither Vitya nor I have ever used any form of drugs. Mainly because I knew myself and understood that what I like would be very difficult to quit. So I decided not to start that game.

Vitya and I took on the responsibility of cooking and buying groceries since we were staying with the guys for free. Thank goodness, I knew how to cook and enjoyed it. After breakfast, Vitya and I went to the Centralized Service Center (CSC) to obtain Individual Identification Numbers (IIN), and I hoped that I would succeed on my second attempt.

After we finished submitting the documents, we walked around the city with the guys during the day, and in the evening, we watched a movie together and smoked a hookah, everyone except Vitya, of course.

After the movie, we discussed our future actions. I shared my thoughts on where and how I planned to travel and asked Masha and Andrei about a hundred questions regarding hitchhiking since they had been doing it for a while. The guys told us about how they communicate with drivers, where they look for accommodation, and which mobile services they use.

I was confident that I could travel by hitchhiking alone, but an internal feeling told me that it would be better to travel as a pair, so I offered Vitya to join me. He agreed without much hesitation. It was his first trip abroad.

On that day, Vitya asked me to call him Richard instead of Vitya, although he didn't want to explain the reason. It was very strange and incomprehensible to me. A person hiding behind someone else's name and unable to explain the reason didn't inspire trust, and it was the first sign of concern for me.

Masha and Andrei were also considering warm countries in Asia, particularly starting with India. We began planning our trip that evening. First and foremost, we focused on the price of plane tickets, and the best price for a ticket to India was from Tashkent on October 30th. This meant we still had a whole month before the trip to India. Before purchasing the tickets, we needed to apply for visas and pay for them. Knowing the approximate date of departure, we decided to start submitting visa documents the next day.

If nobody minds, I would like to introduce you a little more closely to Masha and Andrei and also tell you how I met them.

In late August 2022, my colleague Anastasia and I flew to Kyrgyzstan for about a week to explore the nature and countryside of the country. In Bishkek, we rented an SUV for our mountain trip.

Since I didn't have a driver's license, Anastasia was behind the wheel throughout the entire vacation, so I suppose only my time off could be considered a full-fledged vacation. Well, I didn't have the time or the need to get a license. Sometimes, there's a certain advantage in that.

On the sixth day of our vacation, we reached the Barskoon Gorge, where we picked up a couple from Kazakhstan along the way. The Barskoon Gorge is one of the most beautiful mountainous places in Kyrgyzstan, with numerous stunning waterfalls. After Anastasia and I hiked to one of the waterfalls, she was already a bit tired and wanted to turn back. I didn't want to give up; I still had enough energy, and I planned to reach the remaining two waterfalls with their beautiful names: "Champagne Spray" and "Tears of the Snow Leopard."

I continued the ascent up the mountain. At first, it was relatively easy, with plenty of trails, but the higher I climbed, the steeper the incline became, the trails became scarce, and the solid ground gave way to loose soil. At some point, I veered off the correct trail and ended up on a less popular and riskier path leading upwards.

For the second time in my life, the Maps.Me app let me down. It works well in offline areas, but sometimes it glitches and can lead you astray, which happened to me once again. I decided not to turn back and instead continue along this, so to speak, path upwards.

I was dressed in long pants, a t-shirt, a cap, and had a camera slung across my chest. The sun was scorching mercilessly, and there was no shade anywhere nearby. I began to realize what a huge mistake I had made by starting the ascent without water, and it was too late to turn back. The trail I needed was running parallel to the one I was climbing, but there was no way to cross over; everything was densely overgrown with shrubs.

Exhausted and thirsty, I spotted a thin stream of water trickling down a sheer cliff directly ahead. Glinting on a rock, it offered a glimmer of hope. Continuing my ascent towards the water, I encountered a large rock blocking the path, and there was no way around it. Without much thought, I began to scramble up it, gripping the edge and pulling myself up. As I felt my grip slipping and started to slide, I realized that I would be rolling down at a steep angle for quite a distance. I don't know where I found the strength at that moment, but my fingers clung to the rock as if it were my last chance, allowing me to complete the ascent.

After ascending a little further, I came across a small stream trickling down a rock. I could only cup my hand under the thin stream of water, but it was more than enough at that moment. After quenching my thirst and splashing water on my face, I continued on. I had just a couple of meters to reach the sheer cliff from which the water flowed. My plan was to walk alongside it in the direction I needed to go, so I could reach the proper trail leading to the upper waterfall.

Almost reaching the sheer cliff, I scanned for the trail I desperately needed and spotted a tent with two people nearby. They were at least a hundred meters away from me, if not more. It made sense to assume that there must be a trail somewhere near them, or they could provide directions on how to reach it. The goal was clear; I just had to reach them. There was only one path, straight through a hundred thorny bushes, and I couldn't find any other way.

The prickly barriers didn't intend to let me pass without souvenirs. They lightly scratched my hands, ensuring I wouldn't forget about this path. Approaching the guys, the first thing I said after greeting them was:

Do you have any water? Or better yet, an empty water bottle?

The guys gave me water and cookies, offered breakfast and tea, but unfortunately, I couldn't stay long. Anastasia and the couple from Kazakhstan were waiting for me below, and I still had to finish the ascent.

I told them about my relatively easy route to this point, and I was shocked by how they managed to climb such a steep and loose surface with their backpacks. Even without a load, some parts were challenging for me, but I had a slightly different trail. I descended along the path they had ascended. It was somewhat easier, but still not an easy task to conquer such an ascent with a backpack.

After chatting with the guys, we exchanged contacts and Instagram handles so that I could follow their journey, as I was interested in how they traveled hitchhiking. I continued upward with an empty water bottle that had clearly seen better days.

That's how I met Masha and Andrey, who saved me from thirst on that scorching day in the mountains and, less than a month later, provided me with shelter and support during a difficult time for me.

Now, let's go back to Kazakhstan.

October 1st.

In the morning, as planned, we all started filling out the visa application for India together. This time, like everyone else, I applied for a one-year visa instead of five years. Masha had money on her local card, so after completing the application, she tried to pay for the visa along with Andrey. The payment was accepted for both of them on the first attempt without any issues.

While Masha and Andrey went to visit Masha's relatives, Vitya and I headed to the ATM as soon as we finished filling out the forms. We needed to deposit the required amount into Masha's bank card to pay for our visas.

After depositing the money onto the card, we went home. As we walked through the courtyard, we stumbled upon a group of ten-year-old kids. They were sitting on the ground in a circle, energetically playing with chips. I couldn't believe my eyes. The chips they were using were exactly the same as the ones I played with in my childhood.

Seeing our interested faces, they proudly showed off whose chips were cooler and who had more than the others. It felt like I was immersed in my childhood during those few minutes spent with them.

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