Kyrgyzstan, Land Of Celestial Mountains

For CHRISTINE AMOUR-LEVAR, a trek in one of Central Asia's most breathtaking countries proves to be a deeply moving journey, as a team of women pushes the limits on high alpine trails to support survivors of war in Ukraine, Afghanistan and Syria.

The eagle hunter arrived in an old Toyota Sequoia, dressed in the wardrobe of the country's nomadic past. It included a khakicoloured chapan (a traditional quilted silk coat), breeches with gold embroidery, knee-high boots and a belt clenched by a steel buckle larger than his smartphone. Sitting high on his brow was a kalpak, a traditional hat made of white felt.

After whispering quietly to his seven-kilogram eagle, a magnificent creature with lustrous dark brown and golden feathers, he jogged off with the animal on his arm and climbed up to the crest of the closest hill. There, he instructed his assistant down below to start running while pulling a rope with a stuffed wolf-skin decoy attached to it - and then he launched his eagle into the wind.

The animal circled overhead majestically spreading its massive wings, trying to spot its quarry. In the blink of an eye, it tilted into a falling gyre and quickened in a descent, swooping down with its massive claws extended to fall onto the bloodless prey. The reward was a chunk of raw meat, which it ate violently, before wiping its beak clean. As the hunter ran back down to us, the eagle hopped back onto its master's gloved hand and nuzzled his face with obvious affection.

A long-delayed expedition

Nine days earlier, our Women on a Mission (WOAM) team of 12 had landed in Kyrgyzstan with much excitement and anticipation. It was mid-September 2022, and fall had just begun to set in, but the weather was still mild and the sky a piercing blue.

Our trip had been delayed by more than two years because of the pandemic, and I still couldn't believe it was happening through the sevenhour flight from Singapore to Dubai, even up to the easy transfer and boarding at the Emirates gate to Bishkek.