Extreme Culture Shock in a Kyrgyzstan Animal Market (This was WILD!!)

In this Kyrgyzstan Travel Vlog, I take you with me as I experience extreme culture shock in one of Kyrgyzstan’s animal markets. Every Sunday morning, tons of locals come to the city of Karakol to buy and sell sheep, cows, and horses in the livestock market. On the outskirts of the animal market is where you will find the majority of vendors selling sheep. Vendors will stand on either side of a dirt path with the animals, waiting for interested buyers to approach them and begin negotiating a price based on the animals size, weight, fur, age, and more. In the central area of this Kyrgyz animal market is where you will find most of the vendors selling cows and horses. The purchase process and bargaining criteria is very similar for the cows and horses as it is for the sheep. Where I experienced the most extreme culture shock was when I walked through the central area where the cows and horses were located. It is a tightly packed area with so many animals in such a small place. It’s a hectic area and definitely gave me extreme culture shock. This animal market and livestock market in Kyrgyzstan is vital for the survival of many people. Many Kyrgyz people drive hours to come to this market because attending this market can help feed their families for weeks, or sometimes even months. This animal market in Kyrgyzstan typically starts around 5am and ends by 10am, with some vendors arriving to the market as early as midnight the night before to secure a good spot in the market to increase their chances of selling their animals. Local Kyrgyz people come to this market to buy animals for various reasons. However, some common reasons include food for their families, help transporting goods, and purchasing the animals as an investment to raise and resell years later for a profit. In regards to food, both cow and horse milk is very popular in Kyrgyzstan. Chalap is a common drink in Kyrgyzstan and is made of fermented cow milk, salt, and carbonated water. Kumis is another common drink in Kyrgyzstan and is made from fermented horse milk. Walking through this Kyrgyzstan Animal Market gave me extreme culture shock and was like nothing I have ever experienced before. It was so interesting to learn first-hand about a new way of life and visit a new type of market here in Kyrgyzstan. 0:00 About the Market 0:48 Sheep Section of the Market 2:54 Cow and Horse Section 4:33 Final Thoughts on the Animal Market ____________________ Thanks for watching and please hit the LIKE button, SUBSCRIBE if you have not already, and hit the BELL to get notified when I upload future videos. ____________________ If you are new to my channel, Welcome! My name is Matt and at the beginning of 2021 I decided to QUIT my job and travel the world. After visiting the beautiful islands of Maui and Oahu, Hawaii and a few countries in Latin America, I have traveled across the world to explore the unique country of Kyrgyzstan! ____________________ Check out my instagram here:   / ​   #AnimalMarket #KyrgyzstanVlog #LivestockMarket