Stranded, but still fulfilled

Tensions in the Middle East Turned a Trip to Kyrgyzstan's Alpine Pastures into a Scorching Layover in the United Arab Emirates

- Toh Ee Ming

I was meant to be in alpine landscapes, bundled in fleece, horseback riding through Kyrgyzstan's Chon-Kemin valley or cruising along the banks of Issyk Kul lake with sweeping views of the Tian Shan mountain range.

Instead, I was marooned in the desert, wilting under Abu Dhabi's 40 deg C sun - with a suitcase full of thermal wear and barely a pair of shorts.

On June 14, two hours before I was due to board a flight from Singapore to Abu Dhabi to embark on a 12-day Kyrgyzstan trip, a notification on my mobile phone pinged: Flight cancelled.

Budget airline Wizz Air had grounded my connecting flight to Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, one of thousands disrupted as tensions escalated in the Middle East following Israeli missile strikes on Iran.

Much of international travel has been upended lately. United States' attacks on Iran on June 22 prolonged airspace closures and flight disruptions, especially in key aviation hubs such as Dubai and Doha. And on June 17, a volcanic eruption in Bali led to dozens of flights being cancelled.

Our group chat, once abuzz with pre-trip excitement, turned into a crisis line.

Four people in the tour group pulled out. The remaining four of us - stubborn or optimistic - chose to fly to Abu Dhabi anyway, hoping to figure things out once we landed.

I had been looking forward to this trip for months. Organised by Kyrgyzstan-based Nomadia Tours and Singapore travel company Adventure Together SG - which is run by Ms Nicole Lim and her father, space entrepreneur Marvyn Lim Seng - it promised an adventure.

We were to join a Kyrgyz family on their nomadic migration to summer pastures, where they would round up their livestock, pack their yurt and carry out their sacred Jyt Chygaruu ceremony, where nomads pray for safe passage and favourable weather.