On our way up to Snow Mountain glacier, we were welcomed into the home of a nomadic Kazahk family. Three children took turns agitating horse milk in a sack made of sheep's stomach lining. Horse milk—a staple in the high mountains of Tian Shan— is fermented to make alcohol and cheese. Our Kazahk hosts offered us tea and brick-like nan bread to warm our stomachs before we headed up the glacier.

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