From December to March, when the ice is thick enough, the 19-year-old young man, who lives on Lake Cildir (pronounced cheulder), one of the largest in Anatolia, in eastern Turkey on the border with Georgia, introduces tourists to its region.

"We have 25 cm of ice today," he said.

"But the thickness can reach 40 cm. Some days the temperatures drop to -30°C, -40°C. It's not always sunny like today... But here it is: it's our win -bread".

In summer, Lake Cildir, with its 20 km long, is a paradise for migrating birds - mainly gulls, swans and wild geese.

But at an altitude of nearly 2,000 m, the winter is long and harsh and the activity rare, so taking tourists on board sleds is a small supplement to the income of local residents.

Eastern Express

Especially since visitors flock from Ankara on the Dogu Ekspresi, the Eastern Express, a tourist train that crosses Anatolia in 36 hours, ensuring new resources for the population.

A student of agronomy in Kars, Orhan Goller, who grew up on the shores of Lake Cildir, is happy to become a guide on weekends.

Orhan Goller demonstrates ice fishing on Lake Cildir on January 8, 2022 in Kars, eastern Turkey Ozan KOSE AFP

"We bring our culture, our traditions to life. In normal times, these sleds are our mode of transport. In the past, our grandparents used them to go to the hospital, to travel through the villages of the region. nowadays, people are curious about it, so we bring them up".

Races of small Caucasian horses shoed for the ice, throwing javelins, ice fishing, "we show all this to visitors by explaining to them how we live here", continues the young man, raising a fishing line through a hole made in the ice of the lake.

Three accesses have been set up along the banks, a few restaurants, tea vendors - and even mulled wine - warm up the stopover, now on the route of tourist excursion coaches.

Tea sellers on the ice of Lake Cildir, January 8, 2022 in Kars, eastern Turkey Ozan KOSE AFP

And if most of them have packed their bags then, it's when the sun goes down on the ice that the frozen lake offers all its beauty.

© 2022 AFP