KYRGYZSTAN

KYRGYZSTAN : THE LAND OF THE NOMADS The Stans. One of the most interesting parts the former Soviet space. This vast region, stretching from the Caspian Sea to China, consists of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, with Afghanistan and Iran below. The suffix 'stan is Persian and Urdu for 'land of'. Apart from Tajik, which speaking the Persian language, the others are speaking Turkic language with more than 40 language branch. That's a lot, but they seem can understand each other. What fascinated me the most about this region is how diverse the landscape between the countries. Uzbekistan is pretty much flat ... The vast lowland which consist the red sand desert in the west. But once you crossed the border to Tajikistan, you'll be greeting by the mountains. This is the smallest country in Central Asia and over 90 % of the land of this country is a upland, dominated by The Pamir and Alay mountains. When I said mountains, it's a monstrous snow-peaked mountains and high passes. This kind of landscape is similar in Afghanistan and Northern part of Pakistan & India. At one point through Pamir Highway, on the horizon, there's Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan and next to it are Karakoram mountain range in Northern Pakistan. They are among the world’s highest mountains and when you see them, the word "spectacular" doesn't even do justice.😊. But when I make my way from Tajikstan to Kyrgyzstan, the landscape started to change again, from Himalayan type of mountains to mountains that stretch majestically across its length and breadth are lush, high and wild, dissected by sweeping steppe lands, primal forests, turquoise lakes, from green meadows to snow peak mountain far in the distance, almost look like the Alps mountains range in Europe. More than half Kyrgyzstan lies above 3,000m altitude and a third is permanently covered in snow. Kyrgyzstan’s past is played out through the semi nomadic people of its deeply ingrained shepherd culture, who follow a lifestyle little changed in centuries. While, Bishkek as a capital city isn’t a lot in the way of must-see sights, the city has its charms. Central Asia filled with history, fantastic foods, colourful people and unbelievable nature. This is the region for lovers of nature and the outdoors .... and ... it completely stole my heart ❤️