Asia on a tandem

That one is South of Toktogul reservoir, towards Kara-Kul (not the famous one). A day of endless ups and downs on a gorge.

What I mean is that there's little in the way of leisure here, it's not a light country. It's amazing to see the nomads in the mountains, with all the horses, so beautiful, but it's a hard life. We heard stories from people who work in the grasslands for a few months in Summer and then hibernate in villages through the whole of winter. It's not hard to imagine how they pass the time as small shops stock more vodka than vegetables. A lot of shops and houses are just a container.

In comparison, we rode for 100km in Uzbekistan before reaching Osh, and we were instantly struck by how much more wealthy and vibrant it is. People landscape their gardens, there are flowers everywhere and large verandas covered with vines. There are lots of tea houses, public squares and Summer gardens. I guess the weather and geography of Kyrgyzstan doesn't make it a land for la dolce vita, understandably so.