You've got to admire a country with not one, but two Y's and a K and a Z in its name.
If you head north from the Afghan/Pakistan border and skip over Tajikistan, you will be in Kyrgyzstan.
A former Soviet republic, which celebrates 18 years of independence this August, the country is rich in hydro-electric power and metals, including gold and mercury.
Impressively, 80% of the country is mountainous encompassing the peaks valleys and basins of the Tien Shan mountain range.
And you can always join in a game of Ulak Tartysh, because what vacation (virtual or otherwise) is complete without a play at "a team game resembling a cross between polo and rugby in which two teams of riders wrestle for possession of the headless carcass of a goat, which they attempt to deliver across the opposition's goal line, or into the opposition's goal: a big tub or a circle marked on the ground."
Update: Is it a coincidence that on the very day my blog features Kyrgyzstan in all its glory, they indicate that the might be willing to re-negotiate that U.S. air base closing? Behold the power of the blog. Or not.
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