Bradt Publishes Kyrgyzstan Guide
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www.bradtguides.com ‘Exstrim turizm, da? Ha! Ha!’ was how one local fellow traveller maniacally described Laurence Mitchell’s endeavours to research Bradt’s new Kyrgyzstan. At the time it was 2am and they were both pushing a sickly taxi along a dark road north of Jalal-Abad, so he may have had a point…
The central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan has existed since 1991 when the creaking seams of the USSR finally ruptured. What had been a product of Joe Stalin’s 1920s fag-packet sketch of a semi-autonomous Kygyz homeland became a fully-fledged independent republic for the first time. For visitors, the landscape of Kyrgyzstan has one overriding characteristic – mountains. The various ranges of the Tien Shan Mountains (Celestial Mountains) elevate over 90% of the country to 1,500m or more. As Mitchell says, ‘Kyrgyzstan is an outdoors sort of place; that is, if you wish to spend most of your time looking at beautiful buildings and drinking espresso in chic cafés then this may not be your ideal destination. If you enjoy trekking, horseriding, birdwatching, camping and visiting remote prehistoric sites, then it most certainly is.’
Squarely on the Silk Route but firmly off the beaten track, you can forget banana pancakes in Bishkek. However, Bradt’s new guide does lead the way through the bazaars to the tastiest manti (fried meat-filled dough parcels). From the beaches of Lake Issyk-Kul, the world’s second largest alpine lake, to the enormous glaciers amongst the 7,000m peaks of the central Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan combines nomadic traditions and Soviet-era trappings in a melange of Central Asian mystique. Better than a quart of kumys (fermented mare’s milk), Bradt’s Kyrgyzstan is the essential companion.
The author of the Kyrgyzstan guide, Laurence Mitchell has always been interested in forgotten places, border zones and territories in transition. Having studied Environmental Science and pursuing a varied career from teaching English in rural Sudan to surveying historic buildings and teaching Geography in the UK, Laurence is now committed to the uncertainties of full-time writing and photography.
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