That's all folks!

Coming back home to Solothurn.

That's it! after 10 weeks away from home, it is the end of my Kyrgyz interlude. I enjoyed every minute of it: I significantly improved my Russian in Bishkek, I discovered scenic landscapes every day on tour with my family, and I met so many amazing people in Karakol.

Let's be honest, in the western world we have almost no clue about Kyrgyzstan, or Central Asia in general. This is unfortunate because there are loads of wonderful destinations in this region of the world. After the independence in 1991, the Kyrgyz Republic - having no oil nor gas - opened the country in order to encourage tourism and generate new incomes. Now after two revolutions, the democracy is slowly starting to take place. As a result, except that few people speak English, I can only see upsides about visiting this great country:

• The nature is absolutely stunning.
• Locals are very welcoming and eager to share their nomadic culture.
• It is extremely cheap.
• It is easy to travel thanks to the marshrutka network and the taxis.
• The food is delicious.
• The country is safe.

I hope I was able to somehow unveil this country for you with this blog, and even spark interest about it. If you have once the occasion to visit it, you won't be disappointed for sure.

Thank you all for having followed my adventures!
Pierre-Yves

At last, I'd like to thanks a few people who contributed to make this trip an unforgettable experience.

My host family: Asel, Nazira, Sanjar and Ildar

Asel's family and her friends Arstan and Nuriza.

My teachers at the London School: Diana, Aizhamel, Begimai and Aigul.

My friends at the school: Kačka, Alex, Christian, Chris, Paula.

My family Lilia, Milena and Eliane.

Our guide Talant and our driver Dimi.

The team at the Duet Hostel: Anara, Kolbay, Sezim, Gala, and my co-volunteer Andrea.

Ayana, Aynura and Anarbek who hosted me at their home.

The guests of the Duet Hostel: Yann-Gaël, Lidia et Marie; Adrien et Amélie; Amanda; Siegrid; Cyril; Lucile; Laetitia; Bastien; Matthias; Stéphanie, Maylis, Maylis et Quentin; Marion et Jim; Martina; Romain; Natascha; Marvin; James, Stijin and all the other ones.