{"id":6347,"date":"2020-04-02T21:29:12","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T21:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mircorp.com\/?p=6347"},"modified":"2022-12-27T16:07:04","modified_gmt":"2022-12-27T16:07:04","slug":"kyrgyzstan-why-i-love-this-unfamiliar-frontier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/kyrgyzstan-why-i-love-this-unfamiliar-frontier\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyrgyzstan: Why I Love This Unfamiliar Frontier"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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MIR President and co-founder\u00a0Douglas Grimes\u00a0always loves his travels along Central Asia\u2019s<\/a> Silk Road, seeking\u00a0memorable places and life-changing experiences\u00a0for MIR travelers. Kyrgyzstan<\/a> is a Silk Road country with plenty of both.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\"Doug\r\n
Doug at the border crossing between Western China and Kyrgyzstan along Torugart Pass<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I can\u2019t even count the extensive scouting trips I\u2019ve taken through Central Asia<\/a>, but those to the countryside of Kyrgyzstan<\/a>, the Silk Road\u2019s best kept secret, always stay with me. My travels here, as well as our generous hosts, always reinvigorate my appreciation of this part of the world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It\u2019s a remote, unfamiliar frontier, wide open to travelers who are eager to experience wild beauty, meet nomadic people, and discover the traditions of their forebears.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Here are my picks for a few of the many reasons Kyrgyzstan is so special:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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1) The Views from Torugart Pass<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n
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One of the most intriguing ways to enter Kyrgyzstan is by traveling from\u00a0Kashgar\u00a0in\u00a0Western China<\/a>,\u00a0over the 12,000-foot-plus\u00a0Torugart Pass\u00a0at the China-Kyrgyz border, to\u00a0Tash Rabat. At 11,500 feet, it\u2019s one of the most atmospheric places in\u00a0Kyrgyzstan.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\"Torugart\r\n
Torugart Pass is a remote, steep-sided and stunning border crossing between China and Kyrgyzstan. Photo credit: Christine Z. Anderson<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

From the road\u00a0you can appreciate spectacular\u00a0views of rugged mountain peaks towering above deep valleys and far-away glaciers feeding blue lakes, breathing life into the region.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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2) Tash Rabat, an Ancient Silk Road Rest Stop<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Tash Rabat\u00a0is a massive stone fortress and ancient\u00a0caravanserai<\/em>\u00a0used by 15th century Silk Road merchants and caravans as a rest stop.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0the largest stone structure in Central Asia, and its architecture is similar to that of Samarkand.<\/strong>\u00a0The fortress contains numerous underground passages, secret exits, and underground prisons.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The inn of the Silk Road: 15th century caravanserai of Tash Rabat, Kyrgyzstan Photo credit: Douglas Grimes<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It\u2019s exhilarating to\u00a0come down the pass into Kyrgyzstan and find the serene alpine pastures around Tash Rabat, grazed by herds of yaks and sheep and\u00a0tended by mounted herders. The only sounds are the burbling of a mountain stream, and the low calls of the animals. And at night, the Milky Way spread across the dark sky\u00a0looks close enough to touch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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