As small as Kazakhstan is large, little-known Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country whose people are mainly semi-nomadic. We have been bowled over by the wild beauty of the alpine valleys bubbling with sulphur springs, the red-walled Jety Oguz Canyon and the emerald-green Lake Issuk-Kul with red desert to one side and snow-capped mountains on the other.

We are equally intrigued by the weird collection of petroglyphs which are 8th century tombstones of the Turkic nomads, with cartoon-like carvings of faces, possibly caricatures of the occupants! The Ala Archa gorge is a sea of red and gold in autumn with dark green velvety foothills.

At the administrative heart of all this glory is the tiny capital of Bishkek, a charming place with leafy streets and parks and dramatic mountains as a backdrop.