You can see the pink hues from afar. Slightly pale but bright sunlight gives the eye an illusion of watching an old tape from your family’s 90s archive. Little brown and beige houses somewhere in the distance remind you of where you are but not when. Landscapes around are still untouched by the industrial giants and are protected as sacred symbols of what this little country has to offer.
If you trot the globe with nothing but a backpack and a dream, you’ll understand why Kyrgyzstan is still considered a wildly undiscovered corner of the world. While dangers of the climate crisis can be felt in bigger cities like Bishkek where activists ring the alarms, the further you go into the mountains the more untouched beauty will devour your eyes.
The country is rarely in global headlines but its latest efforts in cultivating media coverage around local cultures and historic landmarks have been pulling in more international attention. Most of these campaigns come from content creators and travelers (although the government does have some contributions too) who spread the word (and images) across all major social networks. Many things first were cultural symbols and then turned into souvenirs. Honey quickly rose to high ranks amongst those things.
Honey is a traditional Kyrgyz export. Any driver can stop by a small kiosk along many roads connecting the country together and buy a jar.
