Local traditions and culture in Kyrgyzstan

Kumuis (Fermented Mare's MilK) is an aquired taste. It has a strong flavor, kind of like liquid blue cheese with a sour aftertaste. It is slightly alcoholic. 4-6%, like beer, nothing too serious. It is the flavor,not the alcohol that will suprise those not used to the unique taste. In some parts of the Country, Talas, they mix honey or sugar into it, this adds a sweet taste upfront but doesn't change the rest of the flavor.

Kumis is different but you have to try it for the Kyrgyz experience. Plus if 4 year old Kyrgyz girls drink it, I'm sure you can handle it!

Kyrgyzstan, like all of the Central Asian countries, is mainly Moslem. We stopped at a cemetery near the lake to look at the headstones and mausoleums, which were unlike any I had ever seen. One grave even had a full-size yurt, made of metal and decorated with painted flowers.

When visiting a nomad family in their yurt, show some respect and don't treat them just as an object to take pictures of. First go up to them and talk with them, even if it's only with hands and feet. They are even more interested in our countries and habits as we are in theirs! Then ask permision to take pictures. They will be honoured to comply. Your pictures will be more relaxed, and the local people will know that tourists are people as well, and not that special breed with one glass eye that makes a klicking sound.

If you are a man and are in Kyrgyzstan, you MUST shake every guy's hand when you meet them. If there is a group of guys standing around and you only know one of them, you still must shake all of the other's hands. They must likewise shake yours if you are in a group and they walk up. Bottom line, if there is any handshaking going on, everybody must participate.

The typical children's beds. Under the bed is a kind of small bucket mounted. And then they put a kind of pipe on the baby, so when he pees, it flows into the small bucket. Of course, I can already hear you think, yes they have two shapes of pipes, one for the boys and one for the girls.

The muslim graveyards have magnificent settings. They often include structures that resemble yurts or mosques, within which the grave is set.

The daily newspapers are pinned up in special cases designed for the purpose in the parks, and locals can walk past and read the news.

Girls dressed up in traditional costumes in Jalal-abad. They dressed up for a special occastion - a local party, but you usually wouldn't see people wearting such costumes on the street.