Destination: Kyrgyzstan

I’m going to Kyrgyzstan. Today. I can now spell my destination, although pronouncing it is another story. Hard “g” or soft? I go back and forth. I’ll find out soon enough.

So… I procured a Lonely Planet Central Asia at Powell’s recently and learned a few interesting things:

The national sport of Kyrgyzstan is Kok Boru—otherwise known as a polo match played with the headless carcass of a goat. No big deal, right? The game can be traced back to the country's nomadic tribal origins. It's all very Genghis Khan.

Also, 30 percent of married women in Kyrgyzstan entered into wedlock without their consent after a kidnapping and subsequent forced marriage. Yep, “bride-napping” was outlawed in 1991 (1991—not 1891!) but has apparently made a resurgence in popularity after the fall of the Soviet Union. Part of Kyrgyzstan gettin’ back to its roots. Anyway, there’s some interesting human rights issue at work here and hopefully it’s nothing I have to contend with personally.

Aright, that’s my flight boarding. Wish me luck!