![Proper "mud" on a 4 by 4 not Sainsburys mud!](http://photos.travelblog.net/372237/982722/s/9417802-proper-quot-mud-quot-on-a-4-by-4-not-sainsburys-mud-0.jpg "Proper "mud" on a 4 by 4 not Sainsburys mud!")
![Getting warm on the "dung" heater in our Yurt](http://photos.travelblog.net/372237/982722/s/9417797-getting-warm-on-the-quot-dung-quot-heater-in-our-yurt-0.jpg "Getting warm on the "dung" heater in our Yurt")
A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, Kyrgyzstan was annexed by Russia in 1864; it achieved independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Nation-wide demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the oust...more history