Talking Travel is usually written from a desk in Beijing, but occasionally it’s written from the field. For this edition, it’s being written from the shores of Issyk-Kul, the second-largest alpine lake in the world, a blue gem ringed by the jagged and snow-capped peaks of the Tian Shan mountains. Think Xinjiang without the visa and the current troubles. More on Kyrgyzstan and why it may be the most underrated destination in Asia when I’m back at that desk in Beijing.