In September 2014, I had the opportunity to travel to Kyrgyzstan and explore this incredible country for two weeks. Here are some photos from my trip; this is by no means a comprehensive look at this awesome place (or a comprehensive survey of my trip), but hopefully provides a little peek inside a very beautiful and inspiring place. The day after I arrived, I explored the capital city, Bishkek.

There's still a few leftovers from the Soviet era, like this statue of Lenin that was moved from in front of the national library to the back of the library.

*A statue of Lenin stands behind the National Library in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan*

We happened to be there on Independence Day, and found thousands of people out enjoying themselves, observing various sporting events like gymnastics, arm wrestling and ping pong, as well as at a carnival.

*A woman in a crowd in Panfilov Park, Bishkek during Independence Day festivities © jenne raub*

As we walked back to the hotel after a day wandering around, we popped into a bazaar, where I found this man selling pickles.

Not only did I get a nice shot of this pickle seller, I also got a really good deal on some really good pickles (not pictured … because I ate them all).