We checked into Osh Guesthouse at 7am. After some much-needed fodder at a nearby Chaykhana (tea-house), including Shaslyk, the name for the ever-present meat skewers here, and the first on-tap pint of lager I'd seen since departing blighty, we took in the sights.

These mainly centred around the lively bazaar (market) and Solomon's Throne, a steep hill with various historical muslim connotations.

Osh was still a recuperating stop-off point for us and while not a totally uninteresting city, with its large Uzbek population and culture, we were ready for some countryside.

We met an English couple who had been in the country for two months and they gave us some much-needed advice.

We also got talking to two guys, one French and one Israeli, who had met up in Tajikistan, and we shared a taxi to Arslanbob with them, stopping for a short visit to the Minaret in Ozgun.

We were greeted at this rural tourist village by a huge downpour, one that the area had desperately needed but that was to scupper our trekking plans.

Despite this we enjoyed the hospitality at our homestay, organised by Community Based Tourism (CBT) - a charitable company who organise guides, horses and maps, as well as putting up visitors while giving something back to the not so well-off residents.

The family we stayed with showed us what Kyrgyz hospitality is all about and once again this meant lots of food, pot after pot of tea, and some of the finest jam and honey I'd ever come across.

Arslanbob is renowned for its walnuts, and after viewing one of the waterfalls we wandered through the walnut forests with the French fella and a Croatian girl we'd met the day before.

After another hour's walk, we reached the panorama and stared over the village in the valley and the surrounding mountains. Despite the drizzle we had found tranquility, for now...