On a fine summer day in Kyrgyzstan, the sandy beaches along Issyk-Kul are a mosaic of beach umbrellas and towels. Teenagers leap from a jetty, young boys wander among the sunseekers selling fish, and a parasail floats across the sky like a jellyfish. It could be a scene from almost any coast were it not for the snow-covered peaks, and the fact that the nearest coastline is more than 2000 kilometres away.