The Day After ?? - God Bless the Russians

I'm just killing time now. I hate just killing time. I spent today wandering around Manas Air Transport Station. That took about 10 minutes. The rest of the time was spent on skype with Gina, a bit of surfing, two crossword puzzles, a bit of sudoku, and eating enough to feel guilty in a country with a big chunk of the population below the poverty line.


I did have my first and second beers last night. I'm about to head over and try again. One of the local brews here is Russian. It is 8% alcohol and served a half litre at a time. Maybe that two beer limit every 20 hours is a good one. God bless those Russian brewers though. It doesn't even taste like malt liquor. It is actually a nice Pilsner with good flavor, but lots of foam if you pour too fast.

The Russians did some pretty awful things in central Asia, but so did the Brits, as well as the "fill in the imperial power or neighboring muslim country here." One thing they did do well though is pass along a pretty good brewing tradition. It reminds me of the great lagers in Mexico and central America that I think German missionaries must have passed along. I could be way off, but taste a good Dos Equis on tap side by side with say Stella (I know its Belgian) or a Bayerish lager, and you'll know where its origins are from.

Hopefully you're all getting over yesterdays post. I am, even though Gina gave me a pretty hard time about it. I did my laundry today and am eating well, so it is almost a distant memory. I start processing to leave tomorrow and catch a plane early on Friday. Should be back in the US by Friday night. Keep your fingers crossed.