Avoid this Soviet Exclave!

We explain how Stalin’s border-making and the collapse of the Soviet Union left Uzbek and Tajik exclaves surrounded by Kyrgyzstan, then drive south from Karakol to investigate Shohimardon. Along the way, we visit Yuri Gagarin’s former sanatorium in Tamga, meet locals, and spend a freezing night stranded on a snowy mountain road. After reaching Osh, we explore Soviet-era mosaics and murals while preparing to continue toward the exclave.