Anyone who knows me well knows that I absolutely love watermelon. It’s by far my favorite food. Each year, I look forward to August when they perfectly ripe – full, juicy and sweet. I’m good at picking that perfect one and I can easily put away a whole melon myself in one go.

I grew up in Georgia. I previously though the best watermelon came from Georgia. The climate is perfect there to the point that Cordele, GA claims to be the watermelon capital of the world. Now I know that Cordele’s claim is a bit untrue. The watermelon capital has to be somewhere in Kyrgyzstan. Watermelons are everywhere here. And I’m not talking just at the local market or in that truck the ‘guy’ has on the corner. They are EVERYWHERE here. You will find them in every market, at every fruit stand, at the gas station, even at the mall. There are small piles and then there are these massive piles.

And the watermelon here is really good. It’s not that crappy seedless genetically modified crap we have in the US. Here they are sweet, juicy, slightly crisp and tender. Kyrzyg grow great watermelon and from what I’ve seen they eat a lot of it. Yet another reason I’m so glad I was able to come and see Kyrgyzstan.