WHEN Azatbek Uulu Nurlan wakes up in the morning back home in Kyrgyzstan, he is greeted by the breathtaking sight of the Tian Shan mountains of Central Asia.

His view this week from his room at the Swissotel The Stamford here could not be more different. But the 15-year-old Asian Youth Games (AYG) sailor does not mind.

'I like looking at the tall buildings, they are very nice. There's nothing like this back home,' he said in Russian, before his first Byte CII race at the National Sailing Centre yesterday.

The Bytes, at 45kg, are a larger version of the Optimist class, which most novice sailors start out on. The weight difference between the two is almost 10kg.

Coming from a landlocked and mountainous country with a population of over five million, sailing was an unlikely sport for him to pick up.

His coach Viktor Briukhov noted: 'We have only 12 sailors at our national training centre in Balykchy.'

Kyrgyzstan have 22 athletes at the AYG - with Azatbek their sole sailor. He started out with the Optimist five years ago and has not looked back since.

'I just enjoy it,' he said simply.

He trains at least four hours daily on Issyk Kul, the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan and the only training venue for sailors there. There are no Byte CII boats available in his country due to the limited budget, so he trains in the bigger Laser class.

Even his 24-hour journey here was not without difficulties. He and his coach arrived on Sunday.

From his hometown in Balykchy, Azatbek crossed the border into Kazakhstan by bus. A gruelling 12-hour ride later, he reached Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, from where he took a 10-hour flight to Singapore.

Despite the long and tedious journey, the teenager is excited about his first trip here. He breaks into a smile when asked about his stay so far.

The reply - a vigorous nod - does not require translation from Briukhov.

For the moment, sightseeing is far from Azatbek's thoughts as he looks to compete in the AYG, the biggest international event of his life.

'It will be difficult given the competition,' admitted Briukhov about his ward's medal prospects, 'but I want him to enjoy himself against the best in Asia.

'A mid-table finish would be a good result.'

After three races yesterday, Azatbek was sixth overall among 12 boys in the Byte CII event.

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'I like looking at the tall buildings, they are very nice. There's nothing like this back home.'

AZATBEK UULU NURLAN, on the view from his hotel room here