I didn’t spend a huge amount of time in Kazakhstan, just 5 days on the bike, and a week or so in Almaty, sorting out Chinese visas, followed by another 3-4 days up to the border
Big changes in land use in Kazakhstan, as soon as you cross the border – vast open spaces now. Huge farms, no fences, very few houses, big distances.
Crossed a big milestone on my first day in Kazakhstan – 10,000km on the road. Long way to go though.
Riding along, I came across a large group of horsemen in traditional Kazakh dress – but it was just for a Polish documentary.
A few random shots of Almaty, a surprisingly modern (and expensive!) city.
More shots from the road between Almaty and the Chinese border. Note the vehicle servicing ramp – nearly every rest area has these.
I arrived at the borderpost on a Sunday – and of course it’s closed on Sunday. Major international border and all that. These are some of the truckies I killed time with, drinking chai. They drive from Shymkent to Urumqi, every few days.
This fullsize poster was hanging at the end of my bed, at the quite nice hotel I stayed in for my last night in Kazakhstan. Weird.
