Kazakhstan: Almaty

Our departure from Bishkek was bitter sweet.  Bitter in the sense that we had a good time in Bishkek (thanks Aizada!) and Kyrgyzstan in general.  Sweet in the sense that our journey was still continuing.  We did not know what would await us in Almaty.  We did know that we would have 5 days there.

Crossing the Kyrgyzstan/Kazakhstan border - it was quite crowded this day

Kyrgyzstan: Chychkan, Song-kul, Issyk-Kul, Bishkek

Kyrgyzstan is a goldmine in the rough. Over the past 2 decades it has gone through quite a lot of challenges and has not been the most safe place to travel. While the safety factor in our experience was relatively positive, it still has some ways to go to attract and maximize an international tourism. We can only hope that development continues and the money that is quickly being earned from the gold mine, water and electricity trickles down to the people. It would only be just.

Rush-hour traffic near Chychkan