400km drive to Almaty in Kazakhstan. The border is a patrolled fence in a flat pass between mountain ranges. You're stamped leaving Kyrgyzstan then to a nearby cabin for luggage scanning and you walk across to get stamped entering Kazakhstan, the 9th largest country in the world.

On the way to the city a visit to an amazing canyon.

Almaty used to be the capital of Kyrgyzstan and it seems to remain so except for political & public administration which is in the new capital of Astana. Its backdrop is the Tien Shan mountains & it's a leafy, cafe city, named after apples. Although Almaty was a key town on the Silk Route sadly little remains but a visit to the museum was instructive with archeological findings, the clothing of differing peoples & the ethno-political history.

As well as a city tour including the striking cathedral, we got to Lake Issyk, the Turgen Gorge with its butterflies & the cooling Bear Waterfall; passing by the mounds of a Scythian burial ground on the way.

Rich in oil & minerals; with 99/105 elements can be found in Kz; 133 nationalities.

Time to say goodbye to Almaty & Kazakhstan & get on the overnight train.