Well as the title of the blog should tell you, I had a bit of trouble at the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Turns out I was supposed to "register" within five days of being in Kazakhstan and do some other crap that tourists have to do when visiting places like this. I didn't so I had a bit of a problem. After riding for about 5 hours from Shymkent we arrived at the Kyrgyz border. My new Dutch friend and I departed ways at the bus terminal that morning. He was bound for Tashkent, I for Bishkek. Kinda neat. Anyway, at the border I was stopped by immigration for not properly having filled out my registration card. The registration card, by the way, is this 1" by 2" scrap of paper that they uncounciously give ... read more

Hi everyone! I have a pretty fast internet cafe here in Shymkent, Kazakhstan so I can update the ol' blog. I think I am the oldest person here by several years. The average age has to be under 15. No pictures today unfortunately; I forgot my SD card adapter for my camera. So, I left Almaty a couple days ago via sleeper train. I must say, I am very impressed with the quality of the Kazakh sleeper train. It was a long journey of about 20 hours or so from Almaty to Turkistan (Turkistan is not a country, but a town). The train car had a room with just two beds and a big window; you can shut the door and open the window. I think I had my head out the whole time. Once again, ... read more

Alright everyone! I am officially in the 'Stans. Almaty, Kazakhstan to be exact. In the past 48 hours, I have been on a bus for about 40 of them. I will not do that again for the rest of my life. I spent two nights in a row on the bus. There was the bus from Kanas Lake (14 hours) and the bus to Almaty (26 hours). HOWEVER, not as bad as one might think. Well, the Kanas Lake bus sucked, but the Almaty bus was alright. Much wider and much longer. I could lay flat and not bend my knees. A true bed, really. Older bus, but smooth. So, the trip starts at 6pm on a Sunday afternoon at Urumqi International Bus Terminal. You have some pretty funky destinations there. Northern Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongol places ... read more

Hello Everyone! Thanks for the replies! The cabin thing was safe as could be I guess. I am trying to figure out how to add photos to this thing. I really do not like this blog website. Difficult to use and often doesn't work. Refreshes itself unexpectedly, blah blah blah. Enough on that. Yesterday was a fun day. I travelled to the town of Turpan that is famous for having several old ruins around it. I saw some of the oldest and best preserved ancient ruins in the world. The ancient towns that flourished in the Silk Road days. Very very cool places (but also hot; damn hot!) There was a giant thermometer like the one they have in Las Vegas set up next to the highway in the desert. It sits in the sun and ... read more

Hi Everyone! Well I arrived in Urumqi a couple of nights ago and found my hostel without too much of a problem. Not a bad spot for 45RMB per night. It is right next to a big public square and a park. Good for people watching in the evening. Urumqi is an outstanding city. It is very diverse and you can see 4 different languages on street signs and restaurants. They use Chinese characters, Russian alphabet, Arabic script, and english. Its pretty cool to see. There are a lot of Kazakh people around town and they have a heavy influence on the food. There is also the Chinese muslim population (Uigher) and they have cuisine all their own. So far the highlight has been the food. Everything is different and everything is outstanding. Much different than ... read more