You know, I still haven’t decided if I enjoy Kazakhstan as much as I do the rest of Central Asia. I’ve met great people there, for sure, especially through CouchSurfing in Almaty a couple of times. There’s good hiking to be done too, of course, in Aksai Gorge and Charyn Canyon. Somehow, though, the place still han’t grabbed me in the way other parts of the region have. I have daydreams about Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, am actively figuring out a move to Kyrgyzstan. Kazakhstan, though, at this point remains the place I go for visa runs or potentially to catch cheaper flights.

That isn’t to say the place isn’t photogenic, though! That same nature, the often-beautiful city of Almaty, and (if I ever make it up there) the playground of Astana. Perhaps I’m just approaching this with a bad mindset, and need to commit to giving Kazakhstan another go?