All along our ride from Almaty while bicycle touring Kazakhstan we had the Tian Shan mountain range on our right hand side. Just before crossing to China we decided to stay a few days in Zharkent where we enjoyed the bazaar with many different people, stuff and food, the mix of culture and religion and the fresh winter skies.

We had decided to apply for a visa in Bishkek so we would have 30 days in country. You need to register within 5 days if you plan on staying longer than these five days. In our visa post you can read more about our Kazakh visa.

For an interesting and detailed view on Almaty we recommend visiting the page Walking Almaty.