Back in Astana after going in search of flamingos

The long distant trains are really comfortable and this one was brand new.

Aralsk, was once a thriving fishing port on the coast of the Aral Sea.

We have had the first rain for days and its poured down in Turkistan

Turkistan was also a very important trading post on the silk routes

This morning I visited the Secondary school in the village.

Today  I went on a school trip with Ashok, the youngest son of the family, his 15 class mates and his teacher.

Today I decided to head out to another village in the Sayrum-Ugam National Par

I have spent the last few days camping at the Ruslan's homestay further up in the mountains at the edge of the nature reserve

I had breakfast today in front of an elaborate oil painting and sculptured rock formation of the Kazakhstan countryside. I hope to be able to get to the real thing later today.

Spent this morning doing the cultural bit in Almaty - visited the central museum which has a brilliant area dedicated to the lifestyles of the Kazakh people and features a very informative section about life and times along the silk road.

Crossed the border in Kazakhstan

I have spent today getting to know Almaty which was once a major trading spot on the Silk route. Now it is a modern city with tree lined streets and a mix of new shopping areas and older markets.

Crossing the border to Kazakhastan

I decided to avoid going all the way to Urumqi

Today I went up to the Pakistan border with three other visitors.

I saw a very different side to Kashgar in the early morning today.

Made it to Kashgar - hurray. I don't recognise anything.

Today I carried on the journey along the southern silk road towards

The Hotanese were supposed to have uncovered the secret of silk making in the 5th century