Running down the clock in Kazakhstan...

So, after our 45C experiences down further south and a couple days recovering in Taldykorgan, we took a 16-hour bus ride up further north to Ust-Kamenogorsk. (Unfortunately, the bus was almost full when we boarded, so we ended up squished between a closed window and another three dudes on the same bench, way at the back corner, without a/c.... but we made it!)

Our bus suffered a bit from a crisis of confidence....

Arriving in Ust Kamenogorsk, the difference between Northeastern Kazakhstan and the central steppe was obvious right away, and not just cuz of the cooler weather (only +29C highs). It's alot less frenzied, it seems quite well-off in terms of infrastructure and the people in general, even compared to Almaty. Not as many hummers and beamers, but alot less very poor people too.

We weren't here more than an hour before Mike took advantage of the first non-instant coffee since we've arrived in Kazakhstan...

One of the main attractions in the city is a newish mosque in the middle of a beautiful park and fountain. We later learned that it is not often patronized by many more people than tourists, but the word from the locals is that it was built by the mafia on top of an Orthodox graveyard to appease the public.... either way a nice backdrop for a photo!

Jen and our new friend Blake at the local Doner shop, a Peace Corps volunteer who's been in Ust for the last couple years and was the source of much of our new local knowledge (including the above anecdote about the mosque)

We both got a kick out of the tanks of "kvass" that are trucked around the city, parked all over the place. It's a tasty rootbeer-like drink made out of rye flour that you can buy all over the place for about a buck for 1.5l.... we like the sugary varieties best so far...

Tomorrow, we take off for a few days biking out and back to a nice little mountain town 130k away and staying out a couple days for some hiking around. When we get back, we should have a couple more days to spend in Ust before we are allowed to cross over into Russia, which we plan to do by train to a town just over the border. In the meantime, we are thoroughly enjoying "running down the clock!"