MIR Corporation's Travel Blog:
Chinese Turkestan & Central Asia
Andrew Barron, MIR's Director of Scheduled Group Tours, visits the ancient Silk Road in Western China and the 'Stans with the Chinese Turkestan & Central Asia scheduled group tour. Read about his journey from Almaty to Urumqi, Kashgar and Bishkek. 
Day 1: Arrival in Almaty
May 13, 2008 Arrival in Almaty was quite easy and straightforward. We made our way down from the plane through passport control, then baggage. Though there were customs forms on hand to fill out, the signs were clear for the green line, and I met my waiting transfer driver just outside of the baggage claim/international arrivals area. My main impression so far of Almaty is that it has grown immensely. Our hotel is just across from Panfilov Park, which always has people of every age heading in, heading out or just spending time in the shade. Likewise, the street a block down from the Otrar is surprisingly busy, packed at noontime with people of every description strolling, shopping at the outdoor vendors, headed to small shops and stores, or meeting friends to get lunch. Busy but not chaotic; there is a real bustle to this city (Almaty is not the capital, but is certainly the principal city) that matches its modern architecture and its substantial number of motorists. In fact, it was clear that the streets here were not made for nearly the number of cars that they now have to handle. Bumper to bumper traffic on the main arterials seems to be the order of business at all hours of the day. The streets are wide and tree-lined though, lending a green background even to the most snarled traffic. My fellow travelers mostly arrived late night tonight, tired from the long trip here, but excited to be at the jumping off point for their Silk Road exploration. All told they'll enter 6 countries in 24 days, making this the longest and most visa-intensive of MIR-operated scheduled group tours.
Photos from this leg of the tour:
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