Kazakhstan odyssey

A country larger than Western Europe, Kazakhstan could fit all of the other former Central Asian Soviet member states within its borders with space to spare. Encompassed within this vast expanse is the Great Steppe, across which Genghis Khan's Mongol hordes galloped; to the south are the heights of the Tien Shan, through whose foothills Silk Road travelers journeyed; in the northeast the exquisite lakes and valleys of the Altai mountains lie waiting for adventurous souls to discover, and in the far west the Caspian Sea offers a Riviera setting for one of the world's most landlocked nations. With independence and the discovery of oil has come huge change, yet Kazakhstan remained one of the least-known of Asian countries until the Borat movie took the world by storm in 2006. Now this land of rich history, welcoming people and whirling bazaars is intent on sharing its wonders with a curious world.