ABOUT KAZAKHSTAN

Population: 15.4 million

Land Area: 2.7 million square kilometers (9th-largest country in the world)

Capital: Astana (It used to be Almaty but was changed to Astana in 1997)

Languages Spoken: Kazakh & Russian

Currency: Tenge (1 CAD = 135 KZT)

Famous For: Oil, Steppe & Borat (I have to mention it because alas it is true!)

We will be traveling a few hours north of Astana to the Borovoe (Burabay in English) resort area, known as the ‘Kazakh Switzerland’. This is what the area looks like (WARNING: Contains cheesey music and at least one speedo sighting):