Almaty, Kazakhstan - Polarsteps

HANGOVER! We want to leave for Almaty (Kazachstan) early, but the bus only leaves at 13.30. To kill time Hubert buys 4 pair of shoes (very efficient, that man). We thought it would be one hour to the border, but it took us 3.5 hours (mainly because the bus driver has a side business providing petrol to all the yurts in the Karakol Valley). Upside is that the scenery is beautiful. The bus is superbusy :S At 17.00 the driver stops in the middle of nowhere, points at a direction and says 'Kazachstan'. We have to leave the bus and hike the last 6 km! Luckily the 5th car stops and drops us off at the border. The border control is not hard to we are in Kazachstan within 10 minutes.. The problem is however that there are no shared taxi's at the other side of the border.. and for 40 minutes ALL the cars are already full when crossing the border.. We loose hope, because it is 17.59 and we still don't have a hitch. A last car crosses the border, and WE ARE LUCKY! he is willing to bring us to the first small town :) Half an hour later we arrive and find another car that's going to Almaty :D