[throwaway8941]

I live in Kazakhstan. We are irrelevant to the world because we have very weak economy and terrible, all-pervading corruption, not because we don't have nukes. If we had them, they would probably have been sold to some terrorist groups out there already.

[monkeycantype]

One day I hope to come to your country and travel on horseback. I don't know if there really are forests of apple trees that grow apples I'd need two hands to hold, but if it's true I want to ride through in spring when the trees are in blossom. The few Kazakh people I've mentioned this too, have dismissed the idea with phrases like 'don't bother, it's an ex soviet strongman kleptocracy shit hole with las vegas architecture.' But I'm hanging onto the hope that in any country, city people don't really know much about the world beyond where the paved roads end.

[throwaway8941]

I've spent quite a bit of time in the sticks. You won't find any "Las Vegas architecture" outside of the capital city (which I avoid calling by its new name). The rest of the country looks very, very different.

[sitkack]

This kind of thing is possible starting in eastern Turkey and continues in the rural areas going east. I don't know about security, is probably ok, who knows. But you should do it now, don't wait.

[monkeycantype]

Thanks Sitkack, I have four children. So my adventures are on hold for a bit, and while the risk of this journey may be increasing year on year, in 15 years when the youngest is an adult, my willingness to take on risk is going probably go back up quickly. What I'd really love to do is travel east to west and cross into Mongolia. How important is the radioactive contamination from nuclear testing in along the border?