Kazakhstan

The mountains, canyons and lakes of the southeast. The Aral Sea in the south. The Mangystau moonscapes of the far west near the Caspian Sea. Remnants of Soviet-era gulags in the north. The mausoleums of Islamic teachers across the country. The major cities of Almaty and Astana. Epic train rides through the endless desert steppe with little but Bactrian camels.