We made it! Here my friend and backpacking companion Will and I celebrate at the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border (note the views of Lake Issyl-Kul in Kyrgyzstan in the background). We're marking the conclusion of a three-day hike which took us through the three alpine Kol Say lakes in Kazakhstan and into Kyrgyzstan. While the hike is widely known for its spectacular scenery, it is also "illegal" since there is no border post at the Kazakh-Kyryz crossing. Unfazed, we kept on hiking and took up the offer of a Kazakh family we encountered along the way to cross the border together with them. After all, "the bribe will be cheaper together"!

Our three day trip included more than a few adventures, including getting very lost, lightning and thunder, (almost) running out of food, rapacious park rangers and the constant stress that we might not make Will's flight back to the US. But we managed to make it back to Almaty on-time and in one piece. Big thanks are due to a Kazakh family (grandfather, father and daughter) whom we met along the way and who demonstrated that Kazakh hospitality and generosity to foreigners are alive and well, even in the wilderness!