Runnin' from the law...again: Shymkent, Kazakhstan

Shymkent is another city in Southern Kazakhstan, something of an urban center in the region. By Chinese standards it's pretty small and peaceful, and the complaints that some of the Peace Corps volunteers there had were not even things that crossed my mind. Dirtiness? I thought the streets were sparkling. Rude drivers? The fact that more than one driver stopped to let me cross the street indicates politeness taken to a bizarre extreme. Creepy men? Ha, they've got nothing on what I've seen on this side of the border.

I liked Shymkent, but unfortunately spent most of my time there inside the police station trying to get my registration sorted out. If I earned a nickel (or even a mao) for every hour I have spent waiting in police stations to be registered, I could probably buy myself a lifetime supply of laghman. Anyway. It did all get worked out.