Road trip to Turkistan

My pregnant wife and I decided to go on a little trip. After some quick research, we decided to rent a car and drive to Turkistan. Summers there are extremely hot, but October is the perfect season to visit. We rented a Kia Seltos and left Almaty. The road was pretty good, and we made our first stop in Shymkent, where we tried some local beshbarmak and visited a banana greenhouse. Then we arrived in Turkistan, and it was quite an experience. The authorities have transformed what was once a small town into something that feels like a mini Abu Dhabi. We checked into the Hampton, explored the city center, walked along the canals and around the pond, visited local shops and the mosque, and went to the Nomad Village. The journey back was even more impressive. We took a beautiful mountain road through the hills, with some fantastic views along the way. We spent the night in Taraz before continuing our drive back to Almaty. It turned out to be a great little road trip and a memorable way to see more of Kazakhstan.