Thanks to natural resources (and sheer size) Kazakhstan is probably the best developed of the –stans. You’re more likely to get a good coffee on the leafy avenues of Almaty than anywhere else on the Asian steppe, and the country’s capital, Asatana, is a 21st-century showcase of modern architecture and futuristic design. Not what you’d expect from a country where the horse and cart is still a pretty big deal. Whatever your expectations are, leave them in the arrivals lounge. Kazakhstan defies them all.