Visas: The Kazakhis change visa rules more often than a nanny changes nappies so any information should be double checked with your travel agency. Basically the only sure-fire way of getting in and out of the country is by arranging an invitation, or 'visa support', from the Kazakhi police department or a resident, or by pre-paying all accommodation costs, flights and tourist bookings. The 72-hour transit visa, which allowed you into the country for that amount of time if you had a Russian visa, has been temporarily revoked and the happy-go-lucky days of yesterday when you could pick up a visa at the airport (albeit at ransomely-inflated prices) are gone. Just to increase the degree of difficulty in this transaction, most overseas embassies or consulates that used to issue Kazakhstan visas no longer do and even getting one from a Russian embassy in a country without Kazakhstan representation is a hit-and-miss affair. If you plan to cross overland from China, you may get a Kazak visa in Beijing and there's also a small Kazak embassy in Islamabad.
Health risks: Hepatitis A & E, cholera, diptheria & undulant fever. Play it safe and don't drink the water even if locals say it's OK to drink.

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