Just when I thought I knew what to expect of Central Asia I discovered Kazakhstan. The most modern and richest country of the four thanks to its oil and minerals. It is the 9th largest country in the world as well as the largest landlocked country and is generally covered by Steppe.
Transportation across the vast country is by trains; old Soviet
ones then for local travel it is the much loved marshuka (minivan where people and belongings sit in harmony somehow) or buses. I visited three towns during my
stay and spent time chilling out ready for my next Asian adventure. By the end
of the fifteen days and moving more
North closer to Russia the weather had turned to -8 so not the best time of year
to be visiting. I am told by locals March to August so my time here is probably
not a true reflection of the greatest of the country.
The main thing I am taking away from this country is its hospitality, the locals are so friendly and willing to go out of their way to ensure my experience was the best it could be. Not many international tourists were travelling when I was here which gave me an opportunity to get to know the local tourists and people staying whilst working in the towns. I did not see one tour group which is in stark contrast to each of the towns visited in Uzbekistan.
Money Tenge
- 335 Tenge = 1 Dollar
Shymcity - Shymkent
Sky hostel - Almaty
Nochleg hostel - Astana
Visa: Currently Kazakhstan is trialling free visa's for 15 days for a number of Countries one of which is United Kingdom
Language: The language used throughout most of the Country is Kazak however in the north of the country where it is closer to Russia and also Almaty Russian is also used. It has recently been decided and put into the constitution that English should also be learnt and be the third language for the country. This is contentious and played out during my stay as you will read later.
Food – Beshberkmak is the national
dish which uses horse meat, traditionally it was made by the nomads.. The word translates as five fingers
referencing the use of fingers when eating it. Other dishes are those found in Uzbekistan eg Plov, Manti. As this is a more
expensive country I took to cooking in the guesthouses of an evening since the
autumn vegetable harvest is at its best so plenty of pumpkins and squash.
Just come across a recipe for Shashlik which has definitely been a food highlight from Central Asia. (Note the website for the recipe is one from an American who is trialling recipes from every country in the world on a weekly basis... what a great thought.)
Just come across a recipe for Shashlik which has definitely been a food highlight from Central Asia. (Note the website for the recipe is one from an American who is trialling recipes from every country in the world on a weekly basis... what a great thought.)
Photos – unlike
the other Central Asian countries visited photo are not allowed to be taken in
a number of buildings or in the local Bazaars.
Shymkent
My first stop was the closest main town to the Uzbekistan border and previously
was part of the Silk Road. On route we passed a fairly new monument named Noah's Ark. Legend says 2000 years ago prophet Noah landed on the mountain (not Ararat as previously been claimed!) The monument is a full sized replica of the Ark 150m x 25m x 15m.
(My photo was too small and I cant seem to find one online apologies)
Shymkent, The town has two parts new and old, my guest houses was in the new town. My first night was a culture shock another girl had arrived into the hostel that day so we ventured out together to find dinner. We decided on a crepe restaurant and selected ham and cheese crepe and soup, western food at its best. Later went to a small shop OMG I was in heaven. They sold so much more food than I was used to and mostly packaged goods opposite to the “select how many biscuits you want and have them weighed to find out the cost”. There was cheese, sausages (German / Russian style not English) milk and various types of alcohol and water mostly mineral water. I had forgotten what shops really looked like. Not sure I liked it either I was really shell shocked and walked around like a zombie. This was only a small shop I was later told the supermarkets were even more mind blowing.
(My photo was too small and I cant seem to find one online apologies)
Shymkent, The town has two parts new and old, my guest houses was in the new town. My first night was a culture shock another girl had arrived into the hostel that day so we ventured out together to find dinner. We decided on a crepe restaurant and selected ham and cheese crepe and soup, western food at its best. Later went to a small shop OMG I was in heaven. They sold so much more food than I was used to and mostly packaged goods opposite to the “select how many biscuits you want and have them weighed to find out the cost”. There was cheese, sausages (German / Russian style not English) milk and various types of alcohol and water mostly mineral water. I had forgotten what shops really looked like. Not sure I liked it either I was really shell shocked and walked around like a zombie. This was only a small shop I was later told the supermarkets were even more mind blowing.
First stop was a walk down the canal which had been
rejuvenated and was a great sociable place to meet and sit as benches had been located both sides of the canal and communal circular covered seating areas were also available. I stood on one of the
bridges over the canal watching men training – push up’s and circuits before I took
to watching the fish and bubbles. I even got inspired to write another poem this
time about life, work and the future.
It had been suggested to take a walk through the old style housing estate which was full of old wooden houses. Whilst others were like the one below.
House on my walk around Shymkent. This is a really popular colour for houses in Central Asia.
Bread stall at the local Bazaar before I realised photos should not be taken. Each has a different taste and texture.
Meat stall at the Bazaar
Turkistan – A stan within a stan
I took a marshuka journey out to Turkistan for the day which is situated 165km northwest from Shymkent. Turkistan has the most
important pilgrimage site in Kazakhstan, second in the muslim world only to Mecca. Built in the 14th
Century by Timur for Kozha Akhmed Yasaui who was the first Turkic Muslim holy
man. The front view of the Mausoleum is unfinished since Timur died before it was completed however once you walk around the outside of the building you can image what the front could have looked like. On the site was also an underground mosque.
Monument
I encountered camels on the Steppe which are being bred for their milk, a popular delicacy here. These camels were being used for rides at the Mausoleum.
Almaty
I spent 6 days in the old capital city. Its very modern and easily accessible by bus and metro to venture around the city. Whilst here I have visited the green bazaar which is the "best" fruit and veg market locally.
View from my hostel window in a morning. By lunch time it was hazy / smog and the mountains were a distant memory.
I took an excursion to Charyn Canyon which is 216 kilometres outside of Almaty. The journey took over three hours to get there some on good road others rather bumpy. Once on the bus I realised that the tour was in Russian and the tour guide spoke no English. Luckily the Russian girl who sat next to me spoke good English and translated the minuscule bit that was of interest. Almaty was the birthplace of the apple and it is believed that Adam and Eve lived here...... we passed a village made up on a Muslim ethnic group called Uguru from China. They leave a gate open at the front of their house to welcome in happiness.
As we approached the final road towards the canyon we started seeing these little rodents. Once in the Canyon you could hear them squeak to each other. I think they are marmots like the ones I heard in Kyrgyzstan.
There was a delay in leaving since a boy with special needs had gone off with a couple of girls from the bus. One hour later he appeared oblivious to the delay then one and a half hours later his mother and sister appeared who had gone out looking for him. Finally we were off. Dinner was a stop at a local village where we had the best Shashlik I had tasted. Whilst waiting for dinner to cook (for a coach load) I bought fruit and veg from a stall holder who had grown it in her garden. A small squash cost 40p and the whole of my weeks veg cost about £2. I topped this up with meat including the best cut of steak from the local supermarket. The steak was less than £1. Boy did I eat well in this town.
Medeo, the worlds highest ice rink situation next to rolling hills and Chimbulak Ski Resort was next to visit. It has an altitude of 1691 metres above sea level. So great views. I met a group of local girls who were attending university one of which stayed with me the whole time I was there both of us holding up the other so we did not fall and giving her a great opportunity to practice her English. It was the day before Halloween so lots of spooky costumes and face paints visible on the ice. Ice skates could be rented at the location although all those in the know rented them at the ice rink in town. A tip I wish I had known earlier after having had three pairs of skates. One pair I could hardly stand up in let alone skate in. The last pair I had to put gloves inside to act as insoles otherwise I had uncomfortable pins sticking into my feet. Anyway it was a great experience and not cold.
After the ice rink I took a cable car up to Chimbulak Ski Resort to get a view of the city. By the time I had paid for the ticket to go up to the resort and then one stage further snow had started. By the time I had got to the resort it was thick snow. The visibility at the top level was none existent so I got out throw a snowball and came back down. The temperature reading at the resort was -20. Not a temperature I wanted to hang around at.
The following day was Halloween so we had a party in the Hostel to celebrate. In the day however I spent it visiting places of interest around the city.
Kotobe - the towns radio tower on the top of the hill. This been turned into a themed park area and is accessed by cable car (except the day I went when it was closed and a replacement bus was used) which is the main highlight of the trip. At the top is a 360 degree view of the city and mountains combined with a children’s zoo and several children’s rides.
Strangely there is also statues of the Beatles which a local fan created. Ok I became a tourist...
A golden apple statue proudly sits at the top to signify Almaty being the city of apples.
Other places I found on my adventure
Wooden houses
Finally we know what happened to old members of the mafia they are sold in a second hand shop
View from my hostel window in a morning. By lunch time it was hazy / smog and the mountains were a distant memory.
I took an excursion to Charyn Canyon which is 216 kilometres outside of Almaty. The journey took over three hours to get there some on good road others rather bumpy. Once on the bus I realised that the tour was in Russian and the tour guide spoke no English. Luckily the Russian girl who sat next to me spoke good English and translated the minuscule bit that was of interest. Almaty was the birthplace of the apple and it is believed that Adam and Eve lived here...... we passed a village made up on a Muslim ethnic group called Uguru from China. They leave a gate open at the front of their house to welcome in happiness.
As we approached the final road towards the canyon we started seeing these little rodents. Once in the Canyon you could hear them squeak to each other. I think they are marmots like the ones I heard in Kyrgyzstan.
The tour guide kept likening the Canyon to the Grand Canyon. Not quite the size or the magnitude however it was a fun day out. The pictures below show views from the Canyon.
On arriving back at the bus the driver proudly produced coffee and snacks. He had promised us earlier on the journey a coffee, when I asked for one I got told later. He was pleased that he had been able to keep his promise. He takes along his gas cooker and provides tea and coffee from his own personal stash. He was pleased to hear that I also have this stove and have been known to stop by the side of the road for a drink or breakfast.
There was a delay in leaving since a boy with special needs had gone off with a couple of girls from the bus. One hour later he appeared oblivious to the delay then one and a half hours later his mother and sister appeared who had gone out looking for him. Finally we were off. Dinner was a stop at a local village where we had the best Shashlik I had tasted. Whilst waiting for dinner to cook (for a coach load) I bought fruit and veg from a stall holder who had grown it in her garden. A small squash cost 40p and the whole of my weeks veg cost about £2. I topped this up with meat including the best cut of steak from the local supermarket. The steak was less than £1. Boy did I eat well in this town.
Medeo, the worlds highest ice rink situation next to rolling hills and Chimbulak Ski Resort was next to visit. It has an altitude of 1691 metres above sea level. So great views. I met a group of local girls who were attending university one of which stayed with me the whole time I was there both of us holding up the other so we did not fall and giving her a great opportunity to practice her English. It was the day before Halloween so lots of spooky costumes and face paints visible on the ice. Ice skates could be rented at the location although all those in the know rented them at the ice rink in town. A tip I wish I had known earlier after having had three pairs of skates. One pair I could hardly stand up in let alone skate in. The last pair I had to put gloves inside to act as insoles otherwise I had uncomfortable pins sticking into my feet. Anyway it was a great experience and not cold.
After the ice rink I took a cable car up to Chimbulak Ski Resort to get a view of the city. By the time I had paid for the ticket to go up to the resort and then one stage further snow had started. By the time I had got to the resort it was thick snow. The visibility at the top level was none existent so I got out throw a snowball and came back down. The temperature reading at the resort was -20. Not a temperature I wanted to hang around at.
The following day was Halloween so we had a party in the Hostel to celebrate. In the day however I spent it visiting places of interest around the city.
Kotobe - the towns radio tower on the top of the hill. This been turned into a themed park area and is accessed by cable car (except the day I went when it was closed and a replacement bus was used) which is the main highlight of the trip. At the top is a 360 degree view of the city and mountains combined with a children’s zoo and several children’s rides.
Strangely there is also statues of the Beatles which a local fan created. Ok I became a tourist...
A golden apple statue proudly sits at the top to signify Almaty being the city of apples.
Other places I found on my adventure
Wooden houses
Finally we know what happened to old members of the mafia they are sold in a second hand shop
Visit to the Russian Orthodox Accession Cathedral. This building is made of wood. The cathedral survived an earthquake in 1911with minimal damage, even though it was built without any nails, which some bishops attributed to divine intervention, (although some credit might also be given to the advanced anti-earthquake techniques invented or employed by the architect).
inside of the CathedralSpecial food for Halloween
Breakfast
Dinner was my pumpkin stuffed with minced meat and veg
Face painting at the hostel followed by a few games. They had even decorated the hostel up specially.
For my final day in the city I decided to take a taxi to visit the Big Blue Almaty lake which I had heard great things about. As it had been snowing that week none of the tour companies would go up the snake pass. On getting to the road I could understand why. The taxi could not make it up the hill. Eventually I had to get out and managed to flag down a 4x4 car to take me the rest of the way. By the time I had finished and got ready to walk back to find the taxi he had already left after phoning the hostel to say I had left without him (later I was able to disprove this by the time of photographs taken and therefore did not have to pay for the taxi). Luckily I finally got down thanks to a group of locals who kindly stopped. They kept naming English football teams and players - this is the common language here as they like to watch the premiership on tv. These guys even knew where Reading was.
Big Almaty lake is a high mountain reservoir which is located at 2511 metres above sea level. The length of the lake is 1.6km and has a depth of 30-40 metres and it supplies the Cities drinking water. The blue colour doesn't really come out in the photos however the snow on the mountains gives a spectacular edge to it instead.
Last nights sunset from the hostel
I caught a train from Almaty to Astana with Ildar a local guy who I had met in Shymkent whilst he was on business. In the next carriage down was a group of local guys with their eagles returning home. You never know what you will encounter on these trains!
Astana
Astana was named the capital of
Kazakhstan in 1994 out of the blue by the President Nazarbaev previously it was Almaty. One of the reasons citied was there was no further available space for Almaty to grow unlike Astana which was surrounded by Steppe . This is a modern city and its buildings are like no other on the
planet. My first impression was Sim city meets Disney. One of the Architects
was none other than England’s own Sir Norman Foster who designed the Gherkin in
London. I found an article online from The Guardian which is worth a read on this city. They describe it as "the strangest capital city on earth".
First night we Ildar and I went out for dinner at an Uzbekistan restaurant since this is where he grew up.
Later back at the hostel we bumped into a group of dancers who were in a competition later in the week. Here they are busy drawing on the blackboard before bed.
Drinking Georgian wine opened with a screw as a bottle opener was not available.
Just before their bed time the girls put on an impromptu show. They were great and went onto to win the cup for the best dance troop in Kazakhstan. Next they are off to St Petersburg.
Highlights from around Astana
Khan Shatyr - the heated shopping mall.
Sir Norman Foster created this 150 metre building in the shape of a Yurt. It is made of a heat resistant material which ensures a constant temperature of 30 degrees even when it is -30 outside. As soon as you walk in there is a cloakroom to leave your coats as its too hot otherwise. It has been described as "a lifestyle centre with world class shopping". It features three floors with a theme park ride on the top level alongside a food court. Having walked around I found that Tesco had a F&F shop... not sure that is world class.
inside view
The Bayterek Monument
President Nazarbaev centrepiece 97m high monument which was built around a Kazakh legend detailed in the lonely planet as, Samruk a mythical bird lays a golden egg containing the secrets of human desires and happiness in a tall popular tree, beyond human reach.
I also visited the new national museum which was in 3d and had an exhibition of the city and how it had developed coming out of the floor.
Here is Madina standing in front of one of the windows. The lift is located at the same angle as the building sides although from inside it just feels like you are going up and not across. Up the last stairs in the conference centre you walk through a room of plants, all recognisable to the UK home.
As it was not really flowering season they had added artificial flowers into the foliage such as tulips in the middle of yuccas. The conference centre was circular and the middle was cut out so you could look down to the bottom floor of the building. Beautiful designed.
Next we visited the Aquarium which was a great place to look at local and international fish. As well as an antartic scene with Penguins and Polar bears. A woolly mammoth took Madina by surprise as it turned its trunk towards her. I had a special moment with this Turtle as it sat for about 5 minutes watching me watching him before he slowly swam off.
Fried Lakman - noodles and pieces of sirloin beef with veg - Best dish I have tried
Plov
Manti
Followed by a shopping trip. A pink shopping trolley!!!!!!
I came across these life size people each holding a ball featuring an image from a different country. The UK was at the front.
Big gates from the shopping mall to the city
Sir Norman Foster created this 150 metre building in the shape of a Yurt. It is made of a heat resistant material which ensures a constant temperature of 30 degrees even when it is -30 outside. As soon as you walk in there is a cloakroom to leave your coats as its too hot otherwise. It has been described as "a lifestyle centre with world class shopping". It features three floors with a theme park ride on the top level alongside a food court. Having walked around I found that Tesco had a F&F shop... not sure that is world class.
inside view
The Bayterek Monument
President Nazarbaev centrepiece 97m high monument which was built around a Kazakh legend detailed in the lonely planet as, Samruk a mythical bird lays a golden egg containing the secrets of human desires and happiness in a tall popular tree, beyond human reach.
I also visited the new national museum which was in 3d and had an exhibition of the city and how it had developed coming out of the floor.
The gold room was extra but as you can see from these glitzy photos worth the money
Cute picture of a bear I found inside
Local paintings depicting life in Kazakhstan , I love the first one which is made up of a number of pictures in one.
Next day I met up with a local friend Madina who I had met at the Almaty guesthouse. She was a perfect host and we spent hours chatting about life in Kazakhstan verses the rest of the world. Madina had studied in Norfolk. Studying abroad is very common for people of Kazakhstan a number knew of Reading because of its university links.
Our first stop was the Palace of Peace and Accord which is a glass and steel pyramid shaped building and is used to hold conferences as well as performances. We went on a day it was closed but Madina managed to get us in for the tour saying I had travelled all the way from the UK. Once again showing how hospitable the locals are
Inside the building are stained glass windows featuring doves (Created by British Artist Brian Clarke) which are only visible from the inside.
Here is Madina standing in front of one of the windows. The lift is located at the same angle as the building sides although from inside it just feels like you are going up and not across. Up the last stairs in the conference centre you walk through a room of plants, all recognisable to the UK home.
As it was not really flowering season they had added artificial flowers into the foliage such as tulips in the middle of yuccas. The conference centre was circular and the middle was cut out so you could look down to the bottom floor of the building. Beautiful designed.
Quick look at the mosque
Over the bridge
We ended our day over a late lunch at a lovely bistro. Thank you Madina it was a great day, Let me know when you are next in Europe.
My last day was to Lake Burabay is 240km north of Astana. There is a walking path around the edge of the lake. The day I went it had been snowing and th3e temperature had dipped to -8. The lake was frozen and looked quite moody but still picturesque. I caught a bus to the bus station then a local minibus who I had lead to believe would drop me off at the lake. Wrong, I had to call Ildar (who eloquently doubled up as my translator when I struggled to communicate with locals). He spoke to other passengers in the minibus who liaised with the driver to drop me off at the closest point to the lake and explain to me where I could catch a taxi back to the pick up point to go back to the city. The lake was a 5 minutes walk and then I walked around for a couple of hours only seeing other local tourists when I was getting close to the starting point. Guess at -8 why would anyone want to visit a holiday resort which seemed to have closed for the Winter? Thank goodness for MapsMe as it enabled me to locate the walkway back through to the village centre. I celebrated in a local café with a coffee and piece of cake. Yum before heading back out into the freezing weather to find the local bus. The ladies in the café told me not to catch a taxi as it was too expensive. I ended up at the bus stop with two locals and a taxi driver. He tried to get me to take a taxi on my own then gave up and decided to discount the price if the other passenger and I would go together. Yep sorted. Whilst in the taxi the local girl chatted away happily and forcefully via Google translator asking me all about myself saying how brave I was to be on my own travelling and how she admired people like me. AAs we got closer to the bus stop she said to be very careful as the bus driver would try to rip me off. When we got there she jumped out and negotiated the price before telling me to get in and only pay x amount. Oh the hospitality of locals.
Overall a great experience a couple of trying moments with locals who were not very complementary of either me or the English language but hey that's life.