We arrived on Monday, September 9, the fifth stop of our trip in Kazakhstan. We were driving in heavy rain from Karakul to the Kazakhstan border. It took about 2 hours. As it was harvest time, the local herdsmen decided to bring their animals to the fields below so our path was blocked by herds of sheep and herds of cows and horses. They were a real treat. Our bus photographers were taking pictures, having fun. We were stopped several times as our small buses passed in front of the animals with shepherds on horseback, or sometimes small boys on horseback leading the animals.
We have a quick run on the beach, the fastest run ever. But this crossing is so far and so ugly. It was going to get worse in the winter. On the Kazakh side, we were met by our guide Rustom on the bus. There were a few hikers who hoped to find a bus or taxi to take them to Charin Canyon, but there was none. So we support them! The roads here were not good and the traffic was rough. we stopped
Overlooking Charin River. This was fantastic with rolling hills and mountains.
At Charin Canyon we descended and our first stop was a pub for lunch. It started with a salad and bread but the main course was chicken and rice. Not bad!!. Others took a long walk down the canyon. It is the second largest in the world after the Grand Canyon. We thought we’d miss the view because it’s still too far to walk to the beach, but for $A10 we were taken there by golf cart, by a friendly driver who spoke English and who gave us a guided tour. Mary and George came with us. The canyon is called Canyon of Castles because of the shape of the rocks. nice place We spent about 40 minutes walking through the valley, looking up at the mountains and watching the people below.
At the end of the tour we had coffee and cake and waited for the others. Another 3 hours drive took us to Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. this
A city of three million people with skyscrapers and new buildings and relatively new. At night it is well lit and glows with neon signs. However, the journey inside turned into a nightmare as the traffic jam stretched for miles. We reached around midnight and it was slowly getting dark. We rushed out and then the management decided to go straight to the restaurant for dinner, since we were late. It got ridiculous when we got to a place called Navat, walked in, sat down but was told we were booked at another restaurant 5 miles away.
Back to the bus and more traffic. We reached the place around 8 pm. It consists of local dishes with plov, salads and soups. The waiters danced to entertain us, but that was it and after a long day, we were in no mood to enjoy ourselves. After a “real” dinner there, we reached our hotel around 10pm.
The next day was my birthday. From 10 o’clock in the morning we visited the city of Almaty. First stop was the park
28 soldiers in memory of those who died fighting the Nazis in World War II. It had an eternal flame and many memorials to the victims of the war. Then a visit to the beautiful Russian Orthodox Church located in the park. It is the main Orthodox church in Almaty. Its iconoclasts and sculptures were very beautiful and they were made of wood, although they did not look like it.
Then we went to the green market. It’s like others we’ve seen with lots of fruit, spices and lots of meat. There were also other shops selling clothes and souvenirs but we didn’t buy any.
We then took a short walk to a chocolate factory to sample some of the products. It had all kinds of chocolates, even packets of Koalas!! We bought something for the girls. We were held up here because Peter had a change of clothes and we had to wait while they checked the security cameras. But in the end he got his money’s worth. But it took a long time.
Then look over the hill to the city and the cable car park
Upstairs there was a bounce house, a ferris wheel and lots of shops and cafes. We had a great view of the city and a lunch of pizza and beer. Then we went to the Beatles poster. It was approved by Liverpool and served as a reminder to them. Their music was playing on the loudspeaker!! Not something I want to see in this part of the world. We also bought another elephant for Fletcher to care for. We then went back to the hotel for a short break followed by a farewell dinner at a Georgian restaurant. Very good food but plenty. Then they bring out the cheesecake and candles and sing me happy birthday. It was a great experience. Thanks to Sasha and Rusmen for the celebration.
At the hotel we had a drink with Peter, Sasha and Priscilla. Good day!!
Our last day in Kazakhstan!! We were taken to the mountains behind Almaty. Here we boarded a three-decker carriage that took us through the landscape to the snow. It’s a popular winter destination, and why
As we see today, a popular destination throughout the year. The first leg took us through several hills and there was snow but a great area with cafes and shops. Then the second one went up and we landed in snow and mud. Finally it took us to the ski slope where another ski lift is visible. The snow wasn’t too heavy here yet but at this early stage it was enough to see why it would be a winter favorite. It was so smooth underfoot. Some beautiful rocks and views.
We made our way down the stairs, stopping at the front row for coffee and pastries. We then went to lunch at a buffet restaurant where we had our last meal as a group. It was different from many other dishes because we could choose the food and it was western style. Great red wine with it.
At the hotel we packed up to go home tomorrow.
The next day we had a reception at 5-30am and a flight to Doha at 8-55am. There were 10 of us on that flight. We said goodbye to many people in Doha but Peter,
Diane and I had a long queue, but we both had booked hotels. After checking in we reached home and then went in search of food. There were no good places to eat at the main airport. If they have decent food, they won’t serve alcohol. Finally we found a place that had wine but the food was pizza or pastries. We decided to have a cake or two. We had a great trip but I look forward to coming home.
