Christmas in Central Asia

[Mattg]

The complex also contained a variety of other interesting buildings and exhibits.






There is one small gift shop outside the mausoleum. We were the only customers in there and the shopkeeper, although she didn't speak English, was super friendly. The souvenirs were unique and not overpriced. Honestly, compared to most of the other tourist attractions out there, this was a really refreshing experience.

If you felt so inclined, you could even take a camel ride for a modest fee.

There was also an old fortress surrounding the complex that you could climb. This was the view:




Afterwards we headed across the road looking for some lunch. Normally, next to a major tourist attraction like this you would expect to find a restaurant that caters to the hoards of tourists with English menus and average food at inflated prices. Not here! When we entered the empty restaurant, I asked the waitress if we could sit down for lunch. She did not understand a word of English and confusion reigned. She laughed. We laughed. But we were saved by hand gestures and ended up having a delicious, cheap lunch. (By the way, we often got bread with our meals even without asking for it. It’s a staple and always came hot and fresh.)



I can't tell you how surreal, yet refreshing it was to visit such a beautiful, unique location without having to battle with crowds of other tourists or feel like I was being ripped off. If you're planning a visit to Kazakhstan, put Turkestan on your list!

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Here are a few more photos from around Shymkent...

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What's this ad for? She doesn't look like a happy camper but then again Russians aren't exactly famous for smiling.

 

[Mattg]

We took another marshrutka back to Shymkent and arrived around sunset. It was our last night in Shymkent before flying out the following morning. It was also Christmas Day, so we headed out to a good restaurant for a nice dinner. (I think we ended up spending around $20 for both of us, which was one of the more expensive meals we had.)

That night, I woke up feeling violently ill. Maybe I shouldn't have drunk half a litre of fermented horse milk with dinner, as recommended by the waiter.

Despite the restless night, I'd more or less recovered by the morning and did feel well enough to fly the next day as planned.

Flight 4: KC972 Shymkent - Almaty
Embraer E190
Departure time: 10:00
Arrival time: 11:15

Shymkent Airport was small but functional. This was the main entrance/check-in area:




Check-in was super easy - I just entered my name in a machine and it spat out a boarding pass. We then passed through security into the departures area:



There was only one boarding gate. In fact, there was only one bus to take passengers between the plane and the terminal. So it would not be possible to board multiple flights simultaneously at this airport.

We started boarding early and everyone turned up on time, so we also left a little early. Here's our Air Astana plane on the tarmac, in front of a Boeing 747 freighter:



Taking off from Shymkent:



Air Astana seems to be the airline of choice in this part of the world. I can see why - they run a professional operation and their service is excellent. The crew on this flight were all friendly and spoke English well. Announcements were made in Kazakh, Russian and English.

Before departure, the cabin crew came around handing out lollies. Interestingly, they were exactly the same type and brand of lollies as those given out on SCAT Airlines. Before departure they also came around offering complimentary newspapers, although they didn't have any in English language (which is fair enough).

The flight time was under an hour, but we still received a snack box and choice of non-alcoholic drinks. We also got a "surprise" box decorated in Christmas colours, which contained Kazakh chocolates and a scratch card. I'm afraid I didn't win anything, but the chocolates sure were nice.



We landed early in a cold and foggy Almaty. The approach was quite stunning as Almaty is surrounded by mountains. The temperature on arrival was -8 degrees.

 

[Mattg]

Are tulips a thing, there? There have been several artistic renderings.

I find the Christmas decorations / Christmas trees bizarre. I could understand them in shopping malls (as in "spend !!!") - but in public spaces in Turkestan?

I believe tulips are a native flower in Kazakhstan, but don't really know much more, sorry. Yes, they did seem to crop up all over the place. As did Christmas trees. There were also a whole heap of large signs saying "2019" in public places.

I'm surprised they approached you (clearly a western looking gentleman) in Kazakh. When I visited (mind you 10 years ago now) even many ethnic Kazakhs in urban areas didn't speak the language, much less the sizable Russian, Korean and Uzbek communities. I know there has been a concerted drive by the Government to mainstream the language so perhaps it's working.

Interestingly, I was often mistaken for a Russian man while in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. I figured that since I didn't look Kazakh, most people instantly assumed I must be Russian. This created a lot of confusion for people, and I got lots of practice saying "I do not speak Russian" in Russian.

What's this ad for? She doesn't look like a happy camper but then again Russians aren't exactly famous for smiling.

This was a mural on the side of a building. The writing says "Kazakhfilm". Beyond that, I'm not too sure...

 

[JohnM]

Mmpphh, mmpphh - I am in 1A. Didn't speak up earlier because I was thirsty and hungry .

 

[VPS]

When I saw the Christmas lights I thought you'd taken a quick detour to Regent St in London - on first glance they look very similar

 

[love_the_life]

Great photos and inspirational Matt. Brussels sprouts for dinner - that's brave.

Apart from the OMG time, I thought the meal actually looked pretty good (and I lurvvvve brussel sprouts)

 

[Major]

Some of that previous landscape looked pretty barren and desolate

 

[get me outta here]

@Mattg, loving the photos, and congratulations on your not Borat infamy. I notice though it says "Egoist" in the background of the photo.

Skymkent, Kazakhstan

We were walking down that street one afternoon when a journalist and cameraman approached me. The journalist started speaking to me in Kazakh, and I responded that "sorry, I only speak English". The lady became immediately excited and the cameraman started filming straight away. "You speak English?!?!" the journalist exclaimed. She then asked me all sorts of questions about where I was from, why I was in Shymkent and what I thought about their new avenue, while the cameraman filmed away. I have no idea where that footage ended up, but who knows - maybe I'm a star on Kazakh TV now?

 

[Mattg]

Almaty, Kazakhstan

This was my second visit to Almaty, and it would have to be one of my favourite cities in Asia. The previous capital of Kazakhstan (before Astana), it's a large, modern city with plenty of newer buildings, a metro system and a large financial district. But you don't have to look too hard to find evidence of the city's past as well. In a way, it felt like a cross between modern Astana and the much older Shymkent.

When leaving the airport we bypassed the waiting scrum of taxi drivers and headed to the bus stop. The #92 bus takes you from the airport to Raiymbek Batyr metro station, and from there you can jump on a train. The bus fare is 150 tenge (around 60 cents), or 80 tenge (30 cents) with an Onay card. We could not work out how to buy an Onay card, and the airport information desk also didn't know, so we paid 150 tenge for all of our bus trips. You pay directly to the driver. Alternatively, taxis to the city normally cost around 1,500-2,000 tenge ($6-8). You won't have any trouble finding a taxi driver - they'll find you, whether you like it or not!

Although the weather wasn't great, we spent the first afternoon doing a bit of a walking tour around the city. Here are some of the sights in Almaty...

The financial district



Monument of Independence




Ascension Cathedral




Just behind the cathedral, in a large park, was this Soviet war memorial. The scale was seriously impressive.

 

[Mattg]

Nearby was also the Green Bazaar, where you could buy almost anything. This is where we did our souvenir shopping.






And not far from there is Almaty Central Mosque.



A few more photos from Almaty...

 

[Mattg]

I noticed a Gloria Jeans Coffees store in Almaty. I was surprised to see that an Australian chain had a presence in Kazakhstan so went in for a coffee. The experience was quite different to what I'm used to in Australia. When we walked in, a waiter directed us to a table and handed us a menu. As well as the usual coffees, teas and chillers etc. you could also order a main course (e.g. steak), soup, sandwich or dessert. Along with the decor, it was all surprisingly upmarket.



Once we'd finished, we had to ask for the bill to be brought to our table.



We had a couple of nice meals in Almaty at Russian restaurants. The first one we visited had a lovely waitress that could speak English, albeit with a very Russian accent and style. She would say things like "what you want?" (which actually is perfectly polite when said this way in Russian) and was very curious to know "why you here?" when she found out where we were from.

At the second Russian restaurant, we ordered our food and then asked for two glasses of vodka to accompany the meal. The waitress then asked what we would like to drink. As an aside, this restaurant had a very impressive vodka menu (17 different types) and also a cigarette menu with 11 varieties to choose from.

I mentioned Almaty's metro system earlier. There's only one line and the stations are deep, deep underground. But the trains are modern, fast, clean and the stations are beautifully decorated in the Russian style. When entering a station, you first need to clear a security checkpoint. You then need to buy a token for 80 tenge (~30 cents) in order to enter the platform.

 

[robinsparkles]

Really fascinating, thanks for posting. Some of your pictures are just amazing.

 

[RB]

Every day is a school day-I am learning a lot from your report, thanks for taking the time!

 

[craven morehead]

Nearby was also the Green Bazaar, where you could buy almost anything. This is where we did our souvenir shopping.

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And not far from there is Almaty Central Mosque.

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A few more photos from Almaty...

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Definitely something different from the norm

 

[Mattg]

We had some nice weather (well, it was still below zero but the sun was out) on our last day. Finally we had a glimpse of Kok Tobe, towering over Almaty.



We headed to Shymbaluk ski resort for the day. We didn't have enough time to go skiing (and, to be honest, I don't think my travel insurance would have covered it) but did take the cable cars right up to the top.

Shymbaluk is around 30 minutes from Almaty and you can get there with the number 12 bus for the princely sum of 150 tenge (about 60 cents). The bus was absolutely packed, but the scenery was nice... and got even better as we approached the mountains.

It wasn't too crowded at Shymbaluk and we didn't have to wait long to buy a ticket and get onto the cable car... but not before being offered free hot chocolate!



There are 3 cable car tracks in total; the first takes you to a small mountain resort village with restaurants, kids' activities, etc.



At the second cable car station is a very nice hotel (which I'm told is surprisingly not that expensive). And at the very top is the start of some epic ski runs, as well as the self-proclaimed "highest bar in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States)".

The views as we ascended the mountains by cable car were simply epic. At the start of the ride, you get a glimpse of the large and very popular ice skating rink at the base of Shymbaluk:



As you get higher, you can even see Almaty in the distance.




The skiing looked super nice. If you're interested in winter sports and looking for a destination that's different, not crowded and exceptional value, I can only recommend Shymbaluk!



By the time we reached the third cable car station we were at an altitude of 3,200 metres and it was a rather nippy -10 degrees. Time for a drink!

 

[Mattg]

Flight 5: KC109 Almaty - Bishkek
Embraer E190
Departure time: 18:20
Arrival time: 19:15

Our time in Kazakhstan was sadly over and it was time to fly to Bishkek for the Kyrgyzstan leg of this trip. Check-in with Air Astana was once again painless and we headed through immigration and security with around two hours to spare. This was probably a mistake as the international departures area at Almaty Airport is tiny. There is a duty-free store and 3 small eateries, but it's basically just a very large room.



By the way, you know that page in your passport that says "DO NOT STAMP THIS PAGE"? Well, the border official in Almaty stamped this page of my friend's passport...

Lots of interesting destinations within a direct flight of Almaty. I'm curious about that Almaty-Karachi-Male route!



Boarding was predictably via a bus bay.



Air Astana leg room shot - pretty standard.



This was probably the most uneventful flight I've taken for a while - just how I like it. The cabin crew handed out lollies, water bottles and newspapers before take-off. But, with a flight time of just 30 minutes, there was no time for any meal service during the flight. Before I knew it, the cabin was applauding a slightly ahead-of-schedule landing in Bishkek.

Australians do not require a visa for Kyrgyzstan, and there were no forms to fill out. The whole process could not have been simpler.

Our hotel in Bishkek provided an airport pickup service and, sure enough, a driver was waiting for us. The trip to the city took nearly an hour as Bishkek's international airport is actually located in the nearby city of Manas.

 

[oobi doobi]

Fantastic & interesting report. We went to Baku and Tbilisi 2 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed that part of the world. This report has urged me to go further and visit where you have been. Thanks for the report once again.

Cheers

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

Another Epic TR Matt !
What i find amazing is you willingness to veer off the typical tourist path and adventure to some surprisingly interesting countries that are just screaming out to be explored by Intrepid travellers such as yourself.

Ill keep my eyes on the next airline ratings for SCAT airlines you travelled on and see how they fair next time around.

 

[RooFlyer]

By the way, you know that page in your passport that says "DO NOT STAMP THIS PAGE"? Well, the border official in Almaty stamped this page of my friend's passport...

Note to self: Get that note in Russian before my visit ...

Did you happen to notice if the ski lifts were open in summer, for tourists?