Blogs from Southern Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Asia

Our night train to Shymkent left at just gone 10pm. The people at the hostel told us to get there 2 hours before and that had been the drill in Uzbekistan, but after collecting our bags from the hostel and getting a taxi there it turned out we could have arrived 30 minutes before and been in plenty of time. We were a bit disappointed to be leaving on a Friday night as the nightlife in Almaty was just beginning to stir (though not that anywhere remotely decent would have let us in with the outfits we have anyway). For the first time we were travelling first class. It was a big modern train, we couldn't see either end from our carriage and a sign on the side suggested it had a top speed of 200kmh. ... read more

Au passage de la frontière sino-kazakh, une page s'est de nouveau tournée. Finis le désert et les champs d'éoliennes, place aux steppes infinies et aux princes de ces terres chevauchant leurs pur sang. Au carrefour entre l'Europe, la Chine, la Russie et le Moyen Orient, nous découvrons les marques du passé à travers une population qui nous transporte depuis Alexandre le Grand jusqu'à Joseph Staline en passant par Tamerlan et Gengis Kan. Nous retrouvons nos amis Maëlys et Adrien pour un mois, avec un objectif: rejoindre la mer d'Aral en Ouzbekistan, en partant de Almaty au Kazakhstan. Nous avons suivi la route de la soie en traversant les montagnes puis les déserts, puis les déserts, et enfin les déserts! Impressionnant, il y a plus de 2000ans, des caravanes entières traversaient ces contrées, été comme hiver... Après ... read more

On Air Astana to Delhi November 16 2014 I am beginning to understand what the Queen feels like since we have been treated like royalty in Almaty for the last three days. This is entirely due to Samat and Mira who had looked after us with fantastic Kazakhstan hospitality. I had asked Ilmir, who had been a key contact at Merck when I was managing the account at Aesica and was a native of Kazakhstan, if he knew anyone in Almaty we could meet to learn about the city. He contacted an old school friend who suggested his wife's cousin, Samat. Little did we realise how well this meant we would be looked after. Samat works at the Ministry of Finance and had just moved to Almaty from Astana six months previously. His family, his wife ... read more

Sept 14 and 15. had a great train ride in a 2 bunk sleeper compartment on Kazakh Railways on train #33 leaving Almaty 2 at 2133 and arriving on the dot at Tulkibas station at 0927. Was meet by our guide for the 2 days and a Russian made Lada Niva 4WD jeep, so roared off to our home stay. The Asku - Zhabagvly Nature Reserve is one of the largest Nature Reserves in Khazakhstan at 13000 sq kms, and 'allegedly' is the home to a vast number of birds, and animals including bears, ibex, marmots, fixes, wolves, goats, boars, etc. It is crushingly dry and this excludes weeds that simply can't hack the conditions. Lots of plants,biodiversity is immense 1,400 flowering plants.....some surprising...the clear ancestor of our beloved Rhubarb for example. A few remaining flowers...many ... read more

As the title suggests, having done the relevant background reading, it was almost an imperative that a trip to Charyn Canyon was on the cards, as after all, this is the world's second largest canyon (after the blatantly obvious canyon), and the visuals were bound to appeal. Hiring a car plus driver is a sound way of achieving this trip, and the journey can be broken up by a brief stopover in either Shelek or Kokpek towns, neither of any great size, but both suitable for at very least taking a breather. Arriving at the canyon's national park area, a nominal admission fee will allow you to drive as far as the ridge of the canyon, and the start of the unmarked pathways which lead to the viewing spots. Sure footing is something of a requirement, ... read more