Lalati, Narati, Nalati, Yalatai - the grasslands have many names

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Lalati Grasslands

Different publications have different translations of the name. This is a huge valley bounded by mountains. The grasslands are inhabited by Kazakh people.

There was a longish drive to get to the grasslands. Once again we were treated to hot sunny weather with cloudless blue skies. The air was fresh and clear. To get into the valley proper we needed to descend from the higher ground. A steep winding road with many hairpin bends (switchbacks) led down into the valley, later of course we had to ascend once more.

It is once again stunning scenery that awes the senses at the enormity ang the huge expanse. A lovely fertile river valley with the snow capped mountains making for postcard type pictures. The are caters for tourists and the people that make it their home. Roads have been developed and parking areas with short walks to raised platforms cater for the tourists to show the views and capture pictures of nature in its finest. Fences along the roadway prevent animals straying onto the roads and humans from straying onto the pastures. Win-win.

Yurts are dotted around the valley floor and herdsman can be seen on horseback, or more commonly off road motorcycles. Sheep and Cattle seem to be the main produce of the area. I might have said it before but the quality of the beef and lamb that we get on the restaurants and roadside stops is as good as any I have had in the world. No you won't get a Michelin 5 star, 180 day grain fed steak but you will get tender, juicy cubes of sweet tasting beef on your shasliks. Or lamb.

Walks, photographs and sight seeing filled our day.

At one spot there was a collection of Yurts and the local stream had been dammed to create a weir and some of the yurts had been converted into shops displaying local clothing, hats or providing simple meals. Once again it was selfie time for the locals with foreigners. This time I got a couple of snaps myself.

Overnight accommodation

Our accommodation was in a village not far from where we exited the park. I was feeling a bit "off" so I rested in my room in the late afternoon before joining my travel companions for drinks and a meal later.

We had private rooms with views of the nearby Mountains. (You did have to ignore the property between you and the mountains.) The accommodation was comfortable, the meal once again very good and with a bit of organisation we managed to get cold beers.

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