" APPLES ARE FROM KAZAKHSTAN"

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This statement coming from the book I recently read, Christopher Robbins' In Search of Kazakhstan. Apparently the best tasting apple in the world, the giant Aport Apples are from here, did not see them though when we were there but with the numerous varieties and excellent taste of their apples there may be a reason to believe. I will always remember the wild apple trees lining the streets and roads, fruit ready to picked by anyone who fancies a snack.The name Almaty comes from the Kazakh word for apple, and tasting the fruit here it is easy to see why. Forget Golden Delicious - although Almaty has its own variety of that too - apples here are sweet and juicy. The best is aport, a grapefruit-sized monster-apple weighing anything up to a kilogram. The breed was brought from southern Russia, arriving just 10 years after the city was founded in 1855. The first fruits amazed the local Kazakh population, themselves nomads and livestock-breed.We are staying at Hotel Kazakhstan in the the center of town, a big soviet style hotel,26 floors and is Almaty's tallest building. Took awhile to settle in, We have to fill up registration cards before we can get the key and submit our passport to reception, then later Amy, Andy and Peter and I went out for a much needed lunch, we made our way to American Bar and Grill, this place was reputed to have the best hamburger in Almaty, I did not have it but Andy and Amy said it was fab. I have to keep an eye on my budget here this city is quite expensive compared to the small towns. After lunch Amy and I checked out the PBC restaurant, we will try to book it for dinner to celebrate Peter's birthday a second time, This likable restaurant according to LP transports you back down Soviet memory lane. with it's Iron Curtain artefacts, kgb recording devices, sputnik murals and banners, Stalin photos and Lenin busts. The food decidedly not Soviet-style,The menu is unique it comes like a newspaper, full of propaganda articles within each topic the menus are smartly inserted. We all took them as souvenirs. So we all met up at the lobby and walked to get there. Dinner was good, One unusual thing in the menu was horse meat in which Rob ordered and he said it tastes alright, but I am sure we all had horse meat by now, what with all the mystery meat we've been buying since Mongoila! After a few drinks most of us left and went back to hotel some remained and partied on in Almaty. The next morning we did a walking tour of the city taking our time exploring, as we get into the Panfilov Park we saw lots of weddings happening, this is the month to get hitched for the locals as the weather is tolerable, they come here for photo sessions. Stopped by the TSUM department store to buy some shirt souvenirs.Dinner tonight is a resturant that serves a variety of dishes, one is sushi which me and Amy shared, I need to satisfy my Japanese food cravings. A bit expensive but will cut corners somewhere else. We stopped by the Guinness Irish Bar to unwind,, played pool and was forcibly made to listen to an awful karaoke type gig by a local singer, her voice is not bad only that the words are all "sounds like" the actual lyrics, "I'll be washing you" instead of I'll be watching you chorus ,Sting will not be happy with that rendition.

The next day we are off but not after doing our food shopping, lots of traffic out of the city later in the afternoon we bush camped in a field. Barely an hour after set up when everybody is busy to try to get the cooking going a couple of jeeps came to the camp, they were Kazakh border guards, apparently we are camping at a very sensitive area where smuggler's make their way with their contrabands towards Uzbekistan which is just down the road from where we are. They made us take out our passports and we were called one by one , flashlight shining in your face to verify identity, Then our backpacks have to come out and inspected, they went up the truck, they are just making sure we are not hiding someone in the truck, after all that they left us in peace, and we had a nice delicious dinner made by cook group # 4. Meanwhile bush fires are raging around us, controlled ones I hope cause i don't want to end up crispy and charred.We drove to Taraz, where the country's favorite brand of vodka is produced. We have couple of hours here, the next cook groups are out to shop we looked for the internet, me and Bruce were enticed by a young girl to eat in their stall, we got served kebabs and soda but when the bill came it was quite expensive, we have to pay for the table as and other added extras, we cut our losses and left after bruce gave her his piece of mind, the only nice thing about the town, the museum is closed for renovation, the plaza is full of flowers and floats, I think today is a major holiday for them, Constitution day I think, from there we drove to the town of Aksu Zhabagly and in town we sorted out our permits to camp and hike in the national park of the same name. Took awhile, and we filled up with water while killing time, We hired a guide as per requirement and went on just at the edge of the park where we set up camp. We cant light fire here as the grass are all dried up and very vulnerable to bush fires.The next day we set out to trek 6 1/2 hours, it's a full day trek but you may opt to do a half day if you want. we followed a stream and crossed it, lots of wild apples, the guide showed us the different varieties of wild apples, I tasted them all until I found the ones I like and took some for snacks later, as we are walking we can see bear poos all over. There are also some wild black berries, they're quite sour though, wild roses, some herbs, you can smell them as you step on them. As we climb up the terrain changed into grassy vegetation , only it's dry and it cuts to your skin as you brush against them , good thing I brought my pant legs so the next stop I put them on. One time the park ranger guide stopped the group, he saw a snake and wanted to make sure it's out of the path before we continue because it is poisonous, later he decide to go around it, so we have to clamber up the rocks and back into the path, when we hit a stream again this is where the group splits, the ones doing half day separated from us. We went up the ridge, it was a bit hard but we made it and had lunch with a fabulous panoramic view at the top of the valley below, after an hour we moved on, to start our descent, it was tough because the grass as dry as they are, are long and very slippery and you can't get your footing , people have been slipping and sliding especially Bev and Anne, I was on my behind more than a couple of times myself, we stopped a few times in streams to freshen up and gather some water, it is a very hot day. Our last water stop is in this very frigid stream. The water makes your fingers numb in a minute, some people freshened up here, then we continued our way down the valley where it opened up into a dried up grass field, livestocks grazing everywhere, finally made it back to camp exhausted. After enough rest I decided to go upstream and have a shower, having done that I then made my way back past the camp and into my tent, as I near Bev's tent suddenly in the corner of my eye I saw a snake and I freaked out, I hate them they give me the creeps so after a few expletives which the whole camp heard coming out from my mouth, I went staight up the truck, the rest of them wanted to see it too so they hurried to the spot but it was gone, Bev said it writhe it's way towards the stream. Drank a lot that night, some vodkas, beer..The next day I decided to have a quiet day only Nancy and Bryan decided to do another trek with the ranger. In the afternoon Andy, Amy and I went for a swim at a nearby waterhole and we had water fight as you do when armed with buckets, the water is frezzing cold as you can see in my reactions. I did some of my laundry as well and picked some apples. Later that night as I was in bed early, Andy moved my fly around so that the entrance face the wrong side, I caught it right away and put it back in place, I would have smacked him If I caught him in the act but he was long gone then.


Drive towards Turkestan on a cloudy day, when we arrived there it was very hot, thank goodness we have air conditioned room at Yessy Hotel. Turkey poured in some money in this town they have a University where Turkish students come to study, and aside from them the population is mostly Kazakh.Next day had a walk around the town, checked out the mausoleums then the souvenir stalls where I found the bracelet I wanted to buy in Khuvsgul Lake, now Tamir and I have the same bracelet. Lots of weddings going on as well, the couples would go to the square next to the holy site, the Kozha Akhmed Yasaui Mausoleum to have their pictures taken and goes inside to ask for blessings.In the evening we had dinner again at the hotel restaurant outdoors, lots of draft Shymkent beer which is quite good, reggaton music blaring and then Bollywood sounding music, amazing! In the morning our day of departure we got delayed because the entrance to the restaurant is locked, someone took the key home and took awhile for them to figure out how we can get in, through the back door.We stopped by an ancient ruin which is part of caravanserai in the olden days, it's called Sauren, Claire could not give us any information about it because she can't find it in any guide books excpet for one but is in German, so we just had a look around, explored it and thad lunch in the vicinity of the site.




WIKI INFO:


ALMATY:Almaty (Kazakh: Алматы; formerly known as Alma-Ata, also Verniy, (Верный)) is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of 1,226,000 (as of 1 August 2005) , which represents 8%!o(MISSING)f the population of the country (unofficial sources claim 2,500,900 and 13%!c(MISSING)orrespondingly ). It was the capital of Kazakhstan (and its predecessor, the Kazakh SSR) from 1929 to 1998. Despite losing its status as the capital, Almaty remains the major commercial center of Kazakhstan.The name "Almaty" means "rich with apple"; the older Soviet-era Russian version of its name, Alma-Ata, originates from a mistake (literally means "Grandfather-apple"). In the surrounding region, there is a great genetic diversity among the wild apples; the region is in fact in the ancestral home of the apple, and the wild Malus sieversii, now considered to be a likely candidate for the ancestor of the modern domestic apple, originates from the area around Almaty.


Taraz

(Kazakh/Russian: Тараз), formerly Talas, Dzhambul (Russian: Джамбу́л, Kazakh: Жамбы́л), and Aulie-Ata (Kazakh: Әулие́-Ата, Russian: Аулие́-Ата, Chagatai: اولياه اتا) is a city and a center of the Zhambyl Province in Kazakhstan. It is located in the south of Kazakhstan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan, on the Talas River (Taraz River). It has a population of 330,100 (1999 census), up 9%!f(MISSING)rom 1989, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, after Astana and Türkistan.One of the oldest cities in Kazakhstan and in Transoxania, Taraz celebrated its official 2000 anniversary (recognized by UNESCO) in 2001, dating from a fortress built in the area by a Hun (Ch. Xiongnu, Hsiung-nu, etc) chanyu named Zhizhi and was a site of the Battle of Zhizhi in 36 BCE. The city was first recorded under the name "Talas" in 568 CE by Menander Protector, the medieval city of Talas was a major trade centre along the Silk Road. Talas was later described by Xuanzang, who passed Talas in 629 and later wrote: Traveling westward from the Thousand Springs 140 or 150 li, we come to the city of Daluosi. The city is 8 or 9 li in diameter; and was settled by Hu ("barbarian") merchants from various nations. The products and the climate are about the same as Suyab. The Talas alphabet, a variant of the Turkic "runiform" Orkhon script, is named for the town. Talas secured a place in history by virtue of the Battle of Talas (751 CE), which was fought between forces of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and those of the Arab Abbasid Caliphate. The battle took place somewhere along the Talas River in the Talas valley. One of its indirect outcomes was the introduction of paper to the west, via the Arab capture of Chinese paper makers.


Hazrat-e Turkestan:

(modern name Türkistan, Kazakh: Түркістан), a city in the southern region of Kazakhstan, near the Syr Darya river, is where the capital of ancient Kangju (康居) was located prior to being moved to Zhe’she. It has a population of 85,600 and is situated 160 km (100 miles) north-west of Taraz (Aulie-Ata) on the Trans-Aral Railway between Ak-Mechet (Perovsk) to the north and Tashkent to the south (43°17′N, 68°16′E).Türkistan is the most historic city in Kazakhstan with an archaeological record dating back to the 4th century. (For a brief description click here). To the Chinese it was known as Beitian. Later it was known as Yasi or Shavgar to the 16th century, it was an important trade centre.The name Hazrat-e Turkestan literally means "the Saint (or Blessed One) of Turkestan" and refers to Khoja Ahmad Yasavi, the great Sufi Shaikh of Turkestan, who was born here at the turn of the 11th century AD, and is buried in the town. Under his aegis the city became the most important centre of learning for the peoples of the Kazakh steppes. In the 1390s Timur erected a magnificent domed Mazar or tomb over his grave, which is without doubt the most significant architectural monument to be found anywhere in Kazakhstan.The city still attracts thousands of pilgrims. According to local tradition, three pilgrimages to Türkistan are said to be equivalent to one Hajj to Mecca, although this is not widely accepted elsewhere in the Muslim World. The Saint was held in such reverence that the city was even known as the Second Mecca of the East, and it is of enormous importance for Muslims in Kazakhstan.Other important historical sites include a mediaeval bath-house and four other mausoleums, one to Timur's granddaughter and three to Kazakh khans (rulers).Throughout its history Türkistan has been a border town, lying as it does on the fringes of the settled Perso-Islamic oasis culture of Transoxiana to the south, and the world of the Turko-Mongol steppe nomads to the north. Accordingly at times it has been an important Kazakh political centre, and at others a frontier town under the control of the Uzbek Khanates further south.When it fell to the Russians in 1863 it was under the suzerainty of the Khanate of Kokand. Türkistan was in the Syr-Darya Oblast of the Governor-Generalship of Russian Turkestan. When the Tsarist regime fell in 1917-18 it was briefly part of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic before being incorporated into the new Kazakh SSR in 1924.Modern-day Türkistan has a population of 85,600 (1999 census), almost all of whom are ethnic Uzbeks. The population rose by 10% from 1989-99, making it the second-fastest growing town in Kazakhstan, after the new capital Astana.Turkestan may be reached by train from Almaty, in a journey of nearly 20 hours. The road trip from the nearest airport at Shymkent takes about two hours.


AKSU-ZHABAGLY:

Lying at the foot of the West Tien Shan Mountains, Zhabagly is the gateway to Aksu-Zhabagly State Natural Reserve. It is located in the western extremity of Talasski Alatau ridge and ranges at elevations from 1100m to 4236m. The oldest protected area in Central Asia, Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve is home for 1279 species of plants, 51 species of mammals, including the rare snow leopard, and tien-shan white-clawed bear, and many species of birds. Red Hill and Stalactite Cave (1 day, 38 km). This place gets its name from the large numbers of flowering Greig Tulips that bloom from late April to early May. It is said that there can be up to 62 flowering tulips within 1 square meter. While spending the day, there are places for picnic. Also, with more than 2 km of underground roads, the stalactite cave is accessible. The cave is filled with both large and small halls of stalactites and an underground lake. Kshi-Kaindy Waterfalls Ulken Kaindy Gorge- Kaskabulak Petroglyphs (12 km, 1 day or 24 km, 3 days). A popular destination near Zhabagly, this site features one of the most impressive waterfalls in the area. It is possible to stay overnight near Kshi-Kaindy in the ranger cabin or camp outside. The following day, tourists will hike up to Ulken-Kayndy Gorge and beyond that to the petroglyphs which are found within the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve, returning to camp again in the evening at Kshi-Kaindy. The third day is spent returning to the homestays in the village of Zhabagly. Aksu Gorge (38 km, 7 hours including 3 hours of hiking). This route leads up the mountains to Aksu Gorge (pictured to the right) which is over 500m deep. At the bottom of canyon there is a mixture of mulberry and ash trees with coils of forest grapes making their way up the walls. Within site from the gorge tourists can admire the snow-covered Ugamskii range with Sairamskii peak. Bokeitau Mountain (70 km, 2 days). The route introduces different landscapes and natural zones from semi-desert up to deciduous fruit forests. Along the journey, tourists will visit several caves, go swimming, try water that locals believe has healing powers, and see the paradise flycatcher. They will go up to highest peak of Boroldai range, Bokeitau Mountain, and will visit “Spirit Valley”. Interregional route “Zhabagly- Tonkeris- Kaskasu” (60 km, 3 or 6 days). From Zhabagly, tourist will travel along the Aksu River to lunch at Karalma Bridge. The trip then continues to the village of Tonkeris where tourists will stay for the evening and cultural show. In the morning, tourists go along the Sairamsu River where they will lunch before beginning their descent into Kaskasu village homestay in Ugam. There is an option of returning Karatau Mountains (different flora and fauna from that of the Tien Shan, Kornilovka Lake), The bird ringing station at Chokpak (during the bird migrations), The Mausoleum of Kozha Ahmet Yassaui at Turkistan, The 13th century ruins of Otyrar.

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Photos

ALMATY
PBC RESTAURANT

ALMATY
PBC RESTAURANT

ALMATY
PBC RESTAURANT

ALMATY
ANDY(WITH THE ATTITUDE) AND AMY

ALMATY
PBC RESTAURANT

ALMATY
HORSE MEAT AT PBC RESTAURANT

ALMATY
PBC RESTAURANT

Comments

[travellingmum]

love your blogs. Can I offer one small request? Please put some spaces in.. It is really difficult to read all this great info one the computer screen with no paragraphs. Thanks keep up the good work.

[Viajerong Pinoy]

thanks
Hi travelling mum I did paragraph my stories but somehow when I hit save it bunched up once again, I kinda fixed it again, I appreciate you reading my blog, I am no great story teller but hope you enjoy the photos. cheers...

[Todd]

Hi..loved reading about all of your travels and adventures. I have a friend who lives in Karaganda..I believe it is called. Have you ever visited this city? Thanks!

[Keith Meeks]

Aport Apples
Dear Ms. Viajerong Pinoy, I enjoyed this link. I was wondering if you have a photo of an aport apple? Thanks, Keith