oneworld82

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Flag of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan, a country on the rise. Kazakhstan, a multi-ethnic nation. Kazakhstan, land of nomads. Kazakhstan, all this and more.

Before getting into the details of my journey, I figured I’d give a short introduction on this behemoth country that, unfortunately, many people only associate with Borat. Kazakhstan is not on the radar of tourists as much as Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan are. After all, there are not many significant historic remains (Turkistan being the notable exception), the mountains in the South-East of the country are great but not as easily accessible as the ones in Kyrgyzstan or Tajikstan, and the steppe is (unfairly) not considered prime tourist material. But the land is rich and interesting, and the adventurous traveler will certainly find plenty of opportunities to keep himself or herself busy. For instance, the Caspian Sea resort city of Aktau is fast becoming a prime resort city.


Aktau

But Kazakhstan is extremely interesting. First of all, the land of the Kazakhs is huge – almost the size of 1/3 of the United States but with only 16 million people inhabiting it (in fact, Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the World, the largest landlocked one). It’s an interesting mix of Kazakhs – nomadic people of Turkic origin – Russians, and Koreans – forcibly moved here after the end of the Second World War from the Far East of the USSR (as they were thought to be spies colluding with the pro-Western Korean government). The result is a population as varied as it gets, with traits and features unique of this land.


Astana


Big Almaty Lake


Almaty


Yasaui Mausoleum, Turkistan

Kazakh means “free rider”; Kazakhs are people of the steppe, nomads at heart. They were one people with the Uzbeks, but eventually split (the Uzbeks became sedentary). More than 20% of the population of Kazakhstan is, still today, ethnic Russian. Kazakh and Russian are co-existing, interchangeable languages, and the links of the country to Russia run, for better or worse, deep.



Kazakhstan is a land that suffered a lot under the former Soviet Union. Here the central politburo created many gulag for prisoners of all sort, and here the central government decided to conduct a good number of nuclear experiments. Oil, gas, and other natural resources assured that the land were exploited as much as humanly possible. The exploitation of the Syr and Amur Darya rivers for agricultural purposes caused one of the great eco disasters of the XX century: the shrinking of the Aral Sea to about 1/10 of its original size.


Aralsk

Today’s Kazakhstan is, in a way, a creation of the first (and, so far, only) President of the independent country: Nursultan Nazarbayev. He may be tough (rigging election and harassing political foes are just two of the accusations that his critics move against him), and the country can’t certainly be considered a democracy in the Western sense of the word. But Kazakhs are nomads, used to leaders like Cinggis Khan, strongmen that give meaning and direction. To Nazarbayev’s credit, the country is living a real economic boom, and the benefits of this boom are trickling down to every level of society. Almaty feels like a wealthy European town (although it lacks the charm of a Milan or Munich, still), infrastructure projects are going on all around the country, incomes are on the raise. Kazakhstani cannot complain too much for now.


Almaty: very European indeed



I feel that in witnessing all this lies the charm of a trip to Kazakhstan. Past traditions and modern pace co-exist in a frontier country that has the potential to become an important player in the geo-politics of the World. Oh, and the food. From the excellent beshbermak to the unique kymys, the culinary tradition of the steppe is alive and well still today. If you are looking for an adventure that will take you off-the-beaten path (especially if you do not speak neither Kazakh nor Russian!), Kazakhstan will challenge and charm you.



Before visiting the country (or in order to understand the country better), I highly recommend you read "Apples Are From Kazakhstan" by Christopher Robbins, an interesting insight-slash-travelogue into Kazakhstan and its history, culture, and politics. It's what got me interested into the country in the first place; I am sure it would get your attention too.

steveman518

Very nice! Definitely has piqued my interest in Kazhakhstan

oneworld82

Very good!

Forrest Bump

Eccezionale TR oneworld82. Thank you.
Timely, since I'm on my way to arrange a trip for the NYE, and the 1-year window of the visa waiver for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are too good to pass up.
Visited Kazakhstan back in 2007 and I still remember it as one of my most significant trip.
Now TK helps a lot to widen the offer to the area with a good product, and so far I'm impressed by the reasonable fares to FRU/TAS/DYU.

Can't wait to read your next installments.

oneworld82

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While the name Uzbekistan got me interested, well, in the Land of the Uzbeks, a book that I read a couple of years ago awoke my interest for Kazakhstan and its endless steppes. I am talking, of course, about “Apples are from Kazakhstan” by Christopher Robbins. I was fascinated by that great piece of journalistic literature, as the author embarked in a thorough, entertaining cultural, ethnographic, and political journey of a country that after reading the book you can’t help but define on the rise. Robbins was not only able to ascertain that apples are indeed originally from Central Asia, but also to portray the intricate political system and the delicate socio-economic equilibrium that govern the country. From Kharaganda to Astana, from Beshbermak to lamb head Robbins tried it all and his work is just inspirational for everyone who wants an introduction to one of the least known but fastest-rising countries in the World.

And so here I was, in Almaty. To be honest with you, I did not know what to expect. I mean, I had an idea, but not 100% clear. Would anyone speak English? Would they try to cheat me at every step of my way? Would I find an ugly soviet city with nothing of interest?

Well, the only right thing was that almost no-one speaks English. But that’s ok, you can get around it easily.

Since this was the first stop of a 10 days trip to an unknown land, I decided to treat myself with a two nights at the Hotel InterContinental. I thought about the Ritz-Carlton, but I decided against it because 1. it was way too expensive (for traveling alone) and 2. it was a little too far away from the main sights in town. But the InterCon was absolutely spectacular. A top otel (offering complimentary airport shuttle service) with excellent service and ell-appointed rooms – definitely five-stars worth. My deluxe room had a nice sofa, marble bathroom, and all the necessary amenities. At check-in my Platinum status was recognized, and that gave me access to a room at the 8th floor with vista, a complimentary drink at the Sunset Bar (very nice outdoor hotel bar and popular spot among locals and expats alike), and a welcome gift in room consisting of assorted nuts, chocolates, fruit, cheese, and half a bottle of wine! I will conclude by saying that the hotel has top facilities as well, with outdoor tennis courts, outdoor solarium, indoor resort-style pool, gym, exercise room, sauna, hammam, and nice locker rooms.



After waking up late (due to jetlag), I set off to explore Almaty, following to the letter my Lonely Planet’s suggested walking tour of the city. The first stop was the relatively-new Republic Square (Respublika Alangy). This square is majestic, with the Monument to Independence on one side, the city government building on the other, and the Tian Shan mountains as backdrop. To say that this view was amazing is an understatement: those mountains are so high, imposing. They smell of Himalaya. The square is very trafficky, busy with families and teenagers just hanging around. Keep going straight past the square on Satpaev and ou reach Dostyk (Lenina); down the road northwards you will first meet the Palace of the Republic, a strangely-appealing modern building that serves as a concert hall. Further down the road you stumble upon the Soviet-era modernist Kazakhstan Hotel. bear in mind I do not usually find Soviet architecture attractive, but this skyscraper was actually neat, with it’s golden panels/balconies all the way up its 28 or so stories. Turn left on Shevchenko and you meet the Academy of Sciences, the center of Kazakh knowledge already in Soviet times. Not far away the imposing Kazakh-British Technical University is a great example of neo-classic-slash-soviet style, and the park in front of it it is a beautiful example of how savvy urbanists during the USSR actually could be.



Republic Square






Monument to Independence










Republic Palace






Hotel Kazakhstan




Soviet Housing




Europe?






Academy of Science






Abay Theatre


Hotel Alma-Ata






British-Kazakh Institute of Technology


Monument to the Heroines of WWII





To that point, the best park in town has to be Panfilov Park, with its beautiful Zenkov Cathedral straight out a Russian painting. Its yellow domes only go too well with the greenness of the park surrounding it. Here people of any age, but mostly families and couples, come strolling by and spending the steamy summer afternoons under some leafy tree. Not a bad way to spend time, if you ask me. Leafy, I said. That’s definitely a striking feature of Almaty’s southern (and wealthier) side. Lots of long, tree-lined boulevards provide plenty of space for nice al fresco cafes and restaurants and of opportunities for outdoor walks. I don’t like comparing cities, so I won’t. But Almaty felt a lot like an European city and not really like an Asian one. While I was expecting lots of Russian influence, I didn’t expect a city that embraced so well the best of the East and of the West.


Panfilov Park


Zenkov's Cathedral








Someone was mad...


Clever ad placement

Things start to change (for the worse) once you pass Zhibek Zholy, which marks the beginning of the commercial heart of the city. Here the sprawling Green Market is a hustle and bustle of people and merchandise of all type, and north of it the Central Mosque area is a hive of activity and people. Northern than that, around Almaty-2 train station and further north, things get increasingly messier and poorer. More and more (ugly) soviet-style buildings appear, and the overall look of the city there isn’t nice at all. There is certainly more work to do here.


Central Mosque













Almaty's subway is new and spotless.





I mostly walked around the city, except once when I took the new and efficient metro system. The centre of Almaty is pretty compact, and walking around is definitely the best way to appreciate this city and its little treasures.

The thing that surprised me the most, though, is the cultural diversity found here. People of Kazakh, Russian, and Korean origin live side-by-side in what is an incredibly successful cultural melting-pot of different ethnicities. We praise ourselves a lot in the West (especially in the USA) for our cultural diversity and tolerance, but we are many time unaware that similar situations happen elsewhere in the World as well. To see different people from different backgrounds hanging out happily together was, honestly, humbling and refreshing.

The second day I set off to explore the Central State Museum – near the Republic Square. It’s a 10 minutes walk from the hotel, and on the way you pass by the Presidential Residence where Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev stays when in town (since the capital is Astana, in the middle of the steppe). The palace is uninspiring (it resembles more a cinema than a presidential house), as you can see for my photo.


Presidential Palace


Almaty City Hall

One block away is the museum, housed in a beautiful building with blue roof. The interior is imposing, with a big central hall with lots of granite in it. The museum houses very interesting ethnographic exhibits on the Kazakhs and a celebratory exposition on President Nazarbayev (almost an entire floor is dedicated to modern Kazakhstan which, basically, means to Nazarbayev).


Central State Museum







I spent a good hour at the museum, after which I went to Kok-Tobe, the hill-cum-recreational center perched on a hill atop the city. A nice cable car ride takes visitors up and down the hill from where a nice 180 degree view of the city can be enjoyed. The hill houses many facilities (theme park like) for kids and families, as well as a cool bronze ensemble of the 4 Beatles.






TV Tower


View of Almaty from Kok-Tobe Hill




The Fab Four!

In a nutshell, this is what I did in my two days in Almaty. Oh, and I ate local food. You might or not know it, but Kazakh were (and in most cases, still are) people of the steppe, nomadic herders that plied the vastity of Central Asia raiding sedentary peoples (in bad times) and trading with them (in good times). As such, their cuisine relies a lot on what nomads in Central Asia have in abundance: horses and sheep. Add some potatoes and onions and you’ll have the basic Kazakh diet right there.

I was extremely lucky to have, not far from the Hotel InterContinental, Gakku, one of the top-rated (and reasonably priced, at ~$25 a meal)Kazakh restaurants in Almaty. I ate twice there in two days, trying to dishes that I knew I had to taste: Beshbermak and Quurduk.




Beshbermak (horse and mutton meat on noodles)


Quurduk - Mutton meat, liver, and bone marrow





Flat cake bread

Beshbermak is boiled horse and mutton meat on a bad of flat noodles and broth. Although it doesn’t sound like much, it tastes amazing. Many of you are likely unfamiliar with horse meat. Growing up in Italy I was already used to it, as it’s not an uncommon meat at home to have. Horse has a very lean, tender meat that resembles beef in many a way; the major difference: it’s a bit sweeter. I am pretty sure that if I fed horse to 10 people who never had it before and told them it is beef, at least 8 of them would not notice any difference. Beshbermak is very tasty and filling. The flat noodles – served on a light chicken broth – complement very well the meat of both horse and mutton. This is a true delicacy of the steppe, a dish that unfortunately many people will never experience.

The second time around I tried Quurduk, another traditional dish of the steppe. This is basically sautéed mutton, mutton liver, and mutton bone marrow served with onions and potatoes. it is filling and absolutely delicious, especially when accompanied by the awesome Kazakh bread. Bread – considered sacred in Central Asia (there are many customs and uses around bread, its consumption, and its disposal) – comes here as a “flat cake” (basically baked break with a soft but thick centre) or as a fried bread (deep fried dough). The latter reminded me of Neapolitan zeppole and it was oh-so-delicious! Overall, my encounter with Kazakh cuisine was a happy one. I loved how tasty and different it feels – nothing compares in neither Western nor Eastern cuisines. The only compliant: they don’t eat much greens/fruit, more of a function of their cold land than anything else. Except for apples, of course. After all, Almaty’s previous name was Alma-Ata (“Father of Apple”). Apples are indeed from Kazakhstan.

DanielW

Cool photo's of Almaty. Looks like a slightly more developed version of Bishkek.

I tried horse meat in Kyrgyzstan, and apparently they salt it quite heavily to preserve it, as part of the nomadic tradition.

offerendum

Really impressive photos!

cyclogenesis

A unique TR! Loving the background material. Looks like a naturally beautiful country!

stu1985

Excellent report so far and excellent photos! Really enjoying following your travels. Almaty looks lovely - tempted to put it on the to-do list!

roadwarrier

Having just sniffed, never mind scratched the surface of these countries, I cannot wait for the rest of this report. Many thanks, and awesome pictures by the way.

oneworld82

Thanks DanielW! Coming from you, that's a big compliment I love your pics!

RussianTexan

Just FYI, Alma-Ata means "grandfather of apples." My Kazakh friends call their granddads "atasha", an endearing version of "Ata". Like "Gramps" or "Grampa" in English.

oneworld82

Thanks for the clarification!

oneworld82

I flew Uzbekistan Airways (HY) three times in 24-hours time. From Almaty to Tashkent, then from Tashkent to Urgench, then from Urgench to Bukhara. I was a little curious (and perhaps a little concerned) to see how this Skytrax 2-star airline would perform in economy class. Overall, it wasn’t that bad.



It’s always interesting flying in developing countries, where the flying “etiquette” (if there is such a thing) is rather different than in Europe or North America. Check ins are always chaotic, messy, disorderly; more than lines you have a number of people trying to get to the check in counter as fast as possible, cutting lines, pushing around, and the likes. It’s amusing to see to what lengths people would go to just cut one or two people in line. Does it really make a difference? When I witness this behavior – pretty common in my native country as well – I don’t get angry anymore, just amused. Overall, the flights were reasonably on time, the planes (A320s) pretty new, the service decent (including always a drink and even a small croissant as snack on the ALA-TAS segment), the baggage delivery prompt. But again, the real draw here are the people.











Clearing immigration at TAS was less painful than anticipated. It took perhaps 45 minutes from when I stepped into the terminal to when I left it. Originally, I was scheduled to land at 11.40pm and to depart at 6.20am for Urgench, to go visit Khiva. Since I had read many accounts of endless lines at the airport for immigration, I had decided not to get a hotel in town since I thought I would have to spend only 2/3 hours at the airport before check-in opened. Unfortunately, my plane landed 30 minutes ahead of time and immigration was a breeze, so… by ~midnight I was already out of the international terminal!

Now, you need to know that domestic flights leave from a different terminal at TAS, which is (very inconveniently) located on the opposite side of the runway. No bus nor shuttle connect the two terminals, leaving taxis as the only viable option. Furthermore, that terminal is completely dead at night, since it’s very small and with no restaurants/cafes open. My original plan was to stick around the international terminal before going to the domestic terminal at check in time. TAS sees many international flights departing in the middle of the night, so I knew that the terminal would be busy. My plan had only one flaw: I did not know that only with a boarding pass they would let you inside!

And so here I am, seating on a bench outside the airport for 4 hours, watching Driving Ms. Sally on my iPad Mini while smoking a cigarillo and waiting for an appropriate time to go to the other terminal. To be fair, the wait wasn’t horrible. The temperature was nice, and there were plenty of people to keep me company, so to speak. About 2 and half hours before my scheduled departure time I made my way to the taxi stand, where I negotiated a $5 fare to the other terminal (a total ripoff, given that the ride last 5 minutes, but at 3.30 am I did not feel like bargaining too hard). With the driver came another guy, who was the one speaking English. He tried to convince me hard to change money at 2,800 CYM per USD. Thinking I could get a better rate in Khiva, I declined, but I should have accepted his offer as the rate was more competitive than the one I would get in the far west of the country. Lesson learned

Check in was on time and the flight was uneventful.

[IMG]http://airwaysandtravels.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/img_4154.jpg?w=595&h=446[/IMG





[IMG]http://airwaysandtravels.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/img_4157.jpg?w=595&h=446[/IMG



People in this part of the World must not be too used to flying. The best example of this was on my URG-BHK flight. I was sitting next to a twenty-something young man who must have been flying for the very first time of his life. It didn’t look particularly nervous, but it was completely clueless of what to do and not to do on a flight. This was epitomized by his asking me whether he could smoke a cigarette or not. I guess that, after all, those non-smoking signs bear a meaning still today…





On my Urgench-Bukhara flight, a flight that happens only once a week and that is catered mainly to organized tours, I also witnessed corruption. A group of Italians was flying on my same flight, and they had an Uzbek guide. I personally witnessed that guide handing a decent amount of money to a check in agent to ensure the same delivery of the suitcases to destination. It was all very casual and well oiled – it felt very normal. I didn’t think much about it though, I figured these things happen rather frequently in Uzbekistan, but it was an interesting experience nonetheless.

Anyways, overall Uzbekistan Airways didn’t disappoint. It’s reliable and fairly cheap. I made the mistake to buy my tickets outside the country – that’s what you do when you are short in time. Buy tickets while in Uzbekistan and pay in CYM (Soum), the local currency. If you change money at the black market rates, you could save yourself a good 20/30% in overall fare. The tricks you learn traveling are endless

farbster

Excellent trip report so far! I wonder if you considered showering after your cigar adventure and not before?