New Friends in Almaty

Driving into the old capital of Almaty after dark was an amazing experience (for me at least) as I got to gaze outside the window at all the sights. The fringes of the city are lined with kebab stalls, fruit markets, small shops and restaurants. Both cars and people mill around in amongst the swirls of smoke coming from the barbecues. In the dark the neon and strip lights also dance in the clouds of smoke creating a scene not dissimilar to a 70’s disco.

We made our way across town to the Five Seasons hostel and booked into a room. Rather than a party in the next door room as we had in the Darhkan hotel waking us up; this time we had a group of giggling girls stomping about and screaming at 4.30am in the room directly above. I’ve had it up to here with hotels 😉 Luckily the next day we arranged things so we could sleep inside our car in the courtyard for 1000 T (£2.23) which was much better and a complete bargain.

The next day we made our way to the Uzbekistan embassy on the newly opened Underground. It is only a one line metro with seven stops but was unbelievably spotless. The city is large and modern with the usual trappings of any Western capital (the official capital has been Astana since 1997 though Almaty remains the country’s main cultural and commercial hub). Its streets are lined with enormous trees and the city’s southern side is fringed by large mountains so it’s a pretty city to wander about in.

With the Uzbek visa taking a week to process we headed off into the mountains to visit a couple of national parks. We first went to a large lake close to Almaty and then camped by a river where we became ‘friends of the squirrels.’ Next we went to Charyn Canon which is basically a mini Grand Canon. As we were in a 4WD we were able to drive down the canyon’s side and along the base to the river where we decided to camp for the night next to a tourist camp. Staying there was a Dutch couple who we spent the night with under a large moon drinking wine and beer chatting about all sorts.

The next day we all set off, with a French couple accompanying the Dutch, for The Kolsay Lakes which are very near to the Kyrgyzstan border. The lake was beautiful and we camped right at the edge of the hill looking down at it so had, no doubt about it, the best view we’ve had from a camping spot. We spent the night in the wonderful company of the Dutch couple, the French couple and two Americans: drinking beer, chatting and eating. We slept in the light of the full moon reflecting in the lake below us.

Early in the morning we set off for a 12km hike around the edge of the lake up through a pass to the second lake at 2500 metres. You have to remember we’ve literally spent the last two and half months sat on our arses driving so it was quite a strenuous hike, particularly the very steep and muddy last kilometre incline. Seven hours later we clambered back up the hill to the car: exhausted and ready to collapse.

We decided to spend another night at the lake and got chatting to numerous tourists that were visiting the lake: including a Kazakh family from Almaty. In the morning they came to say hello and asked us if we would like to return home with them that evening and to stay the night as their guests. An offer too kind to refuse. On the way back to the city we all stopped off at Lake Kaindy – a small lake that was formed by an earthquake in 1911 that left a small forest forever submerged in the water. It was beautiful but rather eerie.

The drive back following behind the Kazak family was manic and chaotic: not helped by it being Sunday evening and a national holiday. What is particularly difficult about night time driving is the lack of street lighting in the villages and suburbs that line the main road to Almaty. The visibility is dreadful and you have to contend with crazy driving; cows being herded up the road; men riding horses;  hitchhikers; numerous vegetable and fruit stalls; the cars abruptly stopping for them; unlit zebra crossings; bus stops etc.

The hospitality we received was fabulous: while we had been driving back Erzhan’s mother had prepared a traditional Kazakhstan meal called Beshbarmak. This consists of horse meat, beef and mutton served on pasta and potatoes served with a couple of small salads. Yes horse meat! Afterwards we had tea, melons, cheeses, cold meats and a delicious Russian honey cake. I haven’t been that stuffed since I gorged myself stupid at the New York Grill in Tokyo. (Jim and Zoe will recall!) It was fabulous talking about each other’s religions, cultures and traditions: we learnt so much about the Kazak way of life.

What a fabulous time it’s been 🙂