Pete's trip to Kazakhstan.
TRIP OVERVIEW
Visa (for Americans)
No Borat Here
Simple History/Facts
Astana
Almaty
Food
People
Cost
Safety
Border crossing: Almaty to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: (my only hiccup of the trip)
Visa (for Americans)
- Easy. No visa needed for a stay up to 15 days. Also visited Kyrgyzstan and no visa needed for up to 60 days.
No Borat Here
- Unfortunately, the only thing most of the world associates Kazakhstan to (if people even know Kazakhstan) is the movie Borat. None of the movie was even filmed in the country.
Simple History/Facts
- The country is located in a part of the world that gets zero global attention, Central Asia. It is the largest of the Stan's and is actually the world’s 9th largest country, (largest landlocked country) with much of the country sitting empty in vast grassland.
- Like other parts of the region, Russia has a large influence and Kazakhstan only gained its independence from the Soviet in 1991. This also gives the cities a feel of Europe & Russia.
- The country sits on large oil & gas reserves which has helped boost the country’s economy (Astana is the new Dubai) and the overall population’s well-being (easily the most affluent Central Asia country)
Astana
- The capital was relocated to Astana in 1998 from Almaty. The move puts the capital in a more geographically central location for the country and away from other borders. This makes it the world’s youngest capital.
- The pop-up city is surrounded by grasslands so it seems the only way to attract the local population and international visitors is through new unique buildings and showcasing the city as a prosperity to wealth.
Almaty
- The heart and soul of the country. Astana is Dubai, Almaty is ‘New York’. It’s where the energy is. Also apparently the birthplace of the apple.
- The city is a fantastic gateway to endless nature excursions. Grasslands, mountains, lakes, deserts, and more are all in the surrounding area.
Food
- They love their horse. I had never eaten horse before and certainly got my fill while there. I had some great horse steaks and their national dish, besbarmak.
- Shashlik – meat skewers that you can get anywhere. Loved the simplicity of barbequed meat and eating it down with a loaf of bread.
People
- Relatively speak very little English. Was tough to do simple things sometimes, but always able to find a nice person to help out. They are generally pleasant people and maybe still a bit surprised to see westerner traveler.
- Women: strong & confident, both in physique and personality
- Men: all look like UFC fighters. Square heads, wide nose and jaw. I wouldn’t want to mess with them.
Cost
- Affordable, nice dinners ($8-15 USD)
- Hostels ($5 USD)
Safety
- Felt extremely safe in Astana and safe in Almaty (Almaty just has more city feel than Astana)
- There was actually a terror attack while I was in Almaty where a man killed 5 people – this was the first of its kind in the city and I have not read of any new attacks.
- Apparently there has been an increase in kidnappings of rich, Kazakhs. A person I had met in Almaty, a close friend of theirs, a son of a famous Kazakh composer, was kidnapped while I was there.
- I was only in Almaty for 5 days so actually a lot went down while I was there, but these seem like largely isolated incidents and I never feared for my safety.
Border crossing: Almaty to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: (my only hiccup of the trip)
- Almaty to Bishkek is only about a 3-4 hour drive and is a common route. You can take a minivan for $10-15 USD. For $60 USD, I hired a taxi to take me right away from Almaty, through immigration, and directly to my hotel in Bishkek. It was just going to be easier and more relaxing for me. There was a lot of traffic leading to immigration but the whole process was relatively seamless and I was through to Kyrgyzstan fairly easily. However, once on the other side and waiting for my drive to come through is where the nightmare happened. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt as it was confusing for pickup on the other side. There’s no lane or parking lot to pull into, people are just pulling up on the side of the road. But… I made an effort to make myself as visible as possible on the side of the road and kept an eye out for his car. Then I saw him coming…. Put my hand up… and saw him drive right by. I tried to yell but it was useless and watched him drive off into the sunset. I was now without internet, no Kyrgyzstan currency, and no one to speak English too. I murmured some obscenities about taxi drivers, people in general, and then got back into ultimate traveler mode. These are actually the kind of moments a real traveler lives for I think. Sure enough I didn’t fret, there were many minivans with a sign for Bishkek, got on and gave him Kazakhstan currency ($1-2 USD) and said city center and he said OK. We got to the city and I noticed a western style hotel and decided to get off there so I could at least get some Wi-Fi and figure out how to get to my hotel. The hotel ended up having a great rooftop bar overlooking the city so I was able to enjoy some drinks, get some Wi-Fi, and a new taxi to my hotel.
ASTANA
I stayed at ‘The Place Astana Hostel’ booked on Booking.com for $5 USD a night. It is someone’s apartment and they put some bunk beds in a spare room. It was a pain to initially find and accommodation was a bit awkward…but right on the main stretch of the city and great location. There was one other guy staying there (I think just long-term) and a Russian guy and cleaning lady.
I got in during the evening and just strolled around their main plaza. It really is exotic and beautiful. Cool buildings, everyone from the city is out, lots of kids running around and felt like a safe suburban city like Kansas City in the US. I realized it was also 10 PM and just barely starting to get dark.
I ate at Arnau restaurant and had the national dish, besbarmak. It was already getting close to midnight and some wedding/dance party had broken out in the restaurant. I spoke to a few people and found out a nightclub to go to, Chivas Lounge, very posh/sexy club. Was already having a great trip and amazed at how this relatively unknown country Kazakhstan was producing such superstar looking people.
I ended up not getting home until around 5 AM not realizing that I had started the night really late.
The only thing on the schedule today was to stroll the entirety of the main plaza. It ends up being a pretty solid walk actually and I never made it to the pyramid building, Palace of Peace and Reconciliation.
First, walked to Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center, a shopping mall. Then walked to, and went up Bayterek Tower. Then walked to the Presidential Palace.
From a locals recommendation, I had dinner at Na Kryshe, with a nice panoramic view of the city by the river. I had sturgeon fish straight from the Caspian Sea.
I stayed at ‘The Place Astana Hostel’ booked on Booking.com for $5 USD a night. It is someone’s apartment and they put some bunk beds in a spare room. It was a pain to initially find and accommodation was a bit awkward…but right on the main stretch of the city and great location. There was one other guy staying there (I think just long-term) and a Russian guy and cleaning lady.
I got in during the evening and just strolled around their main plaza. It really is exotic and beautiful. Cool buildings, everyone from the city is out, lots of kids running around and felt like a safe suburban city like Kansas City in the US. I realized it was also 10 PM and just barely starting to get dark.
I ate at Arnau restaurant and had the national dish, besbarmak. It was already getting close to midnight and some wedding/dance party had broken out in the restaurant. I spoke to a few people and found out a nightclub to go to, Chivas Lounge, very posh/sexy club. Was already having a great trip and amazed at how this relatively unknown country Kazakhstan was producing such superstar looking people.
I ended up not getting home until around 5 AM not realizing that I had started the night really late.
The only thing on the schedule today was to stroll the entirety of the main plaza. It ends up being a pretty solid walk actually and I never made it to the pyramid building, Palace of Peace and Reconciliation.
First, walked to Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center, a shopping mall. Then walked to, and went up Bayterek Tower. Then walked to the Presidential Palace.
From a locals recommendation, I had dinner at Na Kryshe, with a nice panoramic view of the city by the river. I had sturgeon fish straight from the Caspian Sea.
KYRGYZSTAN
Left for Bishkek by taxi and this was when I was abandoned in Kyrgyzstan with no Wi-Fi, local currency, and no one speaks English. Luckily, was still quite easy to get to the city center. I got dropped off by a western hotel and ended up chilling at their rooftop bar for quite some time for drinks and Wi-Fi.
I stayed at Hotel Soluxe Bishkek for around $50-60 USD. I had dinner at local restaurant, Navat, across from the White House, then I went to Bar 12. I met some locals there who took me to Metro club for another late night. I didn’t have much planned the next day.
Went and visited the Osh Bazaar market, walked along the city’s main street, wondering why people would want communist style architecture, and then went back to the hotel had a taxi for my return trip to Almaty, which had no issues. The bread looked delicious but was quite underwhelming. Hard and dry. I just ate it with some drink, but I don’t think I ate it the correct way.
Kyrgyz guys were rocking some pretty sweet traditional head gear
Left for Bishkek by taxi and this was when I was abandoned in Kyrgyzstan with no Wi-Fi, local currency, and no one speaks English. Luckily, was still quite easy to get to the city center. I got dropped off by a western hotel and ended up chilling at their rooftop bar for quite some time for drinks and Wi-Fi.
I stayed at Hotel Soluxe Bishkek for around $50-60 USD. I had dinner at local restaurant, Navat, across from the White House, then I went to Bar 12. I met some locals there who took me to Metro club for another late night. I didn’t have much planned the next day.
Went and visited the Osh Bazaar market, walked along the city’s main street, wondering why people would want communist style architecture, and then went back to the hotel had a taxi for my return trip to Almaty, which had no issues. The bread looked delicious but was quite underwhelming. Hard and dry. I just ate it with some drink, but I don’t think I ate it the correct way.
Kyrgyz guys were rocking some pretty sweet traditional head gear
ALMATY AND COUNTRY SIDE
I flew to Almaty this morning, a quick 1.5 hour flight and passing over the nothingness of central Kazakhstan and Lake Balkhash. I remember seeing a guy at the airport pounding 2 vodka shots at 9 AM before his flight and thinking…. Yes, Russia influence. I stayed at Sky Hostel Almaty for $5 USD a night as well. This was legit hostel with other travelers and able to meet people doing similar travels. The hostel also had a really good open rooftop view of the city. Highly recommend!
I booked a driver and went and visited Almaty’s main attraction, Big Almaty Lake. That night I ate at Daredzhani, an awesome Georgian restaurant. I was leaving the next day for 2 days, 1 night tour of Charyn Canyon, Lake Kaindy, and Kolsai Lakes.
We had a long drive through the open plains of Kazakhstan. We stopped at a local market and it was great to see Kazakh living outside the city centers. There were loads of the old-school Russian car, Lada, everywhere. We went first to Charyn Canyon and hiked down and back. Then we drove and went to Lake Kaindy and spent the night at our guesthouse, with outdoor shower and all.
We visited one of the Kolsai Lakes, that feels like you are in the Swiss Alps. Then we had the long journey back to Almaty and stopped in the same market for shashlik. That night had a horse steak somewhere and then went and partied at the college atmosphere, Chukotka Bar.
My last 2 nights in Almaty I took it relatively easy. I stayed at Ambassador Hotel instead of hostel so could have my own room and relax. I visited Kok-Tobe Hill, the main hill overlooking the town and has small carnival on top. Sat around and had coffee, ate horse steak, and saw Zenkov’s cathedral. I also say a super creepy ambulance I would never get into. I partied at Chukotka Bar and TOT.
The one day, hungover, and no water I did a 7 mile hike to Peak Furmanov just outside the city. I saw someone’s Instagram photo of a really cool swing on the mountain. Their picture looked way cooler than mine though in the snow. (and I didn’t have anyone to take a picture for me). There was no one else on the trail the whole time except for some cows.
Then Monday night I caught an early morning flight back to Bangkok at 1 AM.
I flew to Almaty this morning, a quick 1.5 hour flight and passing over the nothingness of central Kazakhstan and Lake Balkhash. I remember seeing a guy at the airport pounding 2 vodka shots at 9 AM before his flight and thinking…. Yes, Russia influence. I stayed at Sky Hostel Almaty for $5 USD a night as well. This was legit hostel with other travelers and able to meet people doing similar travels. The hostel also had a really good open rooftop view of the city. Highly recommend!
I booked a driver and went and visited Almaty’s main attraction, Big Almaty Lake. That night I ate at Daredzhani, an awesome Georgian restaurant. I was leaving the next day for 2 days, 1 night tour of Charyn Canyon, Lake Kaindy, and Kolsai Lakes.
We had a long drive through the open plains of Kazakhstan. We stopped at a local market and it was great to see Kazakh living outside the city centers. There were loads of the old-school Russian car, Lada, everywhere. We went first to Charyn Canyon and hiked down and back. Then we drove and went to Lake Kaindy and spent the night at our guesthouse, with outdoor shower and all.
We visited one of the Kolsai Lakes, that feels like you are in the Swiss Alps. Then we had the long journey back to Almaty and stopped in the same market for shashlik. That night had a horse steak somewhere and then went and partied at the college atmosphere, Chukotka Bar.
My last 2 nights in Almaty I took it relatively easy. I stayed at Ambassador Hotel instead of hostel so could have my own room and relax. I visited Kok-Tobe Hill, the main hill overlooking the town and has small carnival on top. Sat around and had coffee, ate horse steak, and saw Zenkov’s cathedral. I also say a super creepy ambulance I would never get into. I partied at Chukotka Bar and TOT.
The one day, hungover, and no water I did a 7 mile hike to Peak Furmanov just outside the city. I saw someone’s Instagram photo of a really cool swing on the mountain. Their picture looked way cooler than mine though in the snow. (and I didn’t have anyone to take a picture for me). There was no one else on the trail the whole time except for some cows.
Then Monday night I caught an early morning flight back to Bangkok at 1 AM.