Иссык-Куль - Кадже-Сай

Кадже-Сай  Kadzhe-Say 17.08-19.08

This particular weekend would be my last time for fun in the sun and beer on the beach. I left the Friday evening with friends and some couchsurfers staying with my friend Adinai for Кадже-Сай (‘Kadzhe-Say’), a small town on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. Adinai had organized the accommodation already and we stayed for two nights in a quiet house. We spent the days on the beach chatting or swimming far enough out in the lake to make every Kyrgyz person wonder if we would return alive.

We all had a good time and at the end one couchsurfer departed to travel on to Каракол (‘Karakol’), a city on the far eastern side of Issyk-Kul. The rest of us caught a marshrutka back to Bishkek with the exception of Adinai who got off at her village to visit family for a few days. It was a nice, quiet weekend and I can successfully impress the locals having been to Issyk-Kul three times this summer.

Couchsurfing becomes beachsurfing.

Adinai cleaning up the beach. What a dear.

Wedding's on the beach..

...camels, too.

Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan You Very Nice Place III

Шымкент до Алматы  Skymkent to Almaty 06.08-07.08

As mentioned, everything went swimmingly up until about 40 minutes before the train back to Almaty. I had been in contact with Aleks and knew he was on the way back from Turkistan in the afternoon, but I guess there was some heavy police presence on the highway which made driving very slow. So, it became obvious he wouldn’t make it in time for the train. We tried planning out the next few stops and schedule so he could try to hire a taxi to race out to one of them, but that didn’t really pan out or simply seem reasonable. Instead, he hopped on a bus and took it back to Almaty.

Now, if a platzkart can be uncomfortable, a bus for 15 hours without having showered for a full day or so and having spent that day in Turkistan where the average daily summer temperature is about 45-50 degrees Centigrade… I suppose you get the point. However, he dutifully made it to Almaty and met us at Tam’s flat where we had time to shower and he did not.

The train ride itself went smoothly and I slept for most of it while holding onto a bar so I wouldn’t roll off my bunk. It worked and I was well rested. We arrived in Almaty around 08:00 on August 7^th before heading to Tam’s place where we rendezvoused with Aleks. From there, we headed to the bus station, said our goodbyes to the girls, thanked them for their wonderful hospitality, and headed to a café for a final lunch of lagman noodles in Almaty. Afterwards, Aleks and I grabbed a marshrutka back to Bishkek.

On the markshrutka, we made friends with a Russian from the Sochi region who was heading to Kyrgyzstan for mountain climbing with friends. We also met two Uighur women heading home to Bishkek and others on the marshrutka – as I said, everyone wants to know you and why you are in this part of the world. When they find out you speak Russia, this only encourages them to converse with you and usually leads to memorable conversations and meetings.

The border process took about 15 minutes without any issues except for the confused Kazakh border officer who asked us why we didn’t have another Kazakh visa. We told her we would not be coming back…. Her reply: why don’t we want to come back? It was a good laugh in a place known for tension and stress and others in line shared in it. Good fortune is bestowed upon Canadians in the most foreign of places…

We arrived in Bishkek in the afternoon and our Russian friend accompanied us home for a short visit before heading off to meet his hiking companions. I went out to dinner with another friend and wrapped up the evening overlooking the sunset in the mountains on a balcony at a pizza restaurant.

Our time in Kazakhstan was relaxing, rewarding, insightful, full of generosity; and of course, checkered with uncountable new friends, encounters, and conversations with people you will likely never see again.

On the whole, Kazakhstan…. You very nice place.

My bunk.

Platzkart bunks.

Border.

Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan You Very Nice Place II

Шымкент Skymkent 04.08-06.08

Sunday, August 4^th, Tamilya, Aigerim, Aleks, and I left for Шымкент (‘Shymkent’) at 17:00 on the train from Almaty Rail Station I. We got some food and beers before boarding so it would be a relatively easy trip with refreshments. Despite the wagons being 30 degrees with 100% humidity and no circulation, we had a great time chatting with each other and with some other folks we met along the way including a 12-year-old wrestler who also showed us the traditional Kazakh national dance. I didn’t sleep at all and just enjoyed the night on my bunk looking out the window at the full-moonlit sky and landscapes of southern Kazakhstan.

We arrived in Shymkent at about 06:00 August 5^th and were met by Tam’s friend Boka who very generously drove us around all morning until we found a flat for the evening. He also showed us a newly finished city park and natural springs in a small river where people go to join the ‘Polar Bear Club’ – have a refreshing dip in very cold water then come out and dry off/warm up. I didn’t go in, but tried the water… it was cold, but not Finland cold.

We also met up with Aleks’ friend Nazira, the impetus for us going to Shymkent. She is the girl we ran into at the dried fish stands after coming back from Kol Tor and the same one he met in Berlin. After some time talking, we retired to our flat for some rest in the afternoon. At around 17:00, Nazira and her friend picked us up to go to dinner. We drove out of the city to a picturesque restaurant with fresh spring streams running through it and small cabana-style platforms hanging over the streams with low tables. The only downside was the swarms of flies, but we had a great dinner anyway. Afterwards, we drove around a bit, met up with Boka and walked around another park, and headed home. We had planned to go to Turkistan the next morning, an ancient religious area and city in Kazakhstan (and for Central Asia), but I sat this one out as it meant getting up at 06:30. I wanted to sleep, so I did just that..

I spent August 6^th with Tamilya, Aigerim, and a friend of Tam’s walking around the city, getting milkshakes, slushies (yes, just like the ones in hockey arena canteens), and sight-seeing in a small fun park. We had lunch and sat around in the shade before heading back to the flat for some final rest before departing Shymkent for our train back to Almaty at 18:00.

Shymkent is a beautiful city and after hearing many poor things about it, the city seems that much more precious. It was not only a change from Bishkek, but also from Almaty. We had a great time there… until a small incident occurred before our train ride.

 

Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan You Very Nice Place

I’ve decided to break this up to make it a bit more manageable for the reader (and myself..). I’ve separated Kazakhstan into 3 parts: the first being in Almaty from August 1 to August 4, the second on the train and in Shymkent from August 4 to August 6, and the final voyage from Shymkent to Almaty and then to Bishkek from August 6 to August 7.

I think it’s more sensible and permits a fluid reading experience.

Алматы Almaty – 01.08-04.08

We – three Canucks: Ronny, Aleks, and I – departed Bishkek on Wednesday August 1^st for Kazakhstan around 09:30. The border process was more or less painless and took about 45 minutes. When we exited Kyrgyz customs, the guard politely yelled at us that we didn’t need a visa upon our return to Kyrgyzstan – great news.

The trip was planned accordingly and I had reserved a place with a couchsurfing host a few weeks prior. However, a day before leaving, our host canceled on us and I had to make some last-minute arrangements with some friends I met back in July at a restaurant in Bishkek. We were fortunate that there was enough space at her flat for us and the accommodation actually worked out perfectly well.

The overall journey to Almaty took about 4.5 hours and we were able to take in the scenery of the steppe in Kazakhstan. It’s really quite amazing how much the landscape changes after you cross the border. We arrived around 13:30 and got a cab to a café/bar of our choice from my Lonely Planet guide book. For the record, Штаб (‘Shtab’) is a nice place with decent pizza and a generous selection of beer.

Afterwards, we walked towards the center of Almaty, picked up Kazakh sim cards and an American girl along the way, and bunkered down on Almaty’s Арбат (‘Arbat’) street – a pedestrian-only street similar to Sparks Street in Ottawa. We had some beers and our favourite Central Asian smoked salty snack, чечел (‘chechel’) cheese; the perfect accompaniment for a cold beer on a hot Central Asian day in August.

After some time, I made contact with our host and my friend, Tamilya, who promptly met us at the café after work. After some time there, we left our American friend and headed for Tam’s place. We showered, made some dinner, and my second friend I had met at the same restaurant in Bishkek, Aigerim, showed up at the flat. All five of us had dinner then crashed well enough at night.

The next day, Thursday, we got up and did some sight-seeing before Ronny had to go back to Bishkek and guinea-pig the new visa law for us – which worked flawlessly. Before Ron left, we took a short trip up a small mountain in a gondola with Aigerim. It provided a nice view of the entire city and you could really see the difference between old and new. Didn't have my camera, though. At night, we met up with Tam at the nearest Western-style mega-mall for some dinner and went back to have a good night’s sleep. ..I think it was also this day we took the greatest taxi ever driving past all the traffic for about 3km in the opposite lane. I simply said, “Just hope the cars in front go right and we’ll be fine.”

Friday morning, Aleks and I headed to the Immigration Police to register as all foreigners staying in Kazakhstan for more than five days must register with the police. We found the place rather easily and went inside… Of course, many people tell you terrible stories, but knowing enough of the post-Soviet space, I know these stories are either half-truths, rare occurrences, situations brought on by extraneous circumstances, or straight-up bullshit. Of course, we went in, handed over our documents and were told to come back in an hour and twenty minutes by 11:00.

So what did we do?

We went to the café beside the police station without any legal documentation, ate breakfast beside a table full of police, and sat there sipping tea or coffee for the next hour or so while groups of cops on their breaks passed in and out of the café. There is an appropriate idiom I once heard that says hiding in plain sight is often the best cover… but then again, it’s not like we are very suspicious considering every other foreigner waiting for their documents to be processed were also frequenting the same establishment. We picked up our documents and registration without issue and took the day to walk around town, went to Зелёный Базар (‘Green Bazar’), saw the central mosque, and went to meet Aigerim.

…then this happened

They served me well and came from a beer case, so I can’t really complain. We headed back to the Green Bazar and I bought another pair for a whopping $20. They were more impressed that a Canadian was actually in their shop… and curious as to why the hell I’m in Central Asia. But that’s a question I’ve heard many times – right before they ask you if you’re married. And why not.

We checked out Медеу ('Medeu'), an overlook about 1500m or so above the city. You can take gondolas, but we did the stairs. At the top, you could see the skating rink where speed skaters come to train although in the summer it's a place for kids or fun activities. Medeu provides a very nice picturesque view of the mountains south of Almaty and after a short while we headed back.

We grabbed some lunch then headed to the train station and bought tickets for the train to Shymkent. It’s about a 14-hour trip so we got a night train. They were sold out of купе (‘coupe’) tickets, a comfortable enclosed box with four beds, so we got платзкарт (‘platzkart’) tickets instead – essentially, four beds in an open room with baggage shelving and another two beds stacked perpendicular to the other four. The journey was beginning already.

At night we met with Tamilya and went back to the station to get her ticket and, after some minor difficulties, she had her spot on another platzkart wagon and we were set. We celebrated by going out to a club until 04:00 Sunday morning. Good fun, good friends, good times.

A memorial to a woman sniper and machine-gunner of the Second World War - or the Great Patriotic War as it is known to Russia and the Post-Soviet space.

Orthodox church.

Yes, it's the Colonel.

 Зелёный Базар - the Green Bazar

Almaty's central mosque.

The quintessence of Central Asia - put it in the bin, not in the can.

Almaty Rail Station II

Memorial for the Great Patriotic War

 A memorial for the 1917-1920 Civil War.

Медеу - Medeu.

These held up well. But they're not from a case of beer..

Almaty metro.

 Sunset at Almaty Rail Station II while buying Tam's ticket.