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 7th 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.
Man, great trip! And awesome pictures. Glad to hear your trip to Central Asia has been as awesome as it has. Looking forward to catching up soon. Enjoy the rest of your trip, C-man!
ReplyDelete