Arrival In Almaty

After a 24 hour bus ride over the Tian Shan Mountains, I arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan. For a Central Asian country, I must admit I was surprised by the colorful people, and the overall hustle and bustle feeling of the city. It seemed like it would be much more at home in Europe rather than Central Asia. I knew hardly anything about Kazakhstan before my trip, other than that it was home to Borat. But my trip taught me so much more. Below are several things I learned about the country, and a detailed description of my time in the city itself.

Oil, Oil, Oil!

In recent years, Kazakhstan has risen to international fame for the enormous amount of untapped resources it houses. Diamonds, uranium, manganese, and many others are all plentiful under the ground in Kazakhstan. But a different resource is the one making many countries want desperately to be best friends with Kazakhstan. It is estimated that Kazakhstan has around 30 billion barrels of untapped crude oil, which makes Kazakhstan a huge target for countries like the United States who are interested in purchasing large amounts of oil. So why is Kazakhstan still one of the poorest countries in all of Asia? Firstly, there are only three oil refineries in all of Kazakhstan, which greatly limits their ability to actually refine the oil. They send lots of oil to Russia, where it is then refined and either exported or sent back to Kazakhstan. Also, the main oil fields are all in somewhat difficult to access locations, in the far corners of the country. The one oil field that is in the central part of the country remains untapped. So for now the people of Kazakhstan remain poor, waiting for the day that their oil will make them rich.

Charyn Canyon

The Charyn Canyon is an 80 km canyon in Kazakhstan set on the Charyn River, about 200 km east of Almaty, on the Chinese border. It is the second largest canyon in the world, and is often called “the mini Grand Canyon.” The canyon is also called the Valley of Castles, because many of the rock formations there look like the turrets of a fairy tale style castle. Many fossils have been found in the canyon, some dating back to 300 million years ago.

Back To Basics in Almaty

Almaty is city of many surprises. Upon arrival here, I found that what may look like a quiet town is really a bustling center for all things Central Asia. My first orders of business upon arrival to Almaty: find a place to stay, get some grub, and check out the sights!

Housing: For lodging, I stayed at a lovely little guest house in downtown Almaty called So Young’s Happiness Guest House. It was run by a kind but cantankerous woman with a funny name. I chose the guest house because of its central location in the city, and its proximity to many great sights around the town. The location was recommended to me by a travel agent in America because of its safe location. There was great service and the works were some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Many services are offered, like laundry, games, movies, and homemade food. And at only 12 US dollars per night, who wouldn’t want to stay here? It was fantastic, and I recommend So Young’s to anyone traveling in the area.

Food: When I arrived in Almaty, it was about 11:00 in the morning, and I had already eaten a quick breakfast that morning on the bus ride from Urumqi. By 11:00, I was about ready for lunch. The little place I stopped by was called Gakku, and specialized in serving traditional Kazakh food. I decided to try “beshparmak”, which is a stew made from herbs containing pieces of cooked lamb. It was delicious, and again, enjoying the cheap prices of Central Asia, I paid only 5 US dollars for it. Later that day, after touring the city, I was about ready for dinner. I found Soho, a restaurant that again served Kazakh food but also had a free live band play every night! They even played several covers of English music, which was a real treat. My dinner was a dish called “Shashlik”, recommended to me by the locals, and as I later found out, popular throughout this part of Asia. Shashlik is a kebab made from chicken or lamb, and it is grilled over a charcoal grill. It was even better than my lunch that day, and again, only cost me about 4 US dollars. Central Asian cuisine is definitely for me!

Sightseeing: I was torn between seeing many things in Almaty, but eventually decided to hop on the bus for a three hour car ride out to second largest canyon in the world, Caryn Canyon. All I can say is that it was beautiful, and certainly one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever visited. I was especially surprised by the beautiful rust color of the rock there. See my description above of the history of the canyon.

Souvenir: On the morning I was scheduled to leave for Bishkek, I resolved to find the perfect souvenir to bring home from Almaty. As I was browsing the street stalls in the downtown market, I realized that many of the felt creations in the market were unique and would be a perfect gift for someone like my sister. So, with that in mind, I purchased a small felt doll for her. It cost me about 3 US Dollars, and I asked the lady working the stall where I found it what it was made from. As it turns out, the many Kazakh felt dolls are made from boiled lamb’s wool, and then dyed with natural dye created from plants in the area. Content that my sister would love the doll; I gathered my belongings and headed onwards to Bishkek.