Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world and the largest landlocked country spanning across Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Due to the incredibly warm summers and harsh winters, the early history of the territory was dominated by nomadic tribes constantly on the move; and elements of this lifestyle can still be seen here today with how rural herders and shepherds raise livestock in the summer. The land served as a critical crossroads for Silk Road merchants connecting East and West. The nomads were conquered by Genghis Khan and the Mongols in the 13th century for a few hundred years before breaking free and forming the Kazakhstani Khanate, a nomadic state that existed from1456 to 1847.

During the 18th and 19th centuries the territory was gradually integrated into the Russian empire and eventually became part of the Soviet Union where their traditional ways of living were suppressed. The USSR conducted 456 nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk site in northeastern Kazakhstan which exposed an estimated 1.5 million people to radioactive fallout over the four decades frequently without warning, evacuation, or protective measures. Kazakhstan declared independence in late 1991 and has since become Central Asia’s largest economy driven by massive oil, gas, and mineral reserves. The country is the world’s number one producer of uranium supplying around 40% of global output. 

I am totally getting out of my comfort zone and entering a whole new world going to Central Asia. I couldn’t comprehend how different it was going to be until I got here. I am embarking on an entirely new journey of travel and cultural exploration. Being in a country where I don’t know any of the language, hell I don’t even know any of the alphabet, was a bit overwhelming and took some time to adjust to. The culture shock was real. Luckily I was meeting up with my friend Ken (a Colorado buddy who loves hiking and mountaineering and has done a lot of world travel. He recently “retired” to Bangkok and has no short term plans to return to the U.S.). Ken spent the previous three months before my arrival in the Stans going between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan so I was relying on his local knowledge to ease my transition into the Central Asian lifestyle. It took a few days for me to get into the right headspace, but once I reached it, there was no turning back. I knew this was going to be one of my greatest adventures yet! The Kazakhstani people quickly showed their kind and hospitable nature squashing any previous fears and anxieties. They truly are some of the most friendly and inviting people I’ve ever met.

Almaty 

Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan and former capital until 1997 with a population of around 2.37 million. The city has a very modern feel and is the country’s main cultural, financial, and commercial center. It lies in southeastern Kazakhstan close to the border of Kyrgyzstan near the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains (a mountain range within the larger Tian Shan mountain system). The name Almaty is associated with apples as “alma” means “apple” in Kazakh. The wild ancestor of the modern domesticated apple is native to the Tian Shan mountains of Kazakhstan particularly around the region of Almaty.

I ended up spending 15 days in the Almaty area and eight nights in the city itself. Almaty served as our home base to rest and chill in between adventures. If not for all the hiking and other activities nearby the city, you could get the gist in 1-2 days. The first three days of my trip were spent getting over jet lag and slowly exploring the city. Then Ken and I left for our seven day backcountry trek 1.5 hours outside the city in the southwest part of Ile-Alatau National Park and returned to Almaty for two days of recovery. Next up was a two day tour to Kaindy Lake, Kolsai Lake, and Charyn Canyon before returning to Almaty for two final nights. On my last day, I ventured out of the city to hike to Big Almaty Lake to soak in the beautiful Kazakhstani scenery one last time.  

Getting In 

I was glad that I arrived at JFK two and half hours early for my flight because checking a bag and getting through security took forever. The first leg of my journey was an 11 hour flight that left JFK at 11:20am and got into Doha at 7:05am. The flight went by surprisingly fast. I watched a few movies, listened to music, and slept. Next thing you know we’re hitting the runway. The Doha airport is the cleanest, sleekest, most upscale airport I’ve ever been in. It’s got a giant indoor tropical garden, mall with high end shops, modern terminal design, and artsy statutes. 

It already felt like I was in a whole different world and I liked it. I had been so busy with my South American travels and time back in the U.S. with friends and family that this was the first time it truly hit me that I am entering a new part of the world that I am totally unfamiliar with. This part of the world has a completely different culture, customs, religions, history, and lifestyle. We all carry preconceived notions about the Middle East. However, seeing the everyday rhythm of life at the airport really put things into perspective: at the end of the day, everyone is just living their lives.

I had an 11 hour layover in Doha that I was dreading beforehand but it actually went by quickly. I was considering going into the city, but I was too tired when I landed, so instead I took a four hour nap on the fake turf in the garden. Then I passed the time by walking around the airport soaking in the sites and hanging out in the lounge. 

My next flight left Doha at 6:15pm and got into Almaty at 1:40am. It also went by fairly quickly. My buddy Ken had told me beforehand to download YandexGo (the Russian version of Uber that they use in the Stans) because the taxi drivers at the Almaty airport are known to totally rip you off and charge upwards of $100 for a 25 minute ride. I’m glad he gave me this tip as my ride cost less than $20. I arrived at the hostel around 2:30am on Thursday morning after having left JFK at 11:00am on Tuesday morning. 

I don’t think there’s many people that have gone from the Thousand Islands in New York to Almaty, Kazakhstan in less than a 72 hour time span. It was an incredibly long stretch of travel that I was glad to be done with. Now time to start battling the jet lag.

Lodging 

We stayed in the Five Seasons which definitely puts the Four Seasons to shame. The hostel was more of a compound. It had families that lived there full time as well private rooms and a 12 person male dorm room that was usually less than half full (one night it was just me and Ken) hosting a mix of short term travelers and Kyrgzstani taxi drivers needing a place to crash for a night. It wasn’t a luxurious place but the beds were actually pretty comfortable and for $6/night it served its purpose. I just wish they emptied the trash cans in the bathrooms more frequently. I ended up spending eight nights here over the course of 15 days; whenever we were in Almaty, this was home. They were very lax about us booking on a nightly basis rather than committing to a set timeframe. It also had free laundry. 

The Five Seasons clientele was not your normal European backpacker crowd; it was mostly from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and India. We still had some interesting conversations and sometimes the only way to communicate was by using Google Translate. Right when I got back from the two day tour to the various lakes and canyons, this young Kazakhstani guy started chatting with me (using translate) and after less than five minutes he gifted me a soccer jersey from his home town of Aktobe. It was one of many interactions where the local Kazakhs showed their friendliness and kindness. More to come on this in the backcountry trek stories. 

We also met an 18 year old Russian kid who was living on a shoestring budget and had hitchhiked all over Japan, China, and Turkey. 

Food

Kazakh food represents the country’s Central Asian nomadic heritage with cuisine that is very meat heavy – horse, mutton, and beef. Kazakhstan eats the second most horse meat by ton in the world behind only China (and most per person). It is generally considered a delicacy rather than everyday meat.

Beshbarmak is the national dish of Kazakhstan typically served on special occasions but also offered on many restaurant menus. It consists of boiled horse meat served over wide sheet noodles with onion broth. The name means “five fingers” referring to the traditional way of eating it by hand. 

The first time that I tried Beshbarmak, I decided to go full Kazakhstani and paired it with fermented camel milk (shubat). The camel milk had a very sour taste that wasn’t amazing but I got used to it over the course of drinking the carafe I ordered. Needless to say, I don’t need to try it again. 

I also tried horse in a variety of other forms including horse meat stir fry and dried horse meat which tasted like beef jerky. 

Lagman is hand pulled noodles with meat and vegetables associated with Central Asian Uyghur and Dungan communities. There are a number of variations to the meats and veggies that can be served with lagman and the first time I tried it there was also an egg on top.

There are a number of Turkish restaurants around Almaty including one right across from the Five Seasons that we went to a few times for doner kebabs. 

Other things I ate were samsa (baked pastry filled with meat and onions), manti (steamed dumpling filled with spiced meat), and plav (rice dish with meat, carrots, onions, and aromatic spices).

We also had one really authentic Kazakhstani meal at this place called Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

Cost of Living

Kazakhstan was not Bolivia cheap, but it was still pretty damn cheap. Meals cost between $6-12 so it was more expensive than menu del dia in Peru but much more cheaper than going out to eat in America. The YandexGo (their version of Uber) was super cheap with 20 minute rides in the city costing $3-4 and a 1.5 hour ride to our trek costing less than $20. Beers at restaurants and bars were $2-3. My multi day tour with two nights of lodging, meals, transportation, and multiple sightseeing attractions was $65. So overall I’d say things were very affordable. 

Wandering Around Town

28 Panfilov Guardsmen Park

On my first day in Almaty, I woke up around 12:30pm and forced myself to do some tourist activities to help fight the jet lag. Ken had to run some errands in the early afternoon so I was on my own. I took a Yandex to 28 Panfilov Guardsmen Park, a city park with multiple tourist attractions. My first stop was at the Ascension Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox Church made entirely from wood without metal nails, that has miraculously survived several major earthquakes. 

The architecture of the church is very unique to this part of the world and much different than the churches you see in South America and Europe. 

Then I continued walking around the park where there were Soviet style turrets and various war memorial structures. You could see the remnants of the impact the USSR had on Kazakhstan.

I made a stop inside the Museum of Musical Instruments which features Kazakh and other Central Asian folk instruments. There was a lot of dombras on display, a traditional long-necked plucked string instrument with two strings and a pear-shaped body. It is known as the national instrument of Kazakhs. 

There was also a number of cool drums and horned instruments. 

Green Bazaar 

After the park I continued to the Green Bazaar, the major market in the city that sells food, clothes, souvenirs, and just about anything else you can think of. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed from the culture shock and my jet lag so I only spent about 10 minutes at the market before deciding it was time to calm my nerves with a beer. I walked to a craft beer bar nearby where I met a lovely Irish couple, Darragh and Mary. We were the only people in the bar at 3pm and they invited me over to their table to chat. They were in their mid 40s and crazy world travelers who had been to over 150 countries; this was their third trip to Kazakhstan. We started exchanging travel stories and their love of Central Asia got me more excited about my future ahead. They had just come from China and were telling me how wildly futuristic it is there. Ken finished up his errands and met us at the bar joining in on beers and story time. The four of us were vibing and went out to dinner together where I got my first taste of horse meat ordering it in a stir fry. Having a good experience with fellow travelers always helps with getting back into the backpacker mindset.

My second trip to the Green Bazaar was after Ken and I got back from our seven day trek and I felt much more comfortable with the Kazakhstani lifestyle. We wandered through the horse meat aisle, bartered at the shops for a hat and some socks, and had lunch at one of the market restaurants where they combined meat, pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, French fries, and lentils on one plate. I found it funny that you could bit poorly aligned Colorado hats in the market. Maybe I should get one?

Forum Almaty

The Forum Almaty is a giant mall with five stories that was easy to get lost in. Malls are a dying concept in the United States, but not here, it was full of people. Seeing lots of teens walking around enjoying their independence reminded me of my youth loitering around Sarasota Square Mall. Nearly half of the Kazakh population is under 30 and it shows when you walk the streets and go out in public places. 

The mall had animal go karts that little kids were driving around; something my nieces and nephew would absolutely love. There is a huge grocery store inside the mall where we did our shopping for our seven day trek. They had these miniature shopping carts that I was wondering what the point was then I would see families walking around where the little kids were pushing the cart. Ahhh smart; make the kids feel helpful while also putting them to work. We ended up at the mall twice in the same day so I could buy a second portable battery to ensure my phone would last seven days. I had a surprisingly delicious burger from one of the food court restaurants. 

Bar Hopping

On my second night in Almaty, Ken and I had a few beers then went out bar hopping. Everyone I met was super friendly and hospitable. You could go up to anyone and start a conversation. They were curious why I was in Kazakhstan and what I liked about their country. People were very proud of their culture and they wanted us to enjoy our experience. They also love rap music. Most of the bars were playing early to mid 2000s rap and everyone knew all the words. I felt like I was back in college at the Boot in New Orleans. Kanye West was playing a concert the following night and multiple people asked if I that was why I was in Almaty. Hell no! We had a great time and met a lot of nice locals. Next thing you know it was 3:30 in the morning. 

South Park

My two day tour to the lakes and didn’t leave until 8pm, so that afternoon I went to a city park called South Park and setup my Brazilian conga to lie on and read. I needed to escape the Five Seasons and get some fresh air.