Philosophical Lecture

In the last year and a half, I have travelled across 5 different countries:

  • 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
  • 🇯🇵 Japan
  • 🇹🇭 Thailand
  • 🇨🇦 Canada
  • 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Traveling is worth spending money on. You land in a new country, the weather is different, you don’t have the local currency (yet, unless you brought it with you), you gotta figure out how to get to your hotel and you don’t speak the language.

If you can figure all this out and have the time of your life, isn’t this a tremendous return on investment?

The key lies in the why and the how of your travels. Are you seeking mere distraction, a collection of souvenirs and social media posts? Travel, in this sense, becomes a form of existential exploration. It is a confrontation with your own freedom, mortality, and capacity for wonder.

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. ~Confucius

In late December 2023, I visited Kazakhstan for 7 days (specifically, Almaty city) and this post is about my travel experience. If you’ve ever felt the urge to experience something new, raw, and undiscovered by most, this Central Asian gem delivers.

🇰🇿 Welcome to Almaty!

I landed in Almaty and it was -9°C outside. The city looked beautiful (and frozen in time) out of the airplane window.

The first roadblock is getting a Cab to our Airbnb near Arbat Street. Yandex Go works like Uber in Almaty, but Visa/Mastercard payments do not work because of sanctions on Russia (Yandex is a Russian firm). You must withdraw cash from the airport (Tenge is the official currency). I always buy an eSIM before hand so data was a non-issue. Did my best to do a Google translation for the driver (Kazakh/Russian is universal, English - nope).

It might be worth noting that Kazakhstan was the last standing state in the USSR until its dissolution in 1991. Bit of history there, so you’ll see old Soviet blocs and influence everywhere!

Upon reaching the Airbnb, I wanted to take it easy the first day. After some rest, I decided to head to Abay Avenue to visit one of the tour operators to get a ticket for a day tour to Charyn Canyon, Kolsai Lake, etc. The operator asked us to show up the next morning at 6 AM at some nearby address. In the evening, decided to eat at “Dodo’s Pizza” and take a stroll on Arbat Street later.

Charyn Canyon & Kolsai Lake

Charyn Canyon looked like a miniature Grand Canyon, with layers of red rock and snow-capped mountains. Despite the cold, the views were absolutely surreal. Kolsai Lake was frozen, but it was right out of a children’s storybook.

Our tour was a group tour on a bus with 10 other people. The tour guide in the bus was fluent in Russian - so no hablo English.

Was back in the city by the evening. Total distance travelled by bus: ~600 km.

No Agenda

Following the pattern of go hard one day at a time and taking it easy the next one, the following day, I explored Panfilov Park, home to the Zenkov Cathedral. One thing I have learned from my cab rides in Almaty is that people love to talk to you, are warm, quite funny and they love music! Especially Peggy Gou . Since this was Christmas time, there were DJ booths set up throughout the city. Below is a photo of one near Kazakh Technical University.

I wanted to head to a bar so I looked up events on Couchsurfing, went to a random one and met a fellow traveller from the Philippines.

Kok Tobe

Kok Tobe is a mini amusement park that has an amazing view of the city.

There are some great rides like “Fast Coaster” at the top along with a few restaurants. Took the gondola back into Almaty as the sun dipped and landed at another “celebration square” for Christmas events.

No plans, again

With no fixed plan the next day, I stumbled upon the Kazakhstan Museum of Folk Musical Instruments.

As I wandered near Republic Square, I discovered an English school for Kazakh students. I was invited inside the school and asked if I was free for an English lesson. I said yes, because why not. As the class began our instructor (a Kazakh who became a monk and stayed in India for 3 years at a monastery prior to coming back) taught us some basic English phrases and we played some fun games!

On a side note, I bought a vape lol 😭 It sucked.

Shymbulak

One of the most breathtaking days was spent at Shymbulak Ski Resort, a short ride from Almaty via the gondola from Medeu (which is the world’s highest ice-skating rink — and I’m the world’s highest ice skater 🥴). By the evening, there was a snowstorm at the top of the mountain so had to quickly scramble. I didn’t want to stay anyway as it was -30°C at the top.

Wind Down

On my last day I shopped at a local supermarket (Magnum) and bought some chocolate from Rakhat Chocolate Factory, and visited the First Presidential Park.

Departure was in the evening.

Final Thoughts and Departure

Kazakhstan surprised me in every possible way. If you’re considering paying a visit, I can highly recommend it — preferably in the summer because it opens up several possibilities like hiking to Big Almaty Lake and visiting Kaindy Lake.

Do svidaniya.