Freezing for 10 days in Kazhakstan!
To close out 2023, I decided to visit Kazhakstan, the
largest land-locked country (and the ninth largest country) in the world,
slightly smaller than India. It's population is around 19 million, about twice
the population of my Hyderabad city (11 million). There are hardly 6 people/
square km of area.
Kazhakstan has a very ancient history and relationship with
India. The Steppe of Kazhakstan is the origin of the Indo-Iranian peoples
(known as the Androvo culture) and Indo-Iranian languages. The Shaka kings
(Scythians) came from Kazhakstan. The Indian National Calendar based on King
Shalivahana of the Satavahana dynasty is a Saka calendar. Shakyamuni (Buddha)
is the sage of the Shakas and archaeological petroglyphs in Kazhakstan depict
the Buddha, sun-god, and various other gods riding on horses.
I started my trip from Almaty on December 22. The round trip
from Delhi was about $250 - a litte expensive because it was the holiday
season.
A statue of Lenin dominates the entrance to Kok Tobe. The
longest street (perhaps 10 km) has since been renamed after the fall of Soviet
Russia and the breakaway of Kazhakstan in 1991 to Dostyk (“Friendship”) Avenue.
The old symbols of an Iron Curtain state still exist.
The people of Kazhakstan are very friendly. About 140
different nationalities (ethinicities) exist, and the largest ones are Kazakh
and Russian. Uzbek, Ukrainian, Uyghur, German, and Tatar make up the bulk of
the remaining people. They don’t understand English however – they speak Kazakh
or Russian.
On my way to Kok Tobe ("Green Hill"), a mountain
in the city that is about 1100 meters high.
Me at Kok Tobe
At Kok Tobe
The motorcycle was real, but the girl seemed to guarding it.
A chance for a photo-op with a Kazakh Golden Eagle wearing a
costume dressed as a nomadic Khan
View from Koktobe
A young Kazakh girl who conversed with me in the bus. She
was studying in medical school and said every one in four students in her
school were Indian. I found out later that with the war in Ukraine, most of
them had chosen to shift to Kazhakstan.
In the evening, I flew out from Almaty to Shymkent. Ayaulym
who manages City Hostel where I stayed. In the background is his friend Arai.
City Hostel. This view is from the first floor looking down
My first good Kazakh meal - about $5. Beshbarmak is the
national dish, a combination of vegetables, potatos, horsemeat, lambmeat and
the broth at the side is the leftover from boiling the meat. A cup of green tea was complimentary.
The display window of a closed upmarket lingerie shop
established the tastes of Kazakh people.
The moment a pedestrian sets food on the road, the traffic
comes to a dead halt on both sides. That was the case even at crossings that
didn't have any traffic signals.
Bekzhan Bus Station from where you can get a shared taxi
(mashrukta) from Shymkent to Turkestan 160 km away for about $3.5
The grand mosque in Shymkent besides the bus station.
My first sight of the statue of horses in Turkestan.
And there are cyling tracks with publicly available cycles.
Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum.
Tomb of Rabia Sultan, a concubine/ wife of Sultan Ahmet II
of the Ottoman Empire.
Rabia Sultan's tomb.
I asked the way from a local person called Kudaibergen
Dimash (the famous Kazakh singer's namesake). Dimsh was Jeweller and Sculptor,
25 years old and walking home.
Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum.
Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum.
The bath house near the underground mosque.
Notice the small round balls being sold by the woman – they
are a special Kazakh food called Kurt. Kurt are dried, solid, very salty sour
cheese made from horse’s milk that can stay edible for years.
Turks – 27,833 deported
Karachays – 45,529 deported
Germans – 441,713 deported
Koreans – 20,530 deported
Kurds – 27,657 deported
The university close to the Mausoleum.
Farab Library
Arena - a shopping mall with Karavansaray, Sandyq and other
restaurants
The lake around the boat monument is frozen.
At Sandyq Restaurant in Arena, Turkestan. I saw the menu,
but was frazzled by the exorbitant rates for Kazakh cuisine, and made a silent,
polite exit.
Kazhakstan is an important part of the terrestrial Silk
Routes from China, and its cities were thriving centres in a large swathe of
inhospitable cold lands some of which went to -50 degrees Celsius. This winter
was (thankfully for tourists), a very hot winter, with temperatures as high as
-10 degrees Celsius and daytime temperatures touching 5 degrees Celsius.
Sunsets draw humanity to stop and take a pause
Turkestan International Airport at 6 in the morning on
December 24 from where I flew out to Astana.
Early in the morning of December 24 taken from the bus from
the Astana Airport to the city.
The public bus fare in Astana is only 90 Tenge from anywhere
to anywhere, less than 20 cents (~ Rs.15). The city was around 19 stops away
from the Airport.
Walking on my way to the hostel from the bus stop.
Bayterek Tower - the monument erected in the middle of
Astana, the capital city, in 1997.
Nur Astana Mosque
Northern Lights Towers.
You can see only 1.5 towers at the left of the pic while there are three of
them. The building is three curvy wavy neon light lit buildings which are meant
to represent the aurora borealis. . I was staying in one of these two
towers on the left on the 22nd floor and had a fabulous view of the city.
SEC Asia Park Mall
Inside Asia Park
Inside Asia Park
Astana Saad Hotel
Khan Shatyr, a tent shaped 5 storied shopping mall
Musings in my mind
Astana Opera from a distance, seen from Khan Shatyr
Lover's Park
The only lovers I found in Lover's Park on a cold winter's
day
Symbolic sculpture of horses
Northern Lights Towers. You can see only two towers while there are three of them. The building is three curvy wavy neon light lit buildings which are meant to represent the aurora borealis. I was staying in a hostel on the 22nd floor.
Walking along Nurzhol Boulevard
Walking along Nurzhol Boulevard
Walking along Nurzhol Boulevard
Walking along Nurzhol Boulevard
Abu Dhabi Tower, the tallest building in Astana in Dec 2023.
At the top of Baiterek Tower, my hand in the imprint left by
President Nazarbayev. Nazarbayev was sole authority from independence in 1991
till 2020.
At the top of Baiterek Tower
At the top of Baiterek Tower
At the top of Baiterek Tower
Astana Expo (the exhibition happened in 2017). The
earth-shaped 5 storeyed dome has an exhibition that was themed on Future Energy
for the world. It also has space, wind and solar energy on various floors.
Nursultan Mosque in Astana, the largest one in Central Asia,
that can accomodate 200,000 pilgrims at a time.
Inside Nursultan Mosque
Inside Nursultan Mosque
Preparing for Christmas Day
in Astana. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay till Christmas Day in Astana,
that obviously by the Orthodox Church happens every January 7.
Merry Chrismas ahead of Christmas on December 25, or January
7, depending on how orthodox you are!
Mangilik Yel Triumphal Arch, on 20th year of independence
and achievements of Kazakh people.
Astana Ballet
Astana Ballet
Astana Ballet
"Nutcracker" performance at the Astana Ballet
"Nutcracker" performance at the Astana Ballet
The Soviet nuclear weapons programme conducted nuclear weapons tests at Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site from 1949-1989 and permanently affected the lives of the people of the region. The nuclear test site was closed 27 years ago by the President’s decree.
The wall of peace is a testimonial to the victims of Soviet nuclearization, and the commitment of Kazhakstan to denuclearization.
Mutton Shorba. Uzbek style.
Nazerke (Naz) was a Chemical Engineer who was from Western
Kazhakstan. She was staying in the same hostel for a couple of days. She
briefly talked to me about life in
Kazhakstan.
Kazhak Beer!
Palace of Peace and Reconciliation
Palace of Peace and Reconciliation
Palace of Peace and Reconciliation
The top floor of Palace of Peace and Reconciliation where conferences are held.
Palace of Peace and Reconciliation Conference room at the
top.
Hazret Sultan Mosque
Young Kazakh girls in the bus.
Young Kazakh girls in the bus.
Assumption Cathedral, Astana.
The Russian Orthodox Church believes that Mary, being a
Virgin (not touched by any man), and moreover being the Mother of Jesus Christ,
was carried bodily to Heaven after her death.
To commemorate this Assumption of Mary to Heaven, there is a
Feast day. The Assumption Cathedrals across Moscow, Kyiv, Bangkok, Astana, etc. commemorate this feast
day.
Inside the Assumption Cathedral, Astana.
Inside the Assumption Cathedral, Astana.
Nursultan Nazarbayev Airport, Astana on my way to Astana,
December 26.
A side view of Zenkov Cathedral, Almaty. This building
withstood the worst earthquakes because the foundations had been sandbagged.
Zenkov Cathedral, Almaty.
Inside Zenkov Cathedral, Almaty
Inside Zenkov Cathedral, Almaty
Almaty Museum of Art History
At Almaty Museum of Art History
A petroglyph of a Sun-God riding a Bull.
A Saka Warrior's golden armor and helmet
A Kazakh on a horse with the golden eagle on his shoulder
A yurt, which can be set up in a few hours by nomadic women,
used across Central Asian nomads.
The yurt is portable, has supports and felts and fabric.
It is spacious enough to seat the host,
serve tea to guests in the middle, and has a small kitchen to the side.
Chain mail, breastplate and armor.
"The only one that leads to freedom
is national solidarity."
The Tagzym Memorial to the January 2022 unrest due to fuel price hike, and the subsequent protests in Republic Square. Government forces shot at least a hundred rounds and killed dozens of people here.
"We are all children of the same man, guys,
Look at each other!
Life is a five-day journey,
It takes you to the place where your father went."
At the Tagzym Memorial
"Even if death is approaching,
even if a sword pierces their soul...
Humanity will not give up hope!"
Independence Memorial at Republic Square.
Independence Memorial at Republic Square. The yound represent our hope for the future.
The Central Archive of Documents and Audio Records of the
Republic of Kazhakstan - an old Soviet Era building from the Cold War era. The
gray face of the building itself has a sense of foreboding. The building seems
to extend forever, vanishing into a point.
It contains hundreds of thousands of photographs, and
audio recordings from across the Soviet Union, of whatever the USSR thought
could be anti-revolutionary or reactionary.
On either side of the six lane roads, there are the bus
stops and bays for it. Beside the bustop, there is a cycling track. Beside
that, there is the footpath. It is in short, a complete "highway
system", properly planned and marked out, with zebra crossings, pedestrian
stop-to-walk automation, overhead electric lines for trams, underpasses and
overpasses, that makes it a real pleasure to travel by public transport, walk,
cycle or drive.
Academy of Science
Monument to A.S. Pushkin, Russian playwright and novelist,
who wrote the 'Ode to Liberty'.
Monument to Taras Shevchenko, poet and writer, artist and
activist. He wrote in Russian and
Ukrainian, and is the National Poet of Ukraine
The Green Bazar, Almaty, a farmer's market, offers fruits
and vegetables at wholesale prices
The Green Bazar, Almaty, a farmer's market, offers fruits
and vegetables at wholesale prices
Almaty Central Mosque
Enroute Shymbaluk Ski Resort - about 20 bus stops and 45 min away from
the city. The cable cars stop at three stations on the way and then return back
to the bus stop.
Shymbaluk Talgar Pass at 3200 meters altitude
The sun behind a mountain at Shymbaluk raised an unearthly
rainbow halo.
A cable car station enroute the 3-stop ride to Shymbaluk ski
resort.
Hotel Chaihana (Teahouse) Navat, one of the best places for Kazhak food
Chaihana Navat also provided these delicious piping hot national
bread rolls called Boursak complimentary
with the meal.
I also had a glass of Shalap, fermented horse milk, salty
and reminscent of buttermilk.
Friendship
STAR Hostel, where I stayed in Almaty for about $5 a night
(Rs.500)
STAR Hostel, where I stayed in Almaty for about $5 a night
(Rs.500)
STAR Hostel, where I stayed in Almaty for about $5 a night
(Rs.500)
Tour to Black Canyon
Black Canyon
Black Canyon
Black Canyon
Wild horses on the way. sorry for the hazy out of focus pic
taken from the frozen window of a moving bus. This pic is an important memory
because I saw hundreds of wild horses on the Steppe, roaming through the ice
and snow.
On the way to Kaindy Lake
On the way to Kaindy Lake
Tima, our guide on December 28 to the Black Canyon, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes. He couldn't speak English, but managed through Whatsapp, that became impossible when we were out of mobile coverage! He still managed through some of the other tourists who knew some.
Kaindy Lake. It was formed about a century ago by an earthquake. The lake contains trunks of submerged Asian spruce trees that rise above the surface of the lake. The area is often referred to as a "sunken forest". The cold water helps preserve the tree trunks, which are overgrown with algae and various other water plants.
Kaindy Lake
Paniflov's 28 Guardsmen were a group of 28 soldiers under
Major General Paniflov. The Germans attacked Moscow under Operation Barbarossa.
Paniflov had to defend a crucial crossroads to Moscow. They consisted of
several ethinicities, who swore not to let a single German tank enter Moscow
during WWII. They finally died in the defence of Moscow, but not before they
destroyed several tanks with Molotov cocktails.
Winter in Paniflov Park, Almaty
The Museum of Musical Instruments.
The Museum of Musical Instruments. These clay trumpet instruments are very similar to Ocarinas. It reminds me of similar clay musical instruments that were found in ancient civilations across the world including India.
Kazakh girls at the museum of Musical Instruments.
The Circus at Almaty with an acrobat's statue in front.
A Persian leopard, the unofficial national animal of
Kazhakstan, seems to be jumping through a ring of fire. Both the leopard and
fire are however, frozen in time and snow because of Almaty's winter!
An acrobat's statue near the Circus building in Almaty
Weeping Willows in Winter
Kasteev State Art Museum
Kasteev State Art Museum
Orphan Girl abandoned - Kasteev State Art Museum
Kasteev State Art Museum
Kasteev State Art Museum
I was struck by how some of the exhibits had specially
constructed plaster molds so visually challenged people could touch and feel
paintings. The art name and details are in braille on the right of the plaster
etching.
A shepherd and his flock of sheep on a mountain. An
outstanding work of art! - Kasteev State Art Museum
The horse again - the kazakh love of horses was truly
visible everywhere, including their art.
Arbat Street with some performers. Most of the Desis were
trying out their luck looking for a quick one in the famous nightclubs of Arbat
street. Prostitution is legal, but soliciting, aiding, renting out rooms and
otherwise abetting it is illegal. Combine those two with very high corruption,
and you have a potent pot-pourri of human trafficking.
Liquor is freely sold in supermarkets and entire sections
are devoted to it. It doesn't seem like there is any connection between Islam
and Alcohol, in a 70% Muslim country. In the International Duty Free shop at the Airpot on my
return however, I saw the aisles full with people sending live videos to their
friends asking for advice on what to buy, probably because their country has limited access to liquor.
Medeo Ice Skating Rink where several world records were set
Inside Medeo Ice Skating Rink, one of the largest in the
world.
Me at Medeo Ice Skating Rink gingerly skating on ice!
How do you say it with hands and face without speaking in
English, "I've taken your rental ice-skating shoes back...there is no
receipt. You can take my photo. Do you need anything else?"
A beautiful face of a young Kazakh passenger on the bus ride
back.
Museum of History of Alma Ata - this was closed because it
was cleaning day.
A Kazakh musician with her son.
A bus station near my Hostel. The street is lit up with lights to welcome Christmas on January 7.
Almaty Airport at night, December 31, 2023
An overhead view of Almaty at night from the Flyarystan
flight to Delhi on December 31. I went expecting nomadic and tourist villages and a quaint countryside with ice, snow and mountains. I returned with an awe of Kazhakstan, as a highly developed country, with nuclear power, science, technology and architecture, advanced infrastructure, and bustling cities to rival the best in the world.
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