Time to travel

Our last day in the Stans. And it was to be filled with a full day tour of Almaty

First was a visit to the Shymbulak mountain resort. The bus took us 25km from Almaty to the Medeu Sports Complex where we we took a cable car to the resort. This cable ride had some amazing views of the snow covered hills. The 4.5km ride took 15 minutes so we had plenty of time to admire the scenery. We were then up 3,200 metres. This was just the start of the ski season but it was a winter wonderland. In 1983 Shymbulak became the Olympic ski training centre for the USSR and restaurants and hotels were built. These days it is a popular winter sport area.

At the start of the cable car ride

Up we go

Icy ground below

Arriving at Shymbulak Resort

The ski slopes

Coffee time

Our group at Shymbulak

Icicles

Said to belong a prominent politician

Guards for heavy snow

Back in town, and after lunch, we strolled through Panfilov Park, also known as the Twenty-Eight Guardsmen Park. Twenty-eight soldiers from the local area died while delaying the German advance into Moscow. There is an eternal flame to commemorate the fallen soldiers. Behind this is an enormous bronze monument showing soldiers from all 15 Soviet republics, united in defense. It is called Monument of Glory and is a powerful work of art.

We visited two buildings in Panfilov Park. The first was the Museum of Kazakh Folk Musical Instruments, housed in a wooden building from 1908. It is home to more than 1,000 examples of musical instruments but is also dedicated to the collection, preservation, research, and popularization of the musical heritage of the Kazakh people. The building was designed by a famous architect, A.P. Zenkov, who was also the the designer of the cathedral we saw next. The Acension (or Zenkov) Cathedral is the world’s tallest wooden Orthodox Christian temple and one of the world’s tallest wooden buildings. Zenkov designed the building to be earthquake proof. Built with spruce timber, it was successfully tested by the 1911 earthquake. It is a beautiful building. Quite ornate and, very colourful.

View from the TV tower hill

Palace of the Schoolchildren in Almaty

Entering Panfilov Park

Monument to Soldiers-Internationalists

Eternal Flame to commemorate fallen soldiers

Memorial of Glory

Museum of Kazakh Folk Musical Instruments

Ascension (or Zenkov) Cathedral

Back on the road, more rental bikes

Last was a visit to the bustling Green Bazaar. Here was clothing, fruit, deli items, all the usual items. We had had a wonderful time both in the Stans and with the members of our group. So a last night drink and dinner was perfect to celebrate the wonderful sights we had seen and the friendships we had made.

At the Bazaar

Celebrating last night of tour with the group

We arrived in Kazakhstan, our 5th Stan. It was only an hour or so trip to the border, but again a slow crossing. This crossing has not long opened but what a process it was. It was -2C degrees, and yet we were only able to walk through 5 at a time. Not an another traveller in sight. One passport check, next to the office to be stamped out of Kyrgyzstan. Then passport checked on the Kazakh side. Next to be processed into the country. Where we we were behind the couple with visa issues in the past and seemed to have to have a long check. Then suitcases opened and manually checked. On the ground. One last check and we were in. After putting our life in our hands walking on ice covered ground. It had not been cleared on the Kazakh side.

The icy road as we left our hotel in Karakol

Beautiful, but freezing

Now in Kazakhstan

New scenery

New guide. New driver. The scenery continued to be magnificent. Either snow covered or stunning red rock formations. We stopped to look at the Charyn River. Then further on and into the Charyn National Park. Here a walk through Charyn Gorge (or Canyon) was gorgeous in the late afternoon light. It was lovely to stretch our legs there.

Charyn River.

At a rest stop

Entrance to Charyn National Park

Starting the walk into Charyn Gorge

Back up all those steps

View from the look out

We arrived in Almaty at 6pm. Passed a lot of huge grand ‘Wedding Palaces. where receptions are held. Then to our hotel. Tomorrow we tour Almaty. Nearly time to head home. What a trip!

Waking in the yurt was cold, as the stove that had heated the space the night before was no longer burning. We dressed and headed to breakfast where warm tea awaited. The yurt camp is situated very close to Issy-Kul lake so in summers it would be a good spot for holidaying. Today not so much. It was Bob’s birthday so a good day for the first day of his 80th year. We left early to our first activity for the day - watching a demonstration of a hunting golden eagle.

Our yurt at the front in the morning. It got light around 7am

Yurt camp on Lake Issyk-kul

Birthday breakfast

Road outside the camp

Mountains in the distance

Driving by the lake

This must be holiday accom. Not like the coasts near us. Though maybe cheaper

More accommodation

In Kyrgyzstan hunting with an eagle has been happening for centuries. While it was once essential to the region’s nomadic lifestyle, these days the hunters make money by demonstrating their craft to tourists. In the past, hunters helped to feed and clothe villagers. The tradition was passed on through generations. Our man had an assistant who would have to be very fit to do his job, as he would run to the top of the hill nearby to hold the meat used in the demonstration.. We all got to hold the eagle and found it so much heavier than expected.

The eagle trainer

With our guide

With his hard working assistant

The group

We then walked in the nearby Canyon Skazka or Fairytale Canyon. This canyon has clay, rock and mineral formations that have been weathered by sun and wind to imaginative shapes in hues of red and gold. A beautiful walk.

Then into the Fairy Tale Canyon

Red clay and rock

View to the lake

Another area of natural beauty was the ’Seven Bulls’ Formation at Djety Oguz Gorge. This striking red sandstone cliff has been called so after a local legend, and the formation is the subject of many poems and paintings.

Houses near the lake

A short break

The landscape is so white

The seven bulls and Jeti Oguz Canyons

Fairytale village

We walked uphill to get a view of the surrounds

Others coming down

Icicles ready to drop

Lunch was in a very nice restaurant and Bob and another birthday person were surprised with a birthday cake. Always nice to share with a group.

Lunchtime

79th birthday cake

The snow lay thick in the area where we visited the Memorial Museum of Russian traveller and geographer NM Przhevalsky. The gardens around this aqua blue and white building were magical with their covering of snow.

Memorial Museum of NM Przhevalsky

But while the snow is pretty it has its more dangerous side. The footpaths were covered by snow and ice which was difficult to negotiate. I hated to think that after staying safe three weeks in these countries that one of us would fall and break a leg. So we very carefully continued on to two churches. The first a Dungan Mosque, built without a single nail. Twenty Chinese carvers were brought in to do the woodwork. We hadn’t heard of Dungan people before. The second was like a fairytale castle, the very pretty Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Karakol.

The Dungan Mosque

Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral

We had seen a lot that day so it was good to get to our hotel and let it all sink in.

Another day. Beautifully sunny, but chilly in the shade. This was the day we were all a bit concerned about. We were headed for Lake Issyk-kul, the second largest alpine lake in the world. It is a popular beach resort in Kyrgyzstan. It was hard to imagine while the weather was so chilly. We were to sleep in a yurt. Last time, in Turkmenistan, the weather was warm, and we were comfortable. This time temperatures were below zero. The guide assured us there would be heating in the yurt, so we were hopeful all would be well.

Stunning scenery

We regularly saw statues of horses or a man on a horse. Usually up high.

The village houses each have a green roof

Then onto snow covered country

A few Christmas trees there

Lonely little house

Some way along the journey the sun was hidden by clouds and we were once again in snow country. It was beautiful to look at, but the bus driver kept the speed of the bus low. We had a high pass to cross again (3030m) and near the top we saw a now familiar sight. A column of trucks stopped by the road. The driver and guide walked ahead to find out what was going on. They assumed it was road conditions. Cars were passing us, but no large vehicles. There seemed to be lots of discussion between drivers, but no movement. Meanwhile many cars passed us and eventually made a car park further on. It was a couple of hours before we were able to move on. We discovered a truck was partly off the road. But even though police came, there was no effort to have some traffic control and drivers took ridiculous risks trying to get through

Then, another row of stopped trucks

Enjoying the chilly air

Trucks coming from above us

Car after car

Column waiting to go uphill

Finally a snow plough of sorts. Also a gravel spreader

Back on the bus

One of the problems

All those behind us

Although we had all patiently waited from the road to open, it was good to be on the go again. There was still quite a bit of winding road to travel before we got back to lower ground. And a place where there was food and facilities...

Then further on a winter wonderland.

Gorgeous views

Rugged mountains

View from a servo where we got coffee

We had a delicious lunch in this yurt. A very fancy yurt.

Our tour is the last our company is doing here this year and it is obvious why. Winter is coming and all the holiday places are closing for the winter. After the holdup on the mountain pass we got to the accommodation for the night very late. The yurt camp looked a bit like a run-down caravan park. Pipes in the toilets were frozen to add to the fun. But our yurts were warm (ie when we went to bed). I slept quite well but many of our group did not. Lucky everything else on the trip has been so good. And the group are all very well-travelled so don’t fuss. Another experience to remember!

This will be our room for the night

The room where we had dinner was warmed by a fire in the middle of the room. We had vegetable soup with dill, salads and a noodle dish

Then to our yurt. Each yurt has a central stove which burns dung soaked in kerosene and some wood. The room slept 4 and was very cosy when we went to bed

Bob in bed on the last day he is 78

It was an interesting trip see Tash-Rabat, a 15th century caravanserai located on the old Great Silk Road. It took much longer to get there than expected as any of the higher altitude parts of the road had had a good snow fall and in some areas it was snowing. The sight of these fields and mountains with their white covering was fantastic!

Morning view from our hotel window

On the way to the Caravanserai

Before long visibility was low

Once again there were lots of horses, many sheep, and also cattle. On the way back we saw camels making their way down from a mountain. We were driving on the highway which leads to China, built in the Soviet era, but now part of the Belt and Road Project. There was a constant stream of trucks going each direction. Many were vehicle carriers, bringing electric cars from China, and also empty trucks going back.

Stork nests in the trees

Driving slowly

We pass a logistics centre for Chinese EVs not far from the Chinese border

Flood plain

We are lower now

The farmhouse near the caravanserai

Tash Rabat is not like other caravanserai we have seen eg in Turkey. Those were large walled compounds with a building inside for travellers and their animals. This stone building has a dome over the main area and rooms leading off a wide hallway. The stonework on the roof is so well done. It is wonderful the way it is set with mountains behind it and overlooking a large valley. Quite mesmerising, all those mountains. This was the first time we felt really cold. It was still, and sunny, but the air was freezing, understandable as the altitude here is 3,200m. So no picnic lunch, but we all happily ate lunch in the heated bus.

The caravanserai

It is quite large, has many rooms and a prison down under

The drive home had its dramatic moments, as the road was in places icy and slippery. According to the driver most of the trucks did not have winter tyres. We also found out what those piles of fine gravel beside the road were for. We had a big hold up when a truck lost traction and was in the middle of the road in front of us. Our driver and guide started shovelling gravel onto the road and under the bus. Some trucks couldn’t move for fear of losing control. It seems the trucks do not have the equipment for these weather conditions.

Men shovelling gravel on the road

Many trucks have stopped. Driver says they don’t have winter tyres so can’t get a grip on the road

This truck caused a big problem for us. In the middle of the road and couldn’t move. Our driver went to the side and lost traction

Our guide starts shovelling

Later our driver. Very few had shovels

Waiting as the red truck wants to go downwards but it started to slide

Finally on our way

Bringing in the cows. Hard work

Anyway, we got back to the hotel safely. Our driver got a big clap as he deserved it. Let’s see what tomorrow brings when we again sleep in a yurt, this time in weather different to that of a few weeks ago.