Itchy Toes Adventures: kazakhstan

Showing posts with label kazakhstan. Show all posts

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Un-Borat-ing Kazakhstan! (Part 3): Almaty's Local Life and History

- December 17-18, 2025, Wednesday to Thursday.

- Central Asia appears so distant from the consciousness of many people. Apart from the region's complicated history and the various tribes and ethnic groups that are often nomadic, much of these countries were closed to outsiders for the longest time in the past decades. I'm glad that visitors now have the chance to learn more about Central Asia. Almaty alone has many historical sites that help one to do so.

- Early Wednesday morning, my family paid a visit to the Green Bazaar (Kok Bazaar; a few blocks from Zhibek Zholy metro station). The current market, although only built in 2017, has its roots as far back in the 1870s.; it has always been a place for selling the needs of people. Today, the market is split into two main areas: one for selling food (raw or processed), and another for dry goods and everyday things (like clothes, souvenirs, etc.)

Before leaving our hotel, we noticed the view from our window. Goodness, those are some majestic snow mountains!

Green Bazaar.

Dry goods area.

Food area. They sell a lot of dried fruits and pickles by the way!

- We later rode a Yandex car to the far far end of the city to visit the First President Park (near Orbita metro station). The park is recognizable for its big arch at the entrance. It opened in 2010.

On the way to the park. I mean....I cannot stop staring at these snowy mountains!

Entrance to the park.

It was difficult to take a photo of the whole arch because it was quite long.

- Kazakhstan's first president was Nursultan Nazarbayev for five terms (1991 to 2019); the country's current president, Kassy-Jomart Tokayev, is the second president. He was able to help stabilize Kazakhstan after the country's independence as a result of the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite that, he also had many controversies that led to his resignation.

First president.

A red squirrel!!

Observation deck.

The arch from inside the park.

- After a stroll in the park, we rode a car back to the city center, to the Independence Monument and the Republic Square; they're right across each other (close to Abay metro station). The Independence Monument was built in 2006 in honor of the country's independence in 1991. The Republic Square, which was being renovated when I went, has been a major public venue in Almaty since 1980.

Independence Monument.

Republic Square (under renovation.)

Oak of Independence, at the square. It doesn't have its leaves because it was winter.

- A short walk from the square is the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan. Originally established in 1931 and located at the Ascencion Cathedral, it moved to its current location in 1985. The museum has an extensive collection on Kazakh history and culture. It also had a special exhibition on Kazakh gold, but photography was not allowed in that room.

Main hall.

Different Kazakh traditional and combat wear.

Daily life of early Kazakhs. Yes, that's a yurt in the middle.

I always forget how spacious a yurt can be.

Museum facade.

- One of Almaty's top destinations is just a short walk or ride from the museum. Abai Square is another public square, and is best known for the city's access point to the Kok Tobe Hill through its cable car station. The Kok Tobe Park sits atop the hill, and is a recreational area. Parts of it were closed because it was winter, and the thick fog made the whole place a lot eerier. But there were many visitors, so being there did not scare me at all. There are also some souvenir stores in the park.

Statue of Abai Qunanbaiuly at Abai Square (and yes it was named after him.) He was a Kazakh writer who contributed greatly to Kazakh literature.

Kok Tobe cable car station at Abai Square.

On top of the hill. Literally nothing to see (because of the fog), but there are lots to do especially during the warmer months.

Proof of life.

The Beatles statue, placed in 2007, is said to be the first monument with all Beatles members present.

Early evening.

- That evening we decided to try Kazakhstan's McDonald's, named "I'm". "I'm" is the rebranded version of McDonald's in Kazakhstan after the country was not allowed to operate in relation to the conflict in Russia; Kazakhstan's McDonald's operations were connected to Russia's, to put simply. The food and feel of the restaurant do resemble what one would expect in a McDonald's.

The nearest McDonald's....I mean, I'm, from the hotel.

Totally not McDonald's.

Well the fried shrimp was great!

- I spent the rest of the evening at Arbat Shopping Street to look for pants that resemble the pair that got damaged when I tripped and fell the day prior. Fortunately there was, and it was the last pair, and on sale for 50%! A total win I'd say.

- I felt more immersed in Almaty after going around this day because I was able to walk around the city more and just take in everything - snow, fog, and all. Almaty really is a relatively modern city and so there are some comforts going around it. Speaking of which, the following morning, I decided to do a mini metro station tour. Metro stations in the former Soviet nations (same as in Uzbekistan or Russia) are works of art, so I knew I had to visit some before leaving Kazakhstan. Each station has a theme, and some stations appear more elaborately decorated than others.

Auezov Theater Station, named after Mukhtar Auezov. He was a Kazakh writer, playwright, and language specialist.

The mosaic depicts the story of Enlik and Kebek. This poem was turned into a play by Auezov, and was his first play.

Close up of the mosaic.

At Zhibek Zholy Station, the station closest to my hotel. "Zhibek Zholy" means "Silk Road". Unsurprisingly, the motif of the station is based on the Silk Road.

Loooong escalator from the platform to the concourse area.

This mosaic at the concourse depicts landmarks of countries that were part of the ancient Silk Road.

- I later dropped by Panfilov Park to visit the memorial to the 28 guardsmen of General Ivan Panfilov who sacrificed their lives during World War II. There is also an eternal flame in front of the memorial monument.

A lot of snow at Panfilov Park.

A snowy photo with the church. It didn't snow too much the other day.

28 Guardsmen Memmorial.

With the eternal flame.

- One of the museums located across the park is the Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments. It was built, in Russian style, alongside the Ascension Cathedral in 1908. It is a small museum but the collection has a variety of local and international folk musical instruments.

Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instrments.

Local instruments.

Zither/harp-type local Kazakh instruments.

Instruments from India.

- I had to quickly go back to the hotel so we could head off to the airport for our next Central Asian destination. While it was a short visit to Almaty. I felt I was able to see the city enough, since most places to see were close to each other. However I know that Kazakhstan, being the largest country in Central Asia and the 9th largest in the world, is more than just Almaty!

** Check out my other adventures in Central Asia and Malaysia here!

KAZAKHSTAN

Part 1: Ascension Cathedral, Shymbulak, Souvenir Shopping - here

Part 2: Charyn Canyon, Kaindy Lake, Kolsay Lake - here

KYRGYZSTAN

Part 1: Ala-Too Square and Museum, Souvenir Shopping - here

Part 2: Issyk-Kul, Konorchek Canyon, Burana Tower - here

TAJIKISTAN

Part 1: Iskanderkul Lake, Souvenir Shopping - here

Part 2: Hisor Fortress and Dushanbe City Tour - here

UZBEKISTAN

Part 1: Tashkent - Amir Timur Square, Broadway - here

Part 2: Samarkand - Gur-e Amir, Souvenir Shopping - here

Part 3: Samarkand - Registan, Bibi Khanym Mosque, Shah-i-Zinda, Hazrat Khizr Mosque - here

Part 4: Samarkand - Ulugh Beg Observatory, Afrasiyab Archaeological Museum, Ishratxona - here

Part 5: Bukhara - Lyab-i Hauz and Surroundings - here

Part 6: Bukhara - Ark of Bukhara, Bolo Hauz Mosque, Chor Minor, Po-i Kalyan - here

Part 7: Tashkent - Museums, Besh Qozon, Khast Imam Complex, Metro Stations - here

MALAYSIA

Part 1: MICHELLE YEOH!, Petronas, Little India, Chinatown, Kwai Chai Hong, Jamek Mosque, Pasar Seni - here

Part 2: Batu Caves, Putrajaya, KL Tower - here

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Un-Borat-ing Kazakhstan! (Part 2): Kazakhstan's Canyons and Lakes

- December, 16, 2025, Tuesday.

- Central Asia is known for its nature, alongside its history and culture. Even though I'm not super into ecotourism, I knew I had to see some of its many mountains, lakes, and canyons.

- Through GetYourGuide, I was able to book a joiner tour for a day trip to some of Kazakhstan's natural wonders. Specifically, the tour covers three main places: Charyn Canyon, Kaindy Lake, and Kolsai Lake.

- I started the day "wrong" because I tripped on some invisible ice, slipped, and slide on the pavement after arriving at the meeting point at 4:30AM. The snow quality was the kind I disliked: partially melted, and can turn invisible after melting then refreezing. But anyway, I didn't let that stop me from enjoying my day. Our call time was extremely early because it takes around a 2-3-hour drive from the city to visit these places, close to the border of Kazakhstan and China.

- Charyn Canyon, our first stop, was formed through millions of years of weathering by wind and water. Its long corridors served as occasional pathways for various nomadic tribes passing through the area.

Charyn Canyon.

It's like a mini Grand Canyon. By the way, this corridor is known as the "Valley of Castles", because the tall rocks look like castles.

- What I like about the canyon is that there is a particular area where tourists can safely walk in the middle of towering rock formations. The actual canyon is really long! There is a proper tourist center too, with proper bathrooms.

Alien-like.

Above the Valley of Castles.

Velvet.

A short drive from the main Valley of Castles, is the Karaoy Gorge, also known as the "Black Canyon". It's named as such because of the darker rocks in this section.

- Our next stop was Kaindy Lake. Named after the trees in the region, the lake looks unusual because of the trees rising from the middle of the lake. In truth, the lake was just formed after an earthquake in 1911 cause a flood that turned into the lake we see today. It was frozen when we went, so the lake was all white, but it has a distinct blue-green hue during the warmer months. It still looks fascinating frozen though!

This view reminds me of the flag of Kazakhstan.

Going to the lake, one can walk, take a cab (but it wasn't available that day due to snow), or ride a horse. Of course we do it the Kazakh way: on a horse!!

See the frozen lake?

I could only imagine how it looks in the summer!

Rode the same horse back to the parking lot where our tour van was. Now I remembered to wear my traditional Kazakh hat!

Cannot get enough of this view!

- Our tour group later had a simple but filling traditional Kazakh lunch, and the restaurant was conveniently located right outside Kolsay Lake. Like Kaindy Lake, Kolsay Lake was also formed from the same earthquake that took place a century ago. It also lies in the middle of the Tian Shan mountain ranges, giving the scenery some drama.

Kolsay Lake.

It looks unbelievable. Like a painting in front of you.

Oh and I also had another photoshoot with an eagle there. I figured they take better photos here.

The eagle was probably a bit tired from opening its wings for tourists the whole day.

- It took us several hours to get back to the city. My butt was tired, and my knee was still a bit sore from my fall that morning. But now, I had a greater appreciation for Kazakhstan's natural wonders, and I appreciate how the country is trying its best to preserve them well!