Almaty (pop 1.5 million)

Kazakhstan (18 million)

October 7, 2018

Clear and Cool

Dear Friends,

When I planned my trip to Kazakhstan, I never expected to be almost immobile after I arrived.  I should have checked the elevation of Almaty, my first stop. (700-900 m or 2300-3000 ft)

For two or three days I am quite dizzy and barely able to leave my hotel room except to eat lunch and dinner at a nearby restaurant and to buy a Kazakhstan SIM card at the local telephone company.

I do manage to visit the State Museum and to have dinner with my charming Facebook friend Sardana and her friend and their young daughters.

Taldykorgan

Almaty Region

Kazakhstan

October 8, 2018

Hello,

The visit to the Buddha Petroglyphs at Tamgaly-Tas is a long somewhat bumpy and sometimes gentle ride across the Steppe and then down into the gorge for a leisurely stroll along the riverbank.  The setting is peaceful and picturesque:  rugged cliffs to the left and the river on the right.  In the grasslands on the opposite shore, horses graze unperturbed and indifferent to our presence.

Legend has it that a caravan was moving to the river when an earthquake dislodged huge boulders that rolled into the water forming a river crossing.  The pilgrims took it as a blessing from the gods.

The Steppe

Southern Kazakhstan

October 12, 2018

Here's a "Pop Quiz."

A camel with one hump is known as a Dromedary camel.  (Camelus dromedarius found in Africa, Arabia and South Asia)

What is the correct name for the camel with two humps? (Found on the Steppe of Central Asia)

Prize for the first correct answer: 

One liter of verblyuzh'ye moloko. 

Saty Village Guest House

Kungey Alatau Mountain Range

Near the Border of Kyrgyzstan

Saty, Kazakhstan

October 13, 2018

Hello Fellow Travelers,

The trip from the Guest House to Kolsai Lake is an easy thirty-minute drive over a lovely paved road.

Kolsai Lake lies about 1700m above sea level (5577 ft).  It has an odd shape and the surrounding Kungey mountains provide a diversity of shadows and an attractive background.

Several young Kazakh visitors join me at the viewpoint above the lake.  The more adventurous and energetic travelers hike up from the lakeshore below.  (At 1700m - more than a mile high - I think I’ll just admire the view.)

Almaty Region

Kazakhstan

October 14, 2018

Hello,

On the way to Charyn Canyon, the final site on my South Kazakhstan tour, I make two additional stops.

Ali, a local man and my considerate guide and driver, pulls off the road to find two unmarked canyons that are not visible from the roadway..

Moon Canyon is the first unscheduled stop.  Black Canyon is next,  

The Three Canyons are the perfect finale for an extraordinary journey in South Kazakhstan.

Hotel Aigai Kum

Bashi Village

Altyn Emil National Park

Almaty Region

Republic of Kazakhstan

October 11, 2018                                 

                                         Nyet! and Da!

"Nyet!”

I refuse to drive the 50 kilometers (31miles) to the “Singing Sand Dunes.”    I anticipate the “road” will be uncomfortable, uneven and rough.  In addition to my back brace, I will need a dental mouth guard.

I am thinking, “How many sand dunes do I need to see?   I have already climbed the dunes in seven countries.  I don’t recall if any of them ‘sang’ or even ‘whistled.’   Regardless, enough is enough.”

“Ali,” I suggest to my driver, “Please take the afternoon off.”