Flying to Shymkent

Above:  View soon after take-off from Almaty.

Leaving Almaty

The breakfast lady at the hostel was 20 mins late but fortunately it didn’t affect my plan to check-out at 0900 to head to the airport for my 1130 flight to Shymkent on SCAT Airlines.  I was surprised the ride only took 20 mins.

I was able to go airside with my mobile boarding pass and killed about an hour in a quiet place before moving closer to my boarding area.

The domestic terminal now utilises the airport which I had past through several times before (whereas international flights are in a new building next door). The layout appears rather disjointed with different gate tucked away in different places, connected with pokey hallways and stairwells.

From the terminal, I could see the snowy mountains that wowed me on my first visit here.  Boarding by airbridge for the B737-800 started about 45 mins before departure!  It was apparent that the embarkation area was connected to the international terminal to enable airlines to turnaround a domestic flight to an international or vice versa.

Even though boarding was announced as complete 25 mins before departure, I noticed a couple of stragglers joining.  We left 5 mins ahead of schedule for Shymkent.

From the runway I saw the skeleton of the partially-built but abandoned international airport.  The authorities had commenced building this across from the old airport which would be used for domestic only.  Air Astana protested as they use the same aircraft for international and domestic flights through the day it would be a logistical complication to have them towed across the runway periodically.  After seeking advice from international consultants, that building was abandoned.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t put too much thought into my seat selection and saw largely the dry arid plains.  On the other side lay beautiful mountains but the snow-capped level was partially obscured by big fluffy clouds (rather than one continuous layer).

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Arriving in Shymkent

We arrived on-time at 1240 and disembarked by stairs into a small building (a little more than a glorified shed) which served as the domestic terminal arrival.  The departure terminal seemed to be a more seriously designed building.

I ordered a car on Yandex but there was 15 min wait.  It appeared that cars couldn’t reach the building so I followed others to an open pick-up area and waited under the trees.

It was a scorching day which I later realised maxed out at 35 degC.  It was stifling in the old car without AC as we made our way in traffic to the Sapar Budget Hotel for my 2 night stay.  One thing that stood out were the wedding or function halls that lined the road from the airport.

With the crazy heat outside, I quickly got some water and yoghurt from across the road and settled into my lovely room.  Unfortunately, the room just didn’t seem to cool down.  Even after a cold shower, I felt warm.  After nearly an hour, I feel that I had given it sufficient time and went to reception to ask for a change.

I was given the room next door which cooled down nearly straight away.  But it came with bunk beds which limited the airflow and lighting a little.  It was certainly comfortable enough for me to remain inside for the afternoon till dinner time.

Sayram, or not?

I had investigated going to Sayram which has a collection of mausoleums and monuments within reach of an affordable Yandex ride, on the edge of town.

The various sites or sights appear to be scattered over different areas and it would be a killer to walk between them today.  With Google Maps, I looked at photos of these places and they seem to be less worthy than what I plan to visit in Turkistan tomorrow.  Decision made, cross Sayram off the list.

I was also dreading the 2-day excursion that I had arranged for the day after with hikes and horse-riding.  I messaged the man about the heat and he assured me that it would be cooler in the highlands.

While having dinner at the doner/lavash place across the road, I realised that there was a mall nearby called Mega Planet.  I headed over to check it out after dinner and bought some fruit, at a fraction of the price compared to the bazaar in Almaty.