Author archive
27 June 2024
Koshkar Ata Necropolis I’m in Aktau because I managed to get a cheap redemption ticket from here to Istanbul whereas flights from other Kazakh cities were pricey. It seemed interesting enough with the Koshkar Ata necropolis which I will visit today. The country, especially this “corner” is dotted with many similar places but most are […]
26 June 2024
I spent the morning indoors reinstating the bookings I had cancelled two days ago for my alternate scenario in case I cannot be hosted in Normandy later in the trip. I had been expecting to pay megabucks for (re)-booking so late but surprisingly, I saved EUR8 in total across 7 nights in three cities. Not […]
25 June 2024
Sightseeing fail I stayed in my room and made do with a breakfast of coffee, yoghurt and bread. As I had seen awesome salads at the nearby big supermarket, I wandered out at 1100 to get some for brunch. To my surprise, I had accomplished seeing a significant part of the new area during a […]
24 June 2024
Today I fly from Shymkent to Astana at a very pleasant time of 1130, meaning that could have a leisurely breakfast before ordering a car. I got to the airport at 1000 to find the counters already free of queues. The staff asked me to get a paper boarding pass even though I noticed people […]
23 June 2024
I woke after 0500 with the early sunrise, despite having drawn the curtains. I hadn’t been given a time for the pick-up for today’s hike. After breakfast, I waited and waited. Finally, after 0900, I messaged the driver Katya who told me it would around 0930. It was a 45 min drive to the Sayram […]
22 June 2024
Horse trek Today I start a two-day excursion to the foothills of mountains about 90 mins out of Shymkent. They day’s program is a horse trek along the Aksu Canyon in the Aksu Zhagbaly National Park. I was picked by Katya for the drive at 0815, a little later than planned. Surprisingly, she’s Muslim despite […]
21 June 2024
Getting to Turkistan I woke at 0515 having retired early and also due to the early sunrise. The hotel breakfast at 0700 was surprisingly good! They served a mix of Russian and Central Asian fare including blinis (pancakes), tomato, cucumber and cakes. Not so appealing were the cold chicken pieces and cold cuts. Today, my […]
20 June 2024
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 […]
19 June 2024
First things first I didn’t sleep deeply last night but had dozed from 2330 till 0700 this morning, which is fine for me. After a greasy included breakfast of three fried eggs and sides, I left the hostel in search of ATMs (or bankomats as they’re called in this part of the world). The first […]
18 June 2024
Leaving Seoul Today I fly from Seoul to Almaty, departing at 1805. I worked out that if I left the hotel at 1200, I would be just right to use the lounge for the maximum permitted 3h before the flight. But check-out at my accommodation was 1100. I ended up leaving at 1040 by metro […]