Articles from this Category
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 […]
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 […]
27 October 2017
Breakfast at the hotel’s buffet was pretty good but not as good as the Kazzhol. There were many Indian guests. I needed to convert my remaining Kyrgyz som into Kazakh tenge as a priority so I could work out the money situation before flying out tomorrow. I found a money changer nearby whose rate wasn’t […]
26 October 2017
Today I make my journey from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan back to Almaty, Kazakhstan. The guide suggests it is a 4h journey but it turned out to be a little hellish. With the late sunrise, I woke at 0700 and had breakfast around 0800 before heading to the station at 0900. With a short stop to check […]
25 October 2017
I had the day free in Bishkek to explore the city that doesn’t have much to offer touristically. I like days like these; I need them once in a while to do review photos, chill and do admin for things back home. After breakfast in the adjoining cafeteria I walked to the bus station to […]