(NB This is from a trip in April 2014 when Astana was the capital (now renamed Nur-Sultan) and UK passport holders required a visa.
Me: Late 30s, British female, travelling with boyfriend on a business trip (so hotels and trains booked through his work), wanted to visit somewhere new to me and, speaking no Russian, thought it would be a good experience to have Russian speakers travelling with us. I like a bit of adventure but, on a scale of beach holiday (1) to white water rafting along the Congo River (10), I would say I opt mainly for the 3 to 6 bracket, though would rather say I’m 8.
A special thank you:
I hope I have not written anything that offends any of the fantastic, friendly, fun, smiley and welcoming people I was fortunate enough to meet in Kazakhstan. If I have, it was not intended; as with anywhere I have ever been there are good and bad things to reflect on but I enjoyed Kazakhstan a lot and have very fond memories of my travels there. Thank you to Assel, Madina, Yulia, Nail, Nurzhan and various drivers for showing me what a great place Kazakhstan is and making me feel welcome.
Countries visited that I expected would be most similar:
Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania. Not as similar as I expected, maybe at least in part because Kazakhstan is Asian rather than European, despite the similarities due to former Soviet rule. On that basis, it is also unlike anywhere I’ve been in Asia, albeit only southeast Asia. My boyfriend has travelled extensively in Russia and said it felt familiar but that people were a lot more friendly in Kazakhstan than Russia as a general rule.
Kazakhstan expectations:
People not friendly, crumbling Soviet tower blocks, poor with pockets of wealth, wild and unspoilt landscape, cheap and stodgy food, not particularly safe, crazy driving, dusty and dreary.
Kazakhstan reality:
People generally lovely, welcoming and friendly, crumbling Soviet blocks (more two or three storey than higher, in city centres at least), lots of pretty pre-Soviet houses, lots and lots of super cars and super 4x4s (Almaty and Astana), old Soviet-era cars (Oskemen and Shymkent), pockets of wealth (Almaty and Astana in particular), expensive eating and drinking out (mix of European, Russian and Asian food), felt safe, crazy driving (particularly in Shymkent), dusty but colourful. Far exceeded expectations and I really enjoyed being there and meeting some lovely, warm, interesting and friendly people. Oh, and I didn’t hear a single native English speaker; what a novelty.
Wondering whether Kazakhstan might be for you?
I spent most of my time there in cities. Almaty and Astana are much easier for tourists than Shymkent and Oskemen but the latter two cities were made all the more interesting for me because they were real, working, untouristy cities. I particularly liked Oskemen, though in part because I was there with two lovely Kazakh women who really enhanced my experience. However, the industrial side of Oskemen fascinated me and most of my favourite photographs are from building details in Oskemen. However, each city had a very different feel.
Almaty felt like a capital city with a distinctive buzz and vibe; Astana is fascinating because it is so surreal and seeing a city emerging from steppe is an intriguing concept; Shymkent is busy, a little wild and very much an immersion into a foreign/unfamiliar culture; Oskemen makes you feel like you’ve stepped back into Soviet times to an extent, but also pre-Soviet times, with some lovely old buildings around. It is not a pretty city but it is a very interesting one, particularly if you find industrial cities interesting, which I do.
I would love to explore the countryside and smaller towns and villages to get a sense of old Kazakhstan. However, I think it would be difficult and frustrating without Russian (or Kazakh, of course) language skills. Also, I was told by a Kazakh that “fines” are expected at road side “check points” so I think driving around would be not without issues and stresses.
It is not an easy place to holiday in (where I went), maybe largely because it is not geared up for tourists. The cities are not beautiful, not cheap (Astana and Almaty are noticeably more expensive than Oskemen and Shymkent though) and not easy if you don’t speak/read Russian. It is also quite dirty and it can be unbearably hot or unbearably cold. I also don’t think it would be particularly easy to be a non-Russian speaker and vegetarian or have food allergies.
However, I very much appreciated that it felt different to anywhere I’d been, I felt safe (which I hadn’t really expected), people were friendly and I had so many unusual (for me) experiences that I felt like I’d been on a bit of an expedition. I also reiterate that it was a huge novelty to be somewhere and not hear any other native English speakers.
Would I recommend Kazakhstan as a holiday destination?
It would depend on what you wanted. For an easy and laid back holiday, no. To feel like you’re having adventures without risking your life, yes. To enjoy world class food, no (not that it was bad, it just doesn’t strike me as an obvious contender for the next big country-food fad, though I enjoyed some of the more traditional Kazakh food). Would I go again? Yes, but for a specific purpose (eg to visit someone living there or if an interesting opportunity arose). It has made me want to go to Uzbekistan and has very much increased my interest in rural Mongolia. I would also recommend to anyone thinking of going to read In Search of Kazakhstan by Christopher Robbins.
Three experiences to try to sum up my feelings about Kazakhstan.
1 All is not as it seems
PHOTO Breakfast area in the reception of Hotel Orda
Hotel Orda, Shymkent. Our room had a super king size bed (but with a double duvet and not much more reliable or comfortable support than a hammock), a TV (enormous and of museum vintage), a window onto a courtyard (but who needs fresh air to conceal previous years of smoking in the room when there is an automated air freshener pumping out chemical “freshness”), pictures on the wall (at jaunty angles and of places that neither the room nor Kazakhstan are reminiscent of), a nice big radiator (which was on and not turn-off-able despite it being very hot outside and inside), an en suite shower room (the toilet was essentially under the hotel staircase so my boyfriend couldn’t stand upright to use the loo, the stand-up shower was extremely old and when it was on “cold” the water sprayed out the door and when it was on “hot”, there were approximately ten dribbles of water), a wardrobe (of cardboard cut-out strength that swayed precariously at the slightest touch), plenty of lights (the bulbs of approximately four of which flashed and flickered constantly when the lights were switched OFF) , a front door with key (with a gap round the door through which you could see into the hallway and the door rattled furiously when it got a bit windy, the window being open throughout the night to cool the otherwise stifling room) and the dining room for breakfast had waitress service (one of the least friendly staff encountered, but apologies to her as I don’t think she spoke English and we couldn’t speak Russian or Kazakh) and a menu in English (some of which was never available and some of which wasn’t entirely accurate, eg “scrambled eggs” being fried and “omelette” being scrambled egg).
2 Helpful and considerate people
PHOTO Yes, that says “Arasan”!
I felt a bit apprehensive going to Arasan in Almaty, my first ever Russian banya (bath house), on my own so I had looked online and got an idea of what to do and I had also gone to Arasan the day before to scope it out. There was an English-speaking member of staff on hand and he was very helpful. Once inside the changing area, I hurried to get changed to follow someone else but word of my non-Russian/Kazakh skills had spread and another English-speaking member of staff found me and she escorted me to the massage room. When I’d finished there, I went to the cleaning area (fine) and then to the steam rooms (fine). I then did the namby pamby thing of not wanting to get into the cold plunge/swimming pool, getting cold water half way up my calves then looking really pathetic. I finally submerged myself, uttered the odd exclamation of cold-shock, swam around and got out. A member of staff then spoke to me in Russian. I had no idea what she was saying but it seemed that I should have worn something over my hair. Then a non-English speaking member of staff showed me some other steam rooms and pointed at things to do and good places to sit. That was very sweet. I then decided to go back to the cold pool to see if I could wrap my large towel around my head. There were three women in or next to the pool. In the meantime, one of the staff members had put a kind of hat to wear next to the pool and that was pointed out to me. Then one of the women by the pool came up to me, spoke to me in English and explained about needing to wear a head cover in the pool and that the hat by the side had been left for me.
It may seem like a small thing but the subtlety of the thoughtfulness of so many Kazakh people I encountered really struck me and leaves me thinking about the people I met with a smile and a feeling of having been welcomed and treated with kindness.
3 Traditional
At around 6.30 am on an overnight train from Shymkent to Almaty, I left our cabin and walked along the empty corridor of our carriage. The sun was slowly rising into the blue sky and the snow-covered mountains across the steppe were slowly absorbing the colours of the beautiful morning light. I took my mug and my tea bag to the samovar at the end of the carriage and made my morning tea and stood looking out the window. There were no buildings in sight, just steppe, the snow-covered mountains beyond and the odd small tree near the railway line. I saw a widely dispersed herd of cattle grazing peacefully and a man astride a horse, which was walking slowly alongside the cattle. There were birds flying overhead, and I would love to say with certainty they were eagles but I don’t know what they were.
That simple scene was a couple of hours out of Almaty (from Shymkent), and there it was, a moment, a scene, that encapsulated to me the beauty of tradition, history and how life can go on in a timeless manner and a reminder that we don’t need technology for everything or all the time. I had my camera with me but that was a snapshot solely for my memory and one which, a few years from now, will probably be changed so that the birds were definitely eagles. But it’s my memory and I can make sure they’re eagles if I want to. The photo next to this text is from the same stretch of scenery, a few hours toward Almaty.
Our itinerary
Places visited: Almaty; Astana; Oskemen (*Ust-Kamenogorsk) ; Shymkent (*Chymkent)
(*Same city’s name in Russian)
Dates: 18th – 28th April 2014
Itinerary:
Almaty, Astana, Oskemen and Shymkent.
17th-18th April
Flight BA0158 LHR (London Heathrow) – ALA (Almaty) 20.05 – 08.20
Air BnB, Kabanbai Batyr, Almaty (two nights)
PHOTO Poor quality photo of Astana from the air
20th April
Flight KC851 ALA (Almaty) – TSE (Astana) 08.45 – 10.30
Hotel San Marino, Tashenova, right bank, Astana (two nights)
22nd April
Flight KC345 TSE (Astana) – UKK (Oskemen) 09.15 – 10.45
Shiny River Hotel, Astana Street, Oskemen (one night)
23rd April
PHOTO Shortly after take off from Oskemen to Almaty
Flight KC302 UKK (Oskemen) – ALA (Almaty) 15.10 – 16.50
Almaty Golden Palace, Baytursynov Street, Almaty
PHOTO Boarding the overnight train from Almaty to Shymkent
24th – 25th April
Overnight train #11 Almaty – Shymkent 17.04 – 07.34
Hotel Orda, Baytursynov Street, Shymkent
PHOTO From the train between Shymkent and Almaty
26th – 27th April
Overnight train Shymkent – Almaty 18.55 – 08.33
Air BnB, Kabanbai Batyr, Almaty (as before, one night)
28th April
Flight BA 158 ALA (Almaty) – LHR (London Heathrow) 10.10 – 13.15