Kyrgyzstan - Land of Kyrgyz

Statue of Manas and Kyrgyzstan flag in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan

Bordering with Kazakhstan, China, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country blessed with Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the capital and also the largest city in Kyrgyzstan. 

Issyk Kul Lake, Tian Shan mountain range and Kyrgyz flag reflections :)

It is also part of the Silk Road with Issyk Kul Lake as one of the stopover (a land route for traders, merchants, and other travelers from the far east to Europe) and was inhabited by succession tribes and clans, such as Turkic nomads, Mongol empire, Manchu-led Qing Dynasty of China, Dzungar Khanate, Russian empire, Soviet Union (USSR), and finally independent in August 31, 1991.

Beautiful nature of Kyrgyzstan :)

The word 'Kyrgyz' - in Turkic word means 'we are forty', which refers to the 40 clans of Manas, a legendary hero who united the forty regional clans into a single country back in 9th century. 

Ethnic Kyrgyz is the majority of its over 7 million population, followed by minorities of Russian, Uzbeks, Ukrainians, Germans, Tatars, Kazakhs, Dungans (Hui; Chinese Muslims), Uighurs, and Tajiks. Languages spoken are Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik, Uzbek, and Uyghur. 

Beautiful Dungan Mosque in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz people used to raise livestock and engaged in farming. But since late 20th century, the country had become a source of nonferrous metals. There has also an increase in gold mining activities, plus they are rich in coal and some petroleum and natural gas. 

Herding in Kyrgyzstan

Pasture in Kyrgyzstan

It is said now 50% of Kyrgyz population that lives in rural areas - primarily farmers - are growing rice and vegetables in the area (doing agriculture), and also raising dairy cattle to reduce poverty, improve their income inequality, increase food security, and also to generate employment

On our way after crossing Kazakh and Kyrgyz border :)

On our way after crossing Kazakh - Kyrgyz border, we passed by many nomadic herder going back home after grazing wild vegetation in the area. Usually riding horse and accompanied by dog, at least two persons managed their hundreds of cattle, sheep, and horse. It was such a beautiful scenery, at least for me, who lives most of my life in city. And I still miss to watch them walking on the road in front of us :)

Lush pines, greeneries, horses, living in harmony - Kyrgyzstan

The country landscape is amazingly beautiful!!! Mountain ranges, lakes, valleys, rivers, deserts and plains offer beautiful natures wherever you go. Their famous tourist destinations include Karkara Gorge, Djetty Oguz Gorge (7 red stones formation "Broken Heart" and "Seven Bulls"), Barskoon Gorge with its cascading waterfalls, Skazka Canyon also known as "Fairy Tale" consisting of limestone clusters, bulging sandstone from the colorful soil, and so on. 

Will cover them more on my next blog post. Keep on reading and following my blog :)

Beauty of Kazakhstan - Kolsay Lake

Kolsay Lake, Kazakhstan

This was the last nature we visited in Kazakhstan before we moved to the Kazakh - Kyrgyz border in Kegen town. Kolsay Lakes National Park is located on the north slope of the Tian Shan Mountains, southeast Kazakhstan, also known as "Pearls of Tian Shan". 

Signboards at the entrance - Kolsay Lake, Kazakhstan

Beautiful Kolsay Lake in Kazakhstan

There was road to access to this area. From Saty Village, where we stayed the night before, it took us around 45 minutes ride to this place. 

Flowers found around the Kolsay Lake, Kazakhstan

Kolsay Lake, Kazakhstan

With snow capped mountain at the background, the lake was surrounded by lush pines and other mountain floras. I could not take my eyes from its beauty :)

Perfect weather to visit the Kolsay Lake, Kazakhstan

Visiting this place in September was a great choice, especially when the sun was out, complimenting well the cold weather.

Me with the beautiful background and clear water at the Kolsay Lake, Kazakhstan

We visited the lower Kolsay Lake, a natural mountain reservoir, which was formed by landslides that blocked the Kolsay River. The trees at the surrounding were so beautiful. The water color was clear, consisting mixtures of greenish and bluish. There was a hiking trail too starting from there, but we did not cover that. We were just walking around and enjoying the beautiful view. 

Hope you enjoy the photos and the scenery too from your mobile, laptop or desktop screen, wherever you are around the world :)

Beauty of Kazakhstan - Lake Kaindy

Beautiful nature of Kazakhstan

Here is another beauty of Kazakhstan that I wanted to share - Lake Kaindy - which means 'birch tree lake', located in south Kazakhstan, within the Kolsay Lakes National Park.  It took us 1 hour plus from Charyn Canyon to Saty Village. We could see the beautiful snow-capped mountains on our way there. Also village life with cows, horses, yurts, and so on.

Beautiful Village Life in Kazakhstan

"The lake was formed as the result of a major limestone landslide triggered by the 1911 Kebin earthquake forming a natural dam. It blocked the gorge and was filled by mountain river water. Lake Kaindy is about 400 meters long, reaching depths of nearly 30 meters at its deepest point. Altered by limestone deposits, the water maintains a bluish-green color." (Source: wikipedia.org)

Beautiful Kazakhstan - Saty Village

We managed to reach the place before it turned dark. It was not a very easy journey. From there, we had to take another ride of a very old Russian jeep, and go through a severe bumpy road, and sometimes a deep water puddle. Our kind and caring driver was very skillful in both the driving and direction, even when the sky had turned dark. He kept us safe all through our journey.

Our caring driver focus on the road ahead - Journey to Lake Kaindy from Saty Village

My friend and I were sitting at the back of the vehicle. Little did I know that sitting at the back gave us the most bumpy situation compared with those who sat in front and in the middle. Our butts and heads were often bumping with the car seats and ceilings, but still, we had great fun. We had the fun that those sat in front and middle would never experience. Hahahahaha..... Even our guide told us that children loved most sitting at the back. And instead of complaining, they wanted more and did not wish the car to end the journey. But perhaps, I was a bit too old for that kind of fun :P

Changed to another jeep to Lake Kaindy 

Again, we stopped at one place. Here, we were given the choice to ride horse with additional cost or take the jeep. We were quite running out of time, so we were sticking our choice with taking a jeep. The driver, seemed to be Kazakh's army, was kind enough to drive us all the way until the nearest entry to the Lake, which otherwise he would stop us somewhere further and we had to walk on our own. And this time, I chose to sit in front seat. 

Lake Kaindy, Kazakhstan

"This lake had recently become a popular international tourist destination as someone posted it on TikTok and made it famous," as said by our guide.

Simply beautiful!!! Lake Kaindy, Kazakhstan

The Lake Kaindy was simply beautiful and I was mesmerized by it fully!!! The water was clear. The color was green bluish, plus the reflections were really beautiful!!! The mirror effects reflected the trees (some with yellowish leaves) that existed surrounding it.

Seized the memories - Lake Kaindy, Kazakhstan 

We spent our time there clicking our camera here and there, capturing beautiful moments and scenery.

Peace and serene - Lake Kaindy, Kazakhstan

What an experience. We finished when the sky had turned dark and the driver drove us back to where we began. It was such a lovely place!!! It was worth the bluish butt and the bumped head.... :D

Beauty of Kazakhstan - Charyn Canyon

Beautiful Charyn Canyon in Kazakhstan :)

After few days spent at the city centers, we finally visited some beautiful nature in Kazakhstan. First one was Charyn Canyon or Sharyn Canyon, located about 200 km away from Almaty, a beautiful canyon on the Charyn River, part of the State National Natural Park of Charyn. The canyon was formed by many formations colorful sedimentary rock and in many different shapes. It was just like a small version of the Grand Canyon.

Beginning part of Charyn Canyon National Park

Upon reaching the area, we entered into a visitor center, toilet, shop and small coffee place. There was also a restaurant (the only one) where we had our lunch. If you want, you could pay to play the archery there as well. Once ready, we had to go down through the staircases and from there we walked through the path in between the canyons.

Animal-looking rocks (in my imagination) :D - Charyn Canyon - Kazakhstan

Lovely flower and nice path to walk around - Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan

Share with you some of the beautiful shapes and colors plus white blue sky above us (we were very lucky with the weather there!!!)

Beautiful layers of rocks at Charyn Canyon - Kazakhstan

More photos - Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan

Wish-fulfilling stacked stones - Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan :)

Upon reaching the riverside, many wish-fulfilling stacked stones were seen. I did not want to miss this chance to stack one myself :) It was just simply beautiful and I loved it so much! :)

Old Russian jeep squeezing through the hole at Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan

We walked all the way until the Charyn riverside and opted to pay for the old Russian jeep ride back to where we started. Interesting picture the above where the jeep tried to squeeze its way through the canyon's triangle hole.

Charyn River - Kazakhstan

A cool place to chill after a walk and waiting place for the old Russian jeep to come.

View from inside the old Russian jeep - Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan 

Way back to where we started - Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan

We ended our walk back to where we started. It was a fun and nice experience to walk through the Charyn Canyon. A must visit place when you go to Kazakhstan. Will share you more the beauty of Kazakhstan in the next post. Hope you enjoy viewing the beautiful nature :)

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Breakfast buffet at Renion Hotel in Almaty, Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 

After 2 days of a very limited choice of breakfast buffet at Jelsomino Hotel in Astana, our 3rd day buffet felt like a feast!!! Upon looking at a wide variety of fruits on the buffet table, my eyes were sparkling right away as if looking at gold bars in front of me :D

I had a bit of constipation for the first few days of my travel as I did not drink enough water (in flight and during travelling) and did not eat enough fruits that were good and helping my suggestion system. 

That was why I was so happy looking at the breakfast spread and immediately filled my plate with variety of fruits, took a cup of yoghurt, and another plate of salad plus the aromatic Americano from the coffee machine. 

Later on I squeezed some parts of my stomach with two sunny-side up eggs, chicken samosa, and beef samosa :D

In our itinerary, we supposed to visit the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. However it was Tuesday and the museum was closed. Therefore, our cheerful and high spirit guide directed us to another museum, Almaty Museum, and briefed us the history of the city. 

Almaty Museum - Almaty, Kazakhstan

The name of the city, Almaty, used to be called Alma-ata, meaning 'father of apples' because apples grew wild in the Tian Shan mountain, and Almaty was the origin of these cultivated apple.

It is the largest city in Kazakhstan with a population more than 2 million people. It used to be the capital of Kazakhstan until year 1997, the government relocated its capital to Astana. Too many people living in Almaty while road was narrow, also air pollution and traffic jam was getting worse. Nevertheless, Almaty is still the most developed, most ethnically and culturally diverse city, as well as the major commercial, financial, and cultural center of Kazakhstan.

Republic Square of Almaty, Kazakhstan

Next, we visited the Republic Square, also known as the Independence Square or New Square with the former presidential palace, now used as  Almaty's city Mayor's office. Many national celebrations were held in this square. Below, they build underground shopping center back in 2007 and finished in 2012, currently under renovation again.

Ascension Zenkov Cathedral - Almaty, Kazakhstan

Museum of Musical Instruments, 28 Panfilov Guardsmen Park - Almaty, Kazakhstan

We moved to Ascension Zenkov Cathedral (a Russian Orthodox church, built entirely of wood, erected without a single nail) passing through the Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments (wooden building built in 1908, in old Russian architecture style, and filled with more than 1,000 instrument items inside); Panfilov Park of 28 Guardsmen (named after the Panfilov heroes who were the 28 soldiers of an Alma-Ata Infantry unit who allegedly died while defending Moscow from the German invasion during the World War 2 and the park used to be the old cemetery park), Memorial Complex World War 2 and the Eternal Flame.

Souvenir shops - Almaty Green Bazaar

Meat products, pickles, dairy products, honey - Almaty Green Bazaar

Dried fruits, spices, sweets - Almaty Green Bazaar

From there, we walked all the way to the Almaty Green Bazaar on Zenkov Street. We browsed through the souvenir shops, stationery stalls, clothing, various local food products such as: dried fruits, dried nuts, sweets, honey, spices, pickles, products from animals meat (kazy - horse meat sausage, kurdyuk - salted or smoked sheep butt lard), kimys and shubat (fermented horse and camel milk), as well as cream, cream cheese, yoghurt, kefir, kurt (dried cheese), and so on. 

Dried fruits and nuts tasting at the Almaty Green Bazaar

You cab try some of the products before buying or even without buying. Kazakh's local dried fruits products includes apricots, raisins, apples, cherries, and mulberries. These fruits are carefully selected, sun-dried, and packaged to preserve their natural flavors and nutritional value. Kazakhstan is also known for its premium quality nuts, such as: almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and hazelnuts. These nuts are harvested, shelled, and dried to ensure maximum freshness and taste. These types of dried products are very good gifts to bring back home as it is easy to store and carry inside your luggage.

Rakhat chocolate factory - Almaty, Kazakhstan

Located at about 5 minutes walk from the market, we stopped at the Lotte Rakhat JSC (Joint Stock Company) chocolate factory and confectionery store. The well-known one is the one with light blue cover - as shown at the above photo. If you take the Air Astana flight, they will give you the smaller piece during your flight as sample and national proud. 

Here, they also sell a wide variety of chocolate, sweets and biscuits, perfect for the sweet tooth person!! And also, a perfect gift to bring back home. Fyi, LOTTE Rakhat JSC is the only confectionary enterprise in Kazakhstan that has developed the production of special products for people with diabetes. This range includes several names of chocolate, sweets, cookies and wafers with lowered caloricity and sugar substitution for an equivalent natural raw material.

Almaty Central Mosque

We visited one of the largest mosques in Almaty and in Kazakhstan. It was designed to accommodate 7,000 worshippers, built on the site of the old Tatar mosque that dated to 1890 and caught fire in 1987. 

Kok Tobe Hill Gondola Cableway - Almaty, Kazakhstan

After having our late lunch, we headed to the Kok Tobe Hill by taking the cable car. "Kok Tobe" means "blue hill" in Russian language. It is a popular recreation area for local and also a nice place to see Almaty panorama city view and snow-capped mountains view at the surrounding plus sunset viewing from the top of the hill.

Kok Tobe - Recreation area on top of the mountain - Almaty, Kazakhstan

Up there, there are small amusement park containing Ferris wheel, apple fountain - wish fulfilling fountain while tossing a coin, small zoo, the Beatles statue, Kazakhstan local souvenir and handicraft shops, playground and rope park for children, and so on. 

 

Enjoying sunset at Monteverde Cafe on top of Kok Tobe Hill - Almaty, Kazakhstan

We found a table and comfortable sofa where we could have our coffee, dessert, ice cream, local beer, and even food for dinner at the Monteverde Cafe. We sat down, relaxed, chit chatted and watched the sun went down. Such a beautiful scenery up there.

If you have more time, you can also visit the Shymbulak mountain and ski resort, located around 25 km from the Almaty city. The place is popular for its mild climate, large quantity of sunny days and great amount of snow through the winter. 

So, hope you had an idea where to go, what to do, and how Almaty looked like by now and enjoyed looking at the photos too :)