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 :)

Full Moon at Waterway Park Punggol - Singapore (5 July 2020)

Remains of the sunset - Waterway Park Punggol

This evening I decided to leave home a bit late (after having my dinner), instead of the usual sunset time as I wanted to avoid the crowd (especially on Sunday where people come in pair - as couple- and families who would exercise or walk together along the park).

So I missed the dark orange sky and only left with the remaining as shown in the photo above. It was still beautiful though :)

Full moon (lunar 15th May 2020 or 5th July 2020)

However, as I rode along the seaside, I was awarded with the mesmerizing full moon that came in front of me. It started really low, as if it was located so so near to this earth.

Pardon my camera phone as the quality of the photo was not as beautiful as many DSLR camera would capture :)

Beautiful view of the full moon - Waterway Park Punggol (5th July 2020)

As I rode to different areas of the park, I stopped once in a while, to capture the beauty of the moon as it had different backgrounds and surrounding.

Full moon view at Waterway Park Punggol (5th July 2020)

Sometimes I would give notice to the passerby who walked from the other side, to make sure they too see the beautiful moon behind them (sometimes they were too preoccupy with their exercise and did not notice their surroundings) 

Full moon view at Waterway Park Punggol (5th July 2020)

SB was really kind to me tonight and blessed me with the beautiful moon view all along my cycling journey :)

Bright full moon at the Sunrise Bridge (5th July 2020)

This view was not something that I would take for granted. Its appearance would depend on the good weather (especially during raining season) and the clouds at the surrounding.

Full moon view at Waterway Park Punggol (5th July 2020)

It shone so bright and gave different colors to its surrounding :)

Full moon at Punggol Park - 5th July 2020

Just like any other things in this world, it changed all the time. Its location, its height, its color, its brightness, and so on. So we had to adjust ourselves towards it and be flexible in order to capture them from every different areas :)

Full moon view near Waterway Point

It could blend nicely with buildings and infrastructures below them too, still beautiful :)

Capture memories with my life's accompany :)

And last but not least, I took it together with my life's accompany - the bike that I had used for so long, endured so many hardships, and changed many wheels as it burst sometimes (thanks to hubby who had personally changed it by himself - I was lucky for having such a talented hubby who could repair so many things in life :). Without him, it would not last that long hahaha.... :P).

I hope you too feeling happy watching it and do not forget to watch outside your window tonight to see if it shines so bright right now. Share the joy and happiness with people who you stay with at this point of time. So, stay safe and healthy. Until next time! :)

Visiting Jeju Island during Typhoon Mitag - Day 1

Flight from Busan to Jeju Island by Jeju Air (Experiencing local domestic flight) - South Korea

From Busan, we flew using Jeju Air (domestic airline) to Jeju Island, on October 1st, 2019. In the evening after we reached Jeju, I heard about the typhoon Mitag. From the internet, they said the typhoon would pass by China, Japan, and South Korea, and that too to area where we went - Busan and Jeju.

Safe flight - Busan to Jeju Island :)

Omg!!! Months of September and October were not really good to travel around Southeast of China, Japan, and Korea. The typhoon came more often these past few years.

So upon reaching Jeju, I immediately sent the message to Mr Won (who would drive us around Jeju island on our second day in Jeju) about the possibility of the typhoon. He too conveyed his concern since safety was the most important issue that he had while traveling with his guests, and he was willing to cancel our arrangement if the typhoon was getting bad the next day.

Welcome to Jeju Island - South Korea

It was raining when we flew from Busan and it was still raining even after reaching Jeju Island. After putting our luggage at the hotel, rain did not deter us from walking all the way to Dongmun Market - a must visit place when you go to Jeju. Everyone wanted to have lunch inside the air-conditioned restaurant and have proper meal (in their case, rice set), while I insisted of eating at my favorite stall selling more like Korean street food kind.

I went there last time with hubby on my first visit to Jeju and still reminisced the taste and feeling we both had on the food served. Even if I had to be alone, the Universe decided otherwise. As I chose my seat - I sat and shared table with one granny - she smiled at me, and even offered me the Kimbab (rolled rice) that she was having together with her Tteobbokki (spicy rice cake).

Lunch at my favorite stall in Dongmun Market - Jeju Island, South Korea

I ordered one plate of Tteobbokki as well and hesitated of ordering the Kimbab - which was my favorite. I was afraid I could not finish it as it was too filling - carbohydrates from rice and rice cake. Therefore, I ordered one portion of Odeng (fish cake with soup) - 3 sticks were served. She still offered me her Kimbab, so in return, I offered her my Odeng. Hahaha.... This way, both of us could eat more variety without having to eat too full!!! Thank you Ahjumma for your kindness!!! I could not stop smiling while eating the food :)

Try their mandarin orange juice - Jeju specialty fruit and Hotteok (sweet pancake) at Dongmun Market - Jeju Island

Finished my meal with a bottle of cold mandarin orange juice - the Jeju specialty fruit - with its cute bottle at KRW 3,000 each, and Hotteok (sweet pancake) from one of the stalls near the exit.

Dongmun Market - Jeju Island

There were many other snacks available and souvenir shops too. It was better to buy the Jeju souvenir here. The price was slightly cheaper than the souvenir shops at touristic area.

Afterwards we took taxi to visit the Yongduam Rock. It was located not too far from the Dongmun Market. By taxi it cost us KRW 3,400 only. The wind was very big once we went down from our taxi. But miraculously, the rain stopped, and so did the wind. It allowed us to take photos with no hassle and kept us dry!!! Thank SB!!! :)

With Dol Hareubang (Grandfather rock) at Yongduam Rock - Jeju Island

Or perhaps it were Dol Hareubang (Grandfather rock) who were protecting us from the wind and the rain when we visited the place. Fyi, Dol Hareubangs were the two large rock statues, considered to be gods offering both protection and fertility and were placed outside of gates for protection against demons travelling between realities (usually found only in Jeju Island) - see the above photo :)

Posed with the Mermaid at Yongduam Rock - Jeju Island

Yongduam Rock is a popular oceanfront volcanic rock formation in the shape of a dragon's head, a must visit place if you go to Jeju Island. Legend said it serves as the symbol of the dragon's unfulfilled dream. Read more of its story here.

Yongduam Rock (the volcanic rock in the shape of Dragon's Head) in Jeju Island

We went back to hotel to have some rest and at night, we asked the hotel staff on where to eat the Jeju black pork BBQ. Lucky that he pointed us to the local restaurant located not too far from where we stayed as the rain was still there on and off, and all was the effect from the Typhoon Mitag that happened at the surrounding area.

Donsachon - Korean BBQ Black Pork in Jeju Island

We ordered a portion of white pork and three portion of black pork (two portions were rejected as it was too little). Four portions were still too much for five of us as we were all ladies and some ate very less. So, as the youngest, I had to try my best not to waste the food, and that was why I gained so much weight from this trip :P

The BBQ white and black pork with Hallasan Soju and Terra Beer - Donsachun in Jeju Island

I used to detest the taste of Korean Soju, until Sam (our driver in Seoul - who was actually a very rich businessman) introduced us "Bum" - the mixture of Soju and beer. When mixed together, the taste of Soju was not that obvious and both combination became tastier. So that day onwards, I always had Bum mixture instead of Soju or beer alone :) And if you go to Jeju, Hallasan Soju is a must have!! :)

Not forgetting the Korean ramen at aside :D - Donsachun, Jeju Island

Yes, not forgetting to order the Korean noodle soup at aside. It tasted really delicious in such cold night. Perfect with the BBQ pork :)

See our happy faces??? :D

Mom and sisters :)

Our happy faces as per shown above, before we became overeating. Hahahahahaha..... :P So, will share another post on where to visit during Typhoon Mitag in Jeju Island!! Oh, as for additional info, after going back to hotel and watching news, we found out that many flights were cancelled flying from Busan and Jeju Island on that day. Luckily we reached Jeju the day before from Busan and it did not affect us. SB was really helping us and let our journey went on smoothly. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!! :)