Sheer genius, to use a Borat quote to name your travel company! So here we are in downtown Almaty at 5 am to be picked up for our day trip. On top of two 3 am starts in a row in the last two days it all feels particularly punishing but we feel surprisingly energised all things considering.
Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat may arguably be the most famous “export” from Kazakhstan (although he is in no way from here) and this country flies under the radar of tourists which is unfair as there is a lot to see here. It is a massive country with land borders with Russia and China. Until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 it was a key part of the USSR and a land much exploited by the Russians for mineral wealth, energy and territory away from the mainstream to utilise for things such as atomic/nuclear testing and as a base for the fledgling space program.
Today we embark on the longest day trip that I have ever done leaving our accommodation at 5 am and not returning until 11 pm. The long and uncomfortable bus ride takes over 3 hours each way. The initial countryside is the classic green steppes that covers most of this nation. Occasional wild horses are grazing and the snow capped Tien Shan mountains are in the background.
The “pearls of Tian Shan”, the Kolsay Lakes is our first stop. Set at an altitude of 1800 metres the lake is quite a tourist spot with yurt hotels, cafes and kitsch tourist attractions such as dress ups as locals to have photos taken. I normally eschew these but my life partner was keen so off we went on condition that I hold the eagle away from her as she has a phobia about birds. The joke was on her when the photographer slipped the glove and bird on her. The bird is heavy but a majestic creature and even she took to it.
Lake Kaindy is a steep half hour climb which incurs the wrath of my life partner. I endure the barbs stoically. It was formed in 1911 by a massive earthquake triggered landslide. It has its surreal “sunken forest”. The icy waters have perfectly preserved the underwater branches of submerged Tien Shan spruce trees which rise eerily above the vibrant turquoise surface.
The coup de grace for this trip is Charyn Canyon. It is often called the “Grand Canyon of Central Asia” and extends 154 km carved out by the Charyn River. The depths extend down 300 metres. I was here in 2013 and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the rim. After lunch I hiked the 5 Kms along the valley floor through the Valley of the Castles. Today our time is limited as it is near to sunset so I contented myself with a rim walk. Spectacular!
