Category: Belarus 2026

We arrive in Semey at lunch time to an unseasonal heat of 37C. Located close to the border with Russia this city was established in 1717 by Tsar Peter the Great as a city taking an area of disparate group of nomads together to form a community and a conurbation. This was the era known here as the “Great Game” where Central Asia became a “chessboard” for the Russians Empire and the British Empire. The latter grown more powerful with its control of greater India.

Fast forward to today and the initial impression is one of scruffiness. This is a very untouristed part of an untouristed country. Now it is a base for the occasional tourist who wants to explore the 20th century raison d’etre for this area namely the USSR atomic/nuclear research program.

We venture out in the old town. A few older buildings remain but it is nothing like other European style old towns.

As a first year med student I got hooked on reading the classics on public transport into and out of university. One of my favourites was Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I literally could not put it down! I am really happy to explore the Dostoyevsky museum and the house where he lived here. At age 28 the recently graduated Dostoyevsky joined a literary group which was arrested on suspicion of being critical to the Tsar Nicholas 1. He was sentenced to death and the sentence commuted at the last moment before the firing squad to 4 years in a Siberian prison followed by 5 years of military service. The latter was to be served here in Semey hence the connection.

The afternoon finishes with a dose of Abai. His name is translated as Abay Kunanbayev and one I have heard of in passing. This 19th century Kazakh has an amazing body of work as an author, composer and philosopher. He was born and raised here. There is a beautiful museum and concert hall dedicated to him.

We are back here on the last day and find parts of the city that are green leafy and actually quite pleasant. The first stop is the Stronger than death monument which was installed in remembrance of the devastating consequences of nuclear testing near here (Semipalatinsk between 1949 and 1989).

Then it’s off to the war memorial park and eternal flame  commemorates war dead from WW2.

Finally a little unassuming green area in town is the relocated home to a giant Lenin statue which once dominated a main square and is now seemingly an embarrassment tucked away with a whole lot of trees partially obscuring visual access to him.

The former capitol of Kazakhstan is a beautiful almost European capitol. The snow capped Alatau mountains form a back drop and the streets are tree lined and a pleasure to stroll down. It sits close to the southern border with Kyrgyzstan. The name Almaty means “full of apples” a nod to the thought that the neighbouring mountains are the ancestral home of the apple. In spite of losing the title of capitol in 1997 to Astana it remains the most populous city in Kazakhstan and is its financial capitol.

A 20 minute walk from our apartment is Panfilov park (no gripes from the spouse about this walk!). The park honours the Panfilov 28 guardsmen who were soldiers who died in WW2 in the Battle of Moscow against the Germans. An eternal flame commemorates the fallen soldiers  in front of a brutalist sculpture honouring troops from all 15 Soviet republics.

In the heart of Panfilov Park is the Ascension (Zenkov) Cathedral. Consecrated in 1907 it was built entirely of wood without any nails. The Cathedral survived the 1911 earthquake which flattened most of the rest of Almaty. It was a Russian Orthodox church until the 1917 Russian Revolution. In Soviet times it was variously a museum and used as a radio transmitter. In 1995 after the fall of the USSR it was given back to the Russian Orthodox church. It is colourful and ornate and a highlight of any visit to Kazakhstan.

After a decadent lunch we rode the cable car up to Kok Tobe hill. When I was here in 2013 it was a pretty wooded park with views across Almaty. It housed a somewhat quirky monument, a life-sized monument to The Beatles. Unveiled in 2007 it was commissioned and paid for by local Beatles fans. Time does not stand still. The monument is still there but the quiet wooded surrounds have yielded to a somewhat garish amusement park.

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!