“Stand in the place where you are” – Rapid Eye Movement. My first ever night in Kazakhstan was a cold and memorable one way back in December 2015. Life was pretty good then and I knew what I wanted. I was on a journey through the Stans (I’ve now visited them all) and on that…
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I breathed a sigh of relief and release on this one, as I finally escaped the realm of Uzbekistan and into the fresh evening air of democratic Kazakhstan. Having crossed in and out of Uzbek borders 4 times, and Kazak borders 3 times, this one was surprisingly easy and as a result, I recommend this…
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For whatever reason life dealt me, I ended up in the city of Shymkent in southern Kazakhstan recently and after negotiating my way across the Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan border despite not having a Kazak visa on the same passport, I finally arrived in this backpacker’s gem – Shymkent. You might have read how I found…
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I simply loved the pronunciation of this city. SHYMKENT! Wee shimmy. Ess Hym Kent. Shy m Kent. Shimkent. Chimkent. Spelt Shymkent, once called Chernayaev, currently housing 850,000 people, it’s a somewhat inspiring city with low promotion. Is it shy? Why are the first three letters spelling the word shy? I headed to find the answers.…
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I meandered my way back into the republic of Kazakhstan thanks to a clever visa free passport switch at the border (Irish for Uzbek visa, British for Kazak visa free entry). The toughest part of my Central Asian adventure was over and I’d escaped Uzbekistan. The countries of Kazakhstan and Kyrgzstan were up next, both…
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I had heard about a food called Lagman and never tried it until 2015, strangely I’ve now eaten it about 10 times! At the Almaty Backpackers in Almaty Kazakhstan, my hosts here Ginara and Rahat cooked it for us on the last night before I crossed the border into Kyrgyzstan. There was myself and Oliver from England…
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Almaty is a massive city, spreading far and wide in its elevation beneath the mountains of southern Kazakhstan. At first, finding a bar seemed like a difficult task for the walking backpacker. So I used my maps and advice from the staff at the Almaty Backpackers hostel and soon I knew I was able to…
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When I was based in Almaty Backpackers in Kazakhstan, I was keen to organise a trip out to the mountains. Almaty itself is a city on a high elevation and only 40 kilometres outside the city is the stunning Ile Alatau National Park. Getting to Ile Alatau National Park Getting here by Marshrutka or normal…
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On Christmas Eve 2015, I arrived in the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan. This city is huge, the biggest in Kazakhstan in fact, despite modern Astana being the capital city. I had flirted with Central Asia and “the Stans” a few times before, visiting Iraqi KurdiSTAN and PodjiSTAN as well as backpacking through Iran, Azerbaijan and…
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I arrived early morning into the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan after what had been a pretty intense few weeks of travel (I toured Chernobyl and Auschwitz in consecutive weeks). It was Christmas Eve, there was snow in the air and I needed a place to stay. Step in, the cosy, family run Almaty Backpackers,…
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