Kazakhstan is a huge country – the 9th largest in the world – we glimpse only a small section of this massive country on our way from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan. Leaving Kyrgyzstan and entering Kazakhstan didn’t prove too difficult
or lengthy (in comparison with borders to come!) 3¾ hours and we had
officially left Kyrgyzstan and were on our way. No longer Kyrgyz
Som but Kazakh
Tenge.
We had another welcome and welcoming home-stay experience in the
small village of Jabagly. Warm beds and hearty meals – can’t go wrong. Next day
we headed into the Aksu-Dzhabagly National Park – some on horseback and the
rest in Calypso. Passing through farmland and an even smaller village which was
great for a wander, we reached the ranger station and the canyon rim where we
camped for the night. It was a lovely spot to base ourselves for walks along
the rim or into the canyon. And we enjoyed a surprisingly mild evening around the fire!
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| Fraser and Jill |
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| Village roads |
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| Village life |
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| Stunning mountain scenery |
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| Rolling steppes of Kazakhstan |
Our drive to the border the next day unfortunately was less
inspiring – corrupt police, bumpy roads, a stone in the windscreen, and an
incident with a bee for Al as well as stepping in the wrong place on toilet
break (will leave details to your imagination) – made
us ready to leave, though not altogether prepared for the wait that was to come
at the border. A queue of cargo trucks that couldn’t be bypassed resulted in a
record (for this trip anyway) 5 hour border crossing (and unfortunately no fancy heated waiting
areas!). However, the wait was worth it to be in Uzbekistan which thus far has been great... hotels with buffet breakfasts that hit the spot, nice restaurants, friendly
people, clean cities, and of course the incredible sights of the Silk Road cities.
Watch this space for more about our time in Uzbekistan...
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