During her 10-day trip to Kazakhstan, Phuong Mai spent time exploring Almaty city, Issyk lake, Kolsay lake, Charyn canyon, Kaindy lake, then roamed around Astana city - the "future" city of Kazakhstan.
Phuong Mai had a 10-day trip to Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic, is a Central Asian country that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to the Altai Mountains in the east. It is one of the few countries in the world that can still be considered an off-the-beaten-path destination.
Kazakhstan borders both Russia and China and is the 9th largest country in the world so there is plenty to explore. The word Kazakhstan literally translates to “Land of the Wanderers“.
Coming to Kazakhstan, tourists can choose: visit Almaty city to feel the slow pace of life of the people here, walk along the streets to feel the sweet cold of the winter weather, stroll on Terrenkur street with a fairy tale-like scene, or try taking the subway in the city, you will find somewhere very different and unforgettable emotions.
Kolsay Lake on an Autumn Afternoon
In addition, visit Lake Issyk - known as the jewel of Kazakhstan to see that this country is also extremely beautiful. The color of the lake water can remind us of the color of the lake water in the tourist area of Jiuzhaigou China.
Or come to Kolsay Lake, you will see that this country is also blessed by nature, the scenery is extremely beautiful like a picture. Here you can row a boat to see the scenery around the lake or choose to hike gently to see the surrounding scenery, groups of people rowing boats and chatting on the lake, a very relaxing and pleasant feeling.
Walking along the streets, feeling the sweet cold of the gradually turning winter.
In addition, there is Charyn Canyon, located on the eastern edge of Almaty city, about 100 km west of the border town of Horgos, Xinjiang, China. Charyn Canyon has many different canyons interspersed, the landscape is very similar to the Grand Canyon in the US that we often see on laptop screens.
Wander around Astana to see more modern architectural buildings in the capital, and you can also choose to visit Expo Kazakhstan, take a walk to see the autumn leaves covering the whole city, the scenery is extremely pleasing to the eye and easy to satisfy.
At this time, Kazakhstan is in the season of yellow leaves.
“The most memorable moments during the trip were the short moments in Almaty city. My friend and I spent more than 2 days walking around and admiring this city. Almaty is a very gentle and slow city for me, a city with an Eastern European feel. I am a nostalgic person so I really like the atmosphere here. There were times when I stopped just to look at the image of two old people walking together across the street, a small family taking their children on a picnic, a baby running around or the rows of trees in late autumn with only a few leaves left, which also moved me. There were times when I told myself 'ah, so I've always been looking for this atmosphere, this gentle feeling', the feeling is very difficult to describe in words", Phuong Mai shared.
Phuong Mai's 10-day trip to explore Kazakhstan went quite smoothly, with only one problem: when she was in Bishkek, the driver took her from the mountain to the meeting point to the border gate, nearly an hour past the scheduled time before meeting the driver. At that time, all three were quite eager, but the weather was favorable, everything was as planned.
Kazakhstan is the 5th country on the Silk Road that Phuong Mai was lucky enough to leave her footprints in.
The most memorable thing about her trip was the day she and her friends crossed the Kyrgyz border into Kazakhstan.
“With the extremely beautiful scenery along the road, meeting the border guards of the two countries who were quite funny and interesting, being invited by the Kazakh driver to have lunch at 4 pm with local food that was quite tasty, visiting Kaindy Lake when it was already dark, the three of us were still happily laughing on the road. Those were truly moments that I can hardly forget…”, Phuong Mai said.
For Vietnamese tourists traveling to Kazakhstan for the first time, entering Kazakhstan can take a long time. Customs officers will check very carefully everything from the return ticket to the visa (they will check visa-free countries from a piece of paper attached to the side), to the Vietnamese national emblem and the stamps inside your passport.
If you go in late autumn or early winter like Phuong Mai, you should prepare a lot of warm clothes because the temperature will drop very quickly. You should bring a small umbrella with you because you will occasionally encounter rain. Or when visiting Charyn alley, you should bring warm clothes, gloves, woolen hats... the wind here is quite strong, which can easily lead to headaches if you do not have a woolen hat to cover you and remember to bring drinking water if you want to visit the entire alley area, because the whole area is very large.
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are still quite new countries to many Vietnamese people.
In addition, heat pads may be needed when you reach Astana city, the weather will be colder, helping to keep your body warm quite a lot. In addition, remember to bring batteries or spare chargers because the battery will run out quite quickly outside.
“Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are still quite new countries to many Vietnamese people. In fact, Kazakhstan's economy is quite developed, its GDP is number one in Central Asia, its political situation is stable, its natural scenery is rich, its food is quite easy to eat, and its people are friendly, so tourists can rest assured to embark on a journey to explore the country. The scenery here is beautiful, especially in the fall, which is not inferior to the golden fall anywhere else,” Phuong Mai added.
