DAY 14 (9th September 2024)
Kazakhstan (Big Almaty Lake)
After the tiredness of the night before, it was good that we could sleep in a bit before hitting the final destination – the Big Almaty Lake. Located at just 15km south of the city centre, we left the hotel at around 10:00am. Originally, we were a little apprehensive about going there, as there have been rumours and murmurs that the road to the lake is under the “protection” of local hoodlums. But I am really glad that this was not the case when we made our way there.
There are actually other places to visit in the vicinity, such as the Tien Shan Astronomical Observatory, and a waterfall trail, but we were informed that this was off limits. Oh well, Wifey and I went to the one on Mauna Kea in 2017, and I was hoping to tick another one off my list, but alas….
We spent the afternoon in the city centre walking around to whichever not-so-famous touristy places we may have missed the previous days. We also had to return the car which had served us so well over the days. Tomorrow, we fly home.
Big Almaty Lake
Located in the Trans-Ili Alatau Mountains, this natural alpine lake sits at an altitude of 2,500m above sea level. The turquoise-blue water of the lake is contrasted by the snow-capped mountains surrounding the lake and the greens of alpine trees and shrubs that populate the landscape. The primary source of the lake’s waters is the melting snow and glaciers which feed into the lake. In winter, the lake freezes over.
Private vehicles are not allowed beyond the visitor centre, so everyone had to leave their vehicles here. The road to the visitor centre passes a man-made dam on the Almaty River, and has several hairpin turns as you make your way pass the dam. The visitor centre is just after the dam. Once there, we asked for information on how to get to the lake, the main attraction of the park. The road is one and the same, but we could either hike there, rent an electric bike or order a taxi. We decided to do the latter, since we were only limited to two hours on the electric bike.
Our taxi guy came shortly after (I recall they said there were only 3 or 4 taxis in the park), and he drove us up to the lake. On the way, we met many hikers and cyclists struggling to make it up the steep hill (some locations were very steep indeed). We later found out that we could have rented the much cooler-looking electric bikes at the foot of the hill, and could use it for much longer periods of time. In a way it was a good thing we didn’t use the bikes – MIL may not be able to make the steep climb.
Our driver waited for us while we snapped away and tried various poses before he took us back down. Unsurprisingly, we would meet up with those who were still on the way up!
Waterfall Walk
Our driver dropped us back at the Visitor Centre, where the crowd had visibly increased in number. Since it was our last full day in Kazakhstan, it was a good idea to finish off whatever food we brought from home and whatever tidbits we bought along the way. The Visitor Centre had several “art” pieces along its walls, and we stood around to admire them as we snacked.
There was a pathway behind the Visitor Centre which led to Ayusai Waterfall nearby, but it is pretty evident that the river was not really in full flow. But what was more interesting than the waterfall were the hieroglyphs carved into the stone walls of the waterfall – clearly visible, but some were defaced or vandalised. There may have been many more, but perhaps time and water flow could have erased them. Some were etched into boulders – such as the one depicting a story about leopards hunting the argali, a type of ram, which was erected at the entrance to the waterfall.
I saw one guy walk down the side of the waterfall, and stopped him to ask if it was worth climbing up there. He said that there was a walking track that ran parallel to the stream which emptied itself down this waterfall, and that it was a pleasant walk. So, I decided to give it a try. Because the side of the waterfall was mostly dry, it wasn’t difficult to walk up the waterfall. Several other people also joined in the climb, but no one else in my group wanted to go with me.
Once at the top, the stream was pretty shallow and dirt track beside it was practically hugging the river as far as the eye could see. Trees interspersed between the track and the stream and covered most of the area. I didn’t walk too far, being aware that the others at the foot of the waterfall were waiting for me. Then I bumped into these two ladies, each carrying a baby. They managed to climb up the waterfall even with the kids in the baby harness! Wow!
Lunch in the City
The first order of business once we arrived in town was to go eat. It was already 2:30 in the afternoon when we arrived and we were starving. We sourced out a nice restaurant from Mr. Google, called Xoce & Josper and they served excellent food. It was drizzling by then, so the warm interiors of the restaurant afforded us some respite while we enjoyed our meal.
Because of the rain, we couldn’t really walk around too much. We had wanted to just take a slow walk in the not-so-touristy places of Almaty, but we couldn’t. Time was also ticking away to return the car, and soon, we decided to abandon the idea of walking any further. So, I dropped them off at the hotel, while I made my way to return the car. After signing off the documents and saying farewell to the new friends from Hertz Almaty, I headed back to the hotel to join up with the rest.
Then it was time to pack up and get ready to go home. As our flight was 7:00pm the next day, and we had to check out by noon, we needed to plan how to pack our bags for a last walk around the area. Today’s walk was obliterated by the poor weather, so hopefully the next day would be better.
By the time dinnertime came along, the skies had opened up and it rained and rained. With the help of the umbrellas the hotel lent us, we walked 500m to Lali Restaurant, a restaurant that served Georgian food. Georgia is a country located within the same region, having its western side facing the Black Sea. Their food was definitely different from the local food. I suppose what we had was merely a taste of what Georgia as a country had to offer….. Tbilisi next, darling?
Summary of Day 14
Really, there cannot be any complaints about the last two weeks here in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. We have been spoiled by the natural beauty of the two countries, embraced by the warmth of their people and inundated by the taste and flavours of their food. And then, it’s time to go home. Day 14 will be remembered for the crystal clear, turquoise-coloured Big Almaty Lake, and all the adventures surrounding it. What a way to say goodbye to our hosts.
