DAY 15 (10th September 2024)
Kazakhstan (Almaty City Walk)
We’ve come to the final day of our adventure. It had been a wonderful two weeks, and almost every part of the journey was memorable in one way or another. But all good things must come to an end, they say. I was starting already missing home a few days ago, and now I was just yearning to get back to my own bed.
So, we spoke to the hotel to give us some leeway to check out at 2:00pm. That would afford us time to hit the city to get our souvenirs for colleagues, friends and family, and to try to soak up the last bits of the city. We also went to one of the more uptown restaurants in the city called Sandyq Restaurant, where we were treated to some exotic local cuisines.
We still had time to get back to the hotel to bathe and pack up, before leaving our luggage at the hotel for one last walk around the Park of the Foundation of the First President. We would get back to the hotel after that walk for the ride to the airport. And then home….
City Walk
We went back to the Green Bazaar as that was the obvious place to start looking for souvenirs. Having been there before, we knew roughly what to expect and what we can easily purchase to carry with us. Nothing too fancy for the loved ones and friends (with globalization, we can almost find anything anywhere in the world, really!)
We certainly covered more ground than we did the first time we were here. We went into the nooks and corners of the market that we were unable to previously due to time. And there were actually much more to be discovered than we realized. The clothing section of the market was interesting and that’s where I got my obligatory travel destination t-shirt.
After the satisfactory souvenir hunt, we made our way to the Sandyq Restaurant, where we had made a reservation. We wanted to try the more exquisite cuisines and none more recommended than this restaurant. The walk through some of the thoroughfare in the city was lovely as the air was cool and crisp and the city itself felt like it had awakened from slumber. There were people from all walks of life out and about, enjoying the last bits of summer.
When we arrived at the restaurant, it was still closed. We could see through the glass walls that the staff were preparing the place for the afternoon guests, and they had not opened their doors yet. A small crowd soon gathered, and it was clear to us that the restaurant would be full at some point in the afternoon. We were soon let in, and we took the opportunity to take photos with the décor of the place, even as some staff members were putting the finishing touches to the place.
Naturally, we struggled a little to understand the menu, and then to choose which of their delicacies to try – there were so much to choose from! We managed to get our order in place, finally, and as we waited for our food to arrive, the restaurant began to fill up. Most were locals, of course, and it seemed like they knew exactly what to order. Our meals arrived soon enough…. It did taste as good as it looked!
Park of the Foundation of the First President
After that scrumptious meal, we got a cab to get us back to the hotel. After putting away all the newly-bought stuff and taking a shower, we left our big luggage bags at the hotel reception for our last round-up of Almaty. From the map, the Park of the Foundation of the First President looked to be within walking distance, and it was just behind opposite the tall Independence Monument which we visited on Day 2.
Since we had 3 hours to burn before we go to the airport, we took a slow walk and passed by Turan University, which was established in 1992 after the nation’s independence. Also on the way, we stopped by at the Zheltoksan Monument, meaning Dawn of Freedom, which was built in 2006 to commemorate the victims of the December 1986 riots, as a precursor to the independence of Kazakhstan. The “broken wall” behind the sculpture of the woman releasing doves signifies leaving the dark past behind.
First opened to the general public in November 2011, the Park of the Foundation of the First President was built to commemorate its first president after leaving the Soviet Socialist Republic, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Planted with flowers of all colours and lined with rows upon rows of different trees, the park invites the many residents of Almaty to come. The park also contains many sculptures representing many aspects of the Kazakh life, art, spirit and culture.
A residence building for the President was also built toward the southeastern side of the park, though whether the sitting President does live there or not, it was hard to tell. However, when we tried to take photos, we are literally chased away by the guard and warned against taking further photos. I suppose it was just ceremonial then, as otherwise there would have been many more security personnel and certainly we wouldn’t have been able to get that close to the building.
We decided then, that it was time to get back to the hotel to collect our bags and make our way to the airport. Back at the hotel, we took our final photo of the trip as the two cabs we called were driving up the ramp to the entrance of the hotel. Our faces will tell the story of how we all felt as we bade our farewells.
Summary of Day 15
All good things must come to an end. Our itinerary for the day was certainly much more relaxed, since we had already covered a lot of Almaty and its surrounding attractions. Perhaps it would have been great to experience a bit of the night life of the city, but with our packed itinerary almost every day, we hardly would have had the strength to party into the night. Nevertheless, as adventure travellers we always hope we have the opportunity to be back sometime in the future.
The flight back was uneventful, and upon arriving home the next morning local time, I just showered, changed and went straight back to the office to work… No problem!
Adventure Close Out
I have been on several trips with my in-laws before in the past, and they have always been very accommodating with the itinerary that was planned, and they have also been super easy with whatever comes our way – hence spending time with them on their 50th wedding anniversary was an honour and a great privilege. This trip was of course made possible due to the great flight deals that we managed to secure.
And there is absolutely no regrets to coming here, even though we were a little apprehensive in the beginning since we didn’t know the language and both the countries were pretty much just coming out of their political isolation. Turns out, the people in both countries were super friendly and kind. I would have no qualms about going back to the region in the near future.
