54. KAZAKHSTAN

From the Caribbean coast of Colombia & the island paradise of Curaçao to Kazakhstan in Central Asia; quite a contrast and totally the opposite in culture, landscapes, the mentality of people and the actual plans I had in my mind. Actually, I wanted to come to Europe to visit my family and fly back to Latin America to continue my itinerary up to the U.S. via Central America. But considering the good season for traveling this part of the world and one particular country that offers a visa-free program for 10 nationalities for only one year (more about that later), I decided to continue my world trip in Central Asia and Kazakhstan was my gateway into that region.

After a few weeks in Europe (Germany, Poland & Belgium) I took a flight via Istanbul to Astana in Northern Kazakhstan and stayed there for a week. The country's new capital has risen literally out of nowhere in the northern steppe and already reached a population of one million people. Its skyline grows & grows with every year and the city hired plenty of internationally rewarded architects to continue building this city. The city really feels futuristic with some old soviet elements at the same time. On my second day in the country, I was diagnosed with blood poisoning from an infected wound which limited my walking abilities for the next week.

Antibiotics helped fast and I was able to take one of the most interesting train journeys I did in my life: The 18-hour train adventure from Astana to Almaty. The endless steppe-like landscapes made me understand that Kazakhstan is indeed the 9th biggest country in the world.

The cultural and social differences between South America (where I have spent the 8 months before) and Kazakhstan could not be bigger. People were very kind but felt unsocial & cold at the same time. But I guess I would have that impression in most countries in the world after visiting Colombia. What I really really enjoyed here in contrast to South America was the security situation. Finally, I was able to walk around every single area of a city day & night without being at guard all the time, fall asleep with all my stuff in a public park or use public buses without being on guard all the time. Don't get me wrong, I really loved my time in all South American countries but the criminal, violent & egoistic mindset of many people there can be really exhausting when traveling the way I travel.

Kazakhstan's biggest city Almaty, has been my next stop. It has a very different atmosphere than Astana. It's surrounded by beautiful mountains, has really beautiful suburban apartment blocks & parks, beautiful cafes and probably Central Asia's best selection of restaurants & bars. I met a Nigerian truck driver in the city who let me stay in his worker's dormitory for a few days, which was a fun experience to learn some Russian and eat Kazakh dishes with truckers from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan & Afghanistan.

From Almaty, I did a 3-day trip to visit some villages and National Parks out of the city. I met Timur & his friends there, who taught me the entire history of Kazakhstan in a few hours (thanks again for the history lesson! :D). We visited beautiful Kolsai Lake, Charyn Canyon National Park and stayed in a small farmhouse.

After another 3 days in Almaty (to recover from several insect bites/stings all over my feet & hands) it was time to leave Kazakhstan and venture into Central Asia's next country!

Oh one more thing about Kazakhstan: Food! Kazakh food really convinced me. Meat, potatoes, rice and pasta are the staples and my five favorite dishes have been: 1) Beshbarmak - A delicious horse meat and pasta dish and everyone's favorite food in the country, 2) Laghman - A thick pulled noodle dish with veggies and of course meat, 3) Manty - steamed dumplings with delicious fillings, 4) Shashlyk - skewered pieces of marinated meat, best on an open fire and 5) Kazy - horse meat sausage. In general, the quality of meat and its industry could be a role model for many other countries in the world.

3 Highlights:

- Pretty Almaty with its surrounding mountains & nice atmosphere

- Alpine-like Kolsay lakes with Charyn Canyon close by

- Astana, the "Singapore of the Steppe"