Our time in the safe hands of our driver Manus and our guide Ilyas was coming to an end after an extraordinary week exploring northern Kyrgyzstan and eastern Kazakhstan.  But we still had one day to go before reaching our final destination of our Central Asia adventure – Almaty, the thriving western city of Kazakhstan.  Let’s get to it!

The lands of eastern Kazakhstan were dramatic on every count – beautiful endless green pastures with high snow-capped jagged mountains in the distance – and we gazed out at this wonderful landscape until the scenery began to dramatically change.  Across this vast flat plains a series of ancient rivers and the passage of time had carved deep forbidding canyons and created a new type of attraction for travellers.

We first stopped at Black Canyon, a deep river gorge lined with black rock walls, and looked down on the raging river below from our precarious viewpoints.  But the real gem of the region was Charyn Canyon, now preserved as a national park.

Charyn Canyon, carved out by the Charyn River and dating back 12 million years, is compared by the enthusiastic Kazakhs to the Grand Canyon in the US and to the red rock canyons and rock formations of Utah or Arizona. 

Whatever, this was good stuff and we walked a half hour in the burning heat to a series of viewpoints looking down on the canyon and one of it’s offshoot tributaries.  We then jumped in another UAZ Russian military transport truck and trundled down into the valley to the river’s edge.  From this vantage point we could mingle with weekend holiday makers, dangle our feet in the icy cold water and gaze up at the amazing rock formations towering above us.  Very cool.

The thriving metropolis of Almaty was only two hours away but included the horrendous rush hour traffic before eventual arrival at our apartments in downtown Almaty where we would be staying for three nights.  With hugs and handshakes we said goodbye to Manus and Ilyas, both of whom had served us well, freshened up and went out for drinks and dinner.

Almaty is a super modern city of 2.2 million with a history of less than 200 years.  It is western and cosmopolitan, designed by the Soviets with beautiful wide tree-lined streets, packed with cafes and coffee shops, smartly-dressed people and spiffy electric vehicles everywhere.  Almaty is not what you think of when you think of Central Asia. 

We started our first day in Almaty with another of Bill’s free walking tours from my new favourite app and quickly learned that this city does not have ancient fortifications, historic buildings or timeless neighbourhoods.  What it does have – in addition to the beautiful streets and the stunning snow-capped mountains looming above – is a long line of statues and monuments to famous men from Russia or Kazakhstan. 

One highlight was the cable car which zoomed us to the top of the hill overlooking the city.  From the top we entered a quasi-theme park, tourist district, children’s playground, amusement centre and zoo (with emus!) for the locals.  We wandered amongst the rides and shops, had an early ice cream and took photos of the beautiful mountains overlooking the city.  Great fun.

That night we went to a roof top bar and witnessed a group of young ladies in a bride-to-be dinner and an uber-cool proposal by a young local guy to a beautiful young lady with a drone flying in with the ring and a saxophonist providing the background.  A very special moment for everyone.

Through the day and evening we also came to understand that unlike the rest of the region Almaty is no bargain.  Prices for food in restaurants and other items such as the cable car rival those in Sydney and made us wonder how this city could be affordable for the locals.  And yet, everyone looked great and the city sparkled.  We gave Almaty a huge thumbs up.

And just to prove it, the next day we went out for more.  We caught the underground metro, which was begun in 1988, consists of one line and only nine stops, to the Green Bazaar, the city’s largest market.  We explored this vast multi-purpose market, bought a few things and generally enjoyed watching the good folks of Almaty go about their lives.  We had some downtime at the hotel and then went out for drinks and dinner. 

But this evening’s events were different for two reasons – first, it was Nichole’s birthday and a birthday is always a good excuse for a celebration, and second, it was our last night together as a group of six.  The next day Julie, Dave and I would be flying to Ulan Bataar, Mongolia to start the next leg of our journey while Jan, Warren and Nichole would fly to Seoul, South Korea for a few days before flying home.

In particular we all wanted to thank Dave for being the organiser, travel agent, inspirational leader and best friend ever.  Without his effort this trip never would have happened and we wouldn’t have had such fabulous travel experiences together.  To Dave, take a bow, you the man!

A few final comments about travelling through the Stans.  This is a land of extraordinary sights and scenes, be it the jagged snow-capped mountains, alpine lakes, ancient buildings or sparkling cities.  It is a land of wonderful generous people, most of whom live in very challenging conditions, working hard to provide for their family. 

It is a land of rich history dating back thousands of years but highlighted by the likes of Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, the Soviets, the independence movements complete with all it’s challenges and finally some emerging democracies.  It is a land of contrasts from the very conservative Muslim communities to the very western contemporary cities.  It is a land of differing weather, different languages and indifferent food, all of which make it an absolutely fabulous place to visit.

If I was to sum it up in a different way, think of the region as two parts – if you want the rich history and dazzling architecture of distant times definitely go to Uzbekistan.  If you only have a week or so, go to Uzbekistan, you won’t regret it.  But if you want to see more of this region and get outside the cities, through the villages, into the mountains, stay in modest homestays and yurts, eat unexciting local food, suffer the disgusting squat toilets, deal with a potpourri of languages, customs, weather, road conditions and border crossings you need to add Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan plus parts of Kazakhstan to your plans.  As a group we couldn’t decide whether Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan was a better experience but either way you won’t be disappointed.

And my two highlights of the region?  Taking a very broad and general brush to the entire region I would choose the stunning Pamir Highway in southern Tajikistan and the absolute splendour of Samarkand as my two picks.  Between them they cover the best of all the aspects of this region.  And as a very close bronze medal I would pick northern Kyrgyzstan from Bishkek to Almaty.  But be assured, no matter where you go and how you do it, it will be one of the best travel experiences you’ve ever had.