Summer holidays are coupled with a frenzy of things- from dealing with the scorching heat to playdates, tucking in all kinds of summer delights and planning our annual summer vacation.
This year Angel and I decided to travel with WeGoBond, a woman travel company. We chose Kazakhstan due to a few reasons, most importantly the dates worked with us, secondly we wanted a trip abroad and thirdly offbeat places always appeal to me. I am keen to visit places that are still not as explored as the rest, have lesser crowds and are not trending. Visit them before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon is my motto. Kazakhstan at an initial glimpse of the pics and the carefully curated itinerary, presented an uncommon fusion of a modern city life in Almaty and picturesque mountains with turquoise lakes straight out of a postcard in Kolsai. It was too hard to resist. Turned out to be a wonderful trip with a bunch of energetic, fun, lovable women, some of whom we forged a close bond with.
In this post I intend to capture some of our most cherished memories of the place and people which made it worthwhile
- The stunning beauty of the place- with the vibrant city life in Almaty, the former capital city was a delight. With quaint cafes , streets lined up with art work , shops , fountains and people enjoying their weekend sipping a coffee or an ice cream – walking on the wide pavement streets was an enjoyable experience. We couldn’t experience the nightlife as rains played spoilsport on our last day and our plan to walk the streets and grab a drink at one of the outdoor bars went kaput, it was still an overall enjoyable experience
2. The picture perfect scenery in real life. Imagine a long day of walking , travelling for hours in a vehicle, a long wait for the hotel shuttle to pick you up and a bumpy ride to the hotel coupled with a basic room where you are thankful to just crash , and you wake up next morning and step onto the balcony to be greeted by this view
I wonder how words could ever do justice to the inner feelings of joy and gratitude that engulf you. Kolsai and Lake Kaindy were such a treat to the eyes. The spruce trees lining up the magnificent mountains, the pristine lakes, a not so little squirrel we met on our way, the adventurous drive in an old Russian vehicle to Kaindy with the driver playing a Punjabi song on our way back that had may of us dancing in our seats and arriving at Lake Kaindy which is a mystical lake that has a forest growing underneath and you witness trees on the surface of the lake giving it a somewhat surreal look – these vivid memories will be etched in mind for a very long time.
3. Indulging in culinary delights is one of the must do things on my list to embrace a new place and its culture fully. We were treated to a traditional Kazakh meal on the first day. Horsemeat is their national dish , putting aside our inhibitions , some of us decided to give it a try – we tried “Beshbarmak”, their national delicacy and “Qymyz Qabyrga”(please don’t ask me to pronounce that!), lamb ribs in kumis (fermented mare milk). We drank this refreshing cherry tea on a rainy day and some delicious hot chocolate as we admired the scenic beauty of Kolsai , the usual pasta, burgers, pizza and some Asian food which was a welcome delight and ended our trip with a last meal at a Turkish restaurant. Savoring diverse kinds of food was certainly a highlight
4. The Charyn Canyon National Park- which is considered the Little Brother of “The Grand Canyon” was another unique wonder to revel in. The long walk where we clocked 17K steps that day did feel tiring at times specially with Angel in tow, but the spirit of enthusiasm as we marveled at nature’s wonder , Angel sang songs and taught a few dance steps to our girls Supritha and Namrata , and being true to our Swifties spirit we sang some of our favorite songs and played a Taylor Swift quiz which I lost badly (goes to prove we only have one true Swiftie in the fam) – this was a fun walkathon
5. Saving the best for the last – the wonderful group of women who made the trip so much fun. The trip lead Shibani (who is also the founder of WeGoBond) who would always be around to help as I was a bit slow due to Angel, offered to carry my bag, was always enquiring about Angel eating enough, she went a long way to ensure our comfort at every step. Supritha- who was the first co traveler we met at Delhi and flew together to Almaty with, is someone very special. As the say some bonds are formed in the most unexpected of places, such is the case with Supritha who was always around for Angel and me and showered her love on Angel which made me feel so grateful. I am glad to have made a friend who I believe will remain as one much beyond this trip and we being in the same city I look forward to meeting her and travelling together in the future. Akhita- this one’s for you and to more trips together, piggybacking Angel as we walked through the Canyon was a feat I very much admired as I struggled to hold my balance. Aiyto our guide deserves a special mention for her spirit of patriotism as she spoke about her country and gave us a flavour of the delightful Kazakh music (still on my playlist)
As the trip came to an end like all good things do, and as we unpacked our suitcases and sifted through pics for our Insta roundup reel, the memories lingered much longer and they will stay for a long time as sweet memories.
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