e7m
🛬 How I ended up in Almaty at all
Kazakhstan wasn't in the plans. I bought tickets almost by accident — a Moscow–Almaty flight cost around 8,900 rubles, and that seemed like a convincing argument. I expected a flat steppe, a boring transit city and routine exotica. Almaty greeted me differently: mountains right behind the city, wide Soviet avenues, the smell of samsa from every corner, and incredibly polite people who helped without being asked.
The first day went to acclimatization and the Green Bazaar market. A glass of kumis — about 90 rubles (500 tenge). A plate of lagman at a café near the market — 360 rubles. Cheap and hearty. I felt at home before I even had time to open the map.
😅 The moment that changed my route
On the second day I was planning to go to Charyn Canyon — I agreed with a local driver for 2,700 rubles (15,000 tenge). We left at six in the morning. Halfway there the car broke down: something with the cooling system. The driver Serik called his brother, who arrived an hour later. While we waited — we drank tea from a thermos right by the roadside, looked at the steppe, which had absolutely nothing in it except the horizon.
"We say: a road is not a distance, it's time. There's no need to hurry," said Serik, pouring tea for the third time.
We arrived at the canyon by noon. The delay was worth it: there were hardly any tourist groups left, the light was soft, and the red cliffs looked like a set decoration for a sci-fi movie. The breakdown turned out to be the best thing that happened on the trip.
🌄 What I'll remember forever
Kazakhstan surprises with scale and silence at the same time. The Chimbulak ski resort is 25 minutes from downtown Almaty, the cable car up — about 1,600 rubles round trip. Beshbarmak for dinner at a family restaurant — 720 rubles for two with tea. And a complete sense that you were expected here.
- Money: MIR cards are accepted in Kazakhstan — the country is part of the CIS, but it's better to have cash tenge: exchange offices in Almaty offer good rates, no commission in the city center.
- Communication: buy an eSIM in advance at e7m.ru — rates from 129 rubles, activates before your flight, internet works from the first minute at the airport.
- Transport: taxi via Yandex Go works reliably; a trip around the city — 180–360 rubles. For the canyon and mountains, negotiate directly with the driver — cheaper and more flexible.
- Food: don't look for restaurants with ratings — go where the locals sit. Samsa, lagman and kuyrdak there will be tastier and twice as cheap.