Falling In Love with Kyrgyzstan

As the chilly wind brushed against my cheeks, I could feel the tears my eyes as I casted them to to my surroundings. I knew I had fallen in love with this place. The land offered so much quality in its resources and all unguarded for us enjoy. Coming from a race who deracinates everything for fortune, I was disarmed by Mother Nature's altruism. 

Endless carpets of grass stretched over the rolling hills following the contours of the undulating land and tucked into the sides of the river. The green on grass was more precious than emerald suggesting the cleanest air ever with the amount of chorophyll they displayed. Every blade of grass was tingling with pristine freshness. The blue river glistened under the showers of soft sunlight as it creates the most melodious gurgling with its white rapids. The sound of horses and cows grazing articulated the atmosphere while birds aptly adding notes of chirps. It was simply surreal to be in such an idylic surrounding. This place, I deem came straight from the Windows wallpaper. And to top it all, everything was raw and organic. Nothing was engineered other than my smartphone, and everything else I brought in the 4WD I came in. 

I suddenly questioned how did I settle for a life without being here all my life. All the ambitions and hussle in the city in exchange of being trapped behind the monitor and to breath gases from the exhaust pipes. What price do I have to pay to come to such a heavenly place for eternity? 

The beauty of green hills with running blue water accompanied by alluring spruce was the perfect illustration of heaven. Its beauty was ineffable. I naturally gave homage by observing silence and soaking it it all in. But no matter how much I identified as a sponge, I couldn't have enough of it.

I wondered if the city was this beautiful before the land was displaced by all the urbanization back in where I came from. The sight in front of me showed that the world indeed can be a better place without the interference of us humans who only bring destruction in the name of modernization. Entranced by the mountains, I was at the point of worship. Maybe these are the higher powers we need to believe in? The deference for nature to provide for us lowly beings.

A little distraction suddenly poked my fantasy - without an ounce of technology planted on these virgin lands, when the sun is done shining for the day, the cold must be bitter and the dark, dangerous. Would I be yearning to stay as much then? I couldn't help myself but to still say yes. In exchange of paradise, it could be worth it. Maybe a little tent, a traditional wood-burning stove and some man-made blankets won't hurt for survival. Aha! So this is is the genesis of nomad living. 

My head is still dizzy with yearning when I think of Krygyzstan- a wondrous country with literally green pastures and sky scrappers in the form of ice-capped mountains engineered by Mother Nature herself. I cannot forget the places so unearthly and surreal to people from my world. 

Khazakhstan - Shymbulak Ski Resort

Shymbulak is one of the destinations that is definitely not worth skipping in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is surprising that this breathtaking beauty is only 20-30 min away from Alamaty city. Usually to get such raw treasure from Mother Nature, we have to first pay it forward by travel. 

Nestled 3200m above sea level, the peak at Combi 2 (the highest peak) is liberating with vast snow laced landscapes for hike. In June, glaciers were still intact and sufficient to trick tropical dwellers like yours sincerely to think that winter never left. 

How to travel from Bishkek to Almaty and vice versa

Being just less than 250 km from each other, travelling from Almaty to Bishkek and vice versa means being able to visit 2 beautiful central asian countries with much ease. I took the bus from Bishkek at 8:00 am and arrived neatly at Almaty at 12:00 pm. The travel is safe and pretty straight forward.  Economical and time-saving, this is a good way to commute between the 2 cities although you don't speak the languange. 

I am from Malaysia and if you have taken an interstate bus in Malaysia before, it is quite similiar. The only difference is that passangers change buses after crossing the 2 check points. This should be explained by the bus conductor but incase you are neither Kazakh nor Krygyz language competent, I am glad you are reading this! Just keep an eye on the herd or your busmates and follow them to the bus across the immigration. That was how I survived! Some good Samaritans pointed out the way to the new bus for me. 

Taking the bus from Bishkek to Almaty and vice versa is not as daunting as most people think is.
It is pretty straight forward. 

Bishkek Western Bus Station.
I bought the ticket one day before the travel day which is more expensive but the price difference is negligible.

The entrance to purchase ticket at Western Bus Stop Bishkek

The inside of the bus station could be better lit but don't let it intimidate you.
I can say it is safe despite the lighting

Make your way to the window counter 

At the counter, it is pretty straight forward Bishkek-Almaty destination and timings

The paper says Bishkek-Almaty 600 soms. Remember to bring your passport to purchase

It is also easy to identify the bus by platform and by the label on the bus window

This is my bus at 8:00 am at Platform 11 to Almaty

It could take some time to identify the seat number but you'll get it somehow. There was a briefing by the bus conductor but it was all in Krygys. I got a little concerned but I couldn't do much but trust the process. 

Reached the Ak-Jol checkpoint after approximately 45 minutes

I got down the bus and walked through the check points with my luggages following the crowd

This is the Kazakhstan immigration side

After leaving the bus at Kyrgyzstan, I walked through the 2 immigration check points on foot with my luggages and boarded another bus that was waiting at the Kazakhstan check point. I didn't know that I had to change buses this way. Thanks to some good busmates that pointed out the way I should be following. I guess this was the brief that I did not comprehend from the bus conductor.

The view on the way back to Almaty. Do be prepared with a mini fan during summer as air conditioning might not be turned on. 

Reached Sairan Almaty Long-distance Bus Station by 12:00pm

The front of Sairan Bus Station

Inside of the Almaty long-distance bus station

From here, I took the Yandex back to my accommodation in Almaty.
The flight from Almaty to KL via Air Asia was scheduled the next day