Time was getting close to 4pm, which was when we were supposed to be back at the bus. All of the crew was ready to head back, but I spied some cars further away that looked like they were at a pretty good viewpoint. I left the others in a slight jog to check it out, and sure enough, it was probably the most beautiful views of the entire trip.
Category: Asia
Big, Militarized Almaty Lake
The date was September 2nd. This was an important date for me because my visa, as well as the visas of my hiking companions (all three were foreign students) expired on September 1st. In addition, none of us actually had our passports because our new visas, and therefore our passports, were in processing with the immigration police. This information was telepathically realized between the four of us after seeing the gun, and after a few quiet conversations about it, we all started to feel pretty uncomfortable in the given situation.
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Kazakhwhat?
Jon Jay’s Note: My great friend Jon put this up nearly a month ago, not long after I arrived in Kazakhstan. The dude is a simply amazing writer, so I’m honored and touched that he wrote about this trip I’m on. You should definitely subscribe to his blog right now. I’m sending good vibes that he has a great winter back in Colorado and wherever he travels to, which will inevitably be awesome. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get to ski those Altai Mountains with him.
“Later.”
The greeting of choice for a generation. No matter how far the distance it fits. Jon was leaving for a year and that’s as creative as it got. A friend forged through miserably cold days on mountainsides throughout the Intermountain West; and equally miserable mornings couch-bound throughout that same Intermountain West.
Jon Jay is one of the smartest people, period. He is also a beast on snow and dirt. Mr. Jay should be your hero. Right now he is halfway around the world in Kazakhstan, chasing down a dream. Jon has been hungry for years, longing to explore and to push the limits of his world. When he said he was going to serve abroad in Kazakhstan and bag first ascents/descents in mountains halfway around the world, few doubted him. He moved less than two weeks ago to teach English at a university and to explore the Altai mountains…
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Пик Кумбель (Kumbel Peak) – Summertime
To see and hear such amazing energy generated from hiking and seeing mountains, from people who hardly knew such things before that exact moment, was a simple reminder about why I am here and who I am. While I love traveling and I am really starting to enjoy teaching, I realized four years ago while hitchhiking across Norway that when I am in the mountains, I am completely at home.
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Toes of the Tien Shan
We made out way back down slowly, mindful of the slick trail and non-hiking footwear of my coworkers, and found the bus stop. It was a terrific weekend on the Toes of the Tien Shan Mountains, and I have a feeling I will continue to spend a significant amount of time there this year.
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The New Neighborhood
I made it to KZ. I’ve been here for 4 ½ days, and have had a multitude of bizarre experiences already, not the least of which is house hunting with 2 beautiful Latvian girls that I met three hours prior to viewing a deluxe apartment on the top story of an apartment building that overlooks City Hall/Republic Square and mountains to the south; then moving in the next day after spending 3 hours negotiating with a Realtor, a University Housing Representative, and 2 friends of the landlady (who actually lives in Astana), in what naturally felt like a drug deal, complete with $1,500 USD/Tenge mix on the living
room coffee table at one point. Welcome to mutha(expletive) Kazakhstan!
