Can the Stans handle the Merck girls (minus 1)?

October 7: On to our final Stan

Long travel day today as we travelled from Karakol in Kyrgyzstan to Almaty in Kazakhstan ( our final and 4th Stan).

Leaving Karakol, we headed towards the mountains….more amazing scenery

Also found some more Russian bus shelters… often on these bus shelters you see children playing happily (to convey the impression that the Russian population was happy!)

The border crossing was painless ( although we were on a high plateau with the wind behind us and it was pretty cold ). The border officers were nice – they even smiled and asked questions. Mountains on Kazakhstan are just as amazing….

Shortly after crossing the border, we visited  Charyn Gorge which is often called “Central Asia’s Grand Canyon.” It’s very close to the Chinese  border.

It’s part of a state national park. The gorge is around 90–100 km long, with cliffs rising up to 300 metres high.

The rock formations are made of red and orange sedimentary rock, shaped by wind and water into towers, columns, and spires. The best-known section is the “Valley of Castles”, named for its dramatic, fortress-like cliffs that resemble ancient citadels.

We reached Almaty around 6.30 pm.Almaty is Kazakhstan’s largest city with a population of  2 million  — a vibrant mix of mountains, modernity, and Central Asian culture. It’s no longer the capital, but it remains the country’s cultural, financial, and emotional heart. The president decided to change the capital to Astana which is on the other side of the country near the Russian border, and provided incentives to people to go there.

Btw, Kazakhstan is enormous — one of the largest countries in the world. It’s larger than all of Europe combined and about the size of India.

Our hotel, the Rixos, is very palatial….

Tomorrow is our last day of the trip. 😔