Ochen Priyatna

So....I'm back in Sunny Singapore and my body has yet to adapt to the harsh conditions in Singapore - Sweltering heat + ongoing construction work everyday. Anyhow, I received a private message yesterday from a fellow couchsurfer who was heading to Central Asia. She was pretty much as lost as I am when I was heading to Kazakhstan and since I have the experience of dealing with this lost land, I figured I should emerge from hibernation and continue writing on my Kazahkstan Adventures.



Armed with comfy shoes and my all-time favourite - Samsa



Peacocks parade around the central square
Don't forget to pack some Biskrem or Flint! The walk around the Mausoleum can get pretty tiring.







Getting there (from Shymkent): Take a Taxi from the Samal Bazaar bus station (Camal Bazar AftoVokzal) and it should cost about 800T for a one-way trip to Turkistan. The ride takes about 1.5-2 hours depending on traffic conditions.

Turkestan also has a train station so you can get a train ticket directly to Turkistan from Almaty.

Do choose your seats wisely if you are not in a rush...on my way back to Shymkent, the driver hurried me into a Taxi that only had one vacant seat and I had the most unpleasant ride ever with zero leg space and a breastfeeding mum beside.