Almaty and Altyn Emel National Park

We all met up at the airport, and got about an hour of sleep at the hotel, before we embarked on the journey to Altyn Emel National Park. We are now back in the city after three days on the steppe. We have seen great nature, climbed mountains and even climbed a sand dune! Seen wildlife and the grand flat steppe from it's best side! Beatiful weather every day!

It was good to be back in civilization now, with running water and toilets! Tonight we embark on the Great Train-ride south-westwards. Night

train in KZ!! Kristin, you are with us!!

Singing sanddune!

Toilet on the steppe!

Altyn Emel National Park

Our van for the trip!

Wild tulips!

Rockpaintings/Petroglyphs

On top of a burial mound from the 3rd century BC

Lunch on the steppe!

The program for the next few days!

“Altyn Emel” National Park.
Departure Almaty at 06:30. Entering National Park with post #1. Sightseeing:
Petroglyphs – rock paintings of masters of the Bronze Age represent stages of hunting, wild animals and pets, rituals and also deities with sun faces. Besshatyr barrows – the sizes of funeral reflected division of sakis society into classes. The largest majestic barrow in height of 17 meters belongs to the unknown Saki king.
Singing Dunes (Barkhans) – is one of the favorite visiting places of tourists. It is located between mountains Small and Big Kalkana. Similar natural phenomena in the world can be met no more than ten in China, Russia, Arabia and America.
Accommodation at “Altyn Emel” guest house. Dinner. Free time.

After breakfast sightseeing 700 year ELM, Katutau and Aktau:
Katutau mountains were formed as a result of the volcanic phenomena. The heated underground lavas were frozen and formed huge fantastic figures. Sometimes tourists can meet here archers and also other animals.
The cretaceous mountains Aktau locate in the west of Katutau. They are pressed from different rocks: white as chalk sands, red clay and claret rocky ground. In crevices it was found out even traces of vanished subtropical plants, petrified bones of the most ancient animals, huge rhinoceroses that lived on the Earth 20-50 million years ago.
Returning to the Guest house. Dinner. Free time.

After breakfast departure “Altyn Emel” national park (2.5 – 3 hours road to Almaty). Arrival to Almaty. City Sightseeing. Free time. Overnight in the hotel.

Almaty.
After breakfast transfer to TSUM (central store). Shopping, walking Arbat avenue. Lunch.
After lunch transfer to the train station Almaty 2. Train to Aksu Zhabagly (Tyulkubas) at 16:50. Overnight in the train.

I made it, alone...

I made it to Almaty in the middle of the night! Alone! Missing Kristin!

The others are on their way from Istanbul! They are coming in about an hour. I found our driver Misha! Very sweet man. I used my very limited russian, introduced myself and we had a small chat! So now I am waiting with Misha in the arrivals area!

Ready to fly!

At the airport in Atyrau, ready to go! Missing Kristin! The gang is in
the air already. Can not wait to see your sleepy faces soon! Have a
safe journey!

Sent from my iPod

Let us try again tonight...

New day, new possibilities to make it to Almaty. After a day full of drama yesterday, the conclusion is now that we lost one travel companion and we are one day delayed. The party of 4 eventually made it to Istanbul from Oslo last night (as one of the very few flights out of Gardermoen in the total airtraffic chaos, as Istanbul is one of the few airports not covered by the ash-cloud), and are flying into the glorious country of Kazakhstan tonight. Kristin is sacrificed to the big evil project monster (as her b2b did not arrive due to the ash and the closed airports), so we have to accept we will not have her great company during this trip. I will make my way to Almaty on my own tonight, meeting up with the others at the airport. I land at 01:40 and they land at 01:35. Then let us hope the BIG TRIP begins!!

Ash or no ash...

It is time to go on new adventures! The big Almaty trip is supposed to start today... but Mother Earth has not quite finished showing what she is good for. Let us hope the wind is with us, so the Icelandic volcano ashes will blow out into the Atlantic, and not in over Continental Europe. The airports here in KZ are all open, so it is looking good for Kristin and I. Let us just hope the other 4 coming in from Oslo will eventually make it! All fingers crossed!!

Ian is leaving us.. Well at least trying to leave us..

Over the weekend we had Ian's going away party. He invited for drinks at TGI Friday's after work. It was, as usual, a fun night out with the gang! Plenty of beer and vodka, and good people!
We do not want Ian to leave us, we will miss him so! The only good thing is that he will stay in Atyrau, and live in the same apartment block, but he will just be working for Shell. So we are hoping for many more fun times ahead!
So now it is just an angry volcano stopping him from leaving us, and coming back into KZ with a work visa with Shell and not Aker. We keep telling him, that he can not go, and even Mother Earth tells him he can not go... But he is not taking the hint…

Magic morning in Atyrau

This was the view out our window on the 11th floor Friday morning! The fog was so low that we were above it, we were up in the morning sunshine!

Back in town!

I made it to dry-land! Had a nice helicopter-ride with 11 very nice Italian welders! They helped me into my survival-suit, carried my bags and even gave me juice! Sweet!
Now it is time to go over to Renco and have some proper Italian pizza and great cold white wine!