Kazakhstan is nothing like Borat!
Kazakhstan. Ok, most people on the planet have only heard about Kazakhstan because of the outrageous ‘Borat’ character, played by Sasha Baron Cohen. Ironically, his persona has been linked to an increase in tourism to this large country in Central Asia, just to see what it’s about.
I can confirm that Kazakhstan is NOT a place where fermented horse urine is the national drink, where everyone indulges in incest and prostitution, and where women were recently liberated so that they could own their own plough. In fact, Kazakhstan has some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They are extremely hospitable – so much in fact, that your brain and liver will regret accepting their hospitality (via numerous shots of excellent vodka and cognac).
So what does the place look like? Well, most of the country looks like this – the Steppe country. It’s a flat paradise that has an 80 degree Celsius turnaround between winter and summer. That’s right, it reaches -40 degrees in winter, and boils at +40 degrees in summer.
Most of Kazakhstan is dry and flat. And that was a good enough reason for the Soviet Union who thought it was a great idea to use this brown and flat ‘wasteland’ as a nuclear testing ground.
The north east of the country had about 800 nuclear warheads (equivalent to 2000 Hiroshima Atomic Bombs) dumped on it for almost 30 years, which caused all sorts of problems like dodgy DNA and three eyed fish.
However, the south east of the country is mountainous, especially the area near the city of Almaty, the former capital.
There are many hidden gems in Kazakhstan. One of them is the tomb of Jochi Khan. Jochi was one of Genghis Khan’s sons and inherited part of his old man’s kingdom. He died during Genghis’ lifetime, and is buried in central Kazakhstan, a few hours drive via dirt road from the industrial town of Zhezkasgan.
You probably won’t see this mentioned in any guidebooks, but I’m sure there’s thousands of these kinds of sites around.
Food In Kazakhstan
When it comes to food, the Kazakhs make a delicious skewer kebab type dish called shashlyk. It’s made from either chicken, pork or lamb and is usually marinated overnight in vinegar or wine with herbs and spices. It’s then roasted over wooden coals which provides a smoky flavour.
Ok, it’s a vegetarians worst nightmare, but for us carnivores out there, get stuck into it! Here are some photos:
Like most former Soviet Union countries, Kazakhstan still has many imposing statues that represent past glorious achievements, such as the space race and military might. The example shown below pays tribute to rockets and MiG figher planes.
More Kazakhstan Stuff
I really enjoyed Kazakhstan, mainly because it’s easy to see the real country, simply because it’s not that touristy. Language might be a difficulty, so I would suggest learning some Russian phrases if possible. Maybe not the Russian Swear Words….
Otherwise, it doesn’t matter, you’ll still have a great time!
It’s definitely nothing like what is depicted in BORAT: Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
We are doing a trip to Central Asia next year. I am sold, we are putting Kazakhstan on our list!
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Interesting! Those kebabs look tasty. I’ve been longing to go to the “stans” for awhile now. Hopefully I’ll get there eventually…
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First of all- horse milk (kumis) is the national drink.
Second-skewer (shashlyk) is Gorgian natinal food (original) but popular everywhere in Russia (by Russia I mean all ex-USSR republics).
Third- nuclear bombs testing and all that scary stuff you wrote- where the fuck did you get that from? They did have tests, but not anything like in Chernobil’.
As for sightseeing – there is a lot to see in that country. One of the famous places- Medeo- famous ice ring.
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Err, did you actually talk to anyone or just walk around snapping photo’s? Would have been nice to hear another voice. Banal, guide book stuff really
I was lucky enough to be working there (and had the opportunity of talking to locals through translators) – and I met tonnes of locals who overwhelmed me with their fantastic hospitality. Many younger locals are learning English these days, and they’re keen to practice it with you. The BBQ shots were at a family hut where I was invited for lunch – they grow vegetables in the short time available when it’s not -40 degrees or +40 degrees. So yes, I did get involved with the locals and didn’t just snap photos and remembered how good my trip was when I got home ;-P
I never knew all this before about Kazakhstan, it looks fun! I’m a big meat eater too so that helps things a little.
Sounds great! I’ve been keen on going to Kazahkstan/Mongolia ever since i saw Ewan McGregor do it on a bike. This has sealed the deal for me!
That’s great to hear – you won’t regret it! I loved every minute there!
Thanks for the write up im considering going there to live for a year or two as a live in Nanny but am undecided @ the moment! 🙂
I am no vegetarian and those kebabs (the cooked ones) look really delicious. You cant beat that smoky BBQ flavour.
I personally loved Kazakhstan! Travelling there authentic, and that is what I love when exploring the world. I have some amazing stories from this amazing country, and indeed hospitality of people there is outstanding!
I had slightly easier, both with vodka shoots and language, I’m Polish 🙂
Lucky you!
What was your favourite part of Kazakstan and why?
The middle bit where it was flat and dry – because it was ‘impressive nothing’ and I love those wide open spaces!