WorldWideKittyGlassesProject : Shymkent, Kazakhstan

Monday, June 17, 2019

Shymkent, Kazakhstan

The bus took a little bit longer than I expected from Tashkent to Shymkent. It was because of the border. When I finally arrived to the bus station in Shymkent, it was the Old Bus Terminal. There was no tourist information anywhere! Luckily, there were 2 really nice women working there who were able to give me information on which bus I needed to take to get to the downtown area. Also, they were kind enough to break my big money bills (thankfully I kept some left over for when I was in Kazakhstan the first time around). I walked around some parks until I was able to get wifi at a shopping mall to ask my friend how I could get to her place. Once I got to her place, I was welcomed with open arms by her family. I had a big dinner waiting for me (even though I had already eaten). My friend's sister was able to translate everything, so that made things easier. I got to try on traditional Kazak and Uzbek clothing. It was a nice night. My friend arrived very late, so we only chatted for a bit that night. The next day she took me to the downtown area with her sister. It was nice to walk around in the city with locals. Then I needed to head back because I had to catch a flight back to Astana. While we were going back it started to rain like crazy!!!! Luckily a neighbor was nice enough to drive me to the airport. Thanks for the hospitality and the gifts!!