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Tian Shan Mountains - Kazakhstan
Almaty's southern edge backs up against the Tian Shan mountain range.
Escaping the crowds and pollution of Almaty, we spent several days hiking in the nearby mountains - Big Almaty Lake, Tian Shan Observatory, Kosmostantsia, Big Almaty Peak and Medeo.
The hike from Kosmostantsia to Almaty almost killed us. Our advice: make sure you follow the *correct* river gorge.
Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
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Almaty Outskirts
The Tian Shan mountains surrounding Almaty. This particular view is on the way to Big Almaty Lake. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Walking the Line
A pipe leads from the GES-1 (Hydro-Electric station #1) to Big Almaty Lake. It's the path of choice for hikers.Climbing a two-meter pipe straight uphill is no easy task. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Big Almaty Lake
Big Almaty Lake and the surrounding Tian Shan mountainscape. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Bird House in Your Soul
A tiny little shack stands in the middle of Big Almaty Lake in Kazakhstan's Tian Shan mountains. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Hiking Kazakhstan
Audrey is ready to take on the Tian Shan mountains. Actually, she's pretty tired at this point from walking up-hill for 6 hours. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Unreal Blue
No, the water is not photo-shopped...this is what Big Almaty Lake actually looks like. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
A Warm Welcome
Our welcome to Tian Shan Observatory above Big Almaty Lake. The eerie silence and abandoned feel of the place made us wonder whether we had arrived at the Kazakh version of Bates Motel. This Soviet-era observatory partially survives financially on stranded hikers like us using their facilities for accommodation. For a few extra tenge (about $4), an astronomer will pull out the big telescope and show you the stars. Recommended for a side trip from Almaty. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Phoning Home
A Soviet-era observatory in the Tian Shan mountains struggles to get by. We're not quite sure what that huge satellite really does...The observatory grounds (just above Big Almaty Lake) is a worth a visit. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
For E.T.
Tian Shan observatory above Big Almaty Lake. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Cold War Relics
A receiver, or perhaps a missile tracking device on the grounds of the Tian Shan observatory in Kazakhstan. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Gazing at the Stars
The visiting astronome at Tian Shan observatory gives us a tour of the sky from one of the observation centers. After he manually opened the skylights and fired up the 2500x telescope, we glimpsed an exploding star and a few star clusters. Then the smog and ambient light from Almaty kicked in. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Dan and Aivar
Our host, Aivar, at the Tian Shan observatory. Kyrgyz by birth, Aivar spoke good English, smiled often and took care of us for our night in the mountains. He even ensured that we got Bush legs for dinner. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Odd Couple
We found this hiker's (right) attire to be a bit curious...especially as the clouds rolled in and pelted us with icy droplets.On the way from Tian Shan observatory to Kosmostansia in Kazakhstan's Tian Shan mountains. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Getting Smaller
The Tian Shan observatory begins to look like an ant farm on our ascent to Kosmostansia in Kazakhstan's Tian Shan mountains. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Going Nowhere
This truck apparently gave up outside Kosmostansia in the Tian Shan mountains in Kazakhstan. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Junk Yard at 10,000+ Feet
Much of Kosmostansia (in the mountains of SE Kazakhstan) was a junk yard, with rusting parts strewn about the grounds. Previously, this was an active Soviet weather station. A few people still remain, but a feeling of foreclosure pervades the place. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.www.uncorneredmarket.com/2007/12/kazakh-reflections-mount...
Looking To Kyrgyzstan
Tian Shan mountains outside Almaty, Kazakhstan Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Over the Pass
Dan stands at what we think is a path near the Zhusalykezen Pass near Kosmostansia in Kazakhstan's Tian Shan mountains.We were wrong. The path led us downhill, but almost to our disappearance. No one mentioned waterfalls, cliffs, and the rappelling we'd be required to do... Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Homeward Bound
Our guidebook told us to follow the river gorge to a nearby ski resort. We followed instructions, but the river gorge never seemed to end. In retrospect, we're pretty certain that we took the wrong river gorge. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Final Feat - The Waterfall
Although not much of a picture, this shows the final feat on our descent from Big Almaty Peak to the city of Almaty. Luckily, someone had left a rubber rope tied to the top of the waterfall so we could repel down. Otherwise, we might still be there today waiting for a helicopter rescue. It took almost a week for our legs to recover Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Compensating for Something?
We chatted with the drivers of this absurd Hummer limousine. They joked that it was like driving a school bus. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Surrounded by Love
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is surrounded by smiling and approving kids at Medeo ice skating rink...Similar presidential images start in Azerbaijan and continue east until China. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Skating in the Mountains
The olympic sized skating rink at Medeo sits in the mountains outside of Almaty and serves as a favorite place for wedding photo shoots. Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
Kazakh Mountain Views
Looking into the Tian Shan mountains from atop the (800?) stairs at Medeo. The mountain range borders Almaty's southern edge and makes for a dramatic backdrop (when you can see them through the smog). Read more about our adventures in the Tian Shan Mountains.
