Day 1: Flying With AirAsia X From KL to Almaty, Kazakhstan

I have to say that majority of my 2024 trips manifested because of AirAsia. One of the trips that I won't forget for the rest of my life is travelling to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. When AirAsia launched the first new route to Central Asia which is Almaty (Kazakhstan) from Kuala Lumpur, I knew that I shouldn't miss this opportunity. Without thinking any longer, both of my husband and I immediately bought the tickets. Besides the two of us, my husband even tagged along his ex colleagues along the trip. Like they say, the more the merrier.  

#1: Flying with AirAsia X for their first new route to Central Asia which is Almaty 

#2: Most of AirAsia X planes seat configuration are 3-3-3 but we're a bit surprised to see 2-4-2 seat configuration. 

#3: I've said it before and I'll say it again. AirAsia's Santan meals and beverages are soooooooooo good man! Especially the prawn & chicken wonton noodle and must ordered their Pistachio latte drink.

#4: In order to get this incredible and majestic snow-capped mountain aerial views, I would advise you to book the seat of the right side of the plane. 

#5: After more than 7 hours of flight, finally landed at my first ever Central Asia country - Kazakhstan 

#6: Almaty International Airport, main international gateway into the nation.

#7: Our transport for the entire trip. 

#8: Our first night dinner at Almaty - Luckee Yu which is a modern Chinese bistro with a compact menu of dishes designed for sharing. I can say that it's pretty good and all of us were pretty satisfied with it. 

#9: Dropby random grocery store nearby our hotel to get some snacks and drinks for our long road trip 

#10: We stayed in Kazakhstan Hotel, Almaty. I have mixed feelings towards this hotel because their room were a bit dated with old looking facilities (few of my friends' room where the air-conditioning are not working well) but their breakfast was great with huge variety of food. 

Extra Info About Our Kazakhstan Trip:

• Malaysian passport holders do not need visa to travel to Kazakhstan for stays up to 30 days calendar days. 
• Kazakhstan time is 3 hours behind of Malaysia time. 
• The currency of Kazakhstan is Tenge. We didn't exchange any of these currencies back in Malaysia but instead, we withdrew from the ATM in Almaty by just using Wise. It's advisable to have some local currency on hand rather than just relying on your cards. 
• The main ride-hailing apps in Kazakhstan are Yandex Go and inDrive. Try to download these apps prior to your trip as we had some issues with the sign up process while doing so during our trip in Kazakhstan. 
• As for the tour guide info, we engaged Mr Mirlan which I found from Facebook Group. He seems fairly popular among the Malaysian travellers. You can contact Mr Mirlan at +77052079486 via WhatsApp. He might not lead the tour himself but he will assign different tour guide and driver based on your preference, request and travel date. 
  

P/S: By the way, did you notice my new watermark? 😜

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Central Asia - Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan (Sneak Peek)

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that one day I will visit Central Asia countries. Thanks to AirAsia once again for making another of my bucket list turn into reality with their direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Almaty, Kazakhstan. 

Here is a quick sneak peek from the trip I went end of August recently covering both Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan: 

#1: Aeriel view of the snowcapped mountain. Tips: Book on the right seat for this marvelous view.

 

#2: Almaty International Airport - the gateway to the Central Asia countries 

#3: One of my favourite shots from my new toy, Sony ZV1 

#4: Riding horse is one of the activities must do when visiting Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan 

#5: My favourite place in Kazakhstan - Kolsay Lake 

#6: We're blessed with great weather on the day of visiting

#7: Cross border from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan 

#8: Kyrgyzstan is also known as "The Land of Horses" 

#9: Skazka Canyon (Fairy Tale Canyon) on the south shore of Issyk Kul Lake 

#10

#11: We got to experience staying in the Mongolian yurt

Apart from Almaty where we explored the city on our own, we engaged a local tour guide throughout our trip in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In case any of you would like to get the details of the local tour guide, you can leave a message. 

Not sure when I will be able to do a full post on this as I still have long list of backlog waiting for me to blog about them. You know the life of a new mom after having a baby. I can only have my own free time to do my work and stuff after the baby sleeps at night. However, I will try my best to update my blog, if my baby allows me to do so. Hahaha... 

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