En Route to Parts Unknown

En Route to Parts Unknown

With schools in session, we’re back on the road. To further avoid crowds, I picked an area where few travel to – Central Asia. Of all the Central Asian countries, Uzbekistan is probably the most well known for its beautiful Islamic architecture. As for the other ’Stans, the entire area remains a mystery, so I figured we’d check out some of these countries while in the region.

Flying from LA to Central Asia is a full day ordeal. First, a 15-hr flight to Doha, with a 7-hr layover, and then another 4.5-hr hop to Almaty, the major international airport in these parts of the world.

The Qatar Q-suite made the 15-hr flight a pleasure
Inflight meal was delicious
Doha’s iconic teddy bear in the south wing.
The new orchard in the north wing looks a bit like Singapore’s Changi’s Jewel.
All the upscale western shops in the airport make you forget that you’re in a Muslim country until the call to prayer comes on, which you’re bound to hear during a 7-hour layover.
One of the few stores not commonly seen in other airports.
The newly opened 79,500 sqft Al Mourjan Garden lounge in the north wing is the best place to kill time.
Dining area on the east side of the lounge offers an international buffet spread
As well as an a la carte option.
And the quiet area on the west side of the lounge has shower facilities, a spa, and various seating arrangements.
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The best amenity is the 24 quiet rooms with lounge chairs that can be booked for up to 6 hours for some shut eye.

Despite all the creature comforts available to us throughout our journey, we were toast by the time we landed in Almaty.

A view of the majestic snow capped mountain ranges near Almaty.

Two important apps to download prior to arriving in Central Asia are Yandex Go and Google Translate. Yandex Go is the Uber equivalent in Central Asia, and Google Translate is pretty self explanatory, as English is practically useless in this region. Russian reigns supreme here.

Arriving at the hotel in the morning meant not being able to check in and crash. Our only option was to hit the mall next door to kill time, as our empty “gas tanks” only allowed us to roam so far without collapsing.

Khinkali is like a giant 小龍包, but dough to filling ratio is ideal only if you like dough
Georgian beef stew, chebureki (Georgian version of the empanada), and khinkali

First day in Almaty – catch up on sleep…

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