getting there and visa stuff
yaar bro, abt getting to kazakhstan from india, its kinda pain in ass but doable. i flew from delhi to almaty, main airport wahan. air astana tha direct nahi, so via dubai with flydubai, round trip 38k inr mila mujhe off season me. mumbai se air astana direct sometimes, around 42k inr. delhi wale log indego le sakte ho bangkok via but extra layover, 35k se shuru. visa ke liye e-visa online, 20 usd jo 1700 inr bana, 5 min me approve ho gaya coz indian passport. process simple, passport scan, photo, bank statement dikha. but yaar website slow thi, 2 bar try kiya. airport almaty me land hua, immigration line lamba, 1 ghanta laga, officers grumpy, smile nahi dete. baggage claim ok tha but taxi bahar overcharge karte 2000 tenge (1000 inr) city tak jabki uber sirf 800. return pe astana se fly kiya, same shit. airlines food thik tha but seats cramped, legroom zero for 6ft wale. visa pe dikkat nahi but valid 30 days single entry, extend mat karna warna fine. overstay pe paise vasool lenge. delhi airport security check me extra time lagta coz international. total travel time 8-10 hrs with layover, jetlag pada thoda. bro agar budget tight hai to promo check karo skyscanner pe, warna last minute 50k+ ho jayega. nahi recommend peak summer, mehnga. airport me wifi free hai but slow, sim card wahan hi le lo 500 tenge (250 inr) unlimited data 7 days. yaar overall hassle tha but pahunch gaya finally.
where i stayed
arre yaar, hotels me kya bakwas thi kazakhstan me. almaty me pehla rahul suite hotel, 2500 inr per night, room chota sa, bed hard jaise pathar, ac nahi chal raha properly, raat ko paseena. wifi promised tha but 1mbps se zyada nahi, netflix buffer. staff rude, checkin me 30 min wait, bolte english nahi samajh aati. breakfast free tha but roti na bread hi bakwas, chai nahi. dusra rahul rahimjan guest house, 1800 inr/night, shared bathroom wtf, paani thanda, shower leak kar raha. location thik central but noise bahar se raat bhar. staff ok tha auntie wali, chai bana di but bill galat add kiya, argue karna pada. astana me renaissance almaty nahi, wait astana me diplomat hotel, 3200 inr/night, room better but carpet ganda, smell aati. housekeeping daily nahi, towels change nahi karte. reception wale smile karte but slow service, room service 1 hr late. last wala airbnb in almaty, 2200 inr, apartment tha flat owners ke paas, kitchen tha but gas khatam, fridge khali. neighbor kutte bhaunkte raat bhar, neend nahi aayi. yaar total 4 jagah rukha, sab me common problem paani pressure low, hot water kabhi kabhi. staff mostly russian bolte, english broken. complain kiya to shrug karte. agar budget hai to hilton le lo but i was on 2k avg. rooms clean nahi properly, dust everywhere, allergy hui. bro next time hostel mat lo, private room hi le. nahi rukho cheap wale, regret hoga. location wise almaty central better than outskirts.
food and what to eat
bro food scene kazakhstan me heavy meat wala, veggie log bhukhe marenge. pehla try kiya beshbarmak, horse meat noodles, restaurant me 1500 tenge (750 inr) plate, juicy tha but zyada oily, pet dard hua next day. plov rice biryani jaisa lamb ke saath, street pe 500 tenge (250 inr), spicy nahi but filling, best tha shashlik ke saath. shashlik skewers meat ka, 300 tenge ek (150 inr), smoky tasty, abay restaurant me khaya 800 inr full meal. lagman noodles stir fry, 600 tenge (300 inr), veg version mila but bland. manti dumplings steamed, 400 tenge dozen (200 inr), juicy inside but skin thick. kazy horse sausage street pe 200 tenge (100 inr), chewy spicy, pasand aaya. worst meal tha baursak dough balls, fried oily, breakfast me free but pet kharab, loose motion 2 din. street food almaty green bazaar me sasta, 100-300 tenge items, fresh yogurt 100 tenge mast tha. restaurant navat me full thali 2000 tenge (1000 inr), service slow. sick hua plov se shayad unhygienic, doctor 500 inr medicine. best meal kok tobe hill pe shashlik sunset me, 600 inr, view ke saath. chai everywhere 100 tenge strong black. beer local 300 tenge pint cheap. veggie ke liye kurt sour milk 150 tenge, thik hai. yaar avoid raw salad, gaon ka paani mat piyo. total kharcha food pe 1500 inr daily, sasta but risky pet ke liye. nahi khao fancy tourist spots, local canteen jaao.
spots worth your time
yaar 5-6 jagah ghuma, kuch waste kuch ok. pehla zenkov cathedral almaty me, wooden church colorful, entry free, but crowd tourists ka, photo mat lo inside warna gaali. thik tha 30 min, architecture dekh lo. kok tobe hill cable car se upar, 1500 tenge round (750 inr), view city ka mast but ferris wheel mehnga 500 tenge extra, overpriced. medeu skating rink high altitude, bus se 500 tenge (250 inr), entry 1000 tenge (500 inr), thanda bahut but empty tha, peaceful walk. charyn canyon bus 3 hr almaty se 2000 tenge return (1000 inr), entry 1000 tenge (500 inr), red rocks jaise grand canyon mini, hike kiya 2 hr, thak gaya but worth. astana bayterek tower, egg shape, 2500 tenge up (1250 inr), view 360 but windy, queue lamba. skip karo khan shatyr mall, indoor beach bakwas 3000 tenge (1500 inr), garmi me fans nahi, waste paise. almaty metro stations beautiful soviet style, ride 100 tenge, cheap fun but deep underground thakau. big almaty lake bus se 3000 tenge return (1500 inr), turquoise water but pahunchne me 2 hr, mosquitoes maar dale. yaar tourist traps jaise central state museum skip, boring history 2000 tenge (1000 inr), photos nahi allowed. honest bolun to charyn best tha, nature clean. kok tobe evening me jaao beer ke liye. total entry pe 5000 inr gaya, avoid weekends crowd. nahi jaao outskirts bina guide, lost ho jaoge.
budget breakdown (inr)
bro total trip 10 days ka, breakdown deta hun honest. flight delhi-almaty return 38k. astana internal flight 8k. hotels 4 jagah avg 2.2k/night x9 nights=20k. food daily 1500×10=15k, street zyada. transport: uber/taxi almaty me 500 daily=5k, bus canyons 4k, metro 500, sim 500, total transport 10k. entry fees: kok tobe 750, medeu 500, charyn 1500, bayterek 1250, lake 500, misc 1500= total 6k. shopping chhota 2k (magnets sweets). visa 1700. medicine sim etc 2k. grand total 1,02,200 inr. daily average 10k+ , thoda over coz mistakes. flight pe save kiya promo se warna 50k. hotel cheap leke regret but paise bache. food control nahi hua loose motion se extra. transport public bus lete to 3k kam. entry combo tickets nahi mile. bro agar solo ho to 90k me ho jayega group me share taxi. nahi le luxury, budget stick karo. sim beeline best 1000 inr 30 days data. total me 1 lakh se upar ho gaya coz impulse shashlik.
mistakes i made
arre yaar pehli galti visa print nahi kiya, phone pe tha but airport me battery low, paper mangte the, last min print shop dhoondha 200 inr waste. dusri, winter jacket nahi le gaya, may me bhi nights -5 astana me, thand me bimari hui, extra sweater kharida 1500 inr. teesri, cash tenge zyada exchange kiya delhi me, rate kharab 1 inr=0.0045 tenge, wahan atm se better tha, 5k loss. chauthi, street food beshbarmak kiya bina check, sick pada 3 din, doctor 1000 inr + no food. paanchvi, astana jaane ka plan last min, internal flight mehnga 8k jab bus 3k hoti. lesson: visa hardcopy rakh, weather check kar (kazakhstan cold), atm wahan use wise card free withdraw, hygiene first street food avoid ya pakka wale, transport advance book. bro in sab se 10k extra gaya, next time smart bano.
tips for indian travelers
yaar indian log suno, money save karne ke liye flight kayak pe promo pakdo off season march-april ya sept-oct, summer mehnga crowd. visa e-visa gov site se, fake agents mat, 1700 inr hi. carry usd cash exchange wahan better rate. what to carry: thermal inners cold nights ke liye, powerbank 20k mah, universal adapter type c/f, masala pouches food bland hai, wet wipes sanitizer pet ke liye, good walking shoes canyon ke liye. best time visit may-june thand se bachne ko but pahle weather app dekho. sim airport beeline 500 tenge 7gb. money saving: hostel dorm 1000 inr share, street food kurt plov 200-300, bus marshrutka 50 tenge ride. uber yandex app download sasta. bargaining bazaar me karo half price. indian food miss hoga to almaty me indian restaurant lekin mehnga 1500 thali. carry rupees nahi, usd/inr card wise/international. toilet paper hamesha pocket me, public ganda. language russian/kazakh, google translate offline download. scammy taxi avoid app use. group me jao transport share. nahi piyo tap water, bottle 100 tenge. veg log kurt cheese pe jeeyo. visa 30 days max plan accordingly. total tips se 20k save ho jayega bro.
plan your trip
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