Olga KUZENNAYA
On the last spring day, my friend and sister and I decided to go to Kok-Zhailau. How can you resist the urge to walk along mountain trails after rain on Sunday?
We, of course, are lovers of mountain walks, but we have never given up our morning sleep. Therefore, we met at the stop near the Kazakhstan Hotel only at 10:30.
We reached Prosveshchenets by 11:30. For the mountains, the time is quite late, but people climb Kok-Zhailau even at a later time.
The main and steepest climb was overcome quite quickly. Although, we were in no hurry, this is not a marathon, but just a walk. While we were riding on the bus, we told each other who and when we met the horses on the way to the plateau. We wanted to feed the village horses again, but Lady Luck gave us a meeting only with the local cows. Well, why not take a photo of them? The animal, of course, is not so friendly and noble, but quite cute. After the morning rain, the city smog cleared a little, and Almaty appeared in all its scale and splendor. Along the way we met a huge number of birds and insects, but since I am not the best birdwatcher, I only chased butterflies. Having captured one winged beauty, I calmed down; after all, flowers as models attract me more. On the day of our walk it was highly cloudy. But I don’t see anything bad in this; on the contrary, the sky becomes textured, and the sun is not so hot.
There are 39 species of rose hips growing in the mountains of Central Asia, 17 of which are endemic. There are 25 species found in Kazakhstan, four of which are endemic. Frankly, I still haven’t figured out what kind of view I have in the photo... Alberta Iris
I probably won’t talk about the hype around QOL; so much has been written, told, and shown about it. Let me just remind you of the promise to provide bypass roads and trails for tourists during construction.
Almaty authorities say that tourists will be able to continue walking in their favorite places and the construction will not interfere with them. I don’t even know how construction can NOT interfere with ecotourism?
Perhaps the efforts of activists and concerned people will not bring any results and Kok-Zhailau will still be built up. But today, this place still breathes freedom...
“Kok-Zhailau” is a place of unity between man and nature. Admiring the beauty of our peaks, the endless green sea and the clouds floating past, we felt incredible harmony not only with nature, but also with ourselves...
...The return journey was made twice as fast. Not because the road led down the mountain, but because of the desire to get to the bus without getting caught in the beginning rain. I like mountains, but I haven't visited them often before. However, with each new time, I feel the oncoming illness more and more clearly in my peaks...
Photo by Ekaterina SEVRYUGINA
Evil, like bookmakers, like cryptocurrency exchanges, like drugs, like quick money. Of course, all this is evil and...