Travelling around

So after having my mom around for a week, followed by a week of examstress, it was time to explore the rest of Kazakhstan! Together with another exchange student (Miguel) we decided to conquer the Southern part, paying visits to the cities Shymkent, Turkestan, Aralsk and Aktau.
We challenged ourselves to keep it as cheap as possible, which resulted in travelling at night so we could sleep on the minibuses, and booking hotels last minute or couch-surfing when possible. All in all not very comfortable, but definitely worth it!
Starting around 11pm in Almaty, we took the night-bus to Shymkent. Surprisingly comfortable and most importantly, supercheap. In the bus we met this guy who , after arriving in Shymkent at 7 in the morning, showed us around the city and met us in the evening again for some locally brewed Shymkenski (spelling is improvised here) beer. In all honesty, Shymkent itself is not that impressive, its simply a big city. Probably the most interesting thing that happened to us that day was being approached by the mayor of the city, who realised we were tourists (and I believe he had never really seen a tourist in his city before) and wanted to make sure our stay was a comfortable as possible. We even ended up getting the number of his personal assistant, in case we would need anything. The day after we went to the city (more like, village) of Sayram, which is an important stop for pilgrims. The touristy part consisted of four miniature monuments, including the tiniest minaret I have ever seen, which required us to walk around the entire city four times, taking us about 2 hours (and which led us around the main crossing of the city four times, which was slightly awkward since people aren't that used to tourists, and definitely not to them walking by in every direction).
Next destination: Turkestan! Again travelling by masjroetka (i seriously have no clue how to spell Russian words) aka minibus, making us now officially experts of creative sleeping positions. The great military leader and later ruler Timur, has build here a beautiful Mausoleum for Yasaui (a Sufi teacher, using poems to spread the religion among the people. This guy is actually born in Sayram, and is the reason why that place became a point for pilgrims on their way to Turkestan). Timur also ordered for the mausoleums in Samarkand (a place I had visited with my dad before, in Uzbekistan), and this one was at least as impressive as the ones seen before. This one was, like the others, not completely finished yet. Legend says that Timur was so keen on keeping his legacy original, architects were known to be executed when they finished their project, leading them to endlessly redesign the last part. Nevertheless, the buildings seen here are definitely among the prettiest I have ever seen, our European architecture from around the same era looks pale in comparison to what was build here. Everything is decorated with mosaics, which look like patterns at a first glance, but after some closer inspection appear to be parts of the Koran and repetitions of the name of the prophet. The mausoleum in Turkestan is also surrounded by a garden, filled with more and prettier roses than you can imagine.
After feeling very culturally enriched, we took the train to Aralsk, and as the name might give away, to where the Aral sea was. Although warned for it being a slightly weird city, we weren't fully prepared for this. It clearly used to be a fishers-village, but the sea is gone now and all that is left is this half empty village, ravaged by salt and dust storms. With a 4 wheel drive and a guide, we went to explore the steppes around the village, looking for old boats. We found a few, giving us a view that can best be described as bizarre. Old rusty boats, literally in the middle of nowhere ('middle of nowhere' like that simply doesn't exist in any of the countries I have been before), with the ground around it being covered by a crust of salt.
Next day: hopping on another train, for 36 hours (!!) this time, on our way to Aktau, a city on the coast of the Caspian sea (the name is a lie, its a lake!). Trains are by the way super comfortable here! You get a coupe for 4 people in total, with quite comfortable benches, and you get an extra mattress, sheets and towels for the night. And of course, very central Asian; unlimited amounts of tea. This time, like all other times before, we shared our room with two old men on their way to their work on one of the oil fields. Its in these places that we rediscovered the kindness of Kazakh people. They will gladly talk to you for hours, and patiently listen to the pathetic attempts to speaking Russian, while in the meanwhile, stuffing you with the food they brought on the trip, mostly likely made by their wife. Its quite often the cheapest way of travelling, and by far the most comfortable (those beds were soooo much better than what I am sleeping on in the KIMEP dormitory).
Arriving in Aktau, we met up with Aigerim and her brother, at whose place we could couchsurf for 3 nights (Again guys, thank you so much, hope to see you again sometime! Her brother is actually going to hitchhike around Europe, mostly visiting France, and could use some couchsurfing places himself. Just in case anyone reads this with a spare bed on offer).
We mostly just chilled around the city itself, wasting some time on the beach to recharge before having to start uni again, but one trip was definitely worth mentioning. The pilgrimage to Beket-Ata. With a minibus we went to the holy ground of Beket-Ata, on the way stopping at several points for prayer (on for example, a huge necropolis) which seemed to mostly be about walking around sacred trees. Of course, Miguel and I barely knew what to do, especially since a lot of people spoke Kazakh instead of Russian, but we managed to blend in (ahum ahum, we absolutely didn't, I still don't know how to properly fold a headscarf) with the pilgrims around us. Beket-Ata itself is an underground mosque, and walking down the stairs towards it offered a spectacular overlook on a desert canyon. Sadly, since the ground is holy, no pictures were allowed so I cant prove you the magnificence of the site, but if you ever get around that area, be sure to be it a visit.
All in all, our trip took 10 days (I kept out some of the ruins we visited, in order not to bore you guys to death with names you have never heard of anyways) and every minute of it was remarkable! Although Kazakhstan is only really known for its two big cities, Almaty and Astana, the places we visited were all definitely worth the time. We improved our Russian speaking skills, learned how to cook some authentic Plov, learned the meaning of the word 'salad' to Kazakhs (a salad will definitely not contain more than one vegetable, if not, non at all), experienced for the first time a long train trip and were continuously amazed by the kindness and hospitality of the people. I cannot stress how much this country is worth a visit.