Almaty Warning or Danger Tips by johnsakura

Traffic in Almaty is one of the most difficult i have seen. not becuse of the large quanitity of cars that also exist in town but due to the lack of dirving skils vs respect from dirvers.

expect everything from NOT STOPING ON ZEBRAS, RED LIGHTS, PASSING BY YOU ON THE LEFT SIDE, NOT LETTING YOU PASS SIDE WALK TO SIDE WALK; DRIVING ON SIDEWALKS (also I have see this in Russia);

A small story:

My Italian friend Marco whom I met in Almaty one day was expecting for a friend somwhere near Dinamo Stadium while he saw a lady requesting for a taxi to stop. so far so good right? so the taxi stoped a bit further of the lady and even without looking he starting driving backwards to pick the lady a bit more closer since she had a couple of bags. the problem here was that the lady also didnt look and she was hit by the car bumper on her knee and he saw exactly that moment while the knee was broken, while the leg bended to the car, PLOCK!

so with this becareful when taxis come back to pick you up a bit closer. usually they dont look where they are going so they might as well just hit you instead.

Almaty was the city in the world where i saw more accidents per day. i actually counted them and i came up with an average number of 7 accidents I HAVE SEEN per day! not that i saw the exact moment of the accident but where i saw cars stoped due to crash.

enjoy Almaty!

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Taxi to Bishkek is one of the most common problems for tourist in the area. so you have some shared taxis that can take you fast and cheap to Kyrgistan's capital Bishkek. everybook says you should avoid this type of transportation. but still people do it without any responsability and care. The normal thing to happen is that somehow you get kidnapped and they ask for all your stuff either back home, or they just leave you somehwere far from civilization without papers, bags, money etc. i guess you should be happy to stay alive as some tourists also disapear.

another small story:

I was on Uzbekistan's embassy to get my visa where I met this American guy getting is uzbekistan visa for the second time the current month. why? he got a bishkek shared taxi and he was robbed and almost stabbed to death somewhere about 30km away from the city. he said he was cereful choosing a taxi with someone already inside not to go alone with the dirver but he forgot the chance of the driver having something to do with the other passanger. suddendly inside the taxi the other passanger pointed him a big knove and asked for all his money passport and important stuff. after a few minutes in panic and impotent feeling he saw this off road coming where nothing existed and he tought "...ok, now that they rob me they maybe will kill me and live my body somewhere wher people cant find it like this desertic place about 4 km off the national road..."

nothing happen to him and he was just left there alone witouth his belongings. this sucks i guess. sorry man, but you should avoid this taxis unless you go with more friends, up to a big number inside the taxi. even like this someone can be waiting for the driver along the road with some guns or with a larger number of people, enough to get your guys money and documents.
he got a new american provisory passport and needed new visas.

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another solutino for this problem is to get a few more time and go to bishkek by bus.

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Hidden spots in town can get tricky. avoid hidden places and small narrow streets far away from bigger streets. i didnt really took this advice in consideration as i walked everywhere in town without a problem, but, this doesnt mean i dont have knowledge of this problem and the probabilities of something like a robbery to happen. just feel confident, strong inside and go everywhere you think that in that exact momment feels ok and without a problem.

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Horses runing in Medeu are scary and can actually get you by suprise. no one warned me about the horses coming runing towards me so i really had to run to avoid being hit by them. all these horses are scared of the man coming with them on another horse, conducting them to a different place, so they just run and SAVE YOUR ASS cos they will not move!

these are the horses for horse riding on top of the hill in medeu after the olympic stadium.

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On the mountains after Medeu on the way to Shymbulak, Extremely cold water in medeu river can be found. i entered the river for the first time and i had to run for the first log i founf on the river. ahhhh so cold i could image where i was. the cold ice water just freezes your blood and you get this huge pain on your muscles all the way to your knees.
this is the cold water coming down the mountains. in the summer, a big part of the mountain snow melts and gives lives to many waterfalls and rivers.

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Camping in Medeu and Shymbulak mountains can be dangerous and is not advised by local authorities. many bandits are on the mountains and there is a few number of people that actually only live from this job: robbing people camping on the mountains alone. remember they rob local people also, so they will not blink their eyes on getting your stuff!
i went there alone and i was ok. but i knew the danger i was on. everythink went ok and i had no problems, but indeed this is a dangerous thing.

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4WD Offroad can get tricky and there is alot of stuff you have to prepare. extra part of car, water, tyres, chekcing oil. the thing you will not want is to get stuck somewhere on the mountains without possibility of getting back. the mountains usually are with some bandits that can rob you. if you go by car get your car prepared for eventualities.

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Walk on the mountains in Ili Alatau alone can have a few things to know about. you should avoid getting far away from your friends alone after the sun goes down. apart from wild animals you have bandits that can kidnap you... hehe, its true...im laughing but this can happen. so if you are far away from your friends have have to go back already without light, think on 4 things: you can get lost!! you can find some bandits! or you can just fall into a hole and find some bad bad wild animals like bears and stuff like snakes and scorpions very normal to see them in the summer.

if you find local kazakh nomads yurts, try to spend there the night. they will be ore than happy and youll be safe for a night.

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Casino's areas by night should be avoided in Almaty has they are full of local mafia and drunk people getting out of the bar. constatntly there are many shooting action near these buildings so, just cross to the other side of the street, or just go niside and play! haha, just dont stay at the door waiting for some lost bullets!

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Panfilov Park and Zekov Cathedral by night is indeed a mustn't. i was folowed by thes guys that really looked bad guys. i decided to go there to see the park at night and its only full with gangs. on the lighten areeas of the park you have some people still singing karaoke with these loud radios and tvs, so if you even need help and screem no one will listen to you. be careful with guys riding motorbikes and bicylcles also. after i was folowed for a few minutes i decided to go back and confront them face to face bofore i actually ended in a less lighten part of the park. they were suprised and didnt know how to react so i just passed aside them. i was heding a dark part of the park and i think they knew it so they were folowing me in order to atack me or something, this is not paranoia as i am not paranoic hehe, but i knew it for sure, you know...it was one of those moments...

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