HITCHHIKING IN KAZAKHSTAN (dangerous?)

something about God got the money a lot
of pressure going on there
got the card
now it’s time to go hitchhiking in as
extended
out of the city center and i found on
google maps of park and from that park
I’m gonna hitchhike up to this lake in
the mountains and so I’ll bring it along
on this journey let’s see how this goes
because I have absolutely
no idea how this works here I mean I
vaguely recall doing this 16 years ago
just putting my hand out no master
and looks like we got a guy here that
was quick Russia to president park the
teacher – yeah
pero sure hit a thousand he asked me how
much I said a thousand so it’s like
[Music]
you’re also to vote yeah yeah he’s he’s
Amati
class ocean
I said it’s a very cool city
Kazakhstan is a big oil gas exporter so
you can see the benefits of that here
for sure in the infrastructure I’ve also
been told it’s super super corrupt but
at least some of this money is filtering
down
can’t be sent for
Soviet republics like where I live in
Ukraine you don’t see
and there they are Jian Shan Mountains
keeping out of the city
and so I believe I’m getting up there a
little bit today like up into those a
lot of development you can see a lot of
apartments being built which one thing I
don’t understand here I don’t understand
that okay so I met a guy yesterday whose
timing the average person with like the
minimum salary is roughly
300 600 and this is a month $600 is a
pretty good salary and a thousand is
like a good salary but then I see this
[Music]
I’ve seen a lot of nice cars I’ve seen a
lot of nice apartments look at that cool
and the police does not look horror so
I’m trying to understand how that works
and I still haven’t figured the answer
out because everyone’s been telling me
the same thing they said they’re but
they said there’s a lot of corruption so
money gets siphoned
so juxtaposition now look at that old
Soviet era
clark’s and then this stuff
you see another summer was soaking dunya
or whatever
have you seen it’s the tallest building
in Almaty
well ritz-carlton
girl Sunita
yeah not the Kazakhstan we think that’s
for sure it looks like looks like we got
a mega mall here
not my favorite place Malea what do we
got them properly
ski jumps
ski jumps up there
Ellie Ellie uh T V Lucia Lucia
V yeah
Slater’s she got
so the language here is mostly Russian I
think they’re making a comeback with
Cossack but really on the streets here
it’s Russian
I haven’t heard any any cosmic yet but
again I’ve been here two days
yes it looks like Southern California’s
that’s beautiful Russian Orthodox Church
with those mountains in the backdrop
Wow
but
it’s like I’ve actually seen more
Orthodox churches than mosques here
which is interesting and interesting and
I’ve been here two days but there’s a
there’s a very nice
meeting the people
religions seems like the languages thank
you very much my friend
my Luke wait Luke okay Illya she’s
leaving
spasibo Bashar I gotcha
but it’s pretty much a snapshot of the
people have run into just nice chill
relaxed kind of guy
here’s president park wasn’t planning on
going in here but I think it’s worth
scoping out look at that I don’t know if
you can see it through this GoPro with
the mountains in the backdrop massive
you know what’s so fascinating is
the Soviet Union comprised of 15 states
Kazakhstan being one of them
and so in 91 it fell and once you start
traveling this part of the world and
spending time in it you realize how
massive the union was like how crazy it
was that it all kept together as long as
it did because you have Estonians which
are you know look like European finish
you know finished looking people like
European and then you have Kazakhstan
which is the largest landlocked country
in the world and it’s got an Asian feel
to it with these massive mountains and
so you realize as you go through these
places that they they’re so different
and so we got that view of the Soviet
Union just through you know what Moscow
looked like basically and definitely not
this view of massive mountains and
different cultures
so each each former Republic has its own
unique flavor and so the Stan country is
there five of them Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan Tajikistan Turkmenistan they
all have some of that former rusev I’d
feel because the infrastructure in the
Soviet Union was you know these were
nomadic places actually before the
Soviet Union was formed here but they’re
all different and so they all have a
very unique flavor and they all have
different conditions now I mean
Kazakhstan is just sitting on a ton of
oil and so it has that benefit and I’m
going to Kyrgyzstan tomorrow and I know
it’s not sitting on oil so it’ll be
interesting to see how different it is
than here okay let’s go check out this
park a little I really do want to get to
the lake but let’s just take a little
peek see if it’s worth coming to
sometime
yeah that looks quite grand
quite grand I’m not gonna walk us
through there right now I want to get up
to the lake but look if you’re thinking
of coming out these two these these
parts to this city this is
it’s just we’re spending an afternoon or
a morning not the heat of the day like
right now it’s as you can see it’s
pretty harsh it’s hot it’s probably like
yesterday was up to a hundred Fahrenheit
so that’s what 30
seven something like that
I think dropping by heart
night school down Scott sumela elevation
here I think what I like I think I’m not
sure but I think we’re at like
fifteen hundred meters someone
spasiba
a lot of pressure going on there
really keep this place clean okay
let’s let’s hitchhike let’s try getting
a ride up to Almaty lake that was
ridiculously easy just getting that taxi
so we’ll see how this goes here okay
let’s go
it’s never the BMW’s that pick you up
back to what I was saying about the
former Soviet Union I
I definitely feel it’s an overlooked
part of the world we don’t see many
talks at
and it’s not because the people aren’t
cool it’s not because the people aren’t
cool and it’s not beautiful it’s just
because it has a bad image right its
roster to Almaty Ozona so yeah you have
all these different countries now you
have Georgia the Republic of Georgia
fascinating place beautiful place
I made a Travel Show 2012 and I had any
country in the world to choose
and I chose Georgia because it ticks all
the boxes it has massive mountains it
has the Black Sea which is blue with
dolphins cool people
beautiful very hospitable
thrust with it
maybe it’s the camera through the camera
isn’t helping out right now the reason I
do these videos guys the reason I I want
to show this is because look growing up
in the States
growing up in the States in my
generation
we just told the world’s at darts dark
dangerous hole for the most part and so
I’ve discovered a lot of it and I’ve
discovered a different truth and all
that side I want to show people this
story so you know when they say
Kazakhstan they did when they hear
Kazakhstan not just oh that’s a backward
country for at whatever else that the
[ __ ] narratives are no it’s actually
I mean every country has its problems
every every place has its pros and cons
but there’s a lot of there’s a lot of
cool stuff here and when I compare just
the infrastructure in this city versus
your average American city I’d say it’s
way better off here that’s the crazy
part people think it’s all like inferior
and less developed and it’s not really
the case
[Applause]
within our martini bar showing was
Oh specific specific catfish
[Applause]
three-dimension to say in 3000 this is
insufficient to teach them so I don’t
know okay motion sickness food yes dance
Nia
Nia’s Peter puppets at a couple’s
bootblack it sure have a shot
thank you Nia’s is our Capitan for the
trip
yep yes Schumacher Yamaha door ministry
brother Jim just three water yeah yes no
she stole him today he’s 73 73 yes sir
okay Dean I was sneaky for a while so I
say Schumacher because they love that
joke anyone who drives here whenever say
you’re Schumacher’s they think
so there is so we’re on the road trip
okay especially free you see there was
the ten minutes
but I had to pay well good I was in a
normal hitchhiking experience America
America but San Francisco
that’s a prayer there is a national
stage I’m not yes
yeah mirapanis vangelia ruku druggie
good words that rolling mr. Oliver
coming up okay
zooming man yeah yeah I demolish as me
must be a box
do you box
you do it with that I’m 73 years old
this man is very strong only the dirty
little puzzle simply said 311 children
I’m not going in when we’re down up by
the airlock little guy yeah so as yes
what’s the secret of life and he said
mama Dania he stays young he stays
strong he eats well he gets up early
he’s got a bunch of kids and he’s a
fired up individual oh yeah yeah days
you’re not my guy he put on me sort of
he’s asking if I understand I say sort
of I’m not getting all of this to be
honest sort of inoko you should do Moya
let’s go to 42 grandchildren and I don’t
think he’s stopping anytime soon I think
he said his girlfriend is where his wife
now is 46 so I think he’s still going
hmm
yes yeah Parker yeah ho chi minh Olga
yeah yeah okay ho Chi Minh I think
that’s your new parish on yet
I worked in the Raleigh Avenue come
children eat something about God
stubborn information specialist
involution Houston yeah cardigan Russia
book
okay nears Priscilla yeah
God is with Quran
gee danke yeah yeah cheeto get your
thumb she’s got them chest
shut up
I told him I read the Quran which I did
is somewhat sure I read part of it
[Music]
what did you buy welcome sweet
Annie amen I’m easy
so I asked I asked me as what would look
at what time was better now or in Soviet
times and he said depends depends what
you’re talking about 50/50 he said which
was interesting I didn’t understand
everything he said though so no I’m not
gonna tribe you guys through them this
is literally not even ten miles out of
the city this scene
into the road up over big almaty lake so
cool up here so so fresh probably the
coolest looking money
spasibo
so a little harsh what the [ __ ] spasiba
nears hypocrisy American some yang shuo
shuo furusawa and wish you well to city
this year
good idea was more just a bookworm done
he’s wishing well I think you forgot in
there that was a trip
look at this
you try to get down there and explore a
bit you know this is a part of the world
that’s really overlooked I think when
you put the word stand at the end of
something in the English language most
Americans or Western Europeans freaked
out and this says that they think it’s
dangerous and well I can speak from my
experiences here in Kazakhstan and it’s
not the case I mean it’s been a very
peaceful relaxing experience but the
thing is that there’s a filter in that
which is great because well I want to
show people I want to show Westerners
that there’s you know the world isn’t as
dangerous as we’re taught but though I
guess the pro that – that is nobody’s
really here I mean up here I’ve just
seen Kazakhs so no no other tourists so
far which is nice this doesn’t help that
I get it so it’s like I’m being a little
bit contradicting but I do want to show
all those people it’s almost like not
rage but it’s a little bit like hey guys
you don’t know so don’t say and okay let
me show you let me show you that
Kazakhstan or whatever stand isn’t [ __ ]
that it can actually be like this we
speak a little Russian my Russian is not
that good
I speak enough like enough to navigate
but even when I had zero Russian
language skills when I first came to
this part of the world 16 years ago it
wasn’t a problem like
learn a few words be patient and you get
thrill so guys I think I’m gonna I’m
gonna try to get up to a river I was
told back there you’re not allowed to
swim in the lake I’m not sure why so for
that reason I want to get my feet wet
and get into some water because I’ve
just been living this urban life for a
while maybe go over there look at that
there’s a trail along the mountainside I
might do that and get up get up into
that valley
I was just sitting on this Bluff and
these people came down we hung out for a
bit we talked half live in Almaty half
are from Russia and they invited me to
eat lunch with them we’re gonna have a
picnic I’m so cool and that’s how the
world works if you open yourself up to
it it opens itself up to you especially
especially in these parts of the world
it’s super kind inhospitable to say the
least
so usually white don’t made it long now
laughs messed up okay huddle show so
we’re gonna eat right here this very
place is very sweet people
two hours ago I was in Almaty looking
for a ride you guys gonna end up at a
lake and now I’m here with these very
kind and beautiful wonderful people and
we’re gonna have a little lunch class
you
this looks like a cool little place
let’s check it out small village up here
in the mountains I doubt anyone is
living here in the winters since behind
me there’s still fair amount of snow up
at elevation and way behind it’s it’s
full-on winter still it looks like
glaciers yeah I can’t see what the GoPro
by the way back there get some better
views so what scares me the most in
places like this are the dogs
I don’t know how Kazakhstan is with dogs
but in a lot of countries
it’s those rogue dogs sometimes are in
packs and
well let out this ferocious barks that
well scare the [ __ ] out of me I’d say it
looks like we’re not getting in here but
nice little village so they got
everything blocked off pretty well here
around this lake get into that forest
for my little nap
we’ll see there all these do not enter
signs or actually some military up here
or police Park Rangers I can’t tell the
difference to be honest and then
uniforms not happening here so about 20
minutes from the main road and there’s
absolutely absolutely nobody up here
don’t get it everyone’s going to one
lookout point and these mountains are
sort of a barrier a massive barrier
beteen mm let’s say the southern areas
the southern I’d have to look at a map
but I believe like Afghanistan and
Pakistan you know are sort of the south
side of this range and then to the north
are fertile plains and Russia so it’s a
huge dividing line between different
worlds and cultures and so you see it in
the people for sure like you definitely
see it in the looks of people yes was
saying on the way up that well as he was
singing right he had his traditional
song it was in his law it was it was a
religious song it was a Muslim song and
then you see all these Orthodox churches
and that group up there they were
Jehovah Witnesses there I guess there’s
a big Jehovah Witness population in
these parts yeah who knew I didn’t yeah
what do we got here
you got like some barracks of some sort
let’s go back to nature hair and then we
got this and yes so you just feel this
this contrast here this rawness this
pureness but it’s gentle at the same
time and this this land this landscape
is extreme but the people from my
experiences have been super kind and
there’s one thing I’ve learned in life
it’s usually when you get away from the
beaten path completely off the beaten
path
that’s where well definitely the
adventure is but also the treasures and
so today is a treasure it was an
experiment really had no idea other than
I was going to end up in a lake and what
a day and to me these are the coolest
days when everything is completely
spontaneous I think that’s the next hour
I put my head down for a little rest
and just soak in this place
that is awesome
Rochefort’s in spasiba Oh Chico oh sure
yeah yeah voodoo photo [ __ ] vessel would
Johnny genera she’s gonna let me go in
the front for video so cool she’s got a
party going on – beer smoke okay
specific
ooh yeah a little hard act
Motors
Plus
Sophia
so cool
this head of shahe dr. Johnny let’s go
to start come on whoa spasiba without
you to sleep on my bike
okay
alright guys thanks for coming along on
that journey it was surprising to me how
easy it was hitchhike
how kind everyone is how beautiful it
was and now I’m back to my hotel
classic Soviet style hotel and I’m gonna
go right over to the noodles get some
food so if you like that please please
subscribe to the channel it helps me
build it because I want to be put I want
to do a lot more videos like this and my
other content which is more con
and I’ll have this Almaty episode done
in a couple weeks oh alright thank you