Surely There’s Something in Shymkent

I arrive at Shymkent and make the mistake of asking a teenager for directions to a cheap hotel. When I reach the four star Shymkent hotel, I don’t even bother to enquire about rates.

Another local informs me that there are people renting apartments around the corner next to the pizza shop. When I tell them my budget, most people stop offering me their place, except for one guy (Nurbek), who takes me to a centrally located dump of an apartment. I decide it’s good enough for one night, pay him the money and proceed to have dinner in the most deadbeat way possible.

Imagine sitting on a couch in your undies, watching TV in black and white, eating pelmenyi (ravioli) with a matchstick out of a chipped bowl (there were no knives, forks or spoons available), chasing it down with beer and tea, out of yet another chipped bowl. Good times.

I sleep in past check out time and after a 20 minute long wake up call, Nurbek banging on the door telling me to wake up, I let him in and he politely waits (sleeps on the bed), while I shower (using cold water under a tap) and eat breakfast, instant noodles with a screwdriver I found next to a tin of paint.

I head out in search of Shymkent’s sights and experience something amazing.

Me: What’s there to see in Shymkent?

Local: Well there’s uh… a fountain (saw it on my way in)… some parks (boring)… mostly we just drink, a lot… oh I know, there’s supposed to be a MiG somewhere, you could see that.

Me: That’ll do.

Fountain at sunset.

Fountain, in a park, at sunset.

I take a car to find this MiG and overpay for the short drive.

I arrive to find a park almost entirely torn apart. The grass has died, weeds are growing everywhere and all of the concrete has been smashed up prior to it being removed.

I start chatting with one of the guys (Sergei) standing around the jet and find out that it’s in the process of being removed and either relocated or recycled. Shymkent’s Tourist Information office will have to think hard to find a replacement. Sergei tells me that there’s nothing to see in Shymkent, but tells me that there are close to a dozen Avtovokzals (intercity bus stations). After some thinking, he mentions that there’s a Russian Orthodox church and a mosque. Good enough I decide and head to the church.