Taraz, Shymkent Kazakhstan 哈萨克斯坦塔拉兹，奇姆肯特 5/2018 (2)

4/5/2018. After a brief stay in Almaty, I was looking forward to seeing more of Kazakhstan. I took an MPV taxi heading west to Taraz with a few other fellow passengers. The car was loaded to the hilt for the six-hour ride. To get out of the car, we had to first unload some of the luggage. The pit stop was memorable. The toilet was even more so. It was a tight shed, barely enough for one; two narrow planks to step on while aiming for the bull’s eye. It stank to high heavens, so I tried to hold my breath while I let go. You can’t rush this thing; the more I rush, the more things obviously go astray. I busted my lungs and took a few inhalations. I could even puke thinking about it now. After my release from the gas chamber, I saw a few young girls in my car queuing for a similar toilet. They were well dressed for the ride, some in flowy skirts. I really felt sorry for them. Later we chatted in the car. They enlightened me that free toilets in Kazakhstan are similar to these models and giggled at me for being a sissy. In the city, though, it was a lot more dignified.

The six hours of unobstructed grasslands hypnotized me. Cattle took their time crossing the road. We could not hurry them; this was their turf. They nourish us with their milk and beef us up with their flesh. We had to be patient.

4/5/2018 今早付了九美元坐了子弹头商旅车离开阿拉木图向西走，六小时后到塔拉兹（Taraz）小镇。人和行李都挤成一堆，休息站下车得先卸下堵住车门的行李。休息站厕所是几块锌板草率钉住，格子稍大的挤进去后可能出不来。我进去前，把自己尽量充气，眼睛最好不要往下看，但又要瞄准，动作要顺畅，一气呵成。绝对不是轻松的事，憋着气进去，撑到完事出来后才呼吸，憋不住就要在里面抽气，会很恶心。出来后，我看见另一边几个同车衣着时髦女孩在女厕外排队，替她们委屈。听说的在哈萨克斯坦只要是免费的，马桶都是这种型号。今早在车站的厕所也好不到那里。你如是娇生惯养，如想到哈萨克斯坦，随身带伞，或穿尿布，这里可是草原之地。不过在市内，不要急，自用和付费的都改良了。

一路无穷尽的草原。在这草原大地，路上一批马大摇大摆过牠们的路，也是名正言顺，这毕竟是马路。后来又一群牛慢条斯理的过马路。牛就是那么牛，坐车的也奈何不了。反正我们受她母乳滋养，又对她七分熟嫩肉垂涎，让她三分不过分。

Fully loaded mini bus to Taraz 挤得爆满的子弹头商旅的士

Vendors barbecuing kebab at the pitstop 休息站的烧烤 — Fully loaded mini bus to Taraz 挤得爆满的子弹头商旅的士

I finally arrived in Taraz. I hadn’t come for any particular purpose. It was just a convenient stopover en route to the next country. This was a small town. In the center stood the town square, cordoned off as a fun park, for children and the childlike. The biggest buildings were Russian style—the Russian influence persists. I was beginning to have a better picture of Kazakhstan.

这就是塔拉兹小镇，镇中心是个大广场，几栋方方正正的俄式楼扬威耀武；晚上大道封闭，转为市民游乐场。虽只是个小镇，还是别致，整齐干净。到这里只是路经，也没白来，难得机会多看哈萨克斯坦的另一角，看了大片草原地貌，还有一路来三顾茅庐的滋味回味无穷，对哈萨克斯坦的印象开始成形。

Government building in the Central Square 中央广场政府办公楼

Taraz City Hall 塔拉兹市政厅 — Government building in the Central Square 中央广场政府办公楼

5/5/2018. Early the next morning, I went to the taxi station to Shymkent. It was a carpool system, so after waiting for a while, I paid for the empty seats so we could depart immediately. I paid USD 18 instead of 8; the damage was bearable.

It was another journey of grassland, blue sky, and abundant sunshine. Snow-capped mountains towered at the far end of the landscape. I was beginning to see how vast and underutilized this country was. The Earth has enough land to cater to the refugees. Why should they all go to Europe? I pondered and wondered. The pungent smell of the toilet from yesterday still lingered; today, the same lucky treat. The way to answer the call of nature was, so natural. If you are too spoiled, bring your own umbrella or wear a nappy. Otherwise, take a deep breath, suck it up.

5/5/2018 一大早到的士车站等车到奇姆肯特（Shymkent）去。车要凑齐四人才开，等了一小时多还凑不齐，我只能掏腰包多付以好赶快上路。一路还是平坦草原，草原边际可见雪山，又是蓝天日丽，心情当然舒畅，直到停车休息站时又躲不过那茅厕，还是一样的呛人。我不是贵族，是娇生惯养。

Pooling passengers for taxi to Shymkent 在的士站等乘客凑齐

Snow-capped mountains and grassland on the way to Shymkent 到奇姆肯特一路草原和远处雪峰 — Pooling passengers for taxi to Shymkent 在的士站等乘客凑齐

Shymkent was a convenient stopover en route to my next destination, Uzbekistan. It also gave me the opportunity to see a cross-section of Khasakstan. I did not expect to see anything here that would knock my socks off, so I just took it easy, sampling and savoring the local cuisine. I pointed to some dishes in a food display cabinet and ordered a vegetable soup and some chunky meat pieces. When I sank my teeth into the meat, it turned out to be offal of some poor animals. That didn’t agree with me, so lunch was kind of a washout. I then came to a cool café, and ordered something more recognizable – some chicken wings and salad. It wasn’t particularly Kazakhs, but I wanted to play it safe, put my feet up, and watched young Kazakhs chilled and socialized.

Like Almaty, the streets were neat and tidy. The luxuriant trees, laid-back grass, clear blue sky, and refreshing breeze all provided for a cheery, summer, parklike surrounding. I reminisced about Bolivia where oxygen is thin, and Iran, where much of the land is parched. Kazakhstan is indeed blessed.

在奇姆肯特也没去挖掘任何景点，反正还有好戏在后头，在这里就安分点。今天就是以吃为主，开开眼界。午餐点了蔬菜汤，吃得起劲后，又再加点土豆烤什么的，一咬才尝出是内脏，白费了，然后往下家去，点了色拉，鸡翅(又点错了)，红萝卜汁。

街道也整齐干净，跟阿拉木图一样，茂叶大树布满街道，天空还是那么纯一色的蓝，暖活的阳光，凉爽春风，回想起玻利维亚的缺氧高原，伊朗一路南下尽是不毛之地，这里却是走不完的草原，哈萨克斯坦命不错。

For dinner, I went to a recommended restaurant, the Bar Villa. I was impressed. The bread was served tucked in a blanket to keep warm on a summer evening. The main was a slice of fish fillet, so small it was meant to tantalize, not eaten. With a white plate as the canvas, the artistic chef painted it with a dash of gravy, like a masterstroke of calligraphy. This art piece was completed by garnishing it with a slice of lemon and cherry tomato. The colors were varied and coordinated. I hesitated to dive in—it was embroidery, a piece of art. This is a time I do not complain about paying too much for so little. I just had to be careful not to let anything get stuck between my teeth or there wouldn’t be anything left to slide down my throat.

Tomorrow I was headed to Uzbekistan. Good night.

晚餐到这公园餐厅享受人生，对中亚地区饮食文化充满好奇。环境不错，排场不错，色香味又如何呢，哈萨克斯坦？起先，面包盖好被子送上来，接着是主食，一小块鱼，很小，在个大盘子里显得更小；我小心避免鱼肉留夹在牙缝中，吞到喉里的就所剩无几了。很用心，像刺绣，狼吞虎咽太残暴，我只能细嚼慢咽彰显我品位。哈萨克斯坦的奇姆肯特！不错哦！

明早到乌别克斯坦。晚安。