God gave each of us the right of choice when you travel all over Central Asia you can make fast and comfortable flights from one town to another admiring a bird's-eye view. You may travel using the services of travel agencies, but if you want to feel exotics and get the most of your summer holidays, then a short stopover on the way from Tashkent to Almaty will be stuck in your memory with the most unexpected welcome.

Chimkent is a provincial town situated on the Great Silk Road. Passing through this town pilgrims go to ancient monuments-mausoleums Ibraim-Ata, Karashash-Ana and the grave or sufist poet and preacher Khodji Akhmed. Though the inhabitants in this town live their own lire we offer you to spend some or your time among local population, mix with them, taste the unusual dishes or national cuisine and probably you'll have new friends in another part of the globe.

The best way to get from Tashkent to Chimkent is to pass through Chernyaevka boundary post where fixed-route taxis goes to and from Chorsu every half an hour. The journey takes 40 minutes and costs $0.50. On the way you can feast your eyes on the gardens and fields of Uzbek peasants, and get to know local news and prices. In Chernyaevka you're expected to have hour documents checked up by custom-houses of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. It's better to get tenge (national currency in Kazakhstan) after passing the border in currency exchange offices that are situated in a many places not far from custom-house. The rate exchange is 150 tenge per dollar. Just near the boundary post you'll experience all the might of national hospitality. You'll be persuaded to go to Chimkent by bus (fare Si), by taxi (fare $2.5-3), by fixed-route taxi (fare $1.5-2). You may choose what you like but from our own experience the most optimal variant is a fixed-route taxi. On the way to Chimkent keep a watchful eye around you or ask the driver beforehand to make a stop near a white yurta and taste the local drink kymyz, Being mare's milk it slokes thirst and satisfies hunger. This pleasure costs about $0.5. If kymyz will be to your liking then be careful, don't be over-diligent. Like with a good Italian wine you may become intoxicated when used in great amount.

A fixed-route taxi will get you to the bus station, Here you con take a taxi and have a ride in the town for about $10, or you can take any bus (at 10 cents) that goes to the Central Department store, In the heart of the town you may comfortably talk to people and join the local culture. From there you may work to many interesting and exotic places.

Turkestanskaya Street in Southern-Kazakhstan region combins 16 cultural centers of different nations living in Chimkent, The concert hall, with 800 seats, has different performances dedicated to the national holidays the are constantly being shown and you'll probably have a chance to see one of them, In the performances you can learn a lot of interesting things about traditions of such nations as Uighurs, Tatars-Bashkirs, Poles, Jews, Checheno-lngushs, Koreans and many others.

Small bazaars are spread all over Chimkent. There they sell everything that local population like to eat. Mainly they are fruits and vegetables, Fresh juicy strawberry which one wants to bite off by small pieces to extend the pleasure costs $1 a kilo, Big sweet oranges and resilient-delicious cherries having bargained can be bought at $1,5-2 a kilo. The merchants will gladly have a chat with you telling lots of interesting, sometimes devised there and then legends about their loved town and willingly have a photo with you taken.

Bright sun may fatigue you so it's better to spend dinner time in "Ken-Baba" park, Apart from coolness, cold drinks and dessert you're expected to have a small surprise- hanging fountains, turning on over your head they can splash upon you in time when you expect it least of all. Merry squeal and laughter of people running up will give you pleasure, especially if you join them. There you can also satisfy your curiosity about cultural monuments in Chimkent. A small labyrinth with well-done models of architectural monuments and detailed information about them in English, the water murmuring all around, twitter of birds, people walking around and you can stay in the park as long as you get hungry. Just at that time you'll unexpectedly come across small houses where they will treat you with national dishes of Slavonic, Korean and Kazakh cuisine.

You can offer something to your taste but if you're in Kazakhstan it's very moment to taste something of local cuisine. Famous beshbarmak substantial fried meat and small pieces of dough being steeped in vegetable sauce costs $2, kuyrdak-stewed meat, liver and boiled potatoes will cost you $1 as well as naryn- fried horse-flesh meat, horseflesh sausage and dough. The dish, unusual by ear, - kabyrga shashlyk- is in fact an usual shashlyk from lamb ribs which is for some reason served with meat assorti " Kazakhstan" that contains kazy, kart, horse-flesh, kabyrga and chicken. If you prefer vegetarian food than you can taste khan-shorpa or okroshka in Kazakh fashion, keje- soup boiled in kefir and rice, pearl barley and maize and of cause shubat- camel's milk. Each dish costs $0,5,

Intellectual hunger may follow the substantial dinner. With out going out the park gates you can go to the town of skilled workmen. Local artists Klimentiy Shin and Nurseit Ibragimov can draw your portrait in half an hour and it will cost you $10. Jewelers, painters, engravers will work wonders before your eyes. Master of rod braiding Elena Mikaelyan will help you to diversify your home interior with nice little things that will give pleasure to your close people.

Time approaches evening and it means it's time to continue the way to Almaty. Having reached the bus station you'll see many buses offering to get you to former capital, Night is the best time to go through monotonous steppes of Kazakhstan avoiding exhausting heat. So then have good dreams and happy holidays in Almaty.

1. Mild warm climate, lush vegetation and fresh air.
2. Kymyz - mare's milk - not only refreshes but slakes thirst and satisfiles hunger.
3. Skilled craftsmen will work wonders before your eyes.
4. Kind and friendly people willingly help you find the way to any part of Chimkent.