There’s a special kind of joy in unpacking your bags after a long journey - not just for the relief of being home, but for the quiet, magical moment when souvenirs tumble out like pieces of the places you’ve just been. Every item whispers its own memory, its own story. That’s exactly how I felt as I sat down to sort through the treasures we brought back from our unforgettable 14-day journey through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

It wasn’t just a trip - it was a gentle immersion into cultures so rich and textures so vivid, I still feel wrapped in their warmth. And while we couldn’t carry back the mountains or the music or the smell of freshly baked Uzbek bread, we did bring back a little slice of Central Asia in our suitcases.

The Iconic Kazakh Chocolate That Everyone Loves

First up: the iconic blue-packaged chocolate with the golden emblem - a national treasure in Almaty! These aren’t fancy gourmet bars; in fact, they remind me a lot of our beloved Amul chocolates in India. Simple, sweet, nostalgic.

Made by the legendary Rahat Chocolate Factory, these are omnipresent in supermarkets across the city, yet every time you see them, you want to pick up just one more. We brought back the classic milk version and also a darker variant - both are delicious and comforting. They’re not just chocolates, they’re a bite of Kazakh childhood, and honestly, who could resist that?

Kazakh Halwa

Sweet Discoveries: The Famous Kazakh Halwa

No shopping haul from Kazakhstan is truly complete without a mention of its famous halwa - a local sweet that may look humble, but holds deep roots in Central Asian culinary culture.

At first glance, it might remind you of the Indian soan papdi or Turkish halva, but the Kazakh version has a denser, creamier texture with a nutty finish that stays with you. We spotted blocks of it in supermarkets, sweet shops, and local bazaars- neatly cut into rectangles, sometimes topped with nuts or subtly flavored with sesame or cardamom.

We picked up a few varieties to try- and honestly, they surprised us. The halwa had this melt-in-the-mouth consistency, with just the right amount of sweetness. What made it even more special was how locals treat it- not just as a dessert, but as a beloved comfort food, often served with tea or given as a festive gift.

It’s perfect with a cup of hot Kazakh chai, especially on a rainy day, sitting by your Airbnb window, watching the world slow down.

If you’re visiting Almaty or anywhere in Kazakhstan, don’t leave without tasting their halwa- and if you have space in your bag, pack some back. It’s one of those simple pleasures that transports you right back to the place with every bite.

Fruits

Fruits That Taste Like Sunshine

We devoured cherries by the bowlful and even managed to carry some home. They were plump, ruby-red, sweet as syrup, and cost just a fraction of what they would in India. We literally lived on fruits during the day. They were everywhere: roadside stalls, bazaars, corner shops- and all of them brimming with vibrant, seasonal produce that tasted like it was kissed by the sun.

Ceramics of Dreams: Blue Pottery, Cotton Flowers & Stories from Samarkand

I’ll admit - the ceramics were a major reason I was excited about visiting Samarkand and Tashkent. There’s something deeply poetic about the ceramic culture in Uzbekistan. The vivid blue pottery, the signature cotton flower motifs that adorn bowls, plates, and pyalas - they’re more than just decor. They’re a way of life.

I brought home a soup plate that I now use for biryani (because why not recreate the Uzbek vibe at home?), and a beautiful pyala - a traditional tea cup with that iconic floral design. Pouring vibrant red or orange fruit teas into these delicate cups feels like performing a little ceremony of joy.

Fair warning: ceramics are addictive. And fragile. One of my pieces did break while traveling from Samarkand to Tashkent, which broke my heart a little too. But I picked up more from Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent. Pro tip : buy all your ceramics in Siob Bazaar, Samarkand. They're cheaper, there’s far more variety, and it’s a collector’s paradise.

And yes, some of the more expensive ones are made by master craftsmen. You can identify them by the maker’s signature on the back. The student-made ones are cheaper and more practical for travel. But next time, I’m going armed with bubble wrap and a bigger suitcase.

Magnets with Soul: Blue Wood, Ceramics & Mosaic Art

I’m a fridge magnet collector - a shameless one. And this trip added some real beauties to my collection.

From hand-carved wooden blue tiles of Samarkand to mosaic-style magnets that replicate the intricate tile work of the Registan, each piece is a tiny piece of art. The wooden ones, especially, are carved by hand, which explains their slightly steeper price—but they’re unique to the region.

There are ceramic magnets too, and if you’re lucky, you might find ones that mirror the exact patterns you see in mosques and madrasahs. The artistry of Central Asia is hard to capture—but these magnets come very close.

Tea Blends from a Dream

If you’re a tea lover, prepare to be overwhelmed. The blended teas in Almaty, Tashkent, and Samarkand are something else.

We bought strawberry-flavored green tea from Almaty and an orange-infused floral tea from Samarkand. The aroma is divine. These aren’t your standard fruit teas—they’re crafted with berries, citrus, rose petals, chamomile, lavender, and more.

Just a spoonful steeped in hot water transforms into a cup of sunshine. We got only a little this time (they are pricey), but completely worth every som. I’m already joking with my mother that we need to go back to Almaty just to restock our teas.

The Great Nut Confusion: Chocolate Walnut or… Pecan?

In Almaty, we tried a mysterious nut that looked like a walnut but tasted like rich, buttery chocolate. We called it “chocolate walnut” and tried to guess its identity. Only later, at Green Bazaar, did someone finally tell us- it’s Pecan!

We felt hilariously foolish, but also grateful, because pecans are absolutely fantastic. Sweet, aromatic, and totally addictive. If you ever visit, skip all the usual nuts and go straight for the pecans.

Kazakh Biscuit

Camel Milk

Random Supermarket Surprises

Last but not least, we picked up some random supermarket goodies - coffee premixes, Maggi-style broth cubes, and flavor packets that looked too interesting to leave behind. These little culinary experiments are sometimes the most fun to revisit when you’re back home and missing your travels.

Airport Chocolates, Biscuit Tartlets & That Beautiful Almaty Tin

While spending our last few Tenge at the Almaty airport (as one does), I stumbled upon a beautiful tin box of chocolates that had the essence of the city sketched across it—Koktobe Hill, the TV tower, the gondolas, and the serene scenery of Almaty. How could I not buy it?  

It wasn’t just a chocolate box - it was a keepsake. We also picked up a pack of lemon tartlets from Magwites - a familiar brand, but a product we don’t get in India. Unexpected finds like these are the reason I love supermarket hopping abroad. When we travel, we don’t just collect souvenirs - we collect emotions. Every ceramic bowl is a memory. Every tin of tea is a quiet evening waiting to happen. Every magnet is a postcard of the soul.

This shopping haul wasn’t just about things—it was about stories. About laughter in bazaars, broken languages, spontaneous finds, and the joy of bringing a piece of a distant land into your everyday life.

If you ever find yourself wandering through Almaty, Tashkent, or Samarkand - carry a big bag, an open heart, and maybe a little extra bubble wrap.

The sitting room of our Almaty Airbnb. It had wonderful sunlight lighting up all the rooms in the morning.

 We’ve just returned from a 14-day trip across Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan—our longest travel stretch ever—and yet, strangely enough, I don’t feel drained. Usually, even a 7- or 10-day holiday ends with me needing a few days to “recover” from the trip. But not this time. This time, I came back feeling light, happy, and somehow… rested.

I’ve been thinking about why. There were days when we walked more than 24000 steps across forests and uneven terrain, there were days we kept hopping across the city at multiple sightseeing points, we also had long train journeys or flights. And alongside we occasionally we got a chance for soaking in the slow joys of Central Asia as well like a nice relaxed lunch in a chaykhana or just catching our breath in one of the many beautiful parks of Almaty. And while the landscapes, markets, mountains, and memories were incredible, there's one unexpected hero that truly made our travel experience smoother, warmer, and surprisingly less exhausting – our Airbnb stays. The warm, welcoming Airbnbs felt like an extension of our own home.

And after this, I can safely say—Airbnb over hotel, every single time. Let me tell you a little more why I feel this way.

From Skeptic to Believer

This was my first Airbnb experience. Naturally, I had doubts when I was deliberating between choosing a hotel or an Airbnb in a completely new country. Will it be safe? Clean? Will it be awkward to stay in someone else’s home in a foreign land?

I looked through several Airbnb listings and was genuinely impressed by the warm, welcoming vibe they gave off—many felt more inviting than mid-range hotels. That led me to choose Airbnbs for about 80% of my trip. For short layovers where convenience mattered more, I opted for hotels.

From a cost perspective, Airbnbs were a great deal. They offered more space at a lower price, which was a big plus. Since it was my first time staying in Airbnbs, I made sure to pick places with excellent reviews—not just for the homes but also for the hosts. Thankfully, both hosts turned out to be incredibly responsive and helpful.

On the very first day, when we arrived at our Airbnb in Almaty, any lingering doubts I had quickly disappeared. The hostess was exceptionally kind and took the time to patiently answer all my questions, offering helpful tips that made exploring the city much easier.

One of my favorite features of that home was the beautiful kitchen, especially the counter that doubled as a dining table. I’ve always loved open designs like that—where you can cook, sit at the counter, and still be part of the conversation happening in the living room. It made the space feel cozy and connected.

As the days passed and we began settling into these thoughtfully done-up homes in Almaty and Tashkent, I realized something magical was happening: we weren’t “just traveling”—we were living.

There was space to move, breathe, cook, sit by the window, watch local life unfold outside the balcony, and just be still. We weren’t stuck in a cramped hotel room where the bed was the only place to exist. Instead, we had cozy bedrooms, well-lit kitchens, dining tables where we shared meals, sofas to stretch out on, and even little corners where each of us could be alone with our thoughts.

After long days of walking, hiking, sightseeing, and sometimes just getting lost in beautiful neighborhoods or chaotic bazaars, we never had that usual ‘hotel fatigue’ I’ve often felt in the past. This time the thought wasn’t “let’s go back to the hotel”—rather it was “let’s go home.” That shift in vocabulary says it all.

It was a pretty Airbnb in Almaty

The sofa could be converted into a bed if you had more members

The bedroom of the Airbnb

Our bedroom. It was spacious and had wonderful lighting

The Joy of a Simple Home-Cooked Meal, in a Foreign Land

One of the biggest blessings of staying in an Airbnb was being able to cook.

Traveling can often wear you out because your body doesn’t get the rest or the nourishment it truly needs. Eating restaurant food twice or thrice a day, no matter how tempting, gets tiring. But here, we had the option to cook our meals, and we embraced it. And mind you this was not just for saving some bucks, because both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are pocket friendly countries where you don’t break a bank when you eat outside. But it was more for eating what our body is accustomed to so that we keep healthy during this long tour.

We shopped from local markets—Green Bazaar and Chorsu Bazaar were full of fresh fruits, vegetables, teas, and spices. That local produce ended up on our plates. We didn’t just taste the country’s food—we cooked with it. You begin to understand a country far more deeply when you cook its tomatoes or brew its tea in your own kitchen.

After walking for hours, navigating new cultures and languages, nothing feels more grounding than a simple, home-style meal. We cooked humble fare—dal, stir fried sabzi, omelet, simple chicken curry. No frills, just love. And eating that warm food, seated around a proper dining table, watching a YouTube travel vlog, while chit chatting about the day—that was luxury. Not silver platters in five-star dining rooms, but hot food from your own hands, made with local ingredients and shared with your loved ones. We never had to crave for Indian food because we carried our home with us, right inside the Airbnb kitchen.

It was slow travel. It was slow cooking. And it was perfect.

And honestly, there's something deeply grounding about washing vegetables, stirring a pot of curry, or sipping chai made just the way you like it in a foreign land.

Chicken Marination in progress. We kind of repurposed lal food items we had. So we had got some dahi from air astana which we didn't consume on the flight. We carried it with us and it came handy for marinating the chicken.

We just marinated the chicken and throwed in some essential spices and let it cook on its own with an occasional stir or tasting and voila we had such a delicious chicken curry.

Egg curry or dimer jhol. But can you tell the vegetable used in the curry? It's pumpkin. Weird? Not really. In Bengal we do make egg curries with vegetables also and we got excellent sweet pumpkins in the green bazar of Almaty. Since I'm a big pumpkin fan so this was probably the best way to bring them home and taste them. Let me tell you it was absolutely delicious

Dal making in progress

Alu peyajkoli bhaja - one of the quick meal recipes. The spring onions were flavourful and very delicious

Egg curry with pumpkin

Multitasking in the kitchen.

Boiling Eggs for egg curry

The cooking utensils were of very solid quality. It was triple layer and we could make rice with ease in it.

Look at the size of the garlic cloves

Again a simple masoor dal with a tadka of pach foron. Simple, and homely prep

Our stash of groceries we carried from india. The ready to eat dal chawal was a life saver on day one as we landed late and by the time we finished settling down we were super exhausted to cook. So we just popped the packets in hot water, let it sit for ten minutes and dinner was ready. It was tasty and convenient.

The Kitchen

All the pots and pans were of solid quality and it was a joy to cook in them. Heat retention and distribution was great.

This little pot was super handy for boiling milk, prepping two cups of tea. It may look small but it had a good capacity.

Life in the Neighborhood

Our Airbnbs were nestled in actual residential neighbourhoods—not touristy hotel zones. There were children playing in small parks just outside our window. Old uncles walking hand-in-hand with their grandkids. Gardeners tending to flowering bushes. Cats sunning themselves in courtyards. The rhythm of daily life in Tashkent or Almaty became part of our story too.

And us—sitting in our balcony with tea mugs in hand, watching life unfold.

One rainy evening in Tashkent, we simply sat and watched the raindrops blur the world outside while sipping a hot cup of chai. It was so beautiful, so simple. These are moments hotels don’t usually offer. These are the kind of slow, quiet memories that only come when you're staying in someone’s home.

Some of the faraway snow capped mountain

Some of the faraway snow capped mountain

The neighbourhood

Kids playground in the apartment premise

The Joy of Local Connections

Right below our Airbnb in Almaty, there was a small 24*7 utility store. We’d go there to grab essentials—water bottles, snacks, medicines. Across the street, a woman sold fresh vegetables and fruits. We got cherries and bananas from her along with some vegetables. And because it was a neighbourhood shop the prices were much cheaper than wholesale markets like Green bazar. We once had a wonderful little chat with her and stumbled upon a hilarious language twist—turns out, “onion” is called pyaaz in Kazakh too! Earlier, we were struggling to explain what we needed, trying all sorts of gestures and words. Then, in a moment of mild frustration, we switched to Bengali and said, “How do we make them understand we want peyaz?” To our surprise, the lady picked up on that word instantly and exclaimed, “We also call it peyaz!” We all burst out laughing—it was such a wholesome moment of unexpected connection! That little moment, that warmth—it wouldn’t have happened in a hotel.

Airbnb, by design, encourages you to live like a local, not a tourist. You don’t just pass through a city. You live in it, even if for a few days.

The neighborhood shop of vegetable and fruits

So many fresh fruit options. Especially since we were there around the eid time so they used to bring lots of fruits.

More fruit shopping from neighborhood shop

Thoughtful Hosts, Unexpected Kindnesses

We met some truly wonderful hosts. Warm, responsive, respectful—and genuinely interested in making our stay a pleasant one. In fact, we even left a few thank-you gifts for them because it felt more personal than just a commercial transaction.

In one apartment, we found extra cooking oil, spices, biscuits, expensive coffee left behind for guests. She also sent me some local activities details in WhatsApp which might be of interest. In another, the host patiently guided up for resetting the router or finding the stash of hidden cutlery leading to some lighter moments. These weren’t hotel concierges trained to smile. These were real people who opened their doors and shared their space.

These Little Joys…

There was a day we laughed endlessly trying to decode milk labels in a Kazakh supermarket. 3.2%, 6.5%, 7.2%—was it fat content? Taste intensity? We had no clue, and the language barrier made it even funnier. But in the middle of that confusion, we laughed, we guessed, we adapted.

We cooked. We chatted while someone chopped onions and someone else flipped omelets. We watched travel vlogs and Masha & the Bear during our chores. We soaked in the joy of doing nothing at all.

So many milk options you are always confused what to pick

Cleaning Up—Because It Matters

And here’s the thing about Airbnb: when you step into a home that is sparkling clean, thoughtfully arranged, and smells like care, it’s only natural you treat it with the same respect. Not because anyone forces you to, but because it just feels right.

In Almaty, our Airbnb was spotless—not even a strand of hair anywhere. Nothing chipped, nothing out of place. So before checking out, we set aside time, both in the morning and evening, to restore it to its original glory.

We swept the floors, vacuumed the carpets and sofas, dusted all corners. The host had kept beautiful glass vases and fragile pieces around the home. Out of caution, we had kept them aside during our stay. Before leaving, we placed each item back in its original spot—like restoring a delicate artwork.

The kitchen got a deep clean too. Since we’d cooked Indian meals with haldi and spices known to linger, we washed everything thoroughly—pots, pans, counters, even boiling water in the utensils after washing, just to ensure no aroma lingered. The stove, sink, and counters were wiped twice, and the dish towels and tissues disposed of responsibly.

We even made the beds, tidied the washrooms, emptied trash bins, folded drying racks, and ensured all switches—ACs, lights, gas—were turned off. It wasn’t a rule. It wasn’t a chore. It was just what felt right.

Because you’re not just a guest—you’re a respectful visitor in someone’s sacred space.

Practical Comforts That Just Make Sense

Let’s talk logistics too.

• Space: You have room. Real, walk-around, unpack-your-suitcase room. No squeezing between beds or tripping over your own backpack.
• Amenities: A washing machine, kitchen basics like oil, sugar, tea—many things are already there, saving you time, money, and effort.
• Privacy: You can be as quiet as you want. There’s no hotel hallway drama or noisy room next door.
• Security: Gated entries, digital locks, multiple passkeys—modern Airbnbs are often as secure (if not more so) than any hotel.

One Word: Peace

We weren’t bound by buffet breakfast timings. We didn’t have to deal with over-attentive hotel staff or noisy check-in lines. We had slow mornings with tea in the balcony. We had restful nights after home-cooked dinners.

A Final Thought

Of course, not all Airbnbs are equal. You must choose wisely read reviews, check locations, ensure safety. But when you find the right one, the experience can be transformational.

And when you’re 4,000 kilometers away from home, that makes all the difference.

And in a world where travel can sometimes feel rushed, transactional, and commercial—Airbnb offers you a rare gift: the chance to feel at home in a new country, to slow down, to live like a local, and to carry back memories that aren’t just about where you went—but about how you felt.

Begun bhaja , omlette , dal and rice. Don't go by the charred look of the begun, as it took time for us to get used to the heating time of the gas the Airbnb had. But nonetheless it tasted awesome after a long day of sightseeing

The ready to eat dal chawal

One of our dinner spread. After coming back from the sightseeing, we would pop into the microwave the food and by the time we freshened up the hot food was ready. We enjoyed our dinner in a leisurely manner in our pajamas talking about the day

Almaty is known for its apples

Tasting the floral khazakhstan choy or chai for the first time.

Black coffee and milk coffee. The coffee was there in the pantry for us to use

We got these baby wheat buns from a supermarket. They were supposedly meant for kids lunch boxes but they were so delicious. These were a constant part of our breakfast along with fruits or coffee