Almaty, Kazakhstan—The international "Peace Road" project was interpreted by UPF-Kazakhstan as a hike up the mountains overlooking the capital.
The hike started at 8 a.m. on May 8, 2017, on a day off between two public holidays, Armed Forces Day (May 7) and Victory Day (May 9). The idea of the project—"removing borders and uniting the world as one"—attracted people of different ages, nationalities, marital status and religious affiliation.
We decided to follow the famous "Health Path" from the holiday house Prosveshchenets to the Kok Zhailau ("green pasture") plateau, which is quite popular among tourists.
After walking about 5.5 kilometers (almost 3.5 miles) along a mountain path, past apple orchards, birch and aspen groves, through fir and pine massifs, past a waterfall, along the ridge of the mountain, we reached our goal at an altitude of 2,200 meters (about 7,218 feet).
On the way we met tourists, who, after hearing about the "Peace Road” project, willingly supported the undertaking and wished to be photographed with us! At the beginning of the route we met an elderly man, who, recalling Soviet times, shouted, "For peace!" At the height, we met two tourists from the United States, who were inspired by the idea of connecting Alaska and the Chukchi Peninsula by road.
Some project participants remained at the beginning of the route, where they set up a small camp at the foot of the mountains. After the hike, we celebrated the success of the project with a barbecued lunch, fun interactive games, and ball games.