....our previous post out and about around Karakol town.....
Our final week in Central Asia was spent in the old Russian capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty. It was a whirlwind week mostly spent eating, but also trying to soak up everything we could of the last place we would visit in the area, probably for some time.
It was by far the most pleasant city we visited in the region- the trees lining the streets were so thick and shady, and gave a park-like feel to the whole place. The temperature was absolutely perfect, in the mid 20's, with cool breezes and little humidity, and there was a calmness and neat civility to Almaty that made it an easy place to walk around and feel relaxed. It was also very wealthy, with huge 4WDs everywhere, posh cafes, completely rubbish-free streets, the occasional burst of street art, office workers on lunch breaks and rich mums with babies in the parks. Our previous time in Kazakhstan was so contrasting, it might as well have been spent on a different planet!
The clunky old Soviet apartment blocks were softened by the leafy greenness, while the few historic monuments blended in without the starkness apparent in Bishkek.
Unfortunately, our favourite fruits- berries and stone fruit were coming to the end of their season, but apples and pears were still plentiful and tasty. Street trees had conkers, walnuts and acorns just starting to drop, and the autumn leaves from the many oaks and birch were falling in the parks, where we were happy once again to see red squirrels.
We decided to spoil ourselves for the last week. After living pretty much on bread, fruit, veggies and dairy products (as delicious as they were!) for the last four months, we thought we would see what Almaty had to offer in the food department. It was really the only place on our trip where we saw large numbers of eateries with varied and different menu items that included more than just the usual beshbarmak, plov, shashlik, samsa and laghman (although these were also available). There was certainly a lot of choice, with cafes, restaurants and bars of all sorts on all the centre's streets, and for once, we were able to close our eyes to the prices and just eat what we liked the look of. It's hard to explain the luxury of a proper espresso coffee and a gourmet cake, or meat kebabs with no fat, a smoked salmon breakfast, or simply a damn good pizza! Even the supermarkets in Almaty were posh, and we enjoyed marinated mushrooms, eggplant salad, smoked cheese, cured meat........honestly, the list went on and on! We made the most of the different and scrumptious choices. Rich left Sal alone to try shubat, fermented camel's milk. She found it similar in taste to kymys, fermented mare's milk, and not too bad!
Probably the biggest treat, though, was a trip to the ballet at the Opera House. The ex-Soviet capital cities are well known for always having an Opera House, and usually with rock bottom prices for performances. In the past, we have tried to buy tickets in Yerevan, Tbilisi, Sofia, Tashkent and Bishkek with no luck for one reason or another (usually either sold out, or nothing on during our stay), but it just so happened there was a ballet on the night we enquired, and for 1,000 tenge (AU$3.75) we bought two tickets in great seats! It was only after the purchase we realized we had literally nothing remotely smart to wear, and resigned ourselves to being the daggy foreigners once again! As it happened, no seemed to care, and we had a brilliant night. The company was Kazakh, and various styles were showcased- both classical and modern with Russian, Kazakh and Western influences.
Kok-Tobe is a hill in Almaty, which as well as sweeping, yet hazy, views over the city, had such local delights as a zoo, shooting range, souvenir stalls, dodgem cars and various over-priced restaurants. The best part was the cable car down, which was hair-raisingly fast at the start and end, and a damn sight easier than the slog on the way up! We had been tempted into the walk up at the beginning of the charming riverside path, but it eventually turned into a long, steep hill, (quite good for walking off some of that food!!) Bizarrely, at the top of the hill, there was a statue of The Beatles, which locals claim to be the only monument in the world which shows the Fab Four all together. We beg to differ.............
Apart from eating our way around Almaty, we visited the (slightly non-descript) Central Mosque; the Zenkov Cathedral, which was under renovations but still lovely and atmospheric inside; and stumbled across an outstanding geology museum, full to the brim with amazing stones and rocks, mostly from Kazakhstan.
The main bazaar, the Green Market, was a bit too polished and perfect for our tastes. Everything looked shiny and organized, and the wonderful chaotic atmosphere of the typical Central Asian bazaar was missing. We did, however, still purchase some of the season's last berries- we were addicted, and knew we wouldn't be eating them again for some time!
Our guesthouse in Almaty was very good value for money, but so clean and tidy that we felt a bit awkward staying there, not wanting to dirty anything.There was an amusing exchange with the (not young) owner, who couldn't believe we didn't have a mobile phone, and exclaimed "But, how will you find your way around the city?"!!
We sought out the tiny underground Metro, being the Soviet train fans that we are, only to find out that it was modern and new having only been built a few years previously. It was still fun riding around the different lines to see contrasting parts of the city. The only other public transport in the city centre were big comfortable buses and trolley cars (like trams). No lowly marshrutkas here!
We were of course, sad our time in Central Asia had come to an end, and were left wanting more .........but on another trip. With winter approaching, we were ready to return to South East Asia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Those following our blogs from the last four months in Central Asia will have seen what an absolutely brilliant time we've had. Of course, there were ups and downs, and considering how little research we did beforehand, everything was weirdly as we imagined it would be. Uzbekistan was exotic and full of wonderful colours, bazaars and architecture, Kazakhstan was wild and difficult, with stunning and vast deserts, and Kyrgyzstan was more popular with tourists because of it's incredible mountain beauty. We stayed in a variety of accommodations ranging from a 14th century medressa, to a yurt, and an underground mosque, and met some of the most welcoming and lovely people in all our travels. It is definitely a region we would recommend, and we are very keen to return, especially to Uzbekistan, our favourite of the three we visited. Presumably, at some point the world will discover how accessible, easy and inexpensive "The Stans" are, but for now it is extremely easy to get away from the crowds and have places all to oneself. One of our all time favourite trips!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KYRGYZSTAN- MINISTRY OF SILLY HATS
All Central Asia countries have distinctive head wear, but the sheer range and numbers of silly hats in Kyrgyzstan seemed to warrant a special section!
.....for something different, back to timeless Phetchaburi, Thailand, up next...
Our final week in Central Asia was spent in the old Russian capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty. It was a whirlwind week mostly spent eating, but also trying to soak up everything we could of the last place we would visit in the area, probably for some time.
It was by far the most pleasant city we visited in the region- the trees lining the streets were so thick and shady, and gave a park-like feel to the whole place. The temperature was absolutely perfect, in the mid 20's, with cool breezes and little humidity, and there was a calmness and neat civility to Almaty that made it an easy place to walk around and feel relaxed. It was also very wealthy, with huge 4WDs everywhere, posh cafes, completely rubbish-free streets, the occasional burst of street art, office workers on lunch breaks and rich mums with babies in the parks. Our previous time in Kazakhstan was so contrasting, it might as well have been spent on a different planet!
 |
| Street art, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
 |
| Moment of reflection in a park, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
The clunky old Soviet apartment blocks were softened by the leafy greenness, while the few historic monuments blended in without the starkness apparent in Bishkek.
 |
| Monument in town, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
 |
| Funky Soviet era flats, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
 |
| A path and stream running through the city center, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
Unfortunately, our favourite fruits- berries and stone fruit were coming to the end of their season, but apples and pears were still plentiful and tasty. Street trees had conkers, walnuts and acorns just starting to drop, and the autumn leaves from the many oaks and birch were falling in the parks, where we were happy once again to see red squirrels.
We decided to spoil ourselves for the last week. After living pretty much on bread, fruit, veggies and dairy products (as delicious as they were!) for the last four months, we thought we would see what Almaty had to offer in the food department. It was really the only place on our trip where we saw large numbers of eateries with varied and different menu items that included more than just the usual beshbarmak, plov, shashlik, samsa and laghman (although these were also available). There was certainly a lot of choice, with cafes, restaurants and bars of all sorts on all the centre's streets, and for once, we were able to close our eyes to the prices and just eat what we liked the look of. It's hard to explain the luxury of a proper espresso coffee and a gourmet cake, or meat kebabs with no fat, a smoked salmon breakfast, or simply a damn good pizza! Even the supermarkets in Almaty were posh, and we enjoyed marinated mushrooms, eggplant salad, smoked cheese, cured meat........honestly, the list went on and on! We made the most of the different and scrumptious choices. Rich left Sal alone to try shubat, fermented camel's milk. She found it similar in taste to kymys, fermented mare's milk, and not too bad!
 |
| More meat, but more tasty, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
 |
| Kebabs, Almaty style! |
 |
| What an absolute luxury! Almaty, Kazakhstan |
 |
| Sunday brunch, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
 |
| Quite happy with his choice! Almaty, Kazakhstan |
 |
| Fermented camel's milk, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
Probably the biggest treat, though, was a trip to the ballet at the Opera House. The ex-Soviet capital cities are well known for always having an Opera House, and usually with rock bottom prices for performances. In the past, we have tried to buy tickets in Yerevan, Tbilisi, Sofia, Tashkent and Bishkek with no luck for one reason or another (usually either sold out, or nothing on during our stay), but it just so happened there was a ballet on the night we enquired, and for 1,000 tenge (AU$3.75) we bought two tickets in great seats! It was only after the purchase we realized we had literally nothing remotely smart to wear, and resigned ourselves to being the daggy foreigners once again! As it happened, no seemed to care, and we had a brilliant night. The company was Kazakh, and various styles were showcased- both classical and modern with Russian, Kazakh and Western influences.
 |
| Beautiful foyer, Almaty Opera House, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
 |
| Daggy git in the theatre, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
Kok-Tobe is a hill in Almaty, which as well as sweeping, yet hazy, views over the city, had such local delights as a zoo, shooting range, souvenir stalls, dodgem cars and various over-priced restaurants. The best part was the cable car down, which was hair-raisingly fast at the start and end, and a damn sight easier than the slog on the way up! We had been tempted into the walk up at the beginning of the charming riverside path, but it eventually turned into a long, steep hill, (quite good for walking off some of that food!!) Bizarrely, at the top of the hill, there was a statue of The Beatles, which locals claim to be the only monument in the world which shows the Fab Four all together. We beg to differ.............
 |
| Up on Kok-Tobe Hill, Almaty, Kazakhstan...... |
 |
| ...........but it aint the only one! (This from last year in Liverpool) |
 |
| Whizzing down on the cable car, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
Apart from eating our way around Almaty, we visited the (slightly non-descript) Central Mosque; the Zenkov Cathedral, which was under renovations but still lovely and atmospheric inside; and stumbled across an outstanding geology museum, full to the brim with amazing stones and rocks, mostly from Kazakhstan.
 |
| Interior, Zenkov Cathedral, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
 |
| Colourful outside of Zenkov Cathedral, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
The main bazaar, the Green Market, was a bit too polished and perfect for our tastes. Everything looked shiny and organized, and the wonderful chaotic atmosphere of the typical Central Asian bazaar was missing. We did, however, still purchase some of the season's last berries- we were addicted, and knew we wouldn't be eating them again for some time!
 |
| Many organized and labelled spices for sale, Green Market, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
Our guesthouse in Almaty was very good value for money, but so clean and tidy that we felt a bit awkward staying there, not wanting to dirty anything.There was an amusing exchange with the (not young) owner, who couldn't believe we didn't have a mobile phone, and exclaimed "But, how will you find your way around the city?"!!
We sought out the tiny underground Metro, being the Soviet train fans that we are, only to find out that it was modern and new having only been built a few years previously. It was still fun riding around the different lines to see contrasting parts of the city. The only other public transport in the city centre were big comfortable buses and trolley cars (like trams). No lowly marshrutkas here!
We were of course, sad our time in Central Asia had come to an end, and were left wanting more .........but on another trip. With winter approaching, we were ready to return to South East Asia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Those following our blogs from the last four months in Central Asia will have seen what an absolutely brilliant time we've had. Of course, there were ups and downs, and considering how little research we did beforehand, everything was weirdly as we imagined it would be. Uzbekistan was exotic and full of wonderful colours, bazaars and architecture, Kazakhstan was wild and difficult, with stunning and vast deserts, and Kyrgyzstan was more popular with tourists because of it's incredible mountain beauty. We stayed in a variety of accommodations ranging from a 14th century medressa, to a yurt, and an underground mosque, and met some of the most welcoming and lovely people in all our travels. It is definitely a region we would recommend, and we are very keen to return, especially to Uzbekistan, our favourite of the three we visited. Presumably, at some point the world will discover how accessible, easy and inexpensive "The Stans" are, but for now it is extremely easy to get away from the crowds and have places all to oneself. One of our all time favourite trips!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KYRGYZSTAN- MINISTRY OF SILLY HATS
All Central Asia countries have distinctive head wear, but the sheer range and numbers of silly hats in Kyrgyzstan seemed to warrant a special section!
.....for something different, back to timeless Phetchaburi, Thailand, up next...
Really great correspondance on the region, with lots of valuable insights into the social and natural features/wonders of place. I liked your enquiry into the cultural styles, like the hat phenomenon, and sanatoriams.
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