LAST STOP CENTRAL ASIA - Almaty and a selection of silly hats

....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!

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

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.

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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!

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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 completely different, back to Thailand, and timeless Phetchaburi, up next...

TUDOR HOUSES AND ORANGE SCOUSES- Bristol, Shrewsbury and Liverpool

.....the start of our UK trip- around Cambridge.....

A fellow Fruitarian had offered us a home in Bristol for a few days, so we set off on a bus that traveled via London and fortuitously toured us around all the major sights of the city- Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Tower of London, London Bridge to name a few! Then on to Bristol and a warm welcome in our friend's house in the multicultural neighborhood of Easton, complete with two mosques, a Sikh temple, and shops and restaurants from many nations. We spent the next few days exploring what was actually a surprisingly vibrant city with an edgy, alternative feel. A bit rough around the edges, but that's what we love! The highlights were the colorful street art (see more on that later), an ancient church with free choral singing, Sunday lunch at a character filled old pub, meeting our friend's many arty friends, watching the all important Six Nations rugby match on TV, discovering the joys of a snood, visiting our friend's amazing allotment (although not much growing this time of year), and visiting the incredibly lavish Bristol cathedral.

One of many ethnic shops in Easton, Bristol

Church window, Bristol

Tomb inside Bristol Cathedral

Stunning interior, Bristol Cathedral

Modern stained glass windows, Bristol Cathedral

Protected by angels, Bristol Cathedral

A rainy morning was spent at the harbour area, where we learnt (at the great museum there) that Bristonians are fiery and independent people with a history of rioting, rebelling and boycotting. Whether it was about women's rights, gay rights, taxes, slavery or unions, they sure didn't take any crap! They even have their own pound, which is legal tender in Bristol!

Bristol harbour

Their own currency, Bristol

A special trip was made to Brunel's great Clifton Bridge, linking the swanky suburb of Clifton over the River Avon to Bristol, to photograph marvellous views in the surprisingly forested area, walk across the bridge, slide down slippery rocks with the kids, and view the camera obscura- the only one of it's kind in Britain (or one of two, depending what you read!), it being a weird, giant kind of fish eye lens which projected the view of outside onto a table in a dark room.

Beautiful Clifton Bridge, Bristol

View over Bristol

Another stunning view of Clifton Bridge, Bristol

Sliding down smooth rocks, Clifton bridge, Bristol

* Famous Bristonians- Banksy, Massive Attack and, randomly, Cary Grant!

From the urban vibe of Bristol, our next stop at another friend from Thailand's home was quite a contrast. They live in an old blacksmith's house, inside the still working yard, on a rural road about 20 minutes from the town of Shrewsbury, near the Welsh border. We loved the atmosphere of their tiny old cottage and the surrounds, and any welcome that includes a pair of slippers each is pretty great in our books! The hospitality continued with homemade damson gin, and a delicious ale bought especially for Richard at the local pub, and yummy, warming food by the fire.

Local ales and homemade damson gin

Shed, near Shrewsbury

Friend's cottage, near Shrewsbury

Rich enjoying charity shopping, near Shrewsbury

Apparently Downton Abbey makes wine now!

A day was spent exploring the area, with a stop at a house that our friends are currently renovating, and a quick tour around the gorgeous Tudor town of Shrewsbury, birth place of Darwin and so full of ancient charm. Sal loved it so much here, and we will have to return for a repeat visit to see more.

Any excuse!

Tudor detail, Shrewsbury

Close up Tudor style, Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury street

Decorative pipe work, Shrewsbury

Particularly lovely Tudor building, Shrewsbury

Romeo and Juliet at Shrewsbury Castle

Looking down on the street, Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury views

Equally enjoyable was a drive to tiny village of Ironbridge, and a few hours wander around as the light was fading. The bridge here was so pretty, and we were surprised to find out it's the oldest iron bridge in the world! We loved the cute cottages winding up the hill, and the forested walks on either side of the river. Although it's probably more enchanting in Summer (most things would be), we were happy to see it during a quiet time without the bus loads of tourists.

Gorgeous Ironbridge village, winding up the hill

Old days river crossing in coracle boat, Ironbridge

First iron bridge in the world

Ironbridge as the light faded

We were very fortunate our friends were driving by our next destination, and offered us a lift to Runcorn. They dropped us a pub where we met another mad Fruitopian friend, who had found us a room with so much lovely hot water we found it hard to get out of the bath that night! Runcorn is a somewhat scruffy satellite town where, in our friend's words, "All of the scum of Liverpool were moved out to live". It had a few nice old buildings, lovely canal area and riverside walks and yet another bridge- quite bizarre, as it looked like an almost exact replica of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but this one was actually built first!

Look familiar?

We trained it to Liverpool and spent a long day enjoying most of the touristy areas. The Albert Docks area was very nicely renovated to leave most of the old warehouse buildings and charm, and we had to choose one of many museums to visit. It was a wise choice- the Maritime Museum, with a floor about customs history and practices, another about ship travel to Australia and Canada in the 19th and 20th centuries, and yet another about the Titanic (a Liverpool owned ship).
Of course, Liverpool is justifiably proud of it's most famous export, The Beatles, and there are signs of them everywhere around the city, and various tours for the tourists. Their airport is even called Liverpool John Lennon International Airport, and its logo is "Above Us Only Skies"!

Weirdly huge Beatles, Liverpool

We were very disappointed to find the boats crossing the Mersey River to be not running, and therefore not being able to be annoying tourists singing "Ferry 'cross The Mersey" on board.
The other highlight of Liverpool was the two completely contrasting cathedrals at either end of town. The Catholic one (nick named Paddy's wigwam, due to the tent like shape), was a bizarre 60's style creation, complete with psychedelic Jesus paintings inside. Unfortunately a sombre Easter service was going on when we visited, so we didn't feel we could explore too much. The Church of England competitor was a simple, yet traditionally magnificent building, the longest cathedral in the world with the biggest organ, and surprisingly late built in the early 20th century.

Liverpool Cathedral

Unusual detail on Liverpool Cathedral

Stained glass, Liverpool Cathedral

Inside the 60's style Paddy's Wigwam, Liverpool

Liverpool Cathedral

Liverpool Cathedral

Two strange things in Liverpool:
1.So many women were dressed in skin tight clothes, caked in make up an inch thick with their skin a weird orange colour, presumably from fake tan. Never saw that in Cambridge, or anywhere else come to think of it!
2. The accents are so ludicrously strong! Sal hadn't had that much trouble understanding people in the UK since she first arrived in Scotland! She just smiled and tried to be polite when a man in a pub kept going on about the sausage on her plate.

Statue, Liverpool

Most memorable experience in Liverpool/Runcorn was a day and a night on board our friend's boat moored in Fiddler's Boat Yard, some distance from other lifeforms. We loved the boat, but the undertaking would have a whole lot more pleasant had we decided to go in Summer- sleeping on a boat, on the water, in sleeping bags in Winter was not a smart idea! But the walk admiring the barges along the canals was pleasant, and we were glad we did it in the end!!

Fiddler's Boat Yard, Runcorn

Walking the canal, Runcorn

Barges in canal, Runcorn

On board friend's boat, Fiddler's Boat Yard

Then it was time to return to Cambridge, but the bus trip back was anything but smooth, with a massive traffic jam on the motorway from Liverpool, and a missed bus in London as a result, but 14 hours later, we finally made it back, finished up Richard's redtape at long last, and organized and finalized our plans for the next part of the adventure- Portugal .........

Ha ha!! (Easily amused)

Us and snood, Clifton Bridge, Bristol

.....next up, a special post highlighting Bristol's street art.......