Almaty. Kazakstan (Qazaqstan) Day 14 May 13th 2019
The day began with breakfast in a giant chandeliered Yurt! Another leftover from the Soviet Era – minimalist and maximalist all in one hotel. Another remainder that brought back memories of Soviet times was the stern attendant plus Samovar on each floor. Breakfast with few other patrons and such grand surrounds was a little overwhelming but we managed the equally Soviet-style breakfast. Once fed we went for a wander around Almaty.
The former capital (now moved to Astana) with a population of about two million people it was full of surprises. Shaded, wide, green-treed boulevards. A number of coffee shops and “hipster” cafes. Leafy green parks. Cars that stop at pedestrian crossings! Police that want to shake your hand instead of asking for your passport and go through your iPhone pictures. Such was our experience leaving China
Being a very walkable city we strolled along the boulevards searching for the excellent coffee that we had read about. We found it at a cafe called the Big Apple where we found a tasty lunch, as well as coffee. The apple appeared as a symbol of Almaty everywhere you go. Later discovering apples come from the foothills of the Zailiyskiy Alatau mountains (part of the Tian Shan mountain range) which form a backdrop to the city.
After lunch we wound our way up to the Kazakh National Museum where we found extensive exhibits on the origins and artefacts of the Kazakh nation. Unfortunately for us a lot of the exhibits were not in English and photographs were forbidden. However what it did give us were broad concepts around the Mongolian ancestry of the Kazakhs; the size of the country; the multi-ethnic make up of the population; and the impact of having been a region of the USSR. The building itself
We walked back to the hotel and then to dinner at a magnificent Georgian restaurant the Daredzhani.
After dinner we walked back to our hotel through the park, stopping to admire the colourful Zenkov Cathedral lit up and shining against the black, night sky.
