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Published: August 1st 2012
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State Museum
I was too close in this photo to see the mountains behind... Hello again everyone!
I got a good night's sleep last night despite having the feeling like I was moving for a lot of the time... My host is currently cooking dinner (a quiche) and I'm just sitting here doing my thing. Not a bad deal. Apparently there are a lot of Korean expats in Almaty, so I would like to take her to a Korean restaurant and show her what that is all about. We shall see.
So, today I woke up and ate some breakfast and played with her cat (she had already left before I woke up). Also, not a bad deal. I wandered up to where the Kyrgyzstan Consulate is to get some information about my next destination. Some good news here: as of July 27, 2012, citizens of (giant list of countries including USA) do NOT need a visa to enter Kyrgyzstan. Good deal! I asked for clarification, and yep, you just show up with a passport, they give you a stamp at no charge and you're in! That makes things a lot easier.
After, I went to the Kazakhstan State Museum and learned about the history of the country and what they are
Lunch!
Salad with OLIVES (none in China), beef stroganoff like main dish, and tea up to even today. There have been folks living in Kazakhstan for a loooooong time. Paleolithic cro magnons and the like. Interesting museum to wander around in, but a lot of the signs were only written in Russian and Kazakh except for the ones that say "Do not touch!". After the museum I continued to wander. I saw the Almaty Academy of Sciences (beautiful building), the Almaty Opera House, a few parks, the Technical University, and some interesting statues. Almaty feels very European. The people look either Russian, Chinese, Persian, or a combination of any two or all three. Actually makes for a very attractive mix! There are a lot of chic restaurants and cafes with outdoor seating. Trees line all the streets and it is very very clean and shady. I do not stand out here and no one stares at me or asks me what I'm doing here or where I'm from. Pretty nice to blend in for once. Aside from the people and buildings, other differences I've noticed is the rules of the road. Cars have to stop for pedestrians! What a concept! The foot traffic has the right of way. I was very surprised at this
when a car waited for me to cross the intersection. I was waiting for the car before I realized it was my turn. Also, no one is honking their horns. It is remarkably quiet. They have electric buses and street cars and a subway system. Does not seem to be much traffic. There are churches, mosques, and synogogues in Almaty. A real hodgepodge of people, culture, customs, and religion. I am impressed.
So tomorrow I plan to head into the mountains once again. They are about an hours drive from the city and dominate the skyline. You can see them towering in the distance over the roof of the museum. A truly nice city, this one. I am glad I came. Side note: you can tell it gets REALLY cold here in the winter time. Every bus stop has a room with heaters in it. There are heaters everywhere: in all the buildings, stairwells, restrooms, underground walkways, etc. I'm glad I came in the summer!
I will try to write again tomorrow! These mountains are pretty well visited so I won't be really going off the map, but I am going to try to get up high again.
Tough Gals
A monument to two Kazakh lady war heroines: the one on the left is a machine gunner, on the right, a sniper We shall see!
Love,
Michael
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Leigh
non-member comment
Almaty
This is really pretty. I had no idea what to expect from any of the 'stans. How big is this city? What is their main trade/source of income? I don't really know what Kazakhstan is known for. Period. Also, what are you eating in the picture above? Is that artichoke hearts? It looks good. Love you. L