Autumn colours in Kazakhstan

---

Almaty under blue skies and autumn sunshine. In the wide tree-lined boulevards, the leaves are turning orange and gold. To the north the city has an impressive backdrop, the Tian Shan mountains, rising to about 5,000 metres and already snow covered.

It is our first Silk Road city and interestingly mixed. Many buildings date from the Soviet era, some are neo-classical and hugely imposing but others are grey and falling apart. Shinier are the new glass high rises, built with gold tops or points that make them look like little upright pencils. There is oil money here in this huge country, the 9th biggest in the world

And there are, also, beautiful old buildings - churches and mosques mainly. Gaily painted or gilt domed, their beauty and craftsmanship are stunning and all the more impressive when we realise that they have all been restored since independence in 1996. In Soviet times these religious buildings became local halls, food markets and theatres.

The people are a mix, too, with faces that could be Chinese or Mongolian or Russian. And everyone of them is friendly to us and we do need their help. The Cyrillic alphabet and a lack of signs makes every walk into a wandering meander. Eventually we realise that the whole city is on a slope, up hill is always south, down hill north!

Catching the correct bus is an interesting challenge but we do end up on the right local hill top, with a little help. The funfair, TV tower and zoo maybe there for the locals, but we are there for the view. Almaty is spread out below us, those snowy mountains are to the south and the flat steppe runs away to the north, utterly flat as far as the eye can see.

On our final evening we go for some culture, Carmen at the State Opera, just £6 a ticket. Two Brits in a Kazak theatre watching a French opera set in Spain. This modern version includes a film star, his security guards and a motorbike. We buy a program. Luckily it is in two languages, as are the lyric translations provided at the sides of the stage. Unluckily, the languages are Kazak and Russian.

An interesting few days and now we head off to the next town on the Silk Road, Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. More from there soon.

---