Blogs from Almaty, East Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Asia

The blog title was the response of the Kazakh Tourism Minister when asked what he thought about Borat. I’m not sure if Borat actually did much for tourism in Kazakhstan but he doesn’t need to as the country is great. I thought I would like Almaty, and I did. I think I once considered it as a place to move to back in my English teaching days. Any city so close to massive mountains is always going to be appealing. In addition, there are plenty of pedestrianised streets, numerous tree-filled parks, a wealth of theatres (akin to many former Soviet cities), but best of all you can take a city bus into the Altai Mountains in under half an hour. I would be very fit if I lived here. Our Central Asia trip would involve a ... read more

There is something about the beauty of a mosque that seems to really catch my attention. I don’t know if it has to do with the majestic domes or the sophisticated use of color or the identifying minarets, I just find myself drawn to them. I caught a ride outside of Almaty into the countryside and found many of the mosques to be real head turners. Gorgeous greens, inviting blues and sparkling gold domes dotted the road sides and city corners in a way that I did not expect. Near the Greeen Bazaar is the Central Mosque. It is well known in Almaty because it is the largest mosque in the city and seems to be a busy location for daily prayer. Religion in Kazakhstan is an interesting study since the people of this country spent ... read more

It has always been my philosophy that you haven’t really experienced a city if you haven’t gotten lost wandering the winding, often confusing alleyways of her marketplace. Whether you call it a souq, a bazaar or a market, they all have one thing in common. They are dripping with cultural experiences and provide endless opportunities to peak in the window to a specific culture. These hubs of commerce, often unchanged since they began hundreds of years ago, are a sure fire way to see how the people of that city interact, eat, shop, dress and survive. Ripe with color and brimming with unique vignettes, old world markets are a magnet for anyone wanting to learn more about the history and the future of a community. I always admire how markets can be an true equalizer. They ... read more

Well, that is easy to do since it is my birthday! When I was growing up, birthays were exciting and magical. They were predictable, but they were also special. My birthdays were sometimes over the top and sometimes more low key, but every year my parents went out of their way to make me feel special. There were cakes and favorite dinners. There were gifts and special activities. There were family dinners and there were parties with friends. One year there was the huge surprise party. Other times there were slumber parties and pizza deliveries. For my 18th birthday, my parents rented out the skating rink for an epic time. There was always Granny’s famous lasagna and angelfood cake. And regularly, there were joint celebrations with my aunt who’s birthday is one day earlier than mine. ... read more

One of my big goals for this trip to Kazakhstan was to learn more about camels, explore the camel industry and experience a dairy. My real hope was to tour the dairy that was affiliated with SYDYK, the camel milk restaurant and get an understanding of their practices. I did my research and reached out to some contacts. Each turn resulted in less answers and more questions. I started getting concerned that this was a loftier goal than I realized and started to wonder if any of it was going to happen. I employed the assistance of the hotel staff and appreciated that they spoke English, but it still wasn’t smooth sailing. There was the day I hired a guide to take me to a dairy, but the roads had flooded and couldn’t be traveled on. ... read more