Our first and second choices for day excursions from Almaty were Tamgaly Tas and Charyn. Unfortunately, the tour companies don't run tours to either place because they are too hot right now. So, we asked where they did have tours and got the choice of Turgen waterfalls or Lake Issyk. Since Lake Issyk is mostly in Kyrgyzstan where we plan to be spending a lot of time, we opted for Turgen which promised sacae burial mounds as well. We reserved our places, then thought to ask how many people would be on the tour. "50" the woman replied, "On a big bus". Ugh! we signed up for a big bus tour! Well, there weren't very many choices so we figured we'd make the best of it.






This morning we walked to the bus stop on the map given to us by the woman at the Ecotourism center and saw there were 2 big old European buses and lots of people milling around. Finally I found a woman with a list who took our voucher and sent us to the 2nd bus.

All the other people on the bus were Russian speakers so the guide spoke Russian, although the company rep, who introduced him said that he spoke multiple languages so non-Russian speakers just had to ask if they needed info. This of course, was said in Russian. I was a little dissapointed that the guide wasn't an old Soviet-ex-Inturist guide with dyed red hair and a propensity to wax rhapsodically on the glories of the Soviet Un... I mean Kazakhstan... As it was he seemed fairly laid back but still had the Soviet Tour guide skill of going on and on about boring banal things "This is the village X... There is a restaurant with an evening show." "This is the airport. We used to have lots of Russian planes. Now we buy European planes." It would be easy coming away from a tour like this thinking Kazakhstan must be the most boring place in the world.

Our first stop was an ostrich farm which required a long detour from the road to the waterfalls (through numerous apparently extremely dull villages) We didn't want to pay extra to see penned up ostriches and a reindeer so we hung out outside and looked at the mountains as well as a small car with a rather oversized spare tire.





Back on the road to Turgen, we finally arrived at the National Park (Ile-Altau) and were informed not about the geology or plants but about a new hotel called "Stetson" which was named after an American hat which we would be familiar with from the serial "Dallas." I had forgotten about the Russian obsession with Dallas. To his credit, the guide did tell us about how all the Kazakhstan tigers were hunted into extinction with the last one dying in either the 40s or 60s (I can't remember). He also talked about golden bears.

We had 2 hours to hike up a path to the waterfall which was crowded with the occupants of 2 other buses. The area was pretty-- rushing river, tall mountains, butterflies fluttering among the flowers-- but it was hard to ignore the masses of people crowding around the small base of the falls.





The next stop was a fish farm where for $10 you could rent a pole, catch a fish, and have cooks prepare it for you. I guess the concept of ecotourism in Kazakhstan is a bit different from the US/European version. In fact, I think it just means going into a natural place (or non natural place with animals). It could be anything from hiking to visiting a zoo to fishing in a fish farm or crowding into a packed picnic area and barbecuing. I guess it is good that people here enjoy going to natural places. I was envying some of the families with their big pots of laghman simmering over a fire.



But I wish more could be done to prevent over use and littering. Rowshan and I walked down to the river and relaxed. It was actually really pleasant. At one point Rowshan caught sight of a little animal swimming--maybe a muskrat or otter.

As we were waiting by the bus, a woman asked me something in Russian. We started talking and her friends joined in. 4 were from Uralsk and one was from Almaty. It is interesting to note that people seem very surprised that we are tourists rather than volunteers or working here. One girl, finding out we were form CA wanted a photo with us. We all chatted some and then went to see a giant statue of the Golden Man (Kazakhstan's most famous archaeological find) and a burial mound (I'm not sure if it was real or just a copy).





We also filled up bottles with spring water. A girl waiting for a drink evidently thought I was taking too long.



Driving back to Almaty, I think we actually passed some real burial mounds which just looked like little grass covered mounds in a field.

The weather here has kept us on our toes. It isn't as hot as we expected and parts of the day are beautiful. Then at some point, the clouds rush in, the wind picks up, thunder cracks, lightning flashes and it pours rain, turning streets into rivers in places. Then it stops and everything is nice again. The rain helps clean the air and the streets and breaks the heat, as well.








The weather forecast predicted no thundershowers today so we seized the moment and took a bus into the foothills to hike to the Bolshoy Almatinskoe Ozero (Big Almaty Lake). From Almaty, the foothills like like a rumpled velvet gown brazenly tossed from the snowy but wrinkled shoulders of the great dame of the mountains. Once in the foothills, the city disappears and the mountains rise up ahead. The hills are covered with dark, tall straight fir trees, light stretches of grass or open rock.

The bus dropped us off at a street popular for weekend picnics. Here we saw our first working yurts. Weekenders could rent some and others served as cafes. They lined the lower part of the road behind signs advertising shashlik (kebabs), beshparmak (a Kazakh dish), plov (pilav) and a variety of drinks. On our left, a small river wound past rocks and trees.







As we walked, we were passed by a number of young men who jogged by. Later we came upon them boxing with each other next to the river



The first half of the hike was along the road but the second part followed a water pipe up a steep incline.





Once away form the road, we noticed all the purple flowers emblazoning the landscape, the hum of bees, the whirring of grasshoppers and the occasional scream of a falcon.





It was a steep hill but it eventually leveled out a little and finally brought us to the lake, which was a glacial silty green. It was actually more of a reservoir since it had a dam and was concrete lined. But it had an impressive location with a snowy peak rising from the far edge and smaller green rocky mountains on the other sides. We eagerly dived into our lunch. As we finished we noticed how big clouds seemed to be filling in the surrounding mountain passes. Thinking the weather forecast might have been wrong, we headed back. Reaching the road, we found that every available picnic spot was occupied. Cars lined parts of the street. Some parties blasted recorded music while others sang, accompanying themselves with a guitar. The smoke of multitudes of fires and grills was filling the area. Wood powered samovars stood in rows heating up water for tea.



We had reached Almaty's picnic area. Further down the yurt cafes which had been empty in the morning, also looked full. Closer to the bus stop, the street was lined with decorated limos and BMWs bringing elegantly dressed wedding guests.

Deciding it was definitely time to leave, we headed back to Almaty. (This last image shows a kid opening the skylight of a yurt).

We are in Kazakhstan. This is exciting for me because Kazakhstan is probably about 1/2 way around the world from San Diego.














So, now we are here! Central Asia! Kazakhstan! What did we do the first day? SLEEP!

The flight from Almaty to Istanbul is only 4 hours however, when we got to the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, we saw our flight had been delayed 5 hours. We considered calling R's brother but figured by the time he got here then had to drive us back later, it would be more hassle than it was worth. Fortunately we found a Starbucks in the downstairs of the terminal. Though I am constantly knocking Starbucks in the states, I have to give them a "Traveler's Friend" award. We were able to spend several hours, comfortably sitting at a table with electrical outlets to run our computer, going through photos and writing. No one ever disturbed us. We drank our coffee which, although it is more expensive than it should be, was regular Starbucks prices instead of the jacked up prices the other cafes at the airport charge. Starbucks also gets a "Traveler's Friend" award because they have separate non-smoking sections (in their regular stores).They have also become my toilet choice beating out McDonalds by a mile for cleanliness and not having to smell fried grease. Coffee, even if it is burnt, smells a lot better. So, Starbucks, I still don't like how you try to put little indi cafes out of business but go ahead and expand all you want in international airports and places lacking filter coffee and espresso.

Around 2AM, our flight left. A traveler stated that the good thing about no-frills US airlines is that they make flying with international carriers seem luxurious in comparison: wide seats, big meals, lots of drinks. Astana Air gave everyone a little nylon waterproof bag (perfect size to hold a passport so usable as a neck pouch money belt) containing socks with treads for the flight, travel toothbrush, a tiny tube of toothpaste, a comb, and a sleep eye mask. They passed out hard candy for takeoff and landing. Dinner at 3AM (5AM Kazakh time) was a bit odd but I guess they were prepared for an earlier flight.



As we descended into Almaty, we were level with a long, stunning range of jagged snow capped mountains. The land below us was varying shades of brown, making it look like an old faded photo. Even the greens looked brown. We could see small rivers lined with trees snaking through the brown flat land.

Although at the foot of mountains, Almaty seems flat, except for an even, slow incline from north to south as if at one point the city had been completely flat but then the north end sank.

After crowded, crazy, Istanbul, Almaty is a shock. Walking through the city, I realized it was as if you took all the contents of one city block in Istanbul and stretched it out over 10. Everything seems so spread out. The human content of a city block in Istanbul would have to be spread out over 20 blocks...maybe more. The buildings are large and imposing. The streets are wide and I didn't see much traffic. People do things like signal when they turn and even stop for pedestrians. The streets are lined with tall trees casting welcome shade in the hot summer weather. It would be a good city for biking, but I haven't seen very many people on bikes.

Though LP warned of corrupt police in Kazakhstan, almost all the police I've seen in Almaty seem to be engaged in more constructive activities. The Almaty police are the pedestrian's dream come true. If a car speeds through a light, or cuts off someone, they are there, pulling them over. Maybe this is why drivers are so much more considerate of pedestrians than in other places we've been.

In the evening then went out in search of food. This was where the Istanbul block to 10 Almaty blocks got a little trying. We walked to the center--where during the day there is a big market. There were street sellers-- men and women with buckets of fruits and vegetables or melons in carts-- on the streets surrounding it.



We found a samsa (sambosa) stand and got some cheese stuffed baked pastries. A couple blocks farther, we came to a pedestrian street. There were mostly stands selling ice cream but we found another samsa stand, bought a couple more and called it dinner. The street had a couple guitar players performing and a lot of kids and women aggressively begging.

The architecture of Almaty seems oppressive to me--big heavy buildings that take up huge city blocks and reach to a height of 7-8 stories max (usually 3-4). They are Soviet style-- ugly concrete block structures from the 70s. Instead of stretching upwards to sky scraper heights, they seem stunted. However, shouldn't I feel grateful that with short buildings and wide streets, the blue sky stretches wide and unobstructed overhead?

In the National Museum we saw beautiful costumes, textiles, jewelry, containers, and a yurt--little individual beautiful items for a nomadic existence. Maybe seeing giant immovable structures of gray replace the reds, purples, golds, and greens of embroidered hangings and felt carpets has turned me against the city buildings. There is a nice Kazakh monument which shows the Golden Man as well as scenes I assume are from Kazakh history or epics.



Almaty is growing on me. It is a pretty city in spite of its Soviet architecture. It seems very livable. It has lots of parks and fountains, well behaved drivers, and some decent cafes.



After a trip to the Tajik consulate, we went to the market.





The market had everything people could need. Although it is called the "green market" it took us a while to get past all the clothing, housewares, shoes, and electronics to the actual food part. The market seemed to be full of the life missing in the streets. There was a huge room of vegetables, stands of cheese sellers, another hall with several sections of "oriental salads"--probably a good place for vegetarians to stock up on mixed vegi salads so long as they avoid the pickled chicken combs.



A saleswoman, seeing me eyeing them suspiciously said, "Chicky chicky." There was a row of cheese and yogurt sellers, a corner of flowers and a huge meat section divided by animal-- each with an illustrated sign overhead so you could be certain, beyond a doubt, that you had indeed bought horse sausage.



In the dried fruit and nuts section, a man waved us over and offered apricot samples. I'd been thinking of getting some apricots so I went over with Rowshan. He asked where we were from. I said the US and R said Iran. Immediately the seller next to him began speaking Farsi--or rather Tajik which is so similar they could almost understand each other perfectly. Another dried fruit seller joined in the conversation. Apparently, they were all from Tajikistan. While they were talking, a woman came up. One of the guys, learning that we had lived in Istanbul, had pulled her over because she had been to Turkey and spoke some Turkish.



I bought my apricots and we walked out to a nearby park. The parks here are well maintained but surprisingly uncrowded-- especially when compared to Istanbul where people fill the parks, as well as highway medians and roundabouts or anywhere else with grass. We visited the Russian Orthodox church then swung by the Musical Instrument Museum to see the building (a pretty Russian style wooden house).