New country! Realistically, we chose Kazakhstan for its newly relaxed visa regulations (none required for USA citizens staying <=15 days) and because it has an Uzbekistan embassy. But as long as we’re here, we might as well see what it has to offer.

Our flights were painless enough, and we witnessed the Kazakh (maybe all of Central Asia?) trait of wrapping luggage in tape. Like, not just one revolution vertical and one revolution horizontal. I mean the bag cannot even be seen because it’s entirely covered in tape, and several layers of it. Robocop could not break into that luggage. It does make me wonder how long it takes the proper authorities to check those bags, and how they reseal them.

At any rate, we crashed in our hostel at around 2:30 AM and woke up about six hours later. We walked around aimlessly with no real plan. Almaty is an interesting mix of modern European, old school Soviet, and older school Caucasus. Many of the residential buildings were built from the Soviet era and look appropriately so. The sidewalk cafes  and pretty little pastry shops are very European. The attitudes and behaviors of the people are Turkic and Mongol (e.g., embracing when meeting and inseparable families). Also striking is that Cindy and I both look like we’re locals. The physical appearance of Kazakhs occupies a spectrum from eastern European to northern Asian. Nowhere else will Cindy and I both be approached in the local language.

Almaty street

Determined to make up for the month of coffee drinking she lost in China, Cindy directed us to another cafe where we had another coffee (also had one at breakfast). For lunch, we resorted to the old trick of pointing at whatever in a menu since we’re now out of both our linguistic comfort zones. Cindy ended up with two fried eggs on top of potatoes. My mystery dish was one fried egg on top of potatoes, sausages, and peppers. After tea (chai, but served Russian style, another interesting mix), I discovered another feeling I had forgotten–caffeine induced bathroom needs.

In the afternoon, we talked to the Republika square, celebrating the glorious history of the Kazakhs and overlooked by City Council (picture above). Those glass domes in the ground are actually the ceiling of an underground mall that is attached to an underpass. I took a photo, but mall security politely asked me not to take any more pictures (he even shook my hand before asking me).

We found a random Kazakh restaurant for dinner. Cindy had a fish stew with blini while I dug into lamb chops. There was, of course, cheap and very good vodka.

Na sdorvya