My blog is a little out of sync with my travels but in real time I am in Almaty right now as I await my transfer to the airport for a night flight to Urumqi, China. But it is not my first (albeit short) stay here as I flew from Aktobe in the north/ west of Kazakhstan to here via Astana (there was a huge snow storm so I never left the airport) at the end of November. Tucked up under the shadow of the Tian Shan mountain range, Almaty has a milder climate than Astana. It was the capital city of independent Kazakhstan but this has now been transferred to Astana so Almaty remains the party place and it has a relaxed feel to it that is surprising in this part of the world. 

The mountains are the main attraction with options for hiking, climbing, fishing and swimming in the summer months, but right now it is the ski and snow-boarding season, along with ice-skating. And the mountains are quite simply stunning. Less than an hour away by public transport, even as a non- skier, the attractions are obvious and the fresh fallen snow that was there on the day I took the cable car up to the Shymbulak, looked so lush and special. 

Shopping is good and I managed to replace my broken glasses for less than half my London costs. Food is good and there are restaurants for every taste and budgets as there are accommodations. I’ve moved around but my current place is lovely – a HomeStay but with two huge rooms at my disposal, plus bathrooms and closet and sooooooo warm!

These visits here bookend my quick trip to Kyrgyzstan and this couple of days have been less touristy due to poor weather but I have managed to attend a recital of works by Puccini at the Opera and a ballet recital at the Philharmonic. Both were worth the effort (not to mention very inexpensive @ £2 per attendance) pand filled me with awe at the talent of the performers. 

The city is starting to look very festive with lights, Christmas trees,  and other decorations appearing around the city. There is no real evidence of a Christian theme but focused more on the celebrations of welcoming in 2019. Fun but freezing I suspect, but these people are tough and seem to take the cold, snow, sluch, ice and hardship in their stride. Respect!