The weekend after Brian and Michael arrived we decided to check out Almaty with Kyle. Kyle helped us to all get a marshutka to Almaty, which is only a five or six hour total trip. In an unbelievably short period of time we were at the Kazakh boarder and getting out. We fairly simply went through customs and got our passports stamped, although I did find they have a bit of trouble with middle names being confusing. Walking out the other side we couldn't find our marshutka. We walked back and forth and checked many but could find it. Just when we were actually starting to worry a bit it pulled into the gas station. Whew! We make it to Almaty after a drive through what finally really looks like the high steppes to me (complete with fields of poppies and a heard of Bactrian camels!). This guy semi accosts us offering a taxi ride, as there are no actual taxis, just personal cars. It felt very uncomfortable and I didn't like him or his attitude at all. It turns out he charged us about ten times what the rate should have been, so there was good cause. We make it to our very nice hostel and leave or stuff to set out to explore. We walked and walked enjoying the sites of a very different feeling Central Asian city after Bishkek.
Compared to Bishkek, Almaty feels very European. It's cleaner, more touristy, more money. Everything is also much more expensive! Everywhere had tulips planted and blooming and the effect was lovely.
We eventually stopped at the Excellent Bar and had their signature Excellent Beer. It's not really that great... Our next day we walked till we found a breakfast place. The second the miniature fancy portions came out we knew we were in trouble. The food was good, but so expensive! Wake up Dorothy, we aren't in Bishkek anymore! I wanted to go to the museum, so off we went to the south, walking by many statues, fountains and gardens on a blue sky day. The museum is worth a stop for sure. There is a natural history section that even had some fossils displayed I was interested in.the archaeology room were also fascinating.
The modern Kazakhstan floor was less to my taste, but I did like some of the displays of older textiles. Afterwards we set out through the Presidential gardens and headed north. We went and saw the wooden church, which is Russian Orthodox and brightly painted. It's in one of the many large parks and each park was filled with wedding parties taking advantage of the day.
We found the Green Bazar, a marvelous indoor bazar sectioned off by what was sold in each part. Michael and I tried fresh squeezed pomegranate juice that was heavenly, while the adventurous Kyle asked for where we could find fermented camels milk! He soon procured a bowl and we all tried it. I found it to taste rancid and sour, as did Michael and Brian, but somehow Kyle managed to finish it while chatting with the milk salesman! Mad props dude!
Finally we went to see the Blue Mosque, another thing the guidebook says is a must see. I didn't find the building to be that spectacular honestly (on the outside), and I knew being female, I wasn't allowed to see most of the inside. Michael and Kyle wanted to see the inside, so I loaded my rain jacket to Michael so she could get into the women's section.
Brian and I waited on the grass a ways away, still confronted by the pictorial signs displaying that western dress for women is simply not allowed in. Right before Michael came back a man walked up, and gesturing to me, but only speaking to Kyle and Brian, said "this is unacceptable" and continued to try and go on. I was a good twenty meters from the damn mosque wearing jeans and a shirt and it just adds to my unwillingness to accept any religion that is that derogatory to women. I hope my clearly unclean nature contaminated him. We finally wandered back to the hostel and tried to find some Kazakh food, only sort of succeeding with a cafeteria. The following morning we took a marshutka back to Bishkek, as you can really see the sights of Almaty in one day and transportation to the nearby nature is hard to organize.