June 6 Almaty, Kazakhstan

Monday, June 6 in Almaty

Vern is up very early 6AM. I get up around 8 and call Aiste and Tadas before 9 to join for breakfast. I have made tea and sliced bread. However, sometime later we have breakfast that they prepare, eggs, bread and lots of tea.

Our host accompanies us to the block to the main road and negotiates the destination and price for us. We all hop in. Vern is nearly left by the road as the driver starts to pull into traffic before Vern can get in. Odd since Vern has the door open on the driver side. Did he even look in his mirror before pulling into traffic?

This would be a good time to describe the taxi system. There are very few official looking taxis. Taxi service is not regulated. Many use it as a way to earn money. Some pick you up just because they are going your way and others will take you wherever you wish to go. They drive like the car is a weapon and they are at war, in and out, around, between with horns honking. I think Daniel and Ben would enjoy driving in this country. They would make good money.

It is a long ride from the Bible Institute to the Ice Rink at the edge of the mountains. Maybe 50 minutes. We opt to board the tram first and get as high up as we can and catch the ice rink on the way back. Aiste finds out that Vern is free. He just shows his driver’s license to prove he is over 65. Up we go. Scary heights. It is an enclosed.  We notice so many trees are down and calculate it was a big snow slide or heavy spring rain but later learn that the area was hit with tornado level winds just a few weeks earlier. What a pity as about 50@ of the trees are down. Rangers on horseback are heading into to the mountains to work on situation. I don’t know if they are clearing trails or what.

At the top is the now bare ski slope. Although Almaty bid for the winter Olympics, this ski area is far from ready for such an undertaking. Much of it is old and much is under reconstruction. There are many new “chalets” built along the road the comes to the slopes. Some of the roofs have been damaged by those falling trees. Aiste and Tadas want to climb up higher and we are content to ramble around the area. I am disappointed that there are no souvenir shops.

Vern and I sit by the ski school shack in the shade. When we leave, we find two women have chose the other side of the shack for nearly nude sunbathing. Oops. We go to a place to get something. But each item on the menu is not available. Out of the desserts only one is available, chocolate. We are served a Mars bar on a plate. Lol.  Later when Aiste and Tadas return, we enjoy sushi.

Then we head back down the mountain having seen the “ice” rink has no ice we save ourselves the walk. Aista finds a taxi by hanging her arm out and negotiating with the drivers until she is convinced we have a good price.

Next we go through some walking streets where local “artists” have their work. At last we get more money from the ATM. Take another taxi to a park, then another taxi to another park. It is getting late. We head to the mall. At the food court we have Pizza Hut, KFC, Hardees, Chinese and Japanese food etc. Vern has KFC. I am not hungry. WE grab some groceries for the train trip tomorrow. This time we know just where to guide our taxi and arrive home again nearing mid-night.

Long night. Vern is up often. We sleep in until 10. Eat breakfast. Pack and eat lunch with the whole staff. The office lady takes us in the van to the train station where we wait for aiste to go and bring the others to us. I head out to shop in an adjacent small mall. Fun shopping and get some good stuff for our trip and a few items for life in Shymkent.