We had heard a lot of stories about Almaty and how similar to Europe or the USA the city would be. Almaty did not disappoint us. Huge and modern buildings, great supermarkets and people with the latest devices like the iPad, everything can be found in Almaty.
In Almaty we tried couchsurfing for the very first time. Brock was our host and offered us his comfy couch for 5 days. We had the best shower of our journey at this place. It was one of these showers where water comes from all directions, with romantic light etc. Brock is a teacher from the U.S. who has been living in Almaty since 2 years. We met his friends and colleagues at several occasions and had a great time. It was very interesting hearing stories about Kazakhstan from 'local' foreigners. At one of the gatherings we were surprised by Raphael, a French cyclist who we had met back in Tashkent, who surfed the couch of one of Brock's colleague. The world is so small. Another colleague, a Kazakh woman, was very interested in our trip and asked many questions. It was funny to hear that she had the same questions and concerns that we had had as well. "Where do you sleep? What do you eat? What do you do if your bicycle breaks down? Have you met any bad people?" All the questions and concerns get answered automatically when you start to be on the road. She also asked for our honest opinion about Kazakh people compared to the other Central Asian people. We told her that Kazakh people are rather shy, not as enthusiastic and excited to see cyclists. They also do not invite people spontaneously for tea. She confirmed our image of the Kazakh people. There is even the Kazakh saying 'Don't behave like an Uzbek'. Kazakh hear this when they get too enthusiastic for example.
The city itself does not have too many sights. We saw the Green Market, Panfilov Park with its wooden and colourful church. The most striking sight are the mountains just behind the city's limits. The view on the mountains from everywhere in the city is stunning. If you believe that Nice has nearby mountains, you should come to Almaty.
In Almaty it was high time for a hair cut. I hesitated as I didn't know how to explain what I wanted. The easy solution was my passport photo. The guy did an excellent job. It was probably the best hair cut I have ever had. No communication needed, just bring your passport photo!
On our way to Almaty we had contacted Tas, an Australian pilot based in Almaty and enthusiastic outdoor person. We had dinner together with him and his colleague Dave, another Australian pilot. Tas wanted us to stay longer in Almaty so that he could show us Almaty's outdoor places. We would have loved to go hiking and cycling with him but after being already in Almaty for a week, we felt it was time to move on.
When we had arrived in Almaty the week before, it had been summer. This changed quickly during the week we stayed in Almaty. It was getting chilly and we swapped our shoes, no more sandals. The fresh autumn air was a welcomed change after the hot summer in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
