Almaty

It is hard to believe you are in Central Asia and not in a European capital as you stroll in Almaty. Leafy wide streets, chic bars, fine restaurants and Teslas and BMWs make you think you are rather in a posh neighborhood in Paris.  Theatres, museums, cinemas and nice shops complete the hedonistic scene of Almaty. Almaty means “father of apples”! (the name of the capital was Alma Ata during the Soviet years). You will find that apples appear in many aspects of life in the capital, from art objects to jewelry to furniture.

Kazakhstan is the biggest and richest country of the five Stans, due to its’ natural resources but also due to Kunaev (Dinkmukhamed was his first name…), the only non Russian member of the Soviet Politburo, who managed to finance aggressively Kazakhstan (as opposed to other countries of the region that always received peanuts compared to Kunaev’s homeland), giving it some splendid buildings (baths, hotels, museums etc.) and this atmosphere that makes you want to linger and relax a little more from your otherwise slightly rough travel in Central Asia.

Of course, walking in the neighborhood of Kompot one quickly understands that not all Almaty (or Kazakhstan) is glitz. It all changes from one street to the next, and all the glamour disappears...

Apart from Almaty, the rest of the pics are in the Sharyn Canyon, on the way to Kyrgyzstan. Not the US Grand Canyon but definitely the Kazakh, steaming version of it!