May 3, 2025: First Stop-Almaty, Kazakhstan

May 3, 2025 cjbishop@yahoo.com

We arrived in Almaty as the sun arose in this modern metropolitan city. 3:40 AM landing in Almaty! We were met, as promised by a MIR representative. Svetlana will be our local host while in Almaty. It is 5AM at the airport and there were bands and music waiting for some arriving people. It was pretty rowdy, but in a happy way.

We were met, as promised by a MIR representative. Svetlana will be our local host while in Almaty.

A bit of trivia: Kazakhstan is the largest totally landlocked country in the world. By land mass it is the 9th largest country. The total population is about 22-25 million people so the population density is one of the lowest in the world.

Almaty was an oasis on the old Silk Road and was originally called Almatu. It was destroyed in 1211 by the Mongols (probably Genghis Khan). Almaty’s name means “the place with apples” and scientists believe this might be where apples originated. Almaty dominates the local region’s economy because of its oil, gas, iron and silver. It was part of the Soviet Union until its breakup in 1991. Ethnic Kazakhs make up 71.3 percent of the population and ethnic Russians are 14.6 percent. The majority of the people are Muslim.

Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan with a population of over two million people. It was the capital of Kazakhstan until 1997 when the capital was moved to Astana. It is a very cosmopolitan city and still the center for culture, economy, commerce and finance. It’s elevation is 2300-3000 feet. Almaty actually made a bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics and the city is considered an international hub for winter sports.

After check in at the hotel we were free for the day as it was felt that most people needed to catch up on their missed sleep. We agreed to meet our tour leader, Furkat Pulatov, at 5 PM to kick off our formal tour.

I had breakfast, showered, worked on this blog, took a short nap and went for an afternoon walk in the area. It was 70 degrees and a beautiful sunny day in Almaty. Svetlana said yesterday it rained all day and snowed in the mountains. What a difference a day makes!

Observations of my walk: the city is very clean; I saw no garbage anywhere. There is greenery everywhere. There are pedestrian-only walkways lined with trees. There are electric scooters everywhere. Cars are new and clean and they drive on the right side of the road. And they do honk their horns, unlike Japan! It seems to be a modern, dynamic city.

One of several young ladies in local attire waiting for the arrival of some government guests. I used google translate to speak briefly with her. Most people speak Russian although there is a Kazak language.

Musicians awaiting the guest arrival. Wish I could have heard them play as an accordion was part of the group.

One the the many pedestrian walkways in the city.

At 5PM all travelers gathered for a short meeting with our team leader, Furkat Pulatov, who briefed us on some of the details and logistics of the trip. Our group has 16 members (all from the USA) and I am one of four singles (3 men, 1 lady). There are two ladies who travel together and the rest are couples.

Having a local beer while waiting for our group meeting.

Furkat Pulatov, from Uzbekistan, is our tour leader for the trip. There will also be local guides in the individual countries.

For dinner I joined a health care couple (from Seattle) and a gentlemen from the Bay Area and walked to a recommended nearby restaurant that featured food and wine from the country of Georgia. It was such a pleasant evening we dined outside, but surprisingly by the time we finished it was a bit nippy (altitude?). By the way the food was spectacular and modestly priced.