But then I took a little side trip (S.Hrg.112-54)

For my last trip to see TJ in Uzbekistan, we visited Kazakhstan. During my previous two visits to Central Asia, we exhausted most of the sights in Tashkent and along the Silk Road. I never made it to the main attraction of Samarkand, but I felt I had my fill of beige minarets and blue domes, so I easily agreed with TJ's suggestion to go to Almaty. 

After my flight from London landed, I basically picked up my baggage and TJ, then we boarded the plane to the former Kazakh capital (Astana took over in 1997). After dropping off our stuff at our vacation apartment, we started wandering around the city. We stopped at William Lawson's The 13 Bar to get some snacks and our bearings (left). Before moving on, TJ chatted up a kilt-wearing employee of the Scottish-themed bar to get some sight-seeing suggestions (right).

It was already evening, so our grand tour would have to wait until the next day. In the meantime, we headed to a spot high on TJ's agenda: Bar Shtab, a locals gathering place known for its broad selection of beers (top left) and smoked fish (top right). We sampled both along with another common beer snack, chechil, or smoked string cheese (bottom left). Tasty as they both were, we were still hungry, so we capped off the night with dinner at Georgian restaurant Daredzhani, including national dish khinkali (bottom right).

After a long day of flying and eating, it was time for some fresh air. After a quick breakfast on the go, we hopped a bus to a stop near Medeu skating rink, so we could ride a cable car (top left). As we soared over the Alatau mountains (top right), we passed next to the skating rink, which just a few weeks earlier was a venue for the college-level competition Winter Universiade. On the day we cruised by, it was playing host to a motocross race -- on ice (bottom).

At the high end of the cable car is Shymbulak ski resort (top left), which was quite busy due to recent snowfall. Some slopes were even closed due to dangerous conditions, but plenty of people, especially kids, were taking advantage of the bunny slopes (top right). TJ and I aren't really avid skiers, so we didn't hit the slopes ourselves, but we did enjoy a warm-up beverage in the Chalet restaurant (bottom). 

After we made it back to town, by way of a very crowded bus ride, we did our own walking tour of Almaty's tourist attractions, starting with Zelyony bazaar, the place to go for produce (left). And in case you are a connoisseur of kazy, there is a wide selection of horse sausage to choose from as well (right).

A few blocks away, birds found their feast via fair-feather friends next to Zenkov Cathedral (top). You can't tell from its intricate architecture, but the building is one of the oldest wooden cathedrals in the world, constructed without the use of any nails (bottom left). Another structure in the same park recognizes a different type of amazing feat. Panfilov Park Memorial bears the names of 28 soldiers, said to be from Almaty and Bishkek, who resisted an hours-long onslaught by German tanks in November 1941 (bottom right). A movie made about "Panfilov's 28 Guardsmen" led to accusations that the entire story was invented as part of Soviet propaganda efforts.   

Central Asia seems to have a knack for overdoing its attempts at authenticity. Almaty wasn't quite as bad as Tashkent, but nonetheless, we found ourselves in a couple of places trying very hard but not so successfully to be British pubs. Line Brew, where we eventually ate dinner, seemed to be going for a Bavarian beer hall theme (left) that didn't really match the overpriced steaks on its menu (right). 

We didn't want to take any chances that I would miss my flight back to London, so we returned to Tashkent with a day and a half to spare. During an outing to find a plov pan, we took a few coffee breaks, starting at Antract cafe, where I had a savory meat pie with my fancy cappuccino (left). Later, when I realized I needed something sweet for balance, I ordered a piece of chocolate cake and a honey-infused coffee at Black Bear (right).  

 

Perhaps a little too bold after obtaining the plov pan, we decided to go to dinner at Nam Dae Mun, a sushi restaurant (top left). We braved one roll in this doubly-landlocked country, but both of us ordered back-up dishes, including shrimp noodles for me (top right). There were no immediate indications of food poisoning, so we finished the night with some big beers at Brasserie (bottom left). We were still feeling fine the next day, so our last stop before my long flight was at Evos to fill up on lavash, the best burrito one can get this side of the Caspian Sea (bottom right).