Friday, October 31, 2014
28 degrees F in AM – 43 F & sunny later
My room was cold last night so I requested assistance. A tall, very young handsome Asian man brought a tiny electric heater to my room. It made the room toasty and I slept soundly from seven at night to eight thirty in the morning.
Dining Room with Buffet Breakfast
I got ready and went down to breakfast in the hotel dining room for their generous buffet. Smartly dressed Asian men and women in business suits were bustling about. The ubiquitous tomatoes, cucumbers, and cheeses, which are common breakfast food in this part of the world, were offered. However, there were many other items which I did not recognize. I chose to have a blini with sour cream & jam and sliced bananas with chocolate syrup and decent coffee.
Fortified with courage, I went back to try a few other interesting looking items. The square cake on the lower left was labeled ‘cottage cheese’ and was delicious.
Eclectic Breakfast
The Road Scholar Tour was supposed to begin the next day; today was my free day. I was curious about the neighborhood around the hotel so I went out to explore. First I walked along a wide boulevard with much traffic. I stayed to the main roads so I wouldn’t get lost.
Soviet-Style Apartment Buildings
The temperature was chilly and few people walked along the avenue wearing winter coats. There were buses rolling along and a bright yellow trolley car on a wide cross-street.
Wish I Knew How to Negotiate Public Transportation
Wide Avenue With Underground Crosswalk
Soviet-Style Apartment Building
I found the money exchange office across the street and bought 9000 Kazakhstani Tenges. On my way out, I noticed a young man wearing a leather jacket, standing next to the door with a small black machine gun under his right arm. I decided against taking a photo of the exchange office and moved on.
Below are some photos I took as I walked along. Many signs were in Russian as well as Kazakh. Fewer English signs here than in Georgia and Armenia. There were few very small street signs on the corners of some buildings.
Banana Split – Cherry Cheesecake – Pies
Selling Books on the Street
I think the red letters on the sign below spell ‘Internet’ in Russian.
About 12:30 I noticed a line at a small booth on the sidewalk. Closer examination revealed a tiny bakery with a woman heating and serving baked goods. I asked a young woman standing in front if me what was good and she helped me buy a “sampsah” which turned out to be meat & potatoes in a pastry shell similar to a Cornish pastie. Not a bad lunch for 290 Tenges – about $1.59.
I also bought a couple of bottles of water in a little market near the hotel and a banana for dessert.
Mini-Market
Here are some photos of the outside of the Kazzhol Hotel:
Entrance to Kazzhol Hotel
Kazzhol Hotel
New Wing of Kazzhol Hotel
I spent the rest of the day resting up, blogging, getting organized, and watching Kazakh television. After I spoke to Jeff on FaceTime, I went down to dinner. I had one of the national dishes: Sorpa – a meat soup. I didn’t ask what kind of ‘meat’ because I didn’t want to ruin my dinner. I know they eat horse meat here and drink mare’s milk. The Sorpa was delicious and had chili pepper flakes which gave it a little kick.
Then I had “Lagman Guiru”. The waiter told me this was a national dish of the Uyghur people of western China. Lagman was also very tasty; a bit sweet and sour mixed vegetables and meat.
All in all, I had a good restful day all to myself in Almaty, Kazakhstan. I was looking forward to tomorrow when I would meet the other travelers for our journey on The Silk Road.