Almaty, Kazakhstan (day 13)

Day 13 - January 19, 2023

Brandon and I made our way to the Kok Tobe Hill Gondola which overlooks the city and has a view of the mountains. Not much to see of the city due to the heavy smog, but we were just above the smog and had a great view of the mountains off in the distance. There is a small amusement park at the top of the gondola which was pretty quiet this morning. Probably doesn't get too busy until the summer. There is a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, a small animal exhibit, and a super rickety roller coaster ride.

The tower in the background is a communications tower, unfortunately it is not accessibly to the public because it is easily the highest point in the city

You can see the roller coaster track at the bottom of this picture. Brandon and I had to give it a run :D I am sure it met all the Kazakh safety standards

After seeing what there was to see, we made our way back down the gondola and stopped at a coffee shop. The rest of the morning and afternoon were spent walking to different sites in the area. There are lots of open walking and biking paths to follow and the snow sitting on everything adds lots of character to the city.

Lots of statues of people, who I am sure are very important, are scattered through the city. Could not tell you who they are though :D

A fountain outside the Nature Museum

Front doorway at the Nature Museum

We tried to stop at the Nature Museum but they were closed until Monday. There are lots of dinosaur skeletons to see there.

Next stop was the brightly colored Zenkov's Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox Church. The interior is cluttered with all sorts of imagery and artifacts. I prefer the more 'simple' exterior they have.

Nearby the cathedral, there is a military monument, military museum (which we could not locate), and a musical instrument museum. I had hoped to visit the military museum, but the place Google Maps brought us didn't quite seem like the right spot. There was some sort of military ceremony going on, seemed like a graduation of some sort. It looked a bit disorganized, not quite the same standards as I witnessed with the US Marine graduation. Brandon and I made our way past a bunch of the soldiers, just to see how far we could get before someone said something. None of the ever did, so I guess we were allowed to be there?? Never found the military museum, so we kept moving along.

Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen

Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen - Memorial of Glory (WWII monument)

Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen - Memorial of Glory (WWII monument)

Museum of Musical Instruments

Museum of Musical Instruments

I spent the rest of the evening planning out and booking the next few stops of my trip. Tomorrow evening Brandon and I will fly back to Astana. I will stay there for a little under a week and then have a few days planned to stop at each of the following places: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Bali, Indonesia. Final stop for a few weeks will be Perth, Australia :D