Day 6 in Almaty - Shopping & Central Asian Crafts

Friday, 3 December

Our train left at 8:56 pm that night. I felt sick that morning so we didn't leave the apartment until noon. But we managed to pack quite a bit in (and get so frantic that we might miss our train!)

First, we walked the few blocks northward to Zhibek Joly Street, where the TsUM shopping center is. Lonely Planet had acted like TsUM is a shopping experience you don't want to miss. It was nothing spectacular. Huge, and a lot of the "stores" open rather than in separate rooms, but clean and a tad on the expensive side. Yes, it had a lot of souvenirs, but they were expensive.

We were hungry, and we saw a "Kind Burger." So we went in. This fast-food joint had your usual fast-food fare, plus pizza (for Sophia) and for 1000 Tenge ($6.70) a "business lunch"--an all-you-can-eat buffet that included hot tea, soup, some hot meat-and-vegetables meals, and dessert. Far better than McDonald's!

It was snowing, and we had a nice walk home, with the snow softly falling around us and on the wide, tree-lined streets.

Once home, we debated the merits of going out again--the Kazakh National Museum was having a Central Asian Arts & Crafts Festival, beginning at 4 pm tonight. But it was a good half-hour away, or more, depending on traffic and whether or not we could get a cab.

A little before 5 pm, we decided we should do it. We went out in the snow on Friday during rush hour and tried to find a cab--hard enough, and the guy charged us 1000 Tenge, well over the 300 Tenge that a local would demand. (My Kazakh friend wasn't with us to bargain.)

It was worth it. The main hallway and stairwells of the museum were full of vendors selling their brightly colored wares, all hand-made items from some place in Central Asia (countries ending in -stan.) So much to choose from!

I made the mistake of wandering and looking at everything before buying--the event closed at 6 pm that day, which I hadn't known! Suddenly, it was a mad dash to buy something before it was all closed!

I bought finger-less gloves for myself, from a lady from Kyrgystan; Sophia bought a small sheep (doll); and I bought gifts for friends. Our American friend bought a nativity set made out of wool felt (common material for toys, etc, here) and a colorful jacket; my co-worker bought a purse.

Now it was 6 pm; one hour until we needed to get a cab, to return to the apartment & check out & then get to the train station. We were a long half-block away from the big Ramstore. Ramstore is a supermarket here that is nice and clean and large and sometimes sells Western goods. This Ramstore was reputed to be huge and with even more Western goods.

So we went.

We raced through the large store--nothing special, since I already know where to find peanut butter in Astana and I don't use salad dressing--but I did buy some food for the train ride home and dinner for Sophia.

Then we went out, into the slightly-below-freezing and snowing weather, in the middle of rush hour of a huge city, and we tried to get a cab.

There were dozens of people trying to get taxis. And nobody stopping.

(In Kazakhstan, any car can be a taxi. Just hold out your hand near a road, soon enough a car will stop and then you can negotiate the price.)

One guy stopped for me, but said no, he would not take us. Maybe it was too far--there definitely was a ton of traffic between us and our destination! Maybe several kilometers, not bad during regular hours.

So we walked to the corner to try our luck again. No luck. We walked and we walked and we walked. No one would stop. We couldn't even find a bus stop!

Finally I called my friend R, who had gone to visit a friend in the city. Lo and behold, she was in a taxi at that very moment and the driver agreed to go out of his way to pick us up!!! Luckily, I knew exactly where we were (fake Eiffel Tower near Pizza Hut, on Furmanov Street), and luckily R is Kazakh and was able to negotiate a cheap price. 1000 Tenge for picking her up, driving to get us, driving us all to the apartment, waiting while we got our stuff, and then driving us to the airport! All during horrible traffic and a snowstorm!

We made it to the train station with perhaps 20 minutes to spare--and a ton of luggage to drag through the snow. I broke a wheel on a brand-new suitcase last year, in the slushy snow of Germany, so I wasn't about to wheel mine. So I carried my heavy suitcase.

Luckily, a guy who worked there offered to put all our luggage on a cart and bring it to the train (and show us where it was!) for 500 Tenge. He was amazingly fast, moving our luggage to the cart, and then wheeling it through the snow. We had to cross train tracks, too, and he had to get each piece of luggage across the tracks and then get the cart. We weren't the only ones running towards the train last-minute.

Finally, we got on the train, with perhaps 5 minutes to spare. Sophia's new snowpants were covered in ice.

Good-bye, Almaty!

Day 5 in Almay - Ice Skating in the Mountains

Thursday, 2 December 2010

About a half-hour to an hour drive outside of Almaty is Medeu. I'm not sure what it is, if there's more than the giant outdoor skating rink halfway up the mountain to Chimbaluk, where you can ski.

Last year we went to Medeu, to learn that the rink was closed due to inclement weather (icky, wet, sleety, foggy) and then we went up to Chimbaluk, to learn that the skiing was closed for the same reasons.

This year my Kazakh friend R made some phone calls and checked the Internet, so we learned ahead of time that the skiing was closed due to renovations--the great Asian games (Asia's Olympics) will be held in Almaty & Astana in February. The ice skating is closed Monday & Tuesday.

On Thursday we took a taxi to Medeu, for 1500 Tenge--$10. When we arrived, the girls expressed their disappointment--they were expecting Chimbaluk! (They didn't say "Chimbaluk", they said they wanted to be in the mountains and snow, not ice skating with mountains surrounding us.) We explained over and over that Chimbaluk was closed, we had wanted to go skiing too!

Entrance fee was rather cheap--2100 Tenge for me and my child (children being cheaper)--about $14. Skates were 1000 Tenge ($6.80) for rental; children's skates were 500 Tenge, but the sign was misleading! Children's skates only went up to size 33; Sophia is a size 34. Skates were mis-sized; Sophia ended up wearing a 35 or 36 that was still too tight on her; I wore a size 41 (my size in Europe & Asia) that was way too big.

We also had to give ID to rent the skates, I was so relieved when they accepted my American driver's license! I did not want to give up my passport!

Finally, we made it out. The rink was huge, and the ice a little rough. The weather was fair; we were okay in wool sweaters and did not need bulky coats. There was a stadium around us, behind it, tall hills and mountains, with a bit of snow. There was no wall on the side of the rink, something Sophia usually clings too.

My friend R went to watch her daughter practice--she's going to Uralsk (western Kazakhstan) soon for an ice skating competition--and I spotted a little glider thing--it looks like a walker with no wheels, perfect for someone who needs support while on the ice. We took it, but then a Russian woman with a name-tag came up to us and said something in Russian. "It's busy," she said in English. I managed to get my friend to translate--the glider was in use, and cost 300 Tenge per half-hour. There were only two available, and the one we were trying to use was not in good condition. The woman was an ice skating instructor, half-hour private lessons cost 1000 Tenge. She said she couldn't teach my friend's daughter--who's working on her triple-axle--although she did watch and comment. But she could work with Sophia.

So for half an hour Sophia practiced with this instructor, who was amazingly patient and amazingly good. Sophia copied her and learned a lot--she can skate without wobbling; she can turn around on the ice!!! For someone who used to cling to the wall, this is amazing progress!

My friend's daughter had to leave that evening for Uralsk--her plane was at 7 pm, she would fly with another girl who was going for the competition. Her coach would meet her in Uralsk and then fly her back to Astana with the other girls from Astana. All of this was last minute, causing my friend a lot of worry the day before we left for Almaty! (She'd almost canceled the trip to Amaty.)

So then we had to leave, take a taxi back to the mall near our house, and then R took another taxi to the National Museum, where our two flat-mates were. They hadn't gone ice-skating with us, and there was only one key to our apartment, and so they had the key.

I fed the girls--KFC--and took a picture of the fast-food restaurant called "Kind Burger." Then we met up with the others, who did some quick grocery shopping at the Silk Way City supermarket, in the basement of the mall, which is bigger than any supermarket in Astana.

R and her daughter made it to the airport in time; then R and our American friend went to church together, while my co-worker, Sophia, and I relaxed in our home.

One more day to go!

Day 4 in Almaty - the BIG Bazaar

Wednesday, 1 December

When I say big, I mean BIG. I mean ENORMOUS. I mean, entire cities are smaller than this place.

Over Fall Break, I went to Central Market in Astana. After four hours of shopping, I realized I wasn't even halfway through.

After 6 hours of shopping in the market on the northern outskirts of Almaty, my co-worker and I were exhausted, and we hadn't come close to halfway through. Probably not even one-tenth through. We had seen some of the clothes and coats. Definitely nowhere near all of the clothes and coats. And not the hats, boots, appliances, furniture, knick-knacks, or whatever else we missed.

(We did see some hats, but I suspect that there were aisles of them somewhere.)

A few hours into the experience, we stopped at a restaurant that was pretty much hidden--down a dark hallway/alley, through an unmarked door. It was your basic Kazakh restaurant, cafeteria-style, and for 450 Tenge I got barley with chicken & a few vegetables, bread, tea, and a cake. I asked for a half-plate of my main course, which was quite large!

The bazaar is on two sides of a somewhat busy, definitely crowded road. The stalls are partly inside, partly outside--shacks, lean-tos. They are located down long, cramped aisles. You are inside, but outside--the floor is mostly packed dirt, there is a ceiling, and little light from outside.

Men with carts overloaded with goods raced down these aisles, shouting in Kazakh, and ready to knock over anyone in their way. Bent women pushed carts selling tea, some pastries, and candies. And women who resembled gypsies wandered around, seemingly begging but also selling. My co-worker L had sympathy on one and gave her 50 Tenge. Then the woman gave her a pin. L thought this was sweet, but the woman wouldn't leave her alone. Our Kazakh friend translated--the pin cost 300 Tenge. L said gave back the pin, although the woman did not want to accept it. She'd rather the 300 Tenge.

My Kazakh friend had stayed home with the girls, which turned out to be good. It was a long day, cramped and crowded, and needing patience and a love for shopping. We had to take two buses there, it took about an hour. Our new American friend had a Kazakh friend from Almaty; it was she who took us there and showed us around.

I found a few good finds--including an angora hat with matching scarf and gloves for 500 Tenge ($3.40) and a sweater for Sophia for 1000 Tenge (about $6.70). Our Kazakh friend found a fur-on-the-inside, leather-on-the-outside coat for not much over $100. Amazing.

But in the end my co-worker and I wore out well before the other two women and we headed out, armed with a copy of the directions I had written down while we took the bus over here.

Outside, we crossed the road and headed in what we thought was the direction of Almaty, and I wondered at how the mountains were really hidden in the haze. When we had arrived at the bazaar, I had noticed that the mountains--and Almaty--were behind us. Then my co-worker recognized a building as one we had passed coming in (on this side of the road), and I turned around -- lo and behold, those majestic mountains! To make sure, we asked a man where Almaty was. He seemed a bit confused by the question, he gestured towards the mountains.

Then I remembered, that sometime early in our day, we had climbed down some stairs--we must have gone under the road!

So we crossed the road again and walked to where it seemed that other people were waiting for buses. A few buses later, we saw our bus--Bus 120. just to be sure, I asked the bus attendant, "Tolebi?" He said yes and helped us on the bus.

Earlier that day, on our way to the bazaar, we had changed from bus 126 to bus 120 at the intersection of Tolebi and a street whose name I could not pronounce. Since bus 120 only crossed Tolebi, I figured I was okay only asking for Tolebi.

The bus got more and more crowded, and the attendant pushed us further and further back. My co-worker had found a seat right by the door, luckily. The street in front of the bazaar was so crowded, the bus just inched along, as the attendant leaned out the door, smoking a cigarette and calling out the names of various stops along this bus's route.

It took probably half an hour to get out of the bazaar. The bus was so crowded, and I became worried that I would not recognize our stop, and I was sure that the attendant wouldn't remember my question from so long ago. (Especially since the question was a one-word question--"Tolebi?") But now I was too far from him to go up and ask him to let me know when we got there.

The man next to my co-worker wanted to get off. I saw this, but my-coworker didn't notice. The attendant started talking to her in Russian, probably asking her to let this man off. She didn't understand and soon the two were very frustrated with each other. "Nyet Russian!" she shouted. "American!" I called out to her what I thought the attendant wanted--her to let the man next to her off. She did, but soon the attendant and others were laughing and saying something about "Americans"--so, I thought, now might not be a good time to ask him to tell me when we got to Tolebi.

But then, we got to a stop and he said, "American, Tolebi!" and even helped my co-worker and me off the bus.

We were a short walk from the intersection, and nothing looked familiar. We started wondering if the attendant had purposely let us off at the wrong stop, us being stupid Americans and all.

So my co-worker encouraged me to ask a passer-by for help, she picked out a good-looking young man, and he happened to speak English and be good with maps. We were indeed on Tolebi, two short blocks from the intersection where I had assumed we'd be let off (the bus might have a slightly different return route?). And bus 126 did pass by here, all we had to do was cross the street.

We thanked him, got to the bus stop, and bus 126 showed up before we had time to ask anyone for confirmation that it would show up.

Now we had a half-hour ride, but in peace, since we knew we would recognize the Silk Way City shopping complex where we had to get off.

I was so proud of myself, returning home from the bazaar all by myself!

Day 3 in Almaty: Panfilov Park, Walking, and Funny English

Tuesday, 30 November 2010

Half of the 6 people in our apartment are early risers; half of us are late risers. The kids and our new American friend M are the early riser. My friend R and co-worker L and I are the late risers. So today was another late start like yesterday.

First, R and M had to go to the train station to change M's ticket so she could return on the same train as us. L, I and the kids decided to walk towards Zelony Bazaar (the Green Market), the place where we had decided to start the day.

It was a fun walk down tree-lined streets, and soon we felt like we could be in Paris--fancy shops on our sides. We popped into a cosmetics store where L finally found the hair dye that she uses (yet to be found in Astana!)

We arrived at Panfilov Park and decided to stop there with the kids. Panfilov Park is where the amazing, yellow Russian Orthodox cathedral is. I had seen it last year and was awe-struck. L went inside while I watched the kids at the nearby playground.

Some horse-drawn carriages came running by at fast pace, the kids chased the carriage. We found a spot behind the church with dozens of pigeons, which entertained the girls. Finally, we went inside the cathedral.

The cathedral is all gold inside, and amazing. We didn't go far in, just shopped at the gift shop in front.

By then R and M had met up with us, so we walked the block to Zhibek Zholy Street, which I now know means "Silk Way" in Kazakh.

The street was super-crowded, with vendors on the street. We shopped and bought some warm pants for the girls. (4 pants for 3500 Tenge--$24!)

Then we went inside some huge building, which kind of reminded me of Artyom in Astana--a large, overcrowded mall with stands and cubicles for stores. I found a stand with genuine Soviet pins, the cheapest being $10 and the most expensive been much, much more.

Then we walked some--we never went to the Green Market, it's well known for food, but we didn't need food and we were getting cold--and found the Silk Way Mall, which we'd heard of. But the entrance we were near was closed off, and we were hungry, so we popped inside a restaurant called Pizza Mia.

I will always remember this restaurant for its English. It was nice that they had a menu in English, but it was funny to read. Under dessert, you could choose "Ice Cream 'Move & Pick' 2 balls." We had a good laugh over that.

You could choose "bread funds" (we figured out that this was bad translation of "bread fondue").

On the door, you could "Na sebya" (Russian for "towards yourself"--eg, pull) or, in English "Inwards."

As we left, my Kazakh friend talked to the waitress and we correctly translated quite a few items for her.

The others were tired and ready to take a cab. I volunteered to walk the girls home. It was only about a mile, and we were full of energy.

It was night-time, so we just took the same route as we had before. We popped into a store which was selling ENGLISH-LANGUAGE newspapers! Unable to decide, I bought all 3--USA Today, The International Herald Tribune, and the Times of Central Asia. These 3 newspapers were a big hit at the apartment.

One more day in Almaty, a day of relaxing and conversation, a day of exploration and new finds, a day of two little girls getting along splendidly. A good vacation!