Although the country is huge, its population is less than that of New York City. Almaty lies on the northern edge of the magnificent Tien Shan mountain range which creates a dramatic backdrop for the southern part of the city. Your first impression walking around Almaty might be its cleanliness. Downloading a Russian alphabet app on your phone can be helpful to read signs. Many travel words are similar to English and you might be surprised at how many Russian words you already know.
Many travelers head for the Medeo recreation area about 15 minutes south of the city with its famous ice skating rink, hiking trails and Shymbulak Ski Resort. A ski resort was the last thing I expected to see in Kazakhstan , but once I took the gondola from Medeo to the snow-covered mountain behind it, it made perfect sense.
The mountains are beautiful and I found them to be a little reminiscent of the Italian Dolomites. What a deal! Plus, you get to hold an eagle.
Who gets to do that? There are plenty of day trips you can do from Almaty, but one of the best options is Sharyn Canyon. Some tour companies will extend the tour to a two-day trip to include the alpine lakes Kolsai and Kaindy with your visit to the canyon. These beautiful lagoons are nestled high in the mountains and have an unreal turquoise color that has to be seen to be believed.
Have you ever wanted to try horse meat? Well, look no further. There are entire sheep heads on some menus and many dishes with parts of animals that westerners might turn their nose up at. Sheep offal was too much for me, but the beef tongue salad with pickles was better than I expected. Since the town is essentially artificially created, it gets less tourists and is slower paced than bustling Almaty.
