Almaty

Where is it?

Kazakhstan. Never in my wildest dream did I ever think I would visit the "tans" lands. Yes, all around the place are countries which end with "tan".

Our guide, another beauty tried her best to speak English; a language I believe not used and spoken by many locals. Aimee was the name of our guide and she related that she is also very well versed with neighbouring lands like Turmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Among these, Uzbekistan is her favourite because it still holds much natural beauty unfazed by pollution of any form.

But she is all praises for her mother land too; Kazakhstan.

That's Aimee. Not the Ting beside her though.

You notice that Kazak is huge, don't you?

She gained her independence in the 90s and has since been on the road to achievements. Actually, to be on a tour for more than 10 days in the cold can take a toll. So, Almaty fell on our laps at the courtesy of the Kazak government.  In fact, the government is on a major effort to lure tourists and to introduce the place to us.

A land of this size and the population is puny; only 17 million with 85 percent of them belonging to the Muslim faith.

 This was a warning to us before we left Istanbul for a 6 hour flight to Almaty.

Believe me, I had never been on a land this cold.

It was cold and seeing snow is the norm.

You see what I mean? It's winter wonderland.

So, to get out of the coach for a walk needed much coaxing.

It was just too cold!

We were taken to the wet market after breakfast .

The breakfast was a change after all the kebabs.

We wondered if Kazak was so backward that we had to see the wet market.

But no. The market is different.

Look at the lush display of fresh fruits.

But language was a real barrier.

Hardly anyone transpire in English.

But I must say we were truly impressed at the butchers all of kinds.

They sell horse meat, chicken, lamb, beef and pork.

All the butchers cut their slices alongside one another.

No segregation and no discrimination.

I know he is cutting horse meat.

We were astounded by the way the butcher held the axe and cut the horse.

He smiled at us.

 The cold provides natural refrigeration.

All meat stay fresh a long while.

Strolling through the stalls was with great effort because of the cold.

I could not enjoy as much as I wanted.

So it was with gladness that we quickly went into the coach for warmth.

Aimee too us around the city of Almaty, the old capital.

She said that it was much, much colder in Astana, the new capital situated in the north. Oh we were sure glad we were not there.

The city square and their heroes of the past.

The horse is like the elephant to Thailand; a national symbol.

 The landscape is monotonous for everywhere was covered with snow. But it is also an experience of a lifetime for I hardly see and touch snow. Esther is also like a national heroine as she is unafraid of the snow.

 At the top of an amusement park, the family took the photo of the year.

 Sara was obviously suffering again from separation anxiety but she sure was glad that we were going home the next day.

The girls and the Beatles.

We notice this pop group is popular in Kazakhstan.

Their songs are played all over the park.

This is the house of music. All sorts of local instruments are in the hall for play.

Overlooking Almaty from a peak.

We just wanted to remember this peak.

 All over the place, ice and snow had to be scooped and removed.

Even the tourists like to help scoop.

This is the oldest church in Kazakhstan.

The birds were a common sight. But they come in great flocks.

Birds of a feather surely flock together.

 Playful Esther with the aunty from Sarawak. They are great pals.

 This is another square where foreign dignitaries gather in the city.

Somewhere among the trees, was on planted by our former Prime Minister on one of his official visits here.

To entertain the girls, dad made a snowman.

It was real small but representative.

Though she has gained independence from the Russian Government only a few decades away, Kazakhstan has malls that are of international standard. It reminded me of the ones in London. The goods are also reasonably priced but are only transacted in 'tenge' and not even in US dollars.

At the airport, we could hardly change enough and the money changer would only take US or Euro dollars and not any other monies.

We wanted to shop longer but time did not permit.

We hardly had an hour of shopping.

But it was an experience seeing the mall.

On the evening before we left for home, we had a real Kazakhstan feast.

The girls enjoyed but dad and I stayed behind in the hotel because of the pain in the knees. The cold had further worsened it.

But at the end of the day, we have to appreciate and praise our very own tour guide, Zaiton for being so thoughtful remembering Esther and the Ting girl for their February birthdays.

As you can guess, the birthday girl must be saying she was not fully dressed and made up for the occasion...

So, with Almaty we bade goodbye to one another and thanked God for his protection, mercy and divine intervention on our visit to Anatolia and Almaty.

Thank you dear God for a blessed trip.

Istanbul

The Mosques in Istanbul

The Hagia Sophia Museum and the Blue mosque.

This is the landmark in the city.

So much history is attached to both buildings.

We were actually asked to watch another movie on the fall of Constantinople and it was a good watch for it related much to our visit to the once upon time Church  turned into a mosque for the present day.

Once a Christian church, Hagia Sophia has now been turned into a museum for both locals and foreigners to learn about the Turkish history.

Inside the museum were definite traces of majesty and prom praise of the past.

As you walk along the pathways, you wonder what it was like when the kings and queens and celebrities perform stately duties. 

If my memory is good, this central portion is for worship by kings. I may be mistaken though.

Nur said the Sultans were diplomatic as they did not demolish the works of Christianity and they em placed symbols to hide figures and images which is a conflict to the Muslim faith. But the original works are still preserved.

We also wondered if the lights were original?

It can't be ?

The 2 girls at their poses. Well, they can show them to their off springs.

This is supposed to connote Mary holding baby Jesus and till this day is still preserved.

 The old mosaics are still in tact and the building of centuries old still hold much nostalgia and stories of the past.

Do man look at the past for the future?

Nur said the red terra corta bricks are original of the days of old.

Renovation and maintenance are ongoing to preserve the building.

The girls were not to be seen.

So we had no choice but did a selfie.

Not too bad a try.

Yes, we have been to Istanbul with the museum behind us.

Outside, this Greek fountain on the left is at the courtesy of  Greece and we were informed that just a few weeks before our visit there was an explosion here. Many perished. This was reason for Sara to write in to the Turkish embassy for assurance to travel. Of course, we were told that business is as usual and there was nothing to fear. We almost cancelled the trip but dad said he wanted to go.

On the right is another landmark supposedly a gift from I have forgotten which nation. It must be another neighbouring country; all in good friendship.

I think this palace is under renovation and did I hear it right when Nur said it has a thousand rooms? I have got mixed up. I hope this is in Istanbul. Or is it at Ankara? The palace.
Istanbul has 3 bridges. The 3rd and longest one will connect Izmir to Istanbul and that journey takes 4 hours instead of the usual 7 by road. Presently, it has 2 airports but another one is coming up soon and it will be the largest in Europe.

Istanbul is a major connecting point for international flights.

Construction is a rampant activity and architecture is stylish and modern. 

Yes, the cruise is in Istanbul not Ankara...

After a quick kebab lunch we were rushed to the city ferry point for the Bosphorus cruise.

The Bosphorus Strait divides Asian and European Anatolia and it is an important waterway for trade, transport and tourism.

Cruising along the Straits, we saw buildings and landscape that were majestic.

Hotels and old palaces nostalgically lined the Straits between the Black Sea and Marmara Sea.

We also saw some technical and day schools with students and teachers lining up. It reminded me of home. Some of the best restaurants and hotels are found along this stretch of water.

Maybe some local tycoons own this cruise and I believe the rich and famous have their houses built along it too. The money is not the issue but having the opportunity to own a property along it is. Some people work all their lives to possess but actually the crux is to live a simple, meaningful life.

Old but still wanting to see the world from the top, we climbed to the upper deck amidst strong winds and rain. The two girls however chose to be in the covered part of the cruise. The cruise was a casual one for us tourists to savour in the local scenes.

I caught this. But I am not too sure what it is.

I guess it could be a ship repair work shop?

The ride was an hour or so.

In Istanbul, no tour is complete without being on the cruise, I think.

You know, it is good to record your travels for even though we left the place only 3 weeks ago, I have already got all the places mixed up.

I actually though the cruise was in Ankara but to discover again as I read my notes that I was very wrong.

Sorry for wrong facts.

Turkey was rainy.

In the night we had a quick look at a shopping  area and things are reasonably priced. The girls managed to get a few articles complaining the lack of shopping opportunities. But what can't you get in Malaysia?

Did not they realise many of the Arabic nationals and even Turks shopping crazily in Bukit Bintang?

But the place has a European ethos.

So, we had an American dinner at Hard Rock Cafe.

Enough of kebabs.

Yes, Nur with my girls.

Nur is informative and such a helpful guide.

We miss her immediately when we left for Almaty.

In the rain, a little Syrian refugee came up to me to beg for food.

They warned me that if I gave one, I may have a battalion after my back.

So I denied him.

Later, when he went away and when no one was looking, I gave him some Lira.

No one saw but I saw him going up to his mother and giving her the money.

The refugees in Turkey is an issue to contend with.

Goodnight and goodbye Turkey.

We leave for Almaty.