Almaty just has the one metro line, and I only needed to ride two stops to get to my hotel.
Almaly station is nicely decorated . . .
. . . and it is DEEP underground!
Once above ground, I sat at an outdoor cafe. The morning was really nice, and the fresh air and fresh coffee in a lovely setting was a great way to soak in some initial Almaty vibes.
Around noon I walked another block to the hotel. I was not able to check in, but I dropped off my bag and then caught a taxi to the Kok Tobe cable car. The cable car takes you 1,600 metres up the hill above Almaty.
Things are a bit hazy, but the view is great nonetheless, and the mountain top a nice place to spend some time, especially for families.
I drank another coffee up above the city.
I opted to not come down on the cable car and took a bus instead, but this did not work out as well as I had hoped. Once off the bus I needed to take a taxi, and I decided to take it to a money exchange place which I thought would exchange my Uzbek som, which had proven more difficult to exchange than I expected. Luckily, I was able to exchange it. Then, it was time for lunch. I had one of my Central Asian favourites, crispy eggplant salad.
After lunch I walked some leafy blocks . . .
. . . to the Moscow metro station.
Back at the hotel, I checked in and rested up for an hour or so, then headed back out. You can see that in many places Almaty is a wonderful place to walk, at least in May.
By the way, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, McDonald's is no longer franchised in Kazakhstan, and they have been converted to "I'm." Here is one that I walked by on my evening walk.
Nowadays Kazakhstan is 70% Muslim, but there are still many Christian Russians living in Almaty, and there were many more prior to the collapse of the USSR. Ascension Cathedral is one of the Christian landmarks whose origins predate even the creation of the USSR and goes back to Russian Empire days. It is a gorgeous building and is surrounded by a wonderful park.
Just last week Victory Day was evidently celebrated here.
One of the places I was most excited to visit in Almaty is the Arasan bathhouse. I think it is a gem!
The Arasan is very much a Soviet landmark, dating from 1984. It seems that they have really preserved the 40 year old style.
One of the unique experiences you can have at Arasan is the Russian banya, and part of the banya experience involves veniks, these bundles of leafy branches.
I purchased one and paid for an attendant to beat me with it so I could really see what it is all about. There are videos on YouTube you can watch to get a sense for it. It is quite the experience, and extraordinarily hot!
After the banya you can cool off with buckets of cold water or, even more fun, by dunking into a barrel full of cold water!
Besides the banya, I spent time in the pool, the steam room, and the Finnish sauna before showering off. I had a blast.
It was dark when I left the bathhouse. I ate dinner, and then joined throngs of people walking along Panfilov Street . . .
. . . up towards the Opera house.
From there I walked back to the hotel to call it a night. I really enjoyed my first day in Almaty!
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