Whelp, yep, we were up at 4:00am. What to do in Almaty at 4am? Why not ride the subway?? Sure, so we walked a block north from our hotel, then along the main drag, power walking really to Baikonur station, which is themed like an space airlock. We looked around the 'sports palace complex', spotted a peculiar topiary of wrestlers, and took the metro to the end of the line at a train station--which wasn't really anywhere nearby. We decided our adventure was a bit silly and headed back to the hotel for breakfast.
Oh man, after breakfast was the start of our very busy day, so busy I can't even keep up with the blogging. First, the Russian Orthodox church in the park.
Next, the war memorials, with some graduation ceremony out front, perhaps cadets or athletes? Hard to say.
Next, the market.
Lunch in a yurt up near the outdoor ice rink, with musicians.
A falconry demonstration, then the state art museum.
An away-from-the-group visit to the TV tower, looking down on the traffic jams of Almaty.
Dinner at a Georgian restaurant.
We were exhausted. All I can say is that it was all pretty interesting; I'm too jetlagged to take it any further than that.