Almaty

20-21st July 2014       30’C       10km
Almaty

A huge couple of days, I started Saturday by doing a service on the bike, as I’ve clocked another 10,000km since Xian.  The loading dock of the Holiday Inn was the perfect place to do this work, and I was finished by lunch, and spent the rest of the day walking around Almaty.

I hadn’t really planned for the evening, but I decided to go and have a beer at “Chucokta” a bar/club in the park.  When I walked in, it was completely dead, but I decided to have one drink, when the gentleman next to me said hello.  Oscar, an Almaty local and I struck up a conversation. Before long, one of Oscar’s friends had arrived, with a car, and we took a drive up the mountain to take in the night view over Almaty. We headed back to Chucokta, where the party was now heating up. The two bars now full of Saturday night party people out for a good time.
Oscar introduced me to numerous friends, and we all tore up the dance floor and played fusball, losing badly.

We partied until 500am, when we decided to go to eat, now that it was daylight.  Walking out of the bar, I was immediately stopped by two police officers. “Documenty!” They demanded. Of course I didn’t have my passport with me, and the whole thing was a shake down anyway.

Oscar spent 20 minutes negotiating with the cops, finally getting them down to 5000 tenge, after there opening request of 40,000.

We had a quick bite at a late night food place, before I crashed back in the hotel.

It was a great night out, making lots of new friends and learning just how warm and friendly the people of Kazakhstan really are.