Chimbulak Ski Resort Almaty

We headed back to Almaty to attend Alty's prom. It lasted till sunrise. Alty and her friend Ainura then took me to the Charyn Canyon. This Canyon seems as large as the grand canyon except there are few tourists. The drive out was long and bumpy (with no toilet, nor would i see one again till we got back to Almaty). We parked at the edge of the …

Our hotel - "Hotel Salem" is tucked away in urban Almaty amidst several apartment blocks. Except for the sign, you wouldn't know it was a hotel at all.

Almaty has some old Soviet-era buildings along with more modern high-rises. It sits next to an impressive mountain range that is easily visible from the edge of the city.

The hotel …

... top of the Green Hill, overlooking the city, and then a 4WDrive up into the mountains through the Malaya Almatinka valley to the Chimbulak ski resort - at 2300m it is Central Asia's top skiing centre. We went from 36°C down in the town centre, to 16°C ...

... ever before. As we all know this green city is situated in the foothills of the Zailisky Alatau Mountains. Chimbulak Ski Resort, Almaty Green bazaar, Zenkov Cathedral, Kok Tube Hill, Panfilov Park, the museum of Kazakhstan National Musical Instruments ...