From Bishkek it was about an hour to the Kazakhstan border. For some reason the Kazakh officials took the passports for myself and the other Aussie in the group. We were then asked questions that no others in the group were asked. After a few minutes they were returned and we were cleared through but it was a little concerning. Our local guide had no explanation for it. We arrived in Almaty late in the afternoon. It is unlike any city we have seen so far on this trip. Very modern and "western" in its appearance. High end brands like Rolex, Prada, Louis Vuitton are represented. And the locals are much more modern in their sense of dress, particularly the young women. It's hard to believe that the main religion here is Muslim. We stopped at a huge ice skating arena, built by the Russians a few decades back. During summer it is converted into a go kart track. I couldn't help myself. 7 minutes of great fun! Tonight was effectively the end of the trip so the farewell dinner was held at a restaurant specialising in Kazkh food. As we had come to expect the food is okay, but the service is abysmal. My entree arrived about 10 minutes after i had finished my main course. Sunday dawned and John and I were now on our own. First stop Panfilov Park which as well as being a picturesque and peaceful place also houses a WW1 and WW2 monument and a Russian Orthodox church. From there it was a walk to the cable car which took us to the top of Kok Tobe, from where there was a great view across the city. As well as a kids fun park and a not so nice zoo. We called into a street side cafe for lunch and i was intrigued by the little zip lock bag which accompanied my toasted sandwches and fries. Inside were 2 plastic gloves. That's taking hygiene to a new level. The friendliness from the locals which we have experienced so far continues in Kazakhstan. That night we had quite a chat to an ex General of the Kazakh military, who was simply curious as to where we came from. Yes, we do stand out in a crowd!! Monday morning we headed for the ski resort of Shymbulak. A 35 minute taxi ride and a 20 minute gondola and we were in the mountains and comfortably settled in our broom closet ( I mean room!) After the last 3 weeks of hectic travelling it was nice to relax by the pool for the afternoon. Even though it is summer it was very popular with day trippers. The following morning we caught the next 2 gondolas which deposited us at 3200 metres. The scenery was stunning and it revealed quite a system of gondolas and chairlifts which no doubt would be packed during the snow season. So far the weather has been fine and quite warm, low 30s most days. So we were a bit surprised when the forecast for our last day in Almaty was 24 with rain. We ventured out under a very cloudy sky and made our way to Replubika Alany, a large square which is overlooked by the parliament building and just behind it the Presidential Residence. Also nearby was the exellent Central State Museum. Emerging from there a couple of hours later we were greeted with showers which turned into a downpour whilst we had lunch. Instead of a walk home through the tree lined streets it was a taxi ride. And so our time in Almaty comes to an end. We have been pleasantly surprised with this city. An abundance of tree lined streets, an easy atmosphere and the Central Asian hospitality which we have come to expect and appreciate. Tonight though we catch the overnight train to Astana (recently renamed Nur Sultan) All going well we will arrive around 8.30 in the morning to see what else Kazakhstan has in store for us.