Mountains and shashlyk

Yesterday we escaped to the mountains from the summer heat. 30 minuted from the city and you are in the peaceful chilly place. Here are some pics:

Somebody turned the party music on and ppl had fun dancing.

Dinner: Shubat ( dring made from camel milk), baursaki ( fried doughnuts) and shashlyk ( grilled lamb meat)

The happiest family It was quite chilly so Vincent got proper cloths

Kok Tobe

Curiosity is the best guide

Today I took a short trip to the Kok Tobe mountain. The mountain is connected to downtown Almaty by an aerial tramway. In 10 minutes it takes you to the top of the mountain. It also shows you how polluted the city is. On the picture you can see the skyline divided by grey and blue zones.
The Kok Tobe mountain is a typical tourist place with number of restaurants serving all from national dishes to pizza and burgers. There are also art galleries, a mini-zoo, amusement activities and souvenir shops. Most of the places were closed but I enjoyed being in the park almost alone.

You can also find ... a bronze statue of the Beatles surrounded by the speakers playing the Beatles music. Some fans of the Beatles raised some money to get the statue up on the Kok Tobe. Sorry, I just don't see any connection between the mountain, Almaty and the Beatles.