Almaty, Picturesque & Cool (2013)

Almaty is the charming and mountainous former capital of Kazakhstan. The capital has now moved to a very swanky and ghostly Astana built with oil wealth.  Set in the foothills of the trans-Altau mountaints, Almaty enjoys a cool climate all the year round. I was in Almaty as part of the Silk Route expedition in 2013.