Back in Almaty - Day 22

(click for more photos)

*** No more high-speed Internet, but dial-up seems to work. We’ll have to cut back on photos while we’re here in Almaty, but should be able to send/receive email just fine ***

A busy and emotional day today. We got up this morning, did the Izaak routine, packed up and checked out of the hotel, which had been our home for the last 22 days. Everything seemed so rushed. Izaak seemed more unsettled today. We noticed that he developed a cough in addition to his snotty nose, so we’re watching that closely.

We assembled all our gear in the lobby at 8:15 for our 10:15 flight, but no Misha. Of all the days to be late! Misha, Olga and Philipage finally showed up at around 8:45 and took us to the airport. We picked up Aliya on the way and made it to the airport in plenty of time. Izaak was doing well so far and generally enjoys car rides. At the airport, Olga took care of tickets, passports and checking our bags while we sat and talked with Aliya and Misha. It was great seeing Misha holding Izaak and giving him kisses. While we were waiting, I took a bathroom break. Aliya pointed out where it was and told me to have 20 tenge ready. This turned out to be a horrific experience. I opened an unmarked door and followed a dark stairway down one level. At the bottom, there was a big padlock on what appeared to be the men’s room door. I followed the corridor on to some kind of mop room. The further I went, the darker and stanker it got, so I figured I was getting close to some kind of bathroom. I turned a corner or two and wound up in a room that looked no different than a horror movie set. I aimed towards what looked like a hole in the ground and hoped for the best. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity. I started to get freaked out. Not just because of the setting, but at the thought of someone approaching me to pay for using this hole in the ground. I think I even started walking backwards before I was done. I’ll have nightmares about that for sure.

Anyway, back to the airport. We finished checking bags and were escorted to the gate (20 feet away). We said our good-byes (hugs and kisses and all) and squeezed through the doorway. Olga, Misha and Aliya were still waiving as we descended the stairs to the waiting room. These people have become our dear friends and we will miss them. Angela started tearing up as we descended down the stairs. You don’t realize how much people mean to you until you have to leave. It’s hard to believe that we’ll probably never see them again. They really treated us well and we felt they became our family during our brief stay in Uralsk. They will be part of our memories forever. Thank you Misha, Aliya and Olga for everything that you gave us and did for us, we can never repay you for your kindness!

We boarded the plane and got ourselves situated. As we took off, both Angela and I had tears in our eyes as we all looked out the window and watched Uralsk disappear below us. It was sad to know Izaak was leaving his home, but exciting to know we were one step closer to his new home. Izaak did really well on the plane. Angela fed him his cereal on schedule. We took turns eating the fancy lunch (steak, smoked salmon, caviar, etc.) Izaak even fell asleep on me and we both got in a good nap. He screamed a few times, but I think it was just because he was so confined (even though we were in first class). I put him on the floor in front of our seats and let him crawl around some – this seemed to do the trick. That and a candy wrapper I gave him to suck on.

We landed a bit early and waited forever to get our luggage, but it all got there ok. Walking out of the baggage claim we were greeted by Kirill (our previous driver) and headed on to the office to finish up some paperwork. On the way, we stopped to get a photo made for the medical exam on Monday. We got to walk around some and stretch our legs. The weather was nice – cooler than it had been in Uralsk. After the paperwork, Kirill took us to our apartment. We weren’t quite sure what to expect. After dragging the bags up 5 flights of stairs, we were shown in to the apartment. Very nice. We were thrilled. Furniture, kitchen, microwave, entertainment center, even an air conditioning unit for each room! No complaints here – even if we couldn’t figure out how to light the darn oven.

We got settled in and let Izaak play on the bed, then on the rug (with blanket). He was very happy to have some room to roll around and was back to his silly ways in no time. Later that evening, we decided to send dad to the grocery store while mom looked after Izaak. He still has a cough, and we weren’t sure what to do about it, so best to let him rest. I set out for the store with an empty duffel bag. It was going to be dark soon, so I walked as fast as I could… so fast, in fact, that I walked 2 blocks further than I should have and missed the turn for the supermarket. I spent the next 30 minutes walking all over Almaty, trying not to get lost and looking for anything that resembled a grocery store. What a pain. I must have clocked 10 miles. I wound up walking past a coffee shop we went to on our first visit here… no where near our new apartment. I finally found the damn store and threw the first 7 items I saw in to the cart and headed back to the apartment. Turns out, the store is only 4 – 5 block from the apartment… my little urban hiking adventure took over an hour to complete. Angela was pretty upset by the time I got back because she was beginning to worry. We cooked up some dinner, cleaned up and put Izaak to bed.

It will take some adjusting, but I think we’ll be comfortable here for the next few days. We’re glad that we’ll have some time to relax and see some sites in Almaty… hopefully not all on foot! ~M