Arrived in Kazakhstan

I was hoping for colder but at least the passport control line took 2 hours with 100s of Russians trying to push in and arguing loudly, sometimes nearly fighting (what other foreigners want to come to Kazakhstan?)...

My pickup car wasn't there, so I had to wait extra long.

Then OK, the walk to the car was FREEZING! And slippery! Snow everywhere and it was still snowing. I would have taken a photo but it was still dark at 8am! (My flight arrived at 5:05am)... By that time I was walking, trying not to slip and fall mindful of my recently hurt tailbone and laughing hysterically. When the driver asked "Where you from?" which actually sounds more like an insult than a question... And I told him Australia... He laughed too. But then he took pity on me and turned up the car heating to maximum...

Then I slept and slept and slept and now that I woke up I feel like a Russian truck ran over me!

I think maybe I'm getting too old for these extreme trips? Nah...

Now I have to start practicing saying I'm not Russian. Or maybe I should say I am Russian and just add "ja ne gavarit pa ruski"?

At 5am Almaty was a disappointing -10 degrees.

View of Almaty from my window, which is opened BTW, otherwise temperature inside is set to 26 degrees and cannot be changed! Snow tennis anyone?