There’s not much to do in Almaty, Kazakhstan. You can take a peek at the pretty wooden Orthodox cathedral, which is possibly the world’s third tallest wooden building, and erected without nails around 1904. You could visit the site of Leon Trotsky’s house, where he lived in internal Soviet exile from 1928 to 1929. However the house itself has vanished, replaced by the Luckee Yu Chinese restaurant, a chic European ‘cheeseria’, and the Caspian University branch of Starbucks.
On the other hand, Almaty is a genuinely agreeable, hedonistic young city. The Tien Shan mountains loom right behind, like a row of Ku Klux Klansmen sprinkled with party glitter: a spectacular if slightly menacing backdrop. The leafy centre is full of fountains, cafes and beautiful young Kazakh women. And the restaurants of Kazakhstan’s vibrant cultural capital serve, I am told, the best horse meat in the world. Which I am intent on trying, as my motto in life is: ‘try everything twice’ (you may get it wrong the first time).
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in