Almaty - DA Hostel

On Friday morning, November 1, 2019, I take a walk around the block with Dicken and enjoy the morning sun. Then we have breakfast at KZ Hostel and check out. We had already decided to move the night before, and the hostel mother seemed a bit stressed. Although the first impression had somewhat changed, we stick to the decision we made. Once our stuff is back in Schrotti's trunk, we pick up Marcus' new credit card at a nearby post office and arrive at DA Hostel around noon. We can't check in to our beds until two o'clock, so we use the time to take care of our Moskvich. While I clean the spark plugs and carburetor jets, Marcus takes care of the interior and windows. A new lettering on Schrotti's back completes the maintenance work. After we were able to check in at the new hostel, we have some coffee and sweets before I stroll around the nearby area with Rango. The neighborhood is rather rural and characterized by many houses that indicate Russian-speaking residents. During dinner, we start a conversation with a Swiss guy, with whom we also venture into the city late at night. Two out of three of us are back at the hostel around two-thirty in the morning. Marcus decides to have a little adventure and according to his own statement, he finds his way back to DA shortly before daybreak.

Not much happens on Saturday. I take a spin with Dicken every now and then, take care of my travel blog and do laundry. After dinner, the day ends quite early.

On Sunday (November 3, 2019), after breakfast, we walk to a nearby bazaar. Schrotti makes unpleasant noises when accelerating, especially when steering. I suspect worn cross joints, so once again we are searching for spare parts for our Russian car. We have no luck on the first attempt, so we go to a larger market in the north of the city. Here again, we find no suitable parts, but we can confirm my diagnosis with a young car mechanic and get a tip to solve the problem. In the so-called Car City, we should get spare parts and find a workshop to install them. So, we go back to the hostel for some coffee, where we relax for the rest of the day, cook dinner, and go to bed not too late.

Since the Car City is closed on Monday, we have plenty of time for an extensive stroll through the city. So, in the afternoon, I walk through the central cultural and recreational park in the south with Rango. The television tower is too far away for me, so I pass by the Palace of the Republic and head back towards the hostel. In addition to typical socialist buildings, there are modern high-rise buildings and buildings in Russian colonial style. Despite the rapidly deteriorating weather, the city center is very lively. Particularly noticeable is the high proportion of young people. According to Wikipedia, about a quarter of the approximately 1.8 million inhabitants are under 20 years old, with 55% being female. For me, as a native of Karl-Marx-Stadt, it is an unusual sight. In the late afternoon, we return to the hostel with the rain starting, I make some coffee, as Marcus is expected to show up at the accommodation shortly afterwards. With some pastries in his luggage. In the evening, we bake bread and cook a soup before going to bed early.

On Tuesday (November 5, 2019), after a late breakfast, we drive to the Car City. After finding a workshop, we can buy the necessary 'Granat' after some searching and have them installed. Then we head back to the hostel, getting stuck in the rush hour traffic again. In addition to the still unusual driving style of the Central Asians, we also have to deal with annoying stop and go. Several attempts to find an adapter for our gas connection on the way remain unsuccessful. In the late afternoon, we are back at DA, have some coffee, and I organize some groceries for dinner. The weather is still quite bad outside, so I don't want to prolong the trip with Dicken unnecessarily. Then we bake pizza in the hostel kitchen and have a conversation with the young hostel mother and a fellow resident. So, the last evening in Kazakhstan is quite entertaining and we don't return to the cabin until well after midnight.