Samut Prakan Phil 🇬🇧 🇹🇭

Friday night is ballet night. Almaty 🇰🇿

@jesperbkk Do you still get offered drugs by the young sellers walking around near the gate of India?

I’ve seen this iconic hotel hundreds of times and being just next to the iconic Gate of India where the last British troops from the First Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry departed from at Independence in 1948 it’s truly a historic place. This hotel though has been in my mind hundreds of times since I watched the movie Hotel Mumbai from 2018, which is about the incredible staff and their unselfish behavior saving guests during the terror attacks by Pakistani militants in 2008. Today of course everything is 100% refurbished and the place just oozes history and you are hit by a quiet underplayed elegance that I’ve never seen anywhere else in the world. Not even Raffles Hotel in Singapore has any vibe that comes close to this. It’s spectacular and so happy I went here for a cup of coffee and a walk around. These few pictures of mine does in no way do the hotel justice. It truly is one of those wonders that needs to be felt and seen at the same time. Amazing. Last day here and tomorrow morning off to Bangalore or Bengaluru as it’s named today. More photos in the comments.

Views of Almaty from the big wheel at Megamall.

Spicy veal and peppers and chilli chicken at Navat, Almaty. 🇰🇿

The much-loved baursak - fried pieces of dough, served fresh with jam or condensed milk and often offered to guests. Very similar to the Thai patong-ko.

Mega Almaty is a big shopping mall on the outskirts of the city. Apparently it's one of the biggest malls in Central Asia. We always like to sample a new style of food court if we have the chance. #Almaty2026

But we couldn't resist trying Navat. We'd heard good things about this chain. Shame the complimentary fermented milk didn't go down too well. 😆

@EltKaty 🙏 ❤️

It's a shame (and feels dispiriting) when you put a bit of effort into a travel thread and it feels like more people would rather challenge you about the price of Indian food or the cost of living in Thailand, etc. But it is definitely that stuff that sells.

@elo_glenn 100%

@Ajarncom Each to their own, but no matter where I roam I feel like there’s a curry winking at me. Fully embrace local scran but there’s nowt wrong with having a curry anywhere on this earth.

@ArchaicSmile826 They are so dangerous.

@Ajarncom Yup. Got hit pretty bad by one in Paris several years ago while walking to my birthday lunch. My husband (French) lost it on the guy. They finally banned them in Paris.

One of the downsides of Almaty is undoubtedly the scooters, which I'm guessing you pay for using an app and then rent by the hour? They are lined up on almost every main street corner and seem to be very popular with the 20-40 age group. The problem is the speed at which they move and the fact they often share the footpath with pedestrians. Tun and I have had a scooter whizz past our ears a couple of times. I'd be interested to know how many serious accidents there are and how many times a pedestrian ends up on their ass. Sometimes there is a designated scooter lane but not common.

@drleighannjones 😆

@Ajarncom Kairat beat Celtic in the Champions League qualifiers. Send em my love 😆

Here's a photo thread on our 4th day in Kazakhstan. It's now that you begin to feel part of the neighborhood. The man who owns your regular convenience store smiles and waves as you pass by. You're beginning to learn the ropes.

@arieparikesit Probably still better than mine 😆

@Ajarncom Khotot khrup, my Thai is super basic, so I opt Bahasa Indonesa instead😄

Mas Phil dan Mbak Tun lagi jalan ke Kazakhstan, kayaknya lama sekitar 2 minggu, mereka share Kazakhstan Food, lalu share juga makan Indian food. Eh sebagian org kritisi, ngapain lu ke KZ makan Indian food. Padahal: 1. Serah dia, bukan donator jangan ngatur 2. Lu jalan 2 minggu ke satu negara, ya ada kalanya pengen break makan kuliner lokal, cobain makanan Internasional lain, ada nggak yang begini juga? 2 minggu di Jepang, Thailand, Indonesia atau mana aja ya boleh aja sesekali makan International food lain atau bahkan makanan kampung halaman. Menurutmu bagaimana?

A popular dessert in Kazakhstan is chak-chak (I tried it last night) Fried dough drenched in honey. But it's a very common snack sold in Thai supermarkets and specialty places and I'd eaten it before - loads of times. I ❤️ it.

Good morning from Almaty. Last night we ate at Rumi (a Kazak restaurant). I do like the hard cheese and beetroot combo, but the noodle dishes were nothing special. My particular beef dish looked fried rather than soupy in the menu photo, so I was disappointed. About 800 baht for two people, with soft drinks.

@arieparikesit Thank you kind sir for all the support and encouragement.

Siapa yang pernah main ke Almaty🇰🇿?

@arieparikesit Yes, we ate at a smaller branch on our second night in town. It was good.

@Ajarncom Do you eat at that Lanzhou noodle place?

@shoutnwhisper I love cheese Dani but it's not visually appealing like that. Needs to be mixed with a salad?

@Ajarncom Not the most appealing looking one I must admit, but would anyway try it