Rafting Trip on the Ili River

A couple of weeks before leaving for Almaty, I heard about a rafting trip that was being organized by the office. It sounded like fun, and it was. The weather could not have been better yesterday. The only downside was the constant swarm of gnats that followed us down the trail to the boat, on the boat, and down the river. I wish I had remembered to bring some Kleenex.

I'm not sure why I got selected to sit in the back, maybe it was my cool hat. It was definitely a comfortable seat for the hours we were on the river. Sasha on my left was our river guide, and Karla, in the foreground, was the trip organizer.

In the picture of our rafting trip group, in the front on the right, is Jim, the other new USAID guy who came with me. We both work in economic growth.

On the river, we stopped at a castle that was built as a set for a few different movies. One, called "Mongol," was a contender for the Oscar a couple of years ago for best foreign film. The castle was pretty good and had a lot of detail to it.

The group was happy that there was an older couple that lived nearby and sold cold drinks to thirsty river tourists like us.

Morning in Almaty

This is the view from my south-facing balcony. Should be a nice spot to sit and read or have a drink.

I don't know if that's a park down there or just an unused lot. I haven't had much time to explore yet, but fortunately Monday is a local holiday.

Welcome to Almaty

Early on Friday morning, I arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan, my new home for the next two years on my first tour with USAID. I'll use this blog mostly to post photos and write about living overseas. I already have a few photos from a rafting trip down the Ili River. As soon as I download them from my camera, I'll post the best ones.