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.
Dudes! I can't believe I just saw you and Jim days ago and there you are in a canoe in Kazakhstan! Looks like fun!
ReplyDeleteYou have to go all the way to Kazakhstan to take a river trip! You just could have come to see me in Colorado!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you have set up this blog, I will read it faithfully - and enjoy the photos too.
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