Central Eurasian Mission - Week 24 - August 28- Sept 3- 2017

Last week I ended  the weekly post before I had really finished it because the internet at the hotel was so BAD that I thought if I tried to continue, I'd never be able to publish it.

Sunday after church we were invited to the home of good members in Almaty - Nurissa and Zhastalop, her husband, daughter Mira and son-in-law Vadim. Daughter Mira has her own 'in home' English language tutoring school and Vadim is an accomplished Thai style boxer with international success.  They live a way out of town on a little patch of land.  Nurissa and her husband work for the church - he does all the maintenance at the church building, and she drives missionaries to and from the airport and also handles all of their visa requirements. It was really hot so we spent the evening in their back yard and outdoor eating area.



She had prepared a full on authentic Kazakh style dinner - there was so much food I was groaning by the end of the evening.



Here is Nurissa's new outdoor kitchen.  Her husband built it as a gift for her 50th birthday.



On Monday, we (twenty of us) went on an overland adventure!!!  Four hours in a nice (but a little bit cramped) van east across the steppe.  All you people who might be from southern Utah -" this is your land, this is your land, mine's in Oreguuun, yes, green Oreguuuun!"



it gets more Utahish the further east we went



We stopped at a very interesting road side stop - unlike anything I've seen before.  It was an outdoor bakery and barbecue place.



There were outdoor cone shaped ovens (I'm sure there is a real name) with bread baking inside them and meat filled buns and chickens.












Business was very brisk, but who doesn't like hot fresh bread!



We stopped in another little town for a break.

Street scenes





this is like a warehouse with bags of flour stacked on pallets



and this is the inside of a store with children's clothing and fabric.  I loved these rolls of coated tablecloth fabrics.  We see these at many of the little Kazakh restaurants we like to go to.  I'd love some to cover our outdoor tables!



Here's another rest stop - kinda looks like somewhere off I 84 in Idaho






These aren't our favorite facilities, but I've seen much worse in some gas stations in the US.



Our destination was Charyn Canyon which is the Grand Canyon of Kazakhstan.  As you will see from the photos, the formations are very similar to what you can see in Utah or Arizona.  The scale is just much smaller.

We begin the 3.5 km walk which goes down to the river (a very delightful river!)











This photo is reminiscent of our Camino walk across Spain.



 

The YVs were like playful kittens - they climbed everything!







Then finally, the river.  It was glorious!





and picnic tables - why are there so many pictures of us eating?



Here are the SVs being regal and not at all kitten-like.



We should have walked back up the canyon to the van, but.....well....there was an ATV type vehicle that took us up in two trips.

I loved these signs.  The English should read something like = "if you leave inscriptions on the rocks you will be held legally responsible."



And this one - probably "Do Not Litter"



All in all, it was a great day!  I loved getting out of the city and, basically, driving to southern Utah in a mere four hours.

We spent the next three days recovering and doing miscellaneous paperwork.  And then it was time to celebrate my birthday!!!!  Remember several weeks ago we described our attempt to find the small resort called the Golden Pheasant?? - we never found it but ate in a little local  restaurant instead.  Well, we (really, just me) were determined to go on another adventure and find that pesky pheasant!  So, with better information and paying for a taxi, we took Elder Crawford and Elder Bullock out for my birthday lunch.  It was the next best thing to going to lunch with my kids!











a good omen - a rainbow



Are those pheasants - swimming in the lake???.....nope



Ahh = the birthday lunch - really good beef on broiled potatoes with dill and onions on top!



and dessert



At last, we found Fluffy, the pheasant, and his friend.



We started another shopping quest - to find two twin beds (for guests or for when a missionary is too sick to stay in his/her own apt) and some souvenir type t-shirts.

I like this one, but the second one is cheaper.





We went to a huge bazaar and found lots of t-shirts with ridiculous sayings in English.  We want Russian words saying, I love Astana or I love Kazakhstan!  But we did find Lebanese food at the food court. Some of the women working on the clean up crew, actually had t-shirts that said "Фудь Корт" (food court), and I would have bought one from her - except she would have thought I was really deranged.

Stuffed  zucchini and sashleek with saffron rice.  Yummy - and vanilla pudding --and gelato - so much food, so many restaurants!




Sunday evening I made chicken pot pie for dinner.  The YVs came to dinner, and they brought Darkah  who is a really nice young man.  Also with us was Klara who is a member from the Almaty Branch.  She came up to stay with us and visit with some friends.  She is a great young woman who has been a church member for three years.




And....yet another week.