Around Panfilov Park,much of the city's history and its disparate influences come together. This beautiful green space is dedicated to the"Panfilov Heroes",28 local Kazakh soldiers who died fighting the Nazis just outside Moscow during World War II. The park is also home to Zenkov Cathedral,a multi-coloured,tsarist-era building left behind by the Russians. Just a block away lies the Green Bazaar,a covered market in which you'll find the food of the Kazakhs,but also the cuisine of the ethnic Koreans,many of whom were forcibly moved here during Soviet Rule and who remain in the city today.
That's Almaty's past. It serves as a background to the city,an explanation of some of its quirks,but it's not the full definition. For that,you have to dig a little deeper. And go a bit higher. That's why I'm on my way up to Kok-Tobe,the mountain that looms closest to Almaty,the one that's always visible,thanks to the huge TV tower that's stuck,javelin-like,into its peak.
Kazakh women make traditional local bread known as Baursak in Almaty.Credit:Shutterstock
Eventually,our gondola ride reaches its conclusion,having cleared all of the houses,crossed a major highway,and then ascended the mountain proper to the amusement park at the top. There's a Ferris wheel up here. There's a ghost train. There's a zoo,too. Young couples canoodle at lookout points. I suggest to my guide that we go to the top of the TV tower,to take in the view,only to discover it's closed to the public.
This is the thing I'm finding about Almaty. It's modern,but at the same time it's a total throwback. The museums here are seriously old-school,the type of stern,look-but-don't-touch places I used to get dragged along to as a kid. Places such as the TV tower that seem such obvious tourist attractions are off-limits to the general public.
To enjoy yourself in Almaty you have to think outside the usual tourism box. You have to head up to Kok-Tobe to enjoy the views and the sunshine,but you also have to take the bus to another point high in the mountains,Medeu,which is home to the world's highest Olympic-sized ice-skating rink. The day I visit there's no ice – it's still autumn. Instead the empty rink has been commandeered by a car show,and a huge crowd of Almaty's rev-head population who are drooling over wheels and exhaust pipes and the like. Some things are universal.
Almaty itself,meanwhile,reveals its true delights later in the day. It reveals them over sunset drinks on the top floor of the Hotel Kazakhstan,a gloriously ugly building that commands a spectacular view of the city and the mountains that form its backdrop. Patrons up here sip vodka and slurp beer and watch as the city's lights begin to sparkle and a mood of celebration takes hold.
Next stop:a restaurant. Almaty's dining scene is surprisingly cosmopolitan,a mix of European-style steakhouses,Russian cafes,traditional Uzbek restaurants,pan-Central Asian eateries and high-end,modern Kazakh places. All of these spill onto the busy streets of the downtown Almaly district,giving the city an easy sophistication that might come as a surprise to those who know Kazakhstan only from unflattering foreign portrayals.
Almaty's nightlife,too,reflects that contemporary feel,with pubs and clubs that rage on into the small hours,a vibrant scene with a heavy beat that feels Russian or Eastern European,and yet exists here high in the Central Asian mountains,in a city that seems to far removed from everything you know.
Hanging out in a bar here,you have another chance to observe the people of Almaty,to understand their home,to gain some insight into their world,in the same way as you would floating above it in a gondola,peering in at their everyday lives. In a place so foreign and fascinating,that will always be a thrill.