Almaty

Amalty, a word meaning 'apples' in the local Kazakh language. It is sometimes translated to 'full of apples' as there are lots of apples around. I can vouch that some of them are delicious!

It is thought that Kazakhstan is where the modern domesticated apple comes from.

When I travel, I consider if I could live in each place (mainly the cities). Almaty is the first Asian city that I think I could live in, at least for a while. It's a nice size, very walkable, lots of parks and greenery and everything you need. It has a really nice feel to it. The one thing holding it back is the horrendous traffic!

Almaty is also known as the Switzerland of Central Asia when it comes to chocolate. So I did my duty and tried some (a lot) of it. My favourite was one that had an apple and banana soft centre. Delicious! I wanted to bring some of this flavour home but it wouldn't travel well. Instead, I bought 20 small plain chocolates with the goal of 15 making it home for people to test. It's been 3 days, and there are still 19. I'm even impressed with myself. 🏅🤣En savoir plus