Our flight from Almaty to Taraz was interesting. We were in a 1950's era airplane with minimal climate controls. Once the flight attendant gave me a fuzzy blanket, I fell asleep. There wasn't the usual pre-flight checks or review of emergency exit procedures. The woman sitting across from me talked on her cellphone during the latter part of the flight and during landing. There are a few flights a week between Taraz and Almaty. From a US standpoint tickets are cheap - $75USD.
Most Tarazians take the train to Almaty. It is approximately a 6 to 7 hour journey. Coach tickets are roughly $10USD and first class is $15USD. Randy is planning on taking the train to Almaty so he can report back on that.
There is not local train service within Taraz. Many people take the bus and there is not a consistent branding of the buses. There are the large city buses we have in the US down to oversized vans. The only consistent characteristic is a cardboard sign in the front listing the route number.
The adoption agency provides a driver for our baby house visits and the driver did take us on a tour of Taraz. Driving rules seem to be:
1) Whenever your car is stopped - honk the horn
2) Whenever something is in your path - honk the horn
3) If you have clear road - go as fast as you can4) Lane markers are mere suggestions
5) When the green pedestrian light is on - swerve to avoid hitting the pedestrians
Randy and I normally walk in our abundant waiting time between visits. Sidewalks vary from nice pavers to muddy paths. When there was snow, groups of workers would chop the ice on the streets and work their way to the sidewalks. This means the sidewalks are basically compacted snow and ice.
I don't know if the internet cafe will be open tomorrow because New Years is the major holiday in Taraz. Randy and I wish you all a Happy New Year and look forward to celebrating it in the US next year.
Marcia
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