Just want to give my quick thoughts after a few days in Almaty. Some background on me - South Asian ethnically, live in Moscow, good Russian. First time in Kazakhstan and central Asia.
The culture
For starters, race feels like less of an issue here - little of the hostility that I get from Russians in Moscow. Majority of the population is ethnic Kazakh, with a large amount of Ukranians and Russians. The people situation is the opposite of Moscow to some degree. In Moscow the central Asians are friendly and the Russians are cold. Other way around here - Russians are a bit nicer and the local Kazakh men are not the most welcoming. In addition to the two taxi scams mentioned below I got full on shoved by a Kazakh dude at a nye party because one girl he was macking on ditched him to talk to me. I got checked by police for documents (as well as my friend who looked Kazakh) and a security guard at a store pushed me because I accidentally almost entered a closed area. Attracting tourists is not high on their priority list. Plus getting the Kazakh visa isn't an organized process.
The idea that the Russians and Kazakhs live in harmony is a bit hyped. One Russian girl I met said she has zero Kazakh friends and zero interest in learning Kazakh and most of her friends think that way. I saw a few, but not many Russian-Kazakh couples. Islam is here but not very influential, though you hear the call to prayer in the morning.
I don't blame Kazakh dudes not being welcoming on race - which I've discussed extensively on Moscow and Russian threads where I think it is a legitimate issue. I think the dudes are a bit hostile to foreigners in general. In general, try to avoid discussig politics. The people here like their President, who has been in power since Kazakh independence.
In terms of language, it's still a small minority that speak English, so Russian is key. I wish I read up on some Kazakh vocabulary before coming. I have a feeling English is going to get much more popular in the coming years as Russian becomes more de emphasized and Kazakhstan tries to attract foreign investment.
The city and getting around
Logistics is important here. Poor hotel description led to getting a place a 20 minute ride from the center, not smart - this city is very spread out. Also, you are relying on unofficial taxis here, the majority of which seem to have absolutely no idea where anything is unless it is a major landmark. This was a huge pain - with my phone stolen and no access to a printer it was difficult to find many places. On arrival to the airport I'm trying to figure out where my hotel is when the security guard kicks me out into the swarm of taxi driver locusts. One guy says 1,000 tenge (about 8 dollars) to the hotel and I say ok but i idiotically change a 100$ bill with him looking. Halfway there some other dude jumps in the front seat of the cab and they say that it's actually 1,000 tenge per kilometer. Ended up getting screwed out of 80 bucks - not off to a good start. Then last night I get into a cab with my friend to get back to the hotel. It's dark - we tell the address and the guys take a "shortcut" to the hotel despite our protests. He puts on a hood and asks with hostility where we are from (in Russian) and demands advance payment. Me and my friend bail the cab when it stops at a red light. Man I hate these gypsy cabs.
Girls - I think the Kazakh women are quite attractive, and despite the resource boom, as a foreigner you are still unique. Outside of nightclubs, I did not see a single non local in the 3 days in the city. The girls are approachable, with the "do you speak English," working quite well. I was even opened on the street by a Kazakh girl looking to practice her English and help with a finding a restaraunt. Got lots of IOI from girls in the street (despite dressing for the cold rather than style). Girls smile and appreciate Western humor, and even so for the ethnic Russians. However, I think ONS may be difficult here - saw very few make outs in the club. My top prospect disappeared and the second prospect was the cause of the above mentioned shove.
Day game - perhaps the market or downtown area or on the metro? Tough in winter. I was asking around the downtown hotels about NYE parties and the reception girls were definitely friendly.
Night spots - be aware clubs are still pretty dead around midnight, and are still hopping at 4/430, so get your disco nap in. People are overall well dressed, so a blazer is definitely appropriate. Skinny tie would work too. There is face control but as long as you dress ok should be ok. The bouncr hostility is way lower Than Moscow level or even in a Russian regional city level.
chutkotka - middle to upper middle class, good price drinks, electronic and 80's disco music, friendly crowd and bartenders. Saw a few Indian dudes here for NYE party.
Esperanza - Hookers and ugglies. Lots of Turkish dudes. Got my phone pickpocketed here so its a shady crowd. Lots of blow outs. Expensive drinks. Weird middle eastern music in one of the rooms.
Copacabana - Latino club, supposed to be good but the night we tried it after paying cover we discover it's a private party that ended and the bar was closing. No refund. Bullshit. Anyway, I've had good luck in Moscow Latino spots so this would probably be similar. Worth a shot if you can work the scene.
Other places I heard were good - Mojo club and cosmopolitan.
Anyway, so in summary I think I could live here if I was able to get a grip on the transportation situation and managing the local dudes - would be less discouraged than in Moscow. It's alot cheaper than Russia. But don't come solely for the girls.
Central Asia experts, feel free to tell me if I'm wrong on any of these points.
The culture
For starters, race feels like less of an issue here - little of the hostility that I get from Russians in Moscow. Majority of the population is ethnic Kazakh, with a large amount of Ukranians and Russians. The people situation is the opposite of Moscow to some degree. In Moscow the central Asians are friendly and the Russians are cold. Other way around here - Russians are a bit nicer and the local Kazakh men are not the most welcoming. In addition to the two taxi scams mentioned below I got full on shoved by a Kazakh dude at a nye party because one girl he was macking on ditched him to talk to me. I got checked by police for documents (as well as my friend who looked Kazakh) and a security guard at a store pushed me because I accidentally almost entered a closed area. Attracting tourists is not high on their priority list. Plus getting the Kazakh visa isn't an organized process.
The idea that the Russians and Kazakhs live in harmony is a bit hyped. One Russian girl I met said she has zero Kazakh friends and zero interest in learning Kazakh and most of her friends think that way. I saw a few, but not many Russian-Kazakh couples. Islam is here but not very influential, though you hear the call to prayer in the morning.
I don't blame Kazakh dudes not being welcoming on race - which I've discussed extensively on Moscow and Russian threads where I think it is a legitimate issue. I think the dudes are a bit hostile to foreigners in general. In general, try to avoid discussig politics. The people here like their President, who has been in power since Kazakh independence.
In terms of language, it's still a small minority that speak English, so Russian is key. I wish I read up on some Kazakh vocabulary before coming. I have a feeling English is going to get much more popular in the coming years as Russian becomes more de emphasized and Kazakhstan tries to attract foreign investment.
The city and getting around
Logistics is important here. Poor hotel description led to getting a place a 20 minute ride from the center, not smart - this city is very spread out. Also, you are relying on unofficial taxis here, the majority of which seem to have absolutely no idea where anything is unless it is a major landmark. This was a huge pain - with my phone stolen and no access to a printer it was difficult to find many places. On arrival to the airport I'm trying to figure out where my hotel is when the security guard kicks me out into the swarm of taxi driver locusts. One guy says 1,000 tenge (about 8 dollars) to the hotel and I say ok but i idiotically change a 100$ bill with him looking. Halfway there some other dude jumps in the front seat of the cab and they say that it's actually 1,000 tenge per kilometer. Ended up getting screwed out of 80 bucks - not off to a good start. Then last night I get into a cab with my friend to get back to the hotel. It's dark - we tell the address and the guys take a "shortcut" to the hotel despite our protests. He puts on a hood and asks with hostility where we are from (in Russian) and demands advance payment. Me and my friend bail the cab when it stops at a red light. Man I hate these gypsy cabs.
Girls - I think the Kazakh women are quite attractive, and despite the resource boom, as a foreigner you are still unique. Outside of nightclubs, I did not see a single non local in the 3 days in the city. The girls are approachable, with the "do you speak English," working quite well. I was even opened on the street by a Kazakh girl looking to practice her English and help with a finding a restaraunt. Got lots of IOI from girls in the street (despite dressing for the cold rather than style). Girls smile and appreciate Western humor, and even so for the ethnic Russians. However, I think ONS may be difficult here - saw very few make outs in the club. My top prospect disappeared and the second prospect was the cause of the above mentioned shove.
Day game - perhaps the market or downtown area or on the metro? Tough in winter. I was asking around the downtown hotels about NYE parties and the reception girls were definitely friendly.
Night spots - be aware clubs are still pretty dead around midnight, and are still hopping at 4/430, so get your disco nap in. People are overall well dressed, so a blazer is definitely appropriate. Skinny tie would work too. There is face control but as long as you dress ok should be ok. The bouncr hostility is way lower Than Moscow level or even in a Russian regional city level.
chutkotka - middle to upper middle class, good price drinks, electronic and 80's disco music, friendly crowd and bartenders. Saw a few Indian dudes here for NYE party.
Esperanza - Hookers and ugglies. Lots of Turkish dudes. Got my phone pickpocketed here so its a shady crowd. Lots of blow outs. Expensive drinks. Weird middle eastern music in one of the rooms.
Copacabana - Latino club, supposed to be good but the night we tried it after paying cover we discover it's a private party that ended and the bar was closing. No refund. Bullshit. Anyway, I've had good luck in Moscow Latino spots so this would probably be similar. Worth a shot if you can work the scene.
Other places I heard were good - Mojo club and cosmopolitan.
Anyway, so in summary I think I could live here if I was able to get a grip on the transportation situation and managing the local dudes - would be less discouraged than in Moscow. It's alot cheaper than Russia. But don't come solely for the girls.
Central Asia experts, feel free to tell me if I'm wrong on any of these points.
