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I woke up with excitement about the adventures Kazakhstan had in store for us but feeling sad that I had to leave my newly found friends in Kyrgyzstan. We met Julia and Kamila in the lobby to say goodbye. It was very sad. They had become such a family, and Lee-Ann was especially sad because this was her last visit of three. After the hugs, we all piled into the car and waved goodbye.
(Before leaving Bishkek in the Hyatt lobby with our interpreter
Julia and our embassy escort, Kamila Kojokmatova)
The van ride back was quite relaxing. We arrived at the hotel in Almaty and got ready to play at the residence of the deputy chief of mission. We practiced and changed.
We got to there to find out that we were going to play outside. It was fine because it was warm and because the stage was somewhat enclosed. The acoustics were great considering we were outside.
Mark Asquino (the deputy chief of mission) and his wife had a fantastic home with a lot of Central Asian art. Their Uzbek hats were incredible. They were extremely nice and hospitable. After playing a short concert, we ate dinner and talked to the guests, who were mostly from the diplomatic and cultural community.
After dinner the guests started to leave, and we were getting tired so we thanked everyone for their support and left for the hotel. At the hotel we all sat around for about an hour to talk about what was going to happen in Karaganda, which was our next stop.
- Ryan
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