KAZAKHSTAN – THROUGH TEN MONUMENTS OF ALMATY - I A city is best explored on foot. It has so much to offer. The boulevards and cobblestoned alleys. The traffic discipline or the lack of it. The sidewalks lined with quaint cafes and pubs. The illuminated store fronts with tempting displays. The exotic signages. The architecture of buildings. The street performers. The people, strolling by hand in hand, or striding with a purpose. And then there are monuments that spell history with capital H. I was recently in Almaty, the cultural capital and the largest city of Kazakhstan. I was travelling with a group of twenty, but on one particular balmy evening decided to take things in my own legs. This is what I saw and learned. Monument of Independence I began at the root of Kazakh civilisation. A towering column dominates the semi-circular arena. Atop the column is the Golden Man – the national icon. Some say it’s a woman. He is astride a snow leopard, the national animal...
