Shymbulak (where I touched snow for the 1st time)

Shymbulak / Шымбұлақ / Чимбулак, Almaty, Kazakhstan, April 2017

這個早上我們搭白牌車到 Kok-tobe,不過司機強烈推介先去Kok-tobe前到附近的Medeu。因為我們不會溜冰,所以沒有計劃過去Medeu。但原來除了溜冰場,那附近還有纜車搭。於是行程便加插了由 Medeu 搭纜車上 Shymbulak 滑雪場。但其實大家亦都不懂得滑雪,只是想搭纜車越過雪山去。雖然那次去日本成田機場途中都見到雪,但那種雪一落到手和地面都馬上化成水,所以今次我才第一次正式摸到雪。就如其他人所說,都沒什麼特別,但當時感覺非常好。

搭纜車途中見到 Medeu 溜冰場好像廢墟,應該因為轉季而停止運作。

(隔了幾天後我們才行雪山和去了冰封的大阿拉木圖湖)

This morning, we took the unlicensed taxi to Kok-tobe but the driver highly recommended us to go to the nearby Medeu first. As we all can't do ice-skating, Medeu was not in our plan. But actually besides of skating rink, there are also cable cars to take. Therefore we followed his suggestion, taking the cable car at Medeu and going up to Shymbulak ski resort. None of us could ski. We just wanted to take the cable car, crossing the glacier and seeing snow. I saw snow once when I was going to Narita Airport in Japan but the snow was the kind that immediately melts into water once fallen on hands and ground. So, this is the first time I officially touched the snow. Like what the others said they were nothing special but it felt really good.

When taking the cable car, we saw Medeu skating rink which looked like a ruin. Probably because the season changed, it stopped running.

(Few days after, we went hiking at a glacier and went to the frozen Big Alamty Lake.)
在路上。/ On the way. 到達。/ Arrived. 排隊買纜車車票。/ Lining up to buy cable car tickets. Apple trees. / 蘋果樹。 很多人滑雪。/ A lot of people went skiing. 剷雪車。/ Shovel truck. 搭回程纜車走人。/ Taking cable car to leave. 屋頂上的雪形狀很完整。/ Shape of the snows on the rooftop looked so complete. 應該是用來緩衝雪崩的設施。/ Probably the facilities for buffering avalanche. 天氣很好,空氣也很好,上到山鼻敏感就消失了。/ Weather was nice and so was the air. My allergic rhinitis disappeared once I got on the mountain.
有我的相都是由 Mason 拍攝。
Photos of me were taken by Mason.

Within Алматы: 4 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 12 / 15 / 16 / 17
Out of the city centre: 5 / 6 / 13 / 18this one / 20 / 21
At home: 3  / 11 / 14
Other: 1 / 2

(Olympus OM-1, Kodak Proimage 100)