The Almaty Whirl (no, it's not a line dance)

Well, Beth and I had a great trip to Almaty. The low lights were hot, sweaty, airless train rides, horrid, horrid traffic with smog, and jaw dropping high prices. The highlights were a coffee bar, brocolli and fresh veggies for lunch at a Sbarro, talks with a wise friend who was in town (from Virginia) and then 24 hours of uninterrupted REST! We stayed at Teen Challenge which is an outreach to drug addicts. They have several guest rooms with small kitchens and no TV. Beth and I found ourselves worn down from weeks of work, travel, and emotional conversations and finally were in a place to rest. So we did! For me the sweetest part was the small patch of grass with the leafy tree just outside our door. We took our books out and shed our shoes to soak in a gloriously sunny morning!