Late sun turns the snowfields of the Trans-Ili Alatau pink above the city, while the tree-lined avenues below slip into shade. In Panfilov Park, the Ascension Cathedral glows in custard yellow, pink and turquoise, a wooden church painted like a box of sweets.
Beyond the center, the Green Bazaar stacks apples, dried fruit and cheese under one green roof, and the Kök Töbe cable car climbs to a hilltop view of the grid. Summers are hot and winters cold and snowy, with spring and autumn the gentlest seasons. A Local Friend knows when to beat the morning traffic up the mountain road and when to stay on the hill until the city lights come on.
