Last year, while visiting Almaty, a friend gave me a salient piece of advice: “If you are lost and you call me for directions, don’t explain to me where you are by saying you are by a fountain”. The recommendation seemed simple, almost banal– I promptly forgot it.
Having lived in Almaty for several months, I now understand her point. This city is filled with fountains. It seems like almost every corner, government building, park, hotel, or hot spot, has one. Some of the fountains are small, others play classical music. Many have colored lights and run at the nighttime. I assume that they are all shut off in the winter.
There are, in fact, so many fountains that one of the local tour agencies has a guided, walking tour of the city that solely focuses on the fountains: The Almaty Fountain Walking Tour. It is a 2.5 hour trip that I hope to take one day.
Over the last few weeks, I have taken pictures of fountains that I have walked by. Granted, I often don’t have my camera or the time to stop—but this should give you an idea of what some of the fountains look like. Enjoy!
Musings from inside, outside, and underneath 