ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN — The land where apples and garlic originated is abundant in wildlife — red bears, snow leopards and antelopes all call this home. It is a wealthy oil state, safe and tourist friendly, with the highest ice skating rink on the planet. Its shiny, ultra-modern capital brims with futuristic buildings. 
Welcome to Kazakhstan!
First things first, and for those who are not quite sure where Kazakhstan is located, it is bordered by Russia and China as well as some other “stans” — Krygyzstan, Uzbekistan and a bit of Turkmenistan.
My visit begins in the country’s former capital and biggest city, Almaty — the name means “place of apples.”

Above: Kazakhstan's new architecture blends in beautifully with its historic landmarks.

Framed by jagged, snow-capped peaks of the Zailysky Alatau mountains, this is the country’s cultural and financial hub. The historic centre, crammed with merchant houses and a glut of old churches, is home to the Green Bazaar indoor market, a bustling hive of activity.  Stalls are piled high with a dizzying array of food stuffs — aromatic spices, nuts and dried fruits jostle for space beside yellow, orange and white cheeses, medicinal herbs and glossy, slightly honey-flavoured wild apples. Friendly vendors offer generous samples for visitors to taste but when I try to take photos, I am met with stern looks. Photography inside is forbidden, I am told. A legacy from the days of Soviet rule.
It’s a different story, though, when I venture inside the all-wooden Russian Orthodox Zenkov Cathedral with its ornate jewel box-like interior and I click away to my heart’s content. Nearby is another wooden building, the Museum of Folk Music Instruments, surely every musician’s dream with its fine collection of traditional Kazakh instruments.  
I see everything from harps to bag pipes and horns and plenty more besides. Those who want to do more than just look can sign up for classes to learn how to play the instruments.
One day, I venture out of town to Medeo — the name comes from an ancient nomadic tribe, Almaty’s early settlers. This winter sports complex is famed for its ice-skating rink — the world’s highest, brushing the clouds at over 1,670 metres above sea level.

Above: Kazakhstan is home to the world's highest (in elevation) hockey rink - take that Canada!

From here gondolas trundle gently up the fir tree clad slopes to Shymbulak ski resort, though if you don’t like heights, it’s probably wise not to look down during the 20-minute ride. It buzzes with souvenir shops and restaurants and I choose a restaurant called Chalet for lunch. With friendly staff and mountain vistas, it proves the ideal place to mellow out al fresco in the thin sunlight while enjoying thick, creamy lentil soup, freshly baked bread and a huge Caesar salad. Woolly blankets are provided to wrap yourself in if you feel a chill in the air.
Kazakh food is traditionally meat heavy, and though veggies like me are still regarded as slightly odd, I find that I am able to find appealing, though sometimes limited, menu choices.
But time flies and after a few nights in Almaty it’s back to the airport for the one-and-a-half-hour flight to Astana, Kakazkhstan’s other significant city. Since 1997, it has been the country’s purpose-built capital.  
It wasn’t hard to name it — in the local language, Astana means “capital.”  
Peering from the Air Astana plane window, all I can see after Almaty disappears from view is a flat, dry nothingness, stretching into who-knows-where.  Then as I begin to think I’ll never see civilization again, Astana rises from the barren steppe, making a brazen appearance with wide, traffic-filled highways and oddly shaped buildings, some poking the sky.
British architect Norman Foster is responsible for some amazing structures here, including Khan Shatyr shopping mall and entertainment centre, a huge, transparent tent-shaped structure containing a merry hub of shopping opportunities, theatres, a monorail and restaurants.  On the top floor, there is even a beach resort with swathes of sand imported from Dubai. Unsurprisingly it is popular in this, the world’s biggest land-locked country.

Above: Architecture comes in all shapes and sizes in Kazakhstan - no expense was spared in making them.

Another of Foster’s works is the pyramid shaped Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, home to conference and exhibition spaces and an underground opera house. The 130 doves painted on the stained glass apex represent the 130 nationalities living in Kazakhstan. Some of the crazier buildings have nicknames; a towering yellow office block is “The Banana”, while a circular blue building is “The Dog Bowl.” The Baiterek Tower, designed by the country’s president, resembles a 90-metre-high football trophy.  Only in Astana!
This unique, welcoming country is so vast that several visits are necessary to cover even part of it. During my short stay, I only skim the surface, which of course provides me with another reason to return. •

• Air Astana offers direct flights from London, Paris and Frankfurt to Astana. Air Astana Holidays can add stopover transfers and hotel accommodation to make up a complete package. For more information go to http//www.airastana.com/uk/en-US