Top rated Russian photo-blogger Ilya Varlamov presents [1] [ru] a photo report about his recent trip to Almaty [2], Kazakhstan's capital before 1997. What the blogger found most surprising about the city is that police officers do not allow anyone “photographing anything good, beautiful, and new” in Almaty. Curious travelers are, therefore, restricted to snapping pictures of the “uglier” side of Kazakhstan's largest city.
[1]Woman selling mushrooms at a market in Almaty. Image by Ilya Varlamov, used with permission.