A Walk Through Sharbakti

Because we live in the city we see mostly large apartment buildings. It seems that many of the houses I have seen in Almaty are newer construction, whereas the homes in the village of Sharbakti are a bit older and more traditional.

It's possible I took a lot of pictures of these houses in Sharbakti. It's also possible that I've posted an excessive amount of those pictures. I just can't help myself! I love the bright colors and the decorative woodwork around the windows and on the shutters.

The first two pictures are taken of a house that didn't last the winter. Heather told us that is was in shambles before winter came, and as you can see, the heavy snow and winds from the steppe definitely did it in. One of the amazing things to note are the twigs/branches/straw that is standing up--that is all that is left of the walls!
Which little pig do you think would have lived in this home?
I love the shutters and the fence of this home. You will probably see that the blue and white combination is pretty popular.

Although it looks a little deserted, this is one of the local schools that is currently in use.

I am rather fond of the fences that have some kind of ornament or embellishment on them.


I can't help but love (and laugh at) a baby that's all bundled up! Can you??
My two favorite people!
The local mosque, isn't is pretty?
I especially like this angle, you can easily see the moons on top of each turret.Burgundy, hunter green, bright blue and white. Classic combo, wouldn't you say?

The local Catholic church

I really liked the unique way the bars were placed on the first floor windows of the church

Here's a closer look:
This building across the street from the church is the kindergarten or preschool center. The center is run completely free of charge, children can be there for the whole school day and are fed free of charge too. In most small villages there is never enough work to go around, which means most people don't have many sources of income. A service and resource like this is invaluable.
Check out the log home! It reminds me of a Lincoln Log creation. =)
This home and it's fence were spectacularly colorful! These details remind me of some of the children's stories we grew up with...
Can't you imagine the witch's home in Hanzel & Gretel looking a teensy bit like this??






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