We Made it Back

After a day and a half in the air, we arrived in Almaty without incident. They didn't let us get off the plane in Ekaterinburg, Russia, which is in Siberia. Strange to think that Siberia is on the way to where we are now!

At Almaty we were unpleasantly surprised that our suitcases didn't all join us. In fact, our clothing supply is limited to what we had on the airplane, and our clothes are not expected to catch up with us till Christmas. We have survived with handwashing and a trip to the pharmacy. At least we have plenty of toys, since that suitcase and the boys' clothing suitcase made it. Plus we have CNN in English!

The Hyatt Regency Palace is exquisite, compared to other places we have stayed. We hadn't planned to pay that much, but sometimes in the height of the Holiday season, you take what is available (and cheaper hotels weren't). Of course, it is nice to be pampered with a piano bar, lovely and large atrium, glass elevators, etc. We are in the fancy tourist district, which doesn't really fit our needs with the boys, but for now we will make do.

Speaking of the boys...we found out they are taking the train with the doctor instead of the cargo plane. Which means they don't actually arrive in Almaty until Christmas Day. We have a little time to rest, but we are disappointed at the delay and our anticipation is high.