New frontiers are few and far between in this day and age. People are crafty though and somehow manage to create something (or place) entirely new once everything else has been discovered. Almaty is a perfect example of such. One of the most developed countries in the region thanks to an abundance of natural resources, Kazakhstan abandoned its former capital and built a new one, which manages to be about as interesting as other planned cities like Canberra, Pretoria, Ottawa, and even Brasilia. But what happened to the former capital city? The country’s largest city has gone its own route, much like New York or Rio has. The Kazakh authoritarian regime no longer places much focus on the city, giving it the space it needs to flourish. The people of Almaty are opening hostels and cafés, all contributing to the unique flavor of the final frontier.
