This is Edna, Kyla, and C.B., sometimes refered to by her first name, Wendy. Originally from New Zealand, C.B. is part of our regular weekend mountaineering group. Several weeks ago, our hiking group crossed a ridge, at altitude, and descended into this apple orchard. A common site in and around Almaty are huge, seemingly abandoned orchards. Not sure how this phenomenom came about, but I suspect it has something to do with the profound failures of the Soviet experiment.
This lady and her grandkids were hauling out a 50lb sack of apples. She told us they were the infamous Aports and she gestured that there were plenty more up the hill. Hundreds of trees, no discernable property owner, but plenty of pickers, including 5 incredulous westerners. We climbed the trees or shook them and Cody did an admirable job of chasing the big ones as they rolled down the hill, halfway back to town.
Apples really are from Kazakhstan.
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