Kazakhstan - a great place to...swim

One of the world's most securely landlocked countries may not be top of the list for summer swimming, but the land famous-ish for the mankini has been great for getting wet in the wild and clocking up some proper lengths these last 3 weeks.

We spent 2 days at the 122km-long Lake (reservoir) Kapchagai (pictured). Got in two 40min morning swims with the Dzungar Alatau mountains in the distance and, if the locals were to be believed, a couple of man-sized catfish ('Som' in Russian) lurking below. "Do they bite people?" I asked. "Bite?! They eat people!" the two squatting Kazakh men replied, almost convincingly "we were worried about you" they added tenderly. Later I was reasured to learn that Som have only been known to eat small people...

Returning to Almaty, it was good to get back to the superb Olympic-sized open-air central pool. Again with snowy peaks as a backdrop, but this time with national squads sharing the water rather than catfish, getting in 2-3km before breakfast has been a highlight. 28km covered in all, made easy by sunny mornings, perfect competition temp (27C I think) and swimmers' lane discipline, which is in stark contrast to the local drivers.

Other splashy moments have included a freezing shower in the 'holy water' of the Turgen gorge and a visit to an Almaty aqua park whose near-vertical slides ripped my shorts to shreds and gave Brendan a black eye after a high-speed capsize. Never have I seen a lifeguard less interested in a distraught 7 year old.

We leave tomorrow. Even after a decade living here, Kazakhstan still springs surprises - some of them wet, a few of them catfish.