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If you're not a mountain lover and a voracious meat eater, it's a lot harder to fully appreciate Kazakhstan. I don't have problems on either front.

Here Saltanat and I are having May Day shashlyk (shish kebab) lunch at the Chimbulak ski resort with our friend Chris and his two daughters, Fia and Amelie.

There's no snow on the slopes, but you can still see the snow-capped peaks in the distance.

It was almost oppressively warm in the city that day. While the mountaiin air was soothingly cool, the sun was fierce, and Chris and I both came away with vicious sunburns.

For the rest of the photos, see the recent additions to the Friends gallery.