Match Day 1, A-Pool

Sunday, January 29, 2012 - Match Day 1, A-Pool
Up at 08:00, and shave for breakfast before referee meeting at 09:00. Regular fare at the banquet room, and I opt for immediate cup of instant coffee (yes, indeed). Quartered tomatoes, cucumbers and a slice of bread with meat and cheese are the starter plate. A second plate includes some sausage (more like soft hot dog, terrible), fried potatoes w/ onion, a fried egg, and a couple of pancakes - one with meat and the other with cheese. Of course, no meal in Almaty can not go with out a glass or two of apple juice. The name of this city means: full of apples. Not sure where they come from at this time of year.
Quick meeting at 09:00 is led by FIB Director of the Rules and Referee Committee from Sweden, who, along with the other Swedish referees and Match Delegate have finally arrived after delay in Istanbul (also of note, USA Player from the elite Swedish division, traveling on same flights arrived w/o his skates - a big blog for the USA team). At the meeting we quickly review the points of emphasis for this tournament: mixing of referee teams from different countries; focus and directives; review of match protocol; and finally what we have all been waiting for - the first match days assignments. The A-Pool begins today with three games, and the B- and C-Pool play begins on Monday. Referees from USA are assigned games on Monday and Tuesday. My first assignment is at 11:30 working the assignment with Russian Head Referee (HR) as Assistant Referee 1 (AR1), and additonal Russian Assistant, Fourth Official (4th) and Match Delegate. My second day assignments include the  09:30 match as AR1 with Swedish HR and USA teammate as AR2. A second match for the day will follow with the third match of the day at the Central Stadium as 4th official.
Assignments in hand, we retire to our rooms and prepare for our day on the town before heading to the Medeo Stadium high in the mountain for the Opening Ceremony and the three games to open the A-Pool. Our plan is to immediately hit the Green Market (baazar) to experience life in this city at first hand on the traditional shopping day. I am insearch of a replacement pair of valenki (the traditonal felt wool boot) and generally experiencing the full sights, sounds and smells. We are not disappointed, for after wandering thru the many aisles filled with small stalls selling everything that one could imaging, we enter the large open area where there are vendors butchering all kinds of meat, all types of vegetables, spices, and cheeses. Luckily, Kevin gets some photos before we are dramatically informed that photos/video are forbidden. As I did not bring my calculator, I find a vendor with some for sale, and purchase a small solar model for T300 ($2.) which is most helpful in bargining with the vendors, and numbers are the bottom line and need no language in translation. Eventually, we have explored the entire first floor of the market, and we decend a flight of stairs to the oen air area, where I finally find a pair of valenki with rubber sole (the only ones I had seen all morning). So I inquire as to the price T7500 about US$50. This particular pair is obviously much too big, so I punch into the calculator, my Euro size of shoe. The woman running the stall goes off and returns in a minute with my size (more or less). I am given a thick felt insole and try on for fit ... it's still too big, so she grabs a pair of thick wool socks (which I had also been cautiously eyeing). I ask how much for the socks, T800 (US$5.33) and proceed to try on the ensemble. They fit OK, but I don't appear too impressed, as the bargining dance begins. I offer T7000 for the whole set, nyet is the reply, so I give the calculator to the shop keeper and await the counter offer. We go back and forth with my final offer of T7200 (US$48.) accepted.
We carry on and plan to depart back to hotel and continue our exploration of Almaty and the Park of the 28 Heros. We have plenty of time, and Eric suggests we begin part of the walking tour from his guide book which includes the high end stores, and Almaty's version of their Arbat (open boulevard) with street vendors. A real nice walk about, and we encounter Kevin's favorite the street artists paintings. We see many paintings of traditional Kazakh scenes including horses, camels, yurts, mountains and falconry. As we did in Moscow several years ago, we walk back and forth between several vendors inquiring about prices, and surveying our favorites. Eventually, we begin to negotiate with an old woman who obviously has paid a specific amount to the artist and will not budge below a certain point (she needs and deserves T500, US$3.33) for what ever we purchase. I decide that, I, too would like a painting, and we begin to renegotiate a two for one deal. We go back and forth a little, and what started at T4000, ends at two for T7250 (US$48.) We all walk away happy, and Kevin even gets a photo of the gold and gapped tooth old woman. Time is beginning to run short for us to work our way across town to catch city bus up the mountain valley to the Medeo (valley of honey) Stadium.
We make another stop at the hotel to drop the paintings, and decide to get lunch at the banquet room and ride the transport with the referee crew to the stadium.
Upon arrival, the ceremony is underway, and we opt to immediately walk up toward the gravity dam that rises 2000 meters above the stadium in the steep mountain valley. We have driven out of the smog  bound city into the crisp clean air of the mountain, and the temperature is hovering right around freezing 0C (32F) in bright sunshine. Our trek begins, and we first unzip our quilted parkas and remove the gloves. Eventually the steep road reaches the base of the earthen dam, and massive flights of stairs reach into the sky. At each of the three terraced levels of the dam there are security officers standing at 10 meter intervals on an isulated pad.

They are obviously guarding the structure from sabotage. It takes us at least an hour to climb at least 800 steps to the top. We stop at several points to take photographs, panorama and video of the majestic scenes both below the dam, and toward the reservoir and the mountains high above. As we are enjoying the views a local approaches with a giant eagle on his arm. Eagle and Falconry are a historic activity for the Kazahks and others in these Asiatic lands. Immediately, I am astounded and intrigued as he offers to let me hold the eagle on my arm. I am give a thick leather glove, and the bird is transfered.

We decend and catch the end of the first game, Sweden vs Finland. Sweden win decisively. Team USA play Russia in the second match, and we look forward to showing our countrymen some support in their task at hand versus one of the two best teams in the world. Russia win handlily, however, Team USA score three VERY nice goals. The final game of the evening features the host country versus Norway, what has generally been a game between teams ranked  four and five in the group. The host, bouyed by their home support win by a large margin. A group of ten referees depart the game part way thru the second half so we may return to hotel for dinner, before our 23:00 meeting to review the days matches.
Obviously, I am still battling the time zones while writing this travelblog, and will retire in a few minutes before my first game, tomorrow morning.