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A tent, a poplar tree and the Dubai of the steppe.
This entry was posted in Asia, Kazakhstan and tagged Air Astana, Almaty, Asia, Astana, Bayterek, Beshbarmak, Beşbarmaq, Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Khan Shatyr, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Snow, Steppe, Winter. Bookmark the permalink.
18 Responses to A tent, a poplar tree and the Dubai of the steppe.
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Thank you for taking me to another place I’ll only ever visit this way. I love “three fights and half a day later” and wonder how intentional it was. 🙂
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Well, Astana isn’t exactly easy to reach from London, it’s either 2 stops or 3! Glad you liked the tour… 🙂
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Yes but – flight or fight? 😉
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Ah, a typo! Flight 🙂
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Nicely written. 🙂
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Thanks Dave, glad you liked it.
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Okay – this beats any adventure I have had…what an amazing place. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks a lot, glad you liked it. I somehow feel I’ve only scraped the surface of Kazakhstan, there’s a lot more to see I think.
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It’s on my list although maybe not in the winter…also want to go to Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Georgia.
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I wholly recommend Georgia, a marvellous place. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are on my list as well, but the visas are a nightmare…
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Evocative and poetically written as usual, but I am a little skeptical that you’d really trade London for Akmola. (I sure wouldn’t.)
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You know what, Rich? I would. The vastness, the sky, the people – they seemed a lot chirpier, optimistic and less self-obsessed than in London – and some seriously interesting food. Plus, if I get bored of it all, I can still fly down and relocate to Almaty and have the Tien Shan at my doorstep. And Samarkand and Bukhara if I fancy a weekend out.
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So, it was your choice to go there in the winter? I understand the appeal of being in such a stark place in the snow, but it takes courage. I’ve heard how strange and eerie Astana is. Your photos and words have reinforced that sentiment. Thanks for the trip.
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Hi Julie, it was indeed my choice. I found a deal for the price of my commute to Italy, and snapped is pretty much instantaneously. Frankly the weather was much colder than usual, -20s are normally reached this time of the year, not in November. Glad you liked the little tour! 🙂
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So cool and so … weird. Yet I get your preference for this over London – I felt that way in Ulaanbaatar.
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I don’t know why, but this place felt more ‘future’. It’s hard to describe it exactly, but that’s how I felt.
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I don’t know what took me so long to find your blog — this is such a beautiful and thought-provoking post! Of all places in Kazakhstan, Almaty is on top of my list. However, your perspective on the Kazakh capital makes me wonder if I shouldn’t skip it altogether when I visit the country one day. Did you also put your hand on the cast of the president’s hand? I read that when someone puts his hand on it, the national anthem will be played. Was that still true?
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Thanks a lot Bama! 🙂 Too kind.
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