Movie Monday: Train trip from Almaty-Astana PLUS Astana pics

Happy movie Monday.  Last week I took the night train from Almaty to Astana, here is a little video I made of the trip:

****Bonus: ASTANA pictures****

Astana is a bit of an odd city. Unlike other cities in Kazakhstan, there are only a few of the Soviet era buildings in town.  The rest of the city is made of new shining glass buildings. When looking at the architecture around town, you can find echoes of architecture from almost every city in the world. There are buildings that echo New York City, Beijing, Paris, and many others. For me, this lent the city a certain feeling of insincerity.  On the other hand, there was public art everywhere which makes the city feel pleasant and livable.

one of several shopping malls

Yup, there are people ice fishing on
the frozen river.

The Palace of Peace and Accord

Palace of Peace and Accord

I think my favorite place in Astana is the Palace of Peace and Accord.  Even though it is a pyramid (and the obvious cultural reference there), somehow the design feels natural and balanced. While unimposing from the outside, the pyramid is quite large.  Inside you will find the opera house, a winter garden (just below "the cradle" at the top of the pyramid), and an amazing interior design that is filled with symbolism. Natural light from the top of the pyramid (which is tinted to look like a yellow sun in a blue sky - symbols you will find on the Kazakh flag) penetrates through all of the levels, even into the rays of the sun on the concert hall's ceiling (pictured bottom left).

Everything in the facility is beautiful - the one exception being the finishings of the opera hall where, for some reason, you find frayed carpet, uneven steps, and a mesh ceiling that looks not quite finished. It is also a little unfortunate that no effort is made to make the park outside of the palace usable in the winter months.  Snow hasn't been removed from any of the paths and on a foggy morning, I was left with the distinct impression of being isolated from everything and everyone in a windy, snowy, wasteland.



A short list of things to do in Astana:

1. Walk the river trail.  It was clear of snow and quite busy when I was there, and very, very beautiful.
2. Palace of Peace and Accord - entrance costs 500 tg and includes a tour.  Tours are also available in English.
3. Baiterek Tower
4. Palace of Independence (across from the Palace of Peace and Accord).
5. The Duman Aquarium (across from the mega shopping mall) the aquarium features a fish tunnel, a 5D theater and a large play area.
6. City Park.  In the summer there are carnival style rides, a water park, and miles of walking paths.
7. Shop.  I have never seen so many malls located so close to each other.  There are 4 major shopping centers within a mile of each other on one street.
8. Visit the "Map of Kazakhstan- Atameken" ethnopark.
9. Ride the buses.  There is no better way to get to know a town.  A bus ride in Astana costs 60 tenge and the conductor will collect the fair from you.  Here is a link to Astana Bus route maps: http://www.astana.kz/en/bus-routes
10. Circus (you will find it next to the mega shopping center)

Friday Photo: Nauryz Celebrations

Nauryz, is the second longest holiday in the Kazakh Calendar (New Year being the longest) with a full three days off from work.  It is an ancient Persian holiday that celebrates the rebirth and renewal of spring and, according to Guek-Cheng Pang in his book "Kazakhstan", the symbolic victory of good over evil .  The primary symbol of this holiday is a young woman who is often (but not always) dressed in a white dress with a cone hat.

The photo this week is of a poster that is commonly found around town, and of the giant Nauryz sign and lady outside of the Mega Mall in Almaty.  For more reading on the Nauryz celebration, click HERE.

P.S. You might also notice the instrument at the top of the poster.  This is a kind of  Kobyz (see earlier post on musical instruments).  It is also a similar shape to the dipper used to serve the traditional drink.

Spring time in Almaty...Just kidding! I present you with: "more winter fun"

The view from the ski area

Yesterday I went with some work friends to the Ak Bulak Ski area.  The drive out of town was beautiful despite the left-over clouds from Monday's snowstorm.  Apple orchards line the roads and the mountains, always to the right, were white with new snow.

Fruit orchards outside Almaty

Skiing at Ak Bulak (including ski rental) costs 10,000 tenge for four hours and the run is separated into three levels.  The first chair lift will take you to the beginners' section, the enclosed gondola will take you twice as far to the "confident skiers'" section, and if you take an additional chairlift from their, you will arrive at the expert section.

I didn't go skiing though.  I was there for the ice rink.  A beautiful, full sized rink sits just below the resort hotel.  You can purchase ice time at the desk in the hotel lobby for 1000 tenge.

When I arrived I found three "champion" (according to the security guy) figure skaters using the ice for practice. I watched them for a while before taking the ice myself.  Eventually more casual skaters showed up and I felt a little bit less intimidated by sharing the ice with pros.  The best part of the day?  When the figure skaters took a half hour break and I had the whole rink to myself.  Very fun.

Sunday Coffee Club: Moka Loka

This morning's quest for good coffee came on the heals of a trip to the Almaty-2 train station to try and book tickets to Astana for later this week.  The Ticket buying excursion was a success (despite the jack-hammer in operation as I tried to communicate with the ticket woman.  I am not sure what exactly I am riding on as the ticket seems cheap even for 3rd class, but I guess I will find out on Thursday.

This week's coffee club meeting took place at Moka-Loka, a small coffee shop located at 106 Zhibek Zholy right across from TSUM.

I found the shop off Zhibek Zholy through an unobtrusive - barely marked door, down a short, narrow corridor, and to the right through a door marked only "push."

The coffee shop was pleasant and comfortable with a coffee bar on one side and booths lining the windows that look out to the pedestrian street.  The coffee was  fantastic, though perhaps not as interesting as the brew at Bisqvit, and while the food was not exceptional, my crepes with chocolate sauce were quite tasty.  The service was fast and friendly and I was quite pleased that even though the staff spoke some English, they allowed me to speak in Russian, and responded in Russian. In general I found the establishment to be pleasant, friendly, and reasonably priced (the whole meal cost less than 800 tg or about $5.00).

At long last: a little Hockey and a lot of messy, wet spring

Here in Kazakhstan, March 1st is celebrated as the first day of spring.  While it may seem a little odd to say "happy first day of spring" while there is snow falling outside, it does feel like spring.  On March 2nd the great thaw began.  Temperatures rose high enough to turn the icy sidewalks into icy sidewalks now riddled with deep puddles the size of cars (don't worry, I'm getting to the hockey).  While the warmer weather is welcome, navigating the resulting labyrinth of icy ridges can prove to be an adventure on the best day.

Last Monday was exhausting.  It began with me slipping, first thing in the morning, into the thick layer of dirty slush that covered the access road to my building.  When I returned home from work, I was at the end of my rope and was absolutely determined to go find the hockey game between the Astana Barys and the Almaty HC.

So, I set off into the grey dusk and gingerly picked my way around pothole sized puddles that somehow reminded me of a frigid version of the Dead Marshes from Lord of the Rings.  I was within a half block of my bus stop when I slipped off the narrow ridge of ice I was traversing into an immense puddle that swallowed my whole foot and then some.  I yanked my foot out of the icy water and somehow finished crossing to the other side.  My shoes were filled with icy water.  I leaned on a fence as I emptied them and decided (against my better judgement) to go on.  I was tired of being sensible.  My bus decided, mid route, to take an unplanned detour through the narrow back alleys of Almaty and so I found myself walking the last kilometer to the intersection where the sports arena was.

As I stood in front of the sports' center I realized that I really didn't know if there was a hockey game inside this building or not.  I knew it was a sports center, and I knew it was one of two possible sports centers for the game and so, I realized that it was possible that I would walk in to find any number of events in progress.  Additionally, I  heard from a friend that the games were free, but one can never be sure about these things in Almaty, and so it also occurred to me that if the game was not free I would have to negotiate ticket buying with a brain that was partially frozen and that desperately wanted sleep.

Gandalf's advice to Merry was "if in doubt...always follow your nose," and while generally I find that to be good advice, I often find that, if at all possible, it is far better to follow other people who know what they are doing. So I spotted some people who were going inside (and looked like they knew what they were doing) and casually followed them up the ramp into the building. We went past some apparently un-manned metal detectors and turn-stiles, past the empty and dark coat-check rooms and into the arena where, to my relief, I found an ice rink complete with zamboni and choose-your-own seating.  So I chose a seat with a good view of the action and proceeded to enjoy a fun (if a bit rough) game of ice hockey forgetting my cold feet in their wet socks even before the end of the national anthem.



The crowd was small but spirited.  The sound of drums, horns, hand clappers and other noise makers filled the arena constantly. The game was so fun that I went again the next night when we enjoyed the spectacle of three refs trying to fix the hole they drill (with a battery operated power drill) to secure the goals.  So, as promised, here are pics.  Oh and the best part?  It was completely free.  Can't beat free hockey.

And this concludes the somewhat long story of how I finally got to a hockey game in Almaty.

P.S:  Oh and thanks to IbragimKZ for this link to video footage of the Beybarys/HC Almaty Game that ended the HC Almaty season. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHeMTQjKNc

Movie Monday: Ice Skating at Medeo

Saturday I finally got up to medeo to go ice skating.  It was fantastic. In the places where the ice was smooth it was very fast.  This movie is not my best, but hopefully a hockey post later this week will make up for it.