Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Astana
We've collected a few photos of the capital city of Astana....
(DISCLAIMER: Portions of the following text may have been written by Jon. Enough said.)
This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in Kazakhstan. The riverwalk area is just behind the apartment we are staying in. In 1995 it was declared that the capital would be moved from Almaty in the south to Astana. The name was changed from Akmola to Astana. At one point, during Soviet times, it had also been named Tselinograd -- gotta like them putting my name in the deal!. The government ministries and parliament completed moving here in late '97, and the plan is to make this an officially 'world-class' city by 2030.
Kenesary Khan is a famous horse-riding dead guy in Kazak history. He probably consumed the traditional horse meat and fermented horse milk that is rumored to have been popular here.
And now he's dead... Hmm....
Next to the new parliament buildings is another noble institution critical to the continued progress of civilization here -- A shopping mall. With a nice fountain.
It really is a beautiful city, especially standing right about here. Our temporary home is among the groups of light yellow and dark yellow buildings in the far distance. Ours is the one with all the lights burned out in the lobby. :)
The museum is just across the street from our apartments. We're told they have signs & info in English, so we'll have to check it out.
Well, that was the stunning new part of Astana. Here's what the rest of it looks like .......
This is the typical apartment building.
In Washington State at the Canadian border, we have the picturesque Peace Arch.
In France, the Arc du Triomphe.
In Astana, the Arc du Centralized Hot Water Heating. These pipes run above ground all over the place in the outskirts of the city. A bit unpleasant to look at at first, but when I think about our first Kaz apartment in Almaty with no hot water, they become rather appealing.
The typical kiosk in Astana, providing chewing gum, beer, and cigarettes.
A typical Kazak dog, out melon shopping.
Here we are at the bazaar shopping for warm clothes. It is open everyday, regardless of the weather, and is where most people buy their clothes. The mall is for tourists and the well-off.
No Starbucks or other espresso stands here (despite the 'MacCoffee' umbrella) ... but you can buy an ice cream bar just about anywhere.
At night, the riverwalk is nicely lit up. Some evenings, they even had a music and laser show projected on a wall of water sprayed up by fountains in the middle of the river.
All is progressing well here right now, except that we'd like to take another dozen children home somehow.
We'll post more news here soon, so ya'll come back now..... ya hear?
(DISCLAIMER: Portions of the following text may have been written by Jon. Enough said.)
This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in Kazakhstan. The riverwalk area is just behind the apartment we are staying in. In 1995 it was declared that the capital would be moved from Almaty in the south to Astana. The name was changed from Akmola to Astana. At one point, during Soviet times, it had also been named Tselinograd -- gotta like them putting my name in the deal!. The government ministries and parliament completed moving here in late '97, and the plan is to make this an officially 'world-class' city by 2030.
Kenesary Khan is a famous horse-riding dead guy in Kazak history. He probably consumed the traditional horse meat and fermented horse milk that is rumored to have been popular here.
And now he's dead... Hmm....
Next to the new parliament buildings is another noble institution critical to the continued progress of civilization here -- A shopping mall. With a nice fountain.
It really is a beautiful city, especially standing right about here. Our temporary home is among the groups of light yellow and dark yellow buildings in the far distance. Ours is the one with all the lights burned out in the lobby. :)
The museum is just across the street from our apartments. We're told they have signs & info in English, so we'll have to check it out.
Well, that was the stunning new part of Astana. Here's what the rest of it looks like .......
This is the typical apartment building.
In Washington State at the Canadian border, we have the picturesque Peace Arch.
In France, the Arc du Triomphe.
In Astana, the Arc du Centralized Hot Water Heating. These pipes run above ground all over the place in the outskirts of the city. A bit unpleasant to look at at first, but when I think about our first Kaz apartment in Almaty with no hot water, they become rather appealing.
The typical kiosk in Astana, providing chewing gum, beer, and cigarettes.
A typical Kazak dog, out melon shopping.
Here we are at the bazaar shopping for warm clothes. It is open everyday, regardless of the weather, and is where most people buy their clothes. The mall is for tourists and the well-off.
No Starbucks or other espresso stands here (despite the 'MacCoffee' umbrella) ... but you can buy an ice cream bar just about anywhere.
At night, the riverwalk is nicely lit up. Some evenings, they even had a music and laser show projected on a wall of water sprayed up by fountains in the middle of the river.
All is progressing well here right now, except that we'd like to take another dozen children home somehow.
We'll post more news here soon, so ya'll come back now..... ya hear?
