Category: Astana
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How to get fresh food in Astana
I knew it was really spring when fresh vegetables appeared in the shops and a small market was set up near my flat one weekend. Getting fresh food in Astana was really a challenge. I’d been prepared for the food situation to be difficult after spending a week in Astana in winter 2010, when I found…
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2,000 people shifted 3mn cubic metres of snow from Astana this winter
One really impressive thing about Astana is the snow removal, known as “sneg oborka” in Kazakhstan. After a snowfall, the snowploughs – a fleet of seven big orange ones – comes out. The drive in formation down the wide streets, each with its plough slightly angled towards the curb so the central one pushes its…
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Where to find old Astana
Astana is more than just a modern city; people have lived in the area since ancient times, and its oldest buildings date back to the mid 19th century. It’s hard to remember this when walking around with the city’s spectacular (and sometimes kooky) modern architecture towering above, but every now and then among the iconic…
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The temperature in Astana suddenly dropped to -28°C
I knew Astana is one of the three coldest capitals in the world, alongside Ulanbataar and Ottawa, but the Astana winter took me by surprise. After the howling winds of the autumn and the first flurries of snow, one clear sunny morning in mid-November I was in a taxi when the driver mentioned the temperature…
Steppe in Style 