Category: Kazakhstan
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Why I love beach resorts out of season
There’s a peculiar romance about beachside resorts out of season. Of course, lying on a beach soaking up the sun before plunging into the warm waves, then having a delicious al fresco meal at a beachside cafe is awesome. But the part of me that likes taking long bus journeys to industrial cities also loves the…
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101 places to get coffee in Central Asia
When I first went to Central Asia, moving to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in summer 2003, it was almost impossible to get a good coffee in the entire city. Five years later, when I moved to Almaty, Kazakhstan, coffee lovers used to congregate at CoffeeDelia for the best cappuccinos in town and fast wifi. There weren’t a…
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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…
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Lost in Central Asia
The smell in Almaty airport is hard to define – a mix of sweat and cigarettes, fried cabbage and floor polish. Outside, the night is wet and warm. Despite accounts of Central Asia being one of the world’s driest places, rain has fallen and is now evaporating into a thick soupy atmosphere. I’m here on…
Steppe in Style 