Astana Dawn

As I flew into Astana Airport, the sky was still still dark, apart from a few slivers of light creeping into the eastern sky. By the time I came out the other side, it was morning, dawn had dawned. I was taken to the hotel, and the first thing that struck me on the way was the flatness of everything. The road was straight, as have been all the other others I have seen so far - no need for bends when it is soooo flat. Once checked into the hotel (and very nice too), we were informed breakfast was being served, and since they happened to mention that it was on the 23rd and top floor, in a revolving restaurant, and it was already a clear, sunny day, I could not resist going up to see. Excellent views of the city all round, needless to say, and a chance for some orientation. What was also even more apparent was the flatness.

Leisurely breakfast done, and I had to go out for a look around - the hotel is very near the iconic Bayterek Tower. 

I wandered around for a couple of hours, up and down the main drag (in the new part) and even across the river. It is all quite impressive in terms of gleaming new buildings, but they are all quite spaced out, the roads are very wide, and it is not very pedestrian-friendly. It was also eerily empty - hardly any traffic and very few people - perhaps because it was Sunday, and perhaps because it still relatively early. The President's Palace lies at one one end of this broad and very long largely pedestrianised avenue, heavily adorned with fountains and flower beds (it is the building in the middle).

After a couple of hours, fatigue was catching up with me, so I came back to the hotel, and slept for perhaps 5 hours. Feeling much better, I went to the other end of the central avenue, and came across 'The Tent' - which looks decidedly ordinary from the outside, but how looks can deceive. Inside the Tent (or Khan Shatyr Entertainment Centre - designed by Norman Foster) is an amazing number of shops, but also apparently there are squares, cobbled streets, canals and a mini golf course - none of which I saw - and a small monorail, beach (where I saw people playing with beach balls, swimming, sunbathing, etc), and loads of other things - I will go back for an extended look around soon. As I was leaving, I bumped into another tutor who, like me, was coming back to the hotel for dinner.

After dinner, I decided to go the the real centre, the old centre - not really old, but just not new. I never quite made it. I had asked which buses I could take, and got a suitable one, but there were two difficulties, neither of which I managed to overcome - one was that is was dark and I couldn't see much outside the window, and the other was that even if I had been able to see, I didn't know what the old centre looked like. So I stayed on the bus, which was quite interesting in itself, looking at the people. Some look very Chinese - I suppose they could actually be Chinese, but perhaps too many look like that. Some look dark-skinned and wizened. Some look obviously Russian, and there are a few who are clearly foreigners. Some of the locals seem curious and occasionally interested, most barely acknowledge. Anyway, after a while, I tried to ask the conductoress where we were, and she showed me on the route map - well past the centre. She helped me out and just told me to stay on the bus. We went right to the end of the line, where the bus ceased to be in service, and the after consulatation with the driver, they 'taxied' me back to somewhere close to the old centre, from where I could get another bus back to the hotel, which I did as it was getting a touch late. I found a bar near the hotel for a quick one, which the barman kindly gave me despite being closed, and we had a little chat about the city and the people.

Just a couple of other things which stood out - the sun was glaringly bright all day - not complaining, but it is relentless, as is the wind - it was not strong, or particularly cold, but it was constant, and in the depths of winter, at minus 30 or whatever, it will make a huge negative difference. 

If anybody is actually reading this, please feel free to email me if there are particular things you would like to know, and I will see what I can do. Also I am not sure how often I'll write here, but I will try to do it regularly, and will try to continue even after the novelty begins to wear off, but perhaps not for the whole 3 years...this is after all, just the dawn...