Irina’s work have blocked their employees from accessing Facebook, so if any friends of ours feel they are being ignored by her, please don’t be offended; by the time she has finished work and got home, there is not always a lot of enthusiasm for anything that requires human<>keyboard interaction.
I, on the other hand, have a very understanding boss, who can see the need for occasional non-profit based activities to balance out my day (For new readers, I should probably point out that I am my boss, and as such tend not to discipline my self a great deal…)
Anyway, here is a little Facebook badge I have created, not much going on with it right now, but a nice little summary, and you can flip through some of the photos I’ve uploaded to my profile, or just click straight through to the profile itself, should you prefer.
Thinking about it, my profile’s security settings may allow you to only see a limited version, so if you want to see it all, send me a Facebook poke, with a note explaining you found me via my blog, and I’ll gladly oblige.
No, not a request for people to leave comments involving various birds & the bees, under the cabbage patch or stork stories…
I have recently been researching (doesn’t that phrase sound so much better than ‘trawling through my boring server logs ? ) which terms people have been using when they arrive at my site from various search engines.
Most of them could be easily explained, for example… Chris Merriman , Christopher Merriman , ???? ??????? & ????????? ??????? are all variants of my name that have appeared on this blog at one time or another. (I must remember to ask Ira to check my Russian spelling on those.)
Due to the way Russian people will attempt to translate my name from the Cyillic alphabet back to the latin original however, Kristofer Meryman is also a possibility. (Unfortunately, my Kazakh ID card is testament to this, so if anyone ever directly compares it to my passport, the christian names do not actually match up!) Also, I occasionally see people arriving here from using SilentlyScreaming or AntiSceptic as search terms, as these are my most often used forum/digg/social bookmarking membership nicknames.
Anyway, Kazakhstan Blog , Kazakh Blog and Astana Blog also were used, as well as Presents For Nick and I still seem to be indexed somewhere with my old blog title ( I Never Could Get The Hang Of Thursdays ), as a few searches still trickle in from variants of that Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy phrase, from search engines I have not come across before.
However, rabbit sreviews , 17 screen blockers and acid ran pictures really have me confused. The last one even more than the rest, as I can’t find any reference to those terms in any of my previous posts!
Oh, and yes, some of the above is a blatent attempt to rank a little better on some search terms, but I hope my readers forgive me, even if they do not find this information of particular interest. If you do find it interesting, first go and take a short nap, and see if you have recovered, if not, you may want to head over to my I Got Lucky page, which lists all the search terms that this site has (at some point in the past, if not currently) been at #1 when searched for through google!
Finally, if you have never left a comment on this blog before, I would be genuinely interested to hear from you, and especially how you found this site in the first place. Thanks…
I was checking how this blog was doing in the search engines, for terms such as Kazakhstan Blog , Astana Blog , and of course Chris Merriman, when I came across a site written by an American who lives in Almaty.
She is a Peace Corps volunteer, and has recently found out she is to stay in Kazakhstan a little longer than originally planned. For anyone who has not come across the Peace Corp before, they work in almost 140 countries, trying help out local people with global issues.
Anyway, enough of the intro, check out the Kazakhstani Extravaganza blog for another look at life over here in Kazakhstan.
This post is not sponsored, nor did she ask for the link, I just thought it might be of use to some people. Which reminds me, I need to add this site to the links page - check the menu at the top to get there.
I recently have received a lot of spammy comments on this blog, particularly on my sponsored posts.
Anything that is an advert for another company is not approved on sponsored posts - otherwise I won’t get paid.
However for both reasons of courtesy, and an attempt to increase my income, I e-mail each company to inform them why there comment will not be published, and that they can always sponsor their own post here if they would like some coverage.
I have had a couple of people responding, who have taken me up on the offer, the rest I never heard back from, and a few are most definitely spam bots, fully automated, as they try and repeat the same spam comments two or three times a week.
Most of these sorts of comments are caught by the Akismet plug in, and so are all stored in the spam area of the comments admin section. Actually, most spam bots are now blocked by the Bad Behaviour plug in, so I’ve seen a large reduction in the rubbish to empty recently. (See the Extras page, linked at the top for links to all plug ins used on this blog).
So, I recently received a rather insulting response to my explanation of why a particular comment was not published, and it intrigued me. I spoke to a couple of colleagues, to ensure I was not just mis-reading the language, and eventually decided to make this post.
OK, his comments are in red, mine are in blue. I’ve changed his name, identifying details and the site he was ‘plugging’, as he does not want to take part in this post at all (see last section).
Other than that, no editing has taken place, all typos from both sides were left as is.
A couple of sections didn’t scan in that well, and I had to compress and resize the picture a great deal to stop this blog’s server from going over it’s limits, but here is the Pates class of ‘97, taken a year before we all left…
Here we have a few people zoomed in a little more, again a few faces (Tiff and Yan especially) are blurred, apologies…
From left to right, top to bottom, we have Anne Harmer, John Harris, Tiffany Vincent, Zanya Etheridge, Chris Merriman, Miriam Hale, Chris Ramshaw (looking like an Oxbridge grad already), Michael Bavin and Yan Chee Yu.
It could be worse though, I could have followed Pate’s official site’s example, and used a 500Kb PNG image (check out the picture of the current head there to see what I mean… I’m guessing Mr Thornton was maybe involved LMAO)
While many people blog purely for personal pleasure, you can earn at least a little pocket money if you want to. Hopefully at least enough to pay for domain registration and some hosting if you run your own server for example.
The basic premise of these schemes is that websites want people to link to them, and often create a ‘buzz’ about a new feature or news item.
If you’re willing to spend a few minutes researching them, and then writing an (original) post on it, you can be paid. The payments vary from a few dollars to hundreds. However, if you don’t yet have a lot of traffic or a decent Google Page Rank expect payments around $4-$15 at the beginning.
A few quick generic explanations before the list of schemes…
PayPerPost (PPP) - This is in fact a specific company (see below), but until someone suggests a better replacement term, this is also how I refer to the idea of creating a post because a website/company will pay you for doing so (often via an intermediary scheme). Hopefully it will be fairly obvious when I’m referring to each. If someone would care to suggest a different generic label, I’ll gladly edit this post. No guarantees - some of the following companies are still unknown to me, in terms of reliability and speed of pay out. I’ll mention those I know well or trust. READ the T&Cs for all schemes - Different schemes have different rules. They don’t very often actually contradict each other, but the standards required do differ. If you write a bunch of posts for one PPP scheme, don’t forget to refresh yourself of the different requirements if you switch. For example, some schemes specify the min. word count per opportunity, others have a blanket scheme-wide minimum. Opportunity - The terminology used by different schemes differs, but within this post, I will be using the word ‘opportunity’ to mean an individual offer for payment for one post/review on your blog. ‘Free’ WordPress blogs If you do not host your own site, and use WordPress’s free blogging service, you won’t be able to do PPP. The advertisers might not mind, but WordPress DO. They’ll delete your entire blog, often without warning. Segmentation - Not all sites spell it out so clearly, but certain opportunities (often shortened to Opps) will only be available to bloggers with ‘impressive sites’. That basically means if you see an Opp that pays $200, don’t be surprised if your blog which has a PR of 0, an Alexa Rank in the millions, and a similar Technorati rank is NOT eligible. No Follow - Some blogging systems automatically add the ‘No-Follow’ tag to all links you post. This is obviously not what advertisers require, so if you have a post rejected due to this, and aren’t sure how to disable no-follow, leave me a message, and I’ll try to assist. Blogger/Publisher - It isn’t always spelled out clearly, but if given the option when signing up, you want to be a blogger or publisher. The advertiser option is for people who want to pay others to advertise for them, not vice versa. Disclosure - Rules vary from one scheme to another, and even from one advertiser to another, but some will require you to either state within the post, something like ‘Sponsored by ADG Ltd’ or possibly have a separate full disclosure page on your blog somewhere. Let me know if you want more info on this topic. Links - Where I can (OK having now written this post out, only PPP have a working scheme) I’ve included affiliate links for these PPP schemes. If you want to, you can of course strip the codes out and sign up without any credit to me. I shan’t be offended, nor will you be that I’ve put them there in the first place, hopefully. English Language - Most schemes require opp posts to be in English. Some require there to be NO foreign language content on your site at all. Neutrality - Most (thought NOT all) schemes do not require you to say ‘I love product XYZ’, they simply want your honest opinion on their site, as well as a link obviously. There are exceptions to this, and different schemes sit closer to complete neutrality. What it comes down to is, if you are going to completely slag off a site/product, the advertiser isn’t likely to want to pay for the privilege. On a more positive note, I’ve had several advertisers actually contact me when I’ve offered constructive criticism, and implemented some minor changes! Tax ID - Unless you are an American citizen, you can safely ignore this field when registering with the schemes below. However, what information you must report to your own country’s tax authorities I obviously have NO way of knowing - sort this one out yourself. PayPal - Some schemes offer alternatives, but the easiest system to use for receiving payments is PayPal. Real Content - Almost all sites require your blog to be a real, personal blog. That isn’t to say you have to write about yourself, but these systems won’t allow scraped-content-based blogs. You’ll often need to publish AT LEAST one non-commercial post in between any type of commercial post. This does have its advantages - it makes sure you write regularly, which will attract readers & improve your stats.
Right onto the schemes now…
PayPerPost - This is the scheme I use the most. As with most companies in this sector, they are still relatively new, and you may encounter the odd technical glitch when using them. However, for blogs without much net kudos just yet, they seem to offer the most opportunities, and have a pretty good forum for their ‘posties’. If you pop into their forums, you’ll find me under the nick of SilentlyScreaming. When you sign up, you’ll need your blog to have existed for 90 days. If it has existed for longer than 90 days, you’ll need to have at least 20 posts in the last 90 days. If the blog is only just 90 days old you need to have 20 or more posts in your archives. Once approved, you’ll be able to take any available opps immediately, and once their statistic system has your sites info, more opps should become available. Since joining them, I’ve made the most money here. They have run promotions in April and this month. Last month saw ‘1K Tuesdays’. The format was altered over the weeks, but involved special opps that paid out $100, $500 and in a couple of cases $1000! The good part of the promotion was that there was NO segmentation (see above). This meant that ANYONE was able to take the opp, if they were the first to spot it in the listing.
Smorty - So far, this is my second recommendation to anyone who has cared to ask my opinion. To be approved, the blog needs to be more than 3 months old, and have an average of 2 or more posts a week. The reviews need to be between 150 and 400 words. Payout varies between $6 and $100. Payment is made weekly. They don’t currently have an affiliate scheme for bloggers to sign up other bloggers, only for finding advertisers.
ReviewMe - This site will let advertisers choose who THEY want to review them, not the other way round (hence non-English blogs are permissible). Obviously you can still to decline to review a product if you wish. 200 word minimum on posts. Require disclosure in some form. Monthly payment. No blogger affiliate scheme at present.
Blogsvertise - Opps are e-mailed to you (you then have 120 hours to complete the task), rather than requiring you to login and check manually. Require 3 links to the advertiser per post. 3 Paragraphs of at least 75 words are the minimum requirements. Blogs need to be 30 days old at least. Payment varies between $4 and $25 per post. They operate a ‘grab-bag’ scheme, if other bloggers have declined an opportunity, the opp will often be put into a pot luck section - if you see something that interests you, or at least pays well, you can grab it. If your blog is less than 90 days old, you may be put on ‘probation’ (reduced payments until you’ve proved your worth) to prove your not just in this for the money. No blogger affiliate scheme, only for referring advertisers.
Sponsored Reviews - Require full disclosure that post is sponsored. This scheme uses both variants already mentioned - advertisers can contact you directly via seeing your blog’s info on the SponsoredReview site, and you can also select advertisers from the list of current opportunities. The one novel feature with this scheme is you can ‘bid’ on jobs. So if the advertiser is offering between $12 and $400 for a job, you can bid whatever you think is fair for your blog’s worth. If you take the mickey, and want $60 to write a post on a blog that is new, has not got good stats, and no evidence of a large readership, the advertiser will of course reject you. Advertisers can make counter-bids - bartering if you like. Once someone accepts an offer of yours, you have 72 hours to write the post. Payments are made every 2 weeks. No affiliate scheme known.
BloggerWave - I’ve included this one for the sake of completeness, but I would approach with caution for now. There have only been 2 opps in the last 3 weeks, and the entire site and system is a complete copy of PayPerPost.com. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery… I’ve made the two posts for this company, and will report back if they do actually pay out. The opps were listed as $10 each, so I decided to ‘risk’ it. No affiliate scheme.
Loud Launch - Just (4/4/07) had my blog approved. There are plenty of $10 opps here, will have to wait and see how many fresh ones are added, and how often. You can receive e-mail messages when new opps are available. Blog must be more than 2 months old, with regular posts. You can make a maximum of 2 paid for posts per day, per blog. Not certain, but I suspect you must have some sort of Alexa ranking, even if it is in the high millions. Payment is made every 30 days. No affiliate scheme.
InBlogAds - More specifically their Content Links system, at least within the scope of this post. New submissions suspended whilst they catch up with their backlog. WordPress (hosted on your own server) blogs only. Monthly payout, $10 minimum. 60% of Ad/Content Revenue is yours. Can be used in conjunction with more traditional PPC advertising schemes. (Google don’t like other PPC advertisers on the same page). No affiliate scheme known.
Blogitive - I’m currently unable to login into the system, so only basic information for now. They appear to offer both the conventional pay per post method of earning money, and a link directory. Weekly payments. Blogs must be at least 3 months old, have traffic and have 3 posts per week already. Average payout is apparently $5. Will update when I can get back in No affiliate scheme known.
PayU2Blog - Another one I’ve not heard from since signing up. Details known are $5 per post, paid every 2 weeks. One link per article, which must be 60 words or more. NO negative posts. The scheme to submit details of your post appears a little more complex than competitors - will know more once they send me details of my first opp. No affiliate scheme known.
Blog2Profit - Again, waiting a while for blog approval on this one. No information other than the sign up link, sorry. No affiliate scheme known.
Blogging Ads - Waiting for blog submittals to be re-opened, after the site/system was re-designed. May be worth checking back on occasionally.No affiliate scheme known.
CreamAid - TBH, I’ve not done anything with this scheme. Which isn’t saying don’t use them, its just that they use a slightly different setup to the others, and I just don’t have the time to alter my current workflow patterns to this scheme just yet. Instead of specifically signing up one of your blogs, the idea is to simply contribute to (often already ongoing) conversations spread across the web. If anyone has actually used them, please do leave a comment. If you have some useful information, and you’re the first to post, I’ll be glad to insert an affiliate link at the beginning of this paragraph. If they have affiliate links…
Well there you go, that’s all I have to say for now. Having read all this, you may decide to ignore it completely, and stick to what you know already to generate income. No insult taken, obviously.
I should probably point out that this post has been written by me, (Chris Merriman), and is NOT in any way sponsored by ANY of the companies above, or anyone else. I simply thought it might help others in a similar situation to me.
Let me know your thoughts on this post, if an area needs further clarification or is simply not covered, and also how things are going if you do decide to sign up with any of the above schemes.
Also, any specific requirements/benefits mentioned above may be subject to change. These schemes often implement new methods, so do make sure you read their site to confirm details. If you’re reading this post a few months after I’ve posted it, and know of any inaccuracies now present, please do let me know.
Thanks
As I mentioned a couple of posts earlier, I found some friends hadn’t seen my original posts on life in Kazakhstan, so after tidying them up a bit for use as an article, I’ve decided to re-publish the two most popular Kazakhstan posts on this site.
Firstly, many thanks to those who commented on my last article (Kazakhstan - NOT Borat Land !!!). A few people noted that I had left out details of drinking and driving here in Kazakhstan. I should make clear that cars are NOT pulled by horses, despite how the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan portrays motor traffic.
If there is a chance you’ll be drinking, then it’s likely someone will want you to say a few words, when it comes to your turn in the toast making. You don’t need to be Over The Top, but DO make sure you thank your hosts for the meal/drink/their time (especially true if it is 4am, and they have work in 3 hours!). You can wax lyrical if you have enough to say, but don’t feel abashed at all if you just want to say something like: “First I’d like to thank Mr & Mrs Jones for their hospitality; I really appreciate your thoughts (assuming they mentioned you in their toast ;>). I hope to enjoy my stay here, and look forward to seeing this…. etc. etc.”
Back to driving. For those that ever sat in a car with me at the wheel, now is the time for you to admit it could have been so much worse… I’m glad to say that in the last 5 years of visits to, and now living in, Kazakhstan, I’ve only been in a car once, that has been crashed into, but if this is going to be your first time driving/being driven off the continent, just remember one thing - loud screams/whimpers will distract the driver, and therefore increase the likelihood of a mishap.
I wouldn’t say people are necessarily bad drivers over here; it is just that they operate on a different logic & reasoning plane to ‘Western’ drivers. If a driver is in a queue, wanting to turn at the next set of traffic lights, and is bored of waiting, then they’ll happily ‘create’ a new lane in the other direction’s stream of traffic. If the road has 3 lanes marked out with paint, in each direction, it is quite normal to find a total of 8 or 9 lanes of traffic.
Use of the horn - if the light has turned green and you’ve not moved for more than 0.5 of a second, people will gladly call your attention to this fact. The horn will definitely wear out quicker over here, at times it seems as though everyone should just learn Morse code; with so much honking from every direction, it is sometimes difficult to understand who is beeping at whom, and for what purpose.
There used to be a roundabout between our flat and the in-law’s house. It was always interesting watching people use it, for two reasons; 1) Roundabouts are relatively unique, in Astana at least, so people didn’t always seem to use them in the same way as other drivers also present, and 2) The rules aren’t the same as back in the UK; If a major road meets a roundabout, the people already ON the roundabout have to give way to others joining the melee from the major road. It worked so well, they’ve now converted that particular roundabout back to a normal junction. It does at least now have pedestrian crossings, so you can be more morally indignant if you get run over.
Zebra crossings are one way to bring a little adrenaline into your bloodstream. If you try and cross them as you would back home, you WILL end up having a heart attack. The best way to approach them seems to be to wait for the least amount of traffic to be approaching the crossing, and try to figure out which cars are actually likely to slow down, let alone stop, for you. Some drivers will beep to let you know that they have no intention of slowing down; others have actually switched lanes, seemingly to increase the chance of a bone vs. metal match up.
Every time someone important decides to travel somewhere in Astana, police will close down the roads the VIPs intend to use, and some 5 - 10 minutes later, you’ll see the President/Government Minister/Foreign Valued Businessman shoot past, in a cavalcade of Limos, Jeeps and/or Hummers and occasionally police motorcycle out-riders. Just because you are a pedestrian though, don’t assume this will have no impact; we’ve been waiting at a bus stop, next to a bus lay-by, and found ourselves moved BEHIND the bus shelter, for security reasons!
Moving onto the more positive aspects of motor vehicles in Kazakhstan; the buses and mini-buses, whilst not particularly able to stick to their timetable due to the recent explosion in traffic volume, they are dirt cheap, at least if you’re spending Western wages. The availability of taxis may not, at first, appear that great. Once you realise that a lot of ‘civilian’ drivers will happily stop and give you a lift for a quickly bartered fee, getting from one place to another seems a lot easier. HOWEVER, in the same way as hitch-hiking in the West, you DO need to be careful about personal safety. Don’t travel alone, and don’t get in the car if there is more than just the driver there. (Small children/grannies/granddads are possible exceptions). Basically, be aware of the situation you are placing yourself into.
If you want to read more about life in Kazakhstan, or ask questions, please do visit my blog at http://www.chrismerriman.com
Chris Merriman is a Brit now living in Astana, Kazakhstan. You can read his blog at ChrisMerriman.com
I wrote the original version of these articles when I first started this blog, last year.
Since then, some friends have asked what Kazakhstan is like, which makes me think they’ve not been delving into the older posts here.
Since originally writing it, I updated a few areas, mainly converting the currencies quoted from UK pounds sterling into US dollars, as I wanted to submit it as an article.
Anyway for those readers who came to this blog after I originally wrote it, here is the updated version…
I have written this article to help people who want to learn more about Kazakhstan. Whilst the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was funny, it did not paint anything like an accurate picture of this country. Some people want to learn more about Kazakhstan purely for their own education, others may be thinking of taking a vacation here. I moved to from Britain to Kazakhstan in April 2006, to Astana, where my wife’s parents live. Since then, I’ve learnt a lot, and seen many of my mis-conceptions blown away.
Things that may grab your attention whilst you’re over here:
Men nearly always shake hands upon meeting one another, even more so if it is the first time you’ve met. Women don’t. If they are family, there may be a peck on the cheek, or a quick embrace. This area is still a little fuzzy to me, so I just stand back and accept whatever comes my way :>
If someone thinks you look a little different to the accepted norm for a Russian or Kazakh person, they will simply stare at you. This shouldn’t be taken as an insult (or an invitation to get to know one another ;>). It is just if they want to get a good look, they won’t be subtle. People have different coping mechanisms for this behavioural trait. Some avert their eyes, others pretend not to notice. Still others will decide to turn it into a juvenile game. Whoever breaks the stare first loses, and you can keep a tally through the whole day you are out. Once you are up at the end of a day (18-3 for example), you can assume you’re no longer feeling like such a wimpy foreigner. Ummm, or so my friends tell me ;>
Whilst we may all joke about British manners and overly polite social standards, standing in line for something over here is an experience you’re not likely to forget very quickly. You’ll also be likely to quickly re-appraise your understanding of the term ‘line’ or ‘queue’. People will have no shame, nor should you, about pushing their way to the front of what could have been a perfectly civil and organized wait for the bus/ticket desk/shop assistant/train. I still draw the line at elderly/young people, other than that, its every queue jumper for themselves, ultimately. (This does tend to mean most elderly/young people get served/on the bus before me, but I have this thing against trampling over brittle bones/people smaller than me.)
Upon arrival/exiting the country, be it 8.30pm, 3.45am or 3pm, you’ll likely find yourselves being greeted with a small (OK, more likely a table laden with more stuff than you’d normally see for a ‘light’ meal) snack and some drinks, to celebrate your arrival/time in the country, if you are staying with people, rather than a hotel. You might not feel exactly like wolfing the whole lot down, but if you take your time, with the food and the drink, you should do fine. DON’T feel obliged to down shots of Cognac/Vodka each toast. Unless that’s your adjusting mechanism to the flights & time difference ;>
Bureaucracy - if you are on holiday, rather than emigrating, coming into and out of the country is the most likely area you’ll possibly encounter any problems. To be fair, we’ve not been stopped in a couple of years, but if they decide you look like a likely person to have violated a rule, there isn’t a great deal you can do about it. Coming into the country, they can decide not to let you in at all, and worse, leaving the country, they are only too well aware that you need to be available to get on a plane pretty soon.
Once you arrive in the country, you will need to register your presence, within 3 or 4 business days. There is nothing to worry about regarding this procedure; it is just so they can know who is officially registered where. Whilst this country is a lot ‘freer’ than it may have seemed to Westerners 15 or 20 years ago, you will have to remember that the approach taken by the government over here to maintain control of the population is not how we view ‘best practice’ in the West. Tough luck, their country, their rules, which, all in all, seems fair, if the roles were reversed, we’d not expect people to complain too excessively about our customs/social rules/laws.
Re. CDs/DVDs vs. portable hard drive. I’ve read around, and people have less difficulty taking hard drives out of the country than lots of discs, apparently. I couldn’t find any info on importing. Personally, I’ve never had a problem in either direction. There is apparently a rule, on your way out of the country, that if Customs discover discs in your luggage, they must have been previously inspected and sealed by a dept. elsewhere in Astana. You’ll need to do this four or five days before the flight. Some people stock up on cheap Software, Music and other media, though don’t forget your home country may not allow you to keep these items if they search your luggage on your return.
When in the country, you will see some people walking around in army camo fatigues, most of these people are manual labourers, who use them as hard-wearing clothes to work in. If, however, you see a group of 2-6 young men wandering in ‘urban’ colour camos (blue/purple), these are some sort of street patrollers. No idea on their legal/military/civilian status, I just make sure I’m not littering/jay-walking when I see them around :>
Then you have the regular police force, who you will see in cars (often using their PA systems as public education systems (’Drivers! Do not park here’ or ‘Move out the way NOW’)), on foot, or in little kiosks at key strategic civic points. The worst you can expect from them is a request to see your ID and/or passport.
There is also a traffic police force, who occasionally turn off the traffic lights, and get out their little wands to manually direct the traffic. Unless you intend to drive over here (don’t forget to apply for an International Driving License in the UK, if so), you can safely ignore them. Finally, you’ll occasionally see the Army guys marching round in unison, but they seem to stay off the streets for the majority of the time.
“So how much money should I bring?”
Well, not sure on total, but if I give you an idea of how much stuff costs here, you’ll be better informed to guess a holiday total I suppose… (All prices are approximate and sampled in Early 2007)
Bottle of coke in a shop - $0.50
Bottle of vodka in a shop - $1.60 to $8, depending on the brand (from drinkable to nice & smooth), whilst you can pay more, what’s the point?
Bottle of beer in a shop - $0.45 to $1.60 (Russian to European brands)
In a restaurant/cafe, fags, coke and beer maybe double the price, or there abouts, vodka costs approximately $4 for 200ml
PC Games/Applications/MP3 collections - $4 to $10, depending on the amount of discs in the box, and how obvious the copy is! Music CDs - About the same as American prices, normally
Taxi ride (real taxi) - $3 to $6 pounds for a 15 minute ride Taxi ride (flagging down a random car off the street) - haggle on the price, normally around 30% to 60% cheaper than a real taxi
Meal in a cafe (salad, meat dish, french fries, coke, vodka) - Between $8 and $15 per person, depending on the type of place you go to
Meal in a restaurant (same menu as above) - Between $12 and $30 pounds tops, per person. Again, you can spend more if you go high class
Obviously, if you want to get drunk, rather than merely relaxed, add more money for the extra vodka/soft drink/beer in the prices quoted above
Entrance fee to a club - $5 to $20 - basically, the more ‘exclusive’ an activity or brand is, the higher the price soars, prices for drinks in clubs are a little higher than elsewhere.
Kazakhstan is next door to China, so disposable electronic trinkets, that might last 5 years, or 5 days, are to be found in plenty of shops. If you want any ‘Kazakh’ souvenirs - cultural stuff, definitely bring along a little bit extra cash.
Re. Money - bring at least 100 euros or a little more in dollars, the rest is up to you - there are ATMs over here (don’t forget to budget for bank’s commission/charges for this service), and there are at least two places that we know of that will exchange English pounds sterling for Kazakh Tenge, and all currency exchanges obviously accept dollars.
I hope some of the above will give you an idea of what you can expect from Kazakhstan. If you want to read more, or ask a question, please feel free to visit my blog at http://www.chrismerriman.com
Chris Merriman is a Brit now living in Astana, Kazakhstan. You can read his blog at www.ChrisMerriman.com
So, any questions, or suggested corrections, do let me know, or if you’d prefer you can always e-mail me. See the Contacts page for applicable details.
In the last month, this blog has been at the #1 position in Google.com or Google.co.uk for the following phrases…
acid ran pictures
borat which parts where scripted
Chris Merriman
presents for nick
The government in Astana has secured a multi-million dollar loan from the World Bank to help save the Aral Sea - who searches with a phrase that long?
west wing china clip
www.westwingguide.com - their site is just adverts now anyway
domain names used for ebuyer.com
Astana Market Analysis
Quick update, I’ll be using this thread to keep an eye on which phrases I’m getting #1 on, so ignore the ‘last month’ reference at the top.
(For new readers, I should probably point out that I am my boss, and as such tend not to discipline my self a great deal…)
? ) which terms people have been using when they arrive at my site from various search engines.
