Just shot this clip (#qik) http://qik.ly/BF5Zk
Apr 03 2010
Suggestions For Kazakhstan – Part III
Getting back to the Kazakhstan issues that have jumped back into my consciousness since returning to Astana (and admittedly this one isn’t exactly a calamity for us, as we don’t own a car in this country), a friend of ours was pulled over last year whilst driving in a perfectly normal manner. The reason the policeman stopped (and attempted to fine) him? His car was too dirty. We’re not talking about number plates being obscured (I agree, no matter the state of the rest of the car, whenever practical the number plates should be readable) or even his headlights being dangerously muddy (so cars travelling in the opposite direction at night might not see him in time), no, it was the main body that was deemed to be a disgrace to the city.
I don’t know if there was a visiting dignitary who had a lot of disdain for cars that aren’t sparkling, but TBH, there are SO many more issues the police could focus on with motorists before even considering the cosmetic appearance of a car. More on those other issues in the days to come 🙂
Anyway, if you want to be taken seriously, and not have accusations of possible supplementary income sources levelled at your police force, I feel a muddy car should not be a reason to pull you over.
Apr 02 2010
Suggestions For Kazakhstan – Part II
OK, ten months later than intended, here the series continues from the first instalment.
I’m staying out of the political (OSCE chairmanship, laughable implementation of “democracy” (whether you use the Western definition or not), political prisoners etc.) side of things, as I don’t want the renewal of my permission to stay in the country to be questioned next year.
So, on a more personal level, first things first… Whoever decided that private individuals (as opposed to companies etc.) should only be allowed one international parcel to be received per month, please realise this is a ridiculous law. So stupid, we weren’t even aware of it until this week, when we wondered why only one out of two DHL parcels from Britain had turned up. Strangely enough, if you pay customs a lot of money (around the price it took to send the box over here in the first place!) then you can have more than one a month. We also need to pay DHL again, as they say to deliver it to Astana, once Customs in Almaty release it, will be another chargeable service – despite our initial payment including that leg of the journey. OK, so I’m drifting off national policies into company’s customer service attitudes differing in different continents here, and the other suggestions will be a little more wide-ranging, and involve less infrequent occurrences.
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Feb 09 2010
Furry Feline Friends
As YouTube is still not displaying the Video Upload page :(, I thought I would take the opportunity to post a picture that Irina snapped recently. Karra and Muska (sisters) are our cats, and other than play fights/chases around the flat, they get on pretty well. Occasionally, they snooze next to each other, and even if the temperature hasn’t dropped, they will hug or cuddle. This time it was on the settee…
Hugs On The Sofa
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Jan 27 2010
Temporary Kazakh Ice Rink In Astana
Forgot to include these videos in the earlier post, sorry. Not forgot exactly, just stuck in the need for separate posts for videos and pictures that involve Anna. As the pictures and videos don’t include her, they won’t be automatically imported to her site. In case you missed the earlier post, this ice rink has been set up in a car park next to the big entertainment/Aquarium centre (Duman) not too far from our flat. There is a large tower in the middle which seems to play a music video channel, and since the schools are now back in session, the rink is quite empty normally. If I had my own skates, was able to use both legs whilst trying to move forward on the ice, and didn’t have to consider how to look after Anna following the inevitable sprained ankle, I might have popped down 🙂
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Jan 26 2010
Astana Park And Temporary Ice Rink
The first couple of shots were taken outside the entrance to Astana Park, where some strange fake windows were installed a while back, as well as a few metal structures that were erected at the same time.
The second shot was obviously taken in the early evening, to show the pretty lights that are used. Anyone claiming that I haven’t bothered to walk over there when not with Anna on a fresh air walk for her, or that shots from our balcony window would involve strange colour tinting or mosquito nets fudging the view or indeed otherwise is a cynic 🙂
Astana Park Entrance Metal Structure
Same Structure. Shot At Night. Honest!
The last three are of the temporary ice rink they’ve installed opposite the Mega shopping centre.
Temporary Ice Rink Opposite Mega, Next To The Duman Aquarium
Ice Rink Slide?
Couple Of Ice Sculptures In The Rink
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Jan 20 2010
Over The Counter With A Script
Anna is still a little bit poorly (is that term used by Americans/non-native English speakers as well? If not, substitute “ill”). We don’t know if it was just random timing or not, but she has just had her hepatitis immunization, and a few days after she started to get high temperatures and a sore throat. The doctor said it was a case of Angina (the Russian term). This wasn’t (logically, but given she is still very young, I still worried for a moment) anything to do with her heart, but translates as a sore throat, or strep throat, or something or other-itis. The doctor said not to worry, just ensure she has plenty of rest, liquids and to keep an eye on her over the coming days. Some medical treatments are the same the world over 🙂
One of the things that struck me about medicine in Kazakhstan is that most antibiotics are available over the counter here, which although convenient as you don’t need to take time off work for a doctor’s appointment, did worry me a little. The reason? If you take anti-biotics when your body doesn’t actually need them, then bacteria are a lot more likely to build up a resistance to the medication, and the whole country can end up with stronger strains of diseases simply because the normal course of medication recommended are no longer capable of destroying the bacteria.
On the other hand, strong pain medication does require a prescription over here – when I have had serious dental problems, I had sort of hoped that living in this part of the world would mean I could balance out the pain of my teeth with something other than ibuprofen or paracetamol with low doses of codeine. It is probably for the best that strong pain killers aren’t available over the counter, but when you are in pain, logic doesn’t always apply 😉
Jan 01 2010
Kazakh Queueing
Just in case you ever want to have an idea of what “queues” can look like on a bad day (a major public event or tailbacks at the immigration desk), I’d recommend you watch The Legend Of Drunken Master (aka Drunken Master II) and check out the queueing around the 2 to 3 minute mark 🙂
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Dec 18 2009
View outside local MotherCare….
View outside local MotherCare. Pretty hole. http://twitpic.com/u01i6
Dec 14 2009
Eating To Help Others
A little over a week ago (6th December), a charity event was held at the Radisson Hotel here in Astana. The Annual Winter Charity Bazaar was setup by the international community to raise money for local charities, including an orphanage I think. Stalls were in place for each country that had people willing to attend and sell their home made cakes, souvenirs and in some cases, drinks. We weren’t around for the bazaar this time last year (when it was first put in place), as we’d already returned to Britain, so it was interesting to see which countries were attending, what lovely dishes had been prepared, and just how much could be raised.
Irina baked the Death By Chocolate cakes I seem to be mentioning a lot, and they seemed to sell well. The event eventually raised just over 5.3 million Tenge, of which the UK stall sold 176,000 Tenge worth of goods. The hot dogs from a stall that was set up by a local company went down well, as did the most authentic lasagne I’ve tasted in this country. Although Irina and I just attended to buy and eat (well deliver the cakes as well), some of our friends (both Embassy staff & their families and “normal” ex-pats) were actually manning the stall, and DanD even managed to virtually chop half his arm off cut his hand a little.
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