We have the honour of being order number 20 for a relatively new start up business over here in Astana, Kazakhstan. Although America and Britain (and by extension, I’d assume the mainland European Continent?) have had supermarket deliveries available for years, this company seems to be the first in this city at least. I’ll not provide a link until we’ve seen the goods arrive (sometime in the next 2 hours) in one piece, with the correct money being charged, but if all goes well, I’m happy to recommend them. I’ve already passed on their details to one friend over here, so I’ll compare experiences to make sure any good/bad points aren’t isolated.
Sep 09 2009
Anna and Ira at Ali BaBa enjoy…
Anna and Ira at Ali BaBa enjoying a snack and drink after an afternoon stroll http://twitpic.com/h2l1s
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Sep 09 2009
Steps leading to a statue befo…
Steps leading to a statue before a footbridge over the river Ishim here in Astana. http://twitpic.com/h2dzi
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Aug 31 2009
Backwards Is The New Forwards?
hmmmm, another post where WordPress decides that I didn’t really want to use the built in gallery function, and leaves the images orphaned without a post assigned to them. Well anyway, these photos were taken on the 31st of August, and we have now finally reached the end of the backlog. Here you can see Anna starting to learn how to use objects to assist in standing up (hands near her for the inevitable wobbly moments, obviously). Although she can now roll with gay abandon, and crawl backwards, Anna still doesn’t seem to want/be able to coordinate moving forwards. However, given that forwards it same really as horizontally rotating 180 degrees, then moving backwards, she still seems able to get where she wants. Namely off the safe, clean playing area we lay down here or at the inlaws, and onto the much more interesting carpet.
To round off this post, we have a shot of Kara using Anna’s nappy changing mat as a stalking area to pounce on Muska the next time she enters the living room.
Anna Selecting The Next Toy To Play With
Kara Waits To Ambush Muska
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Aug 24 2009
Just seen strange police escor…
Just seen strange police escort-1 cop car w/sirens blaring&4TV channel trucks!Maybe interviewed pres&need footage back in time4evening news?
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Aug 24 2009
Kittens Available Soon In Astana
Tishka (Dasha’s daughter) has had four kittens this Sunday, and once they have been weaned and are ready for the big wide world without their Mummy around, they will be available (free) to anyone prepared to give them a good home.
So, if you live in Astana, know how to look after cats, and are interested, click the Contact page for e-mail addresses etc., or leave a comment here.
(Fairly) Obviously, the image above was just a google search, as the kittens themselves are very small, and living over at the in-laws. Will try and grab some proper ones next weekend. By which time, Dasha, these kitten’s Grandma, may have had her litter.
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Aug 23 2009
Horses And Tightrope Walking
Meeting up on the 5th of July with Walton and his brother, Dave, who was over here in Kazakhstan for a while, we had decided to try and catch the horse show put on at the entrance to Astana Park, as the day before it had been rained off. A year or two ago, Walton, Asel, Ira and I went to see Kokpar and horse acrobatics at an out of town stadium, again for Astana Day celebrations, but this year I hadn’t made it.
Once we’d seen the show, we could understand why the horse riders only wanted the driest of floors to work on.
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- Pre Show Preparations With Walton Sporting His Dombra Hero T-Shirt
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- Horse Wrestling – A Winner Is A Mere Half Second From Formally Kicking Ass
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- Tiring Day For The Horse?
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- Melee In The Middle
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- The Last ‘Enemy’ Almost Vanquished
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- Squeaky Voiced Rider?
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- Lone Female Horse Performer – Least Blurred Photo. Hoping Dave Had Some Better Shots
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- Bird Of Prey Keeps An Eye On The Car Park
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- Same Old Uzbek Dude Walking To Work Again
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- Tightrope Walker Attaches His Safety Rope. Camera Runs Out Of Space.
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Aug 22 2009
At Melnitza – proper photos & …
At Melnitza – proper photos & description in next week or so.One of the best sashliqs I’ve tasted!Great service http://twitpic.com/euh9o
Aug 22 2009
“Or So” Equals Plus/Minus 7?
Ha. Assuming you count a fortnight as being within ‘a week or so’, I’ve just met the dead line for ‘proper photos’ that I promised when I tweeted from the Melnitza restaurant on the 22nd of August. Melnitza is situated on SaryArka, quite near to our apartment, and as we hadn’t tried it before, were already heading to a nearby shopping centre and I wanted to grab a shot of the Khan Shatyr entertainment centre.
The service was superb in the restaurant, the prices not too excessive considering its reputation, and I can honestly say they served the best tasting sashlique I’ve ever eaten. This is Kazakhstan, and given my meat and potato type meal preferences, I’ve eaten a fair few of the barbecued kebab like meals over here. The exterior of the building is surrounded by flowers and vegetables, giving a real dacha-like feel to the outside seating, the staff were very attentive and smiling, and their take on garlic bread (see photos below) were delicious.
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- Almost Completed Khan Shatyr In Astana, Kazakhstan
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- Outside Eating Area At Melnitza, SaryArka, Astana
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- Selection Of Breads At Melnitza
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- Close Up Of The Garlic Bread. Yum.
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- Anna Joining The Meal
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- Salad. Didn’t Try It Or Remember The Name. Sorry
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- Traditional Cossack (?) Style Uniform On Our Helpful Waiter
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- Ira’s Dish
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- A Different Style Outside Eating Area At Melnitza, SaryArka, Astana
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- Superb Sashlique
Oh, and my thanks to this post for reminding me of the name for the big glass yurt like structure up the road from us. I left a comment there in an attempt to correct some of the inaccuracies in the article, but it remains an interesting post.
Aug 22 2009
Babushkas And Uniforms
No, not a link to a real niche orientated web site, but the subject of these two photos, taken on the 4th July, during the continuing celebrations for Astana Day(s).
This first shot was supposed to of just the guys in uniform marching around, but by the time I got the camera out, they had rapidly retreated into the distance, and a gaggle of Babushkas were blocking the frame. Deciding that the contrast between the two groups amused me mildly, I grabbed a quick shot.
Babushkas In Astana Park With Street Patrollers
Later on, we walked through the park, onto the foot bridge over the River Ishim, and up to near Congress Hall (in the old square). They had some sort of civic awards ceremony going on, with interesting dancers, a DJ and various people being awarded for ‘the best teacher in so and so region’. Given the subject, I hadn’t expected to see so much security at the entrance, and within the ceremony itself. You can see the street patrollers (or special forces (!?) if you believe on Astana resident) and police working in perfect discord here. There was also an official competition between the various cafes and restaurants that had set up food stalls in the square, though most entries seemed to be based around barbecued meat.
Astana Day Celebrations Uniformed Security At Award Ceremony
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