First Impressions

Привет из Казахстана! Greetings from Kazakhstan!

We've made it to the other side of the planet. Literally, I believe that you could drill a hole in the earth and if you dug long enough from here so that you poked up on the other side, you would find yourself somewhere in Wyoming.

Not only are we safe and sound but we are in a fascinating place. Here are a few impressions from our first day exploring the city.

The UFO-shaped building is a circus (currently showing performances of  Cirque du Soleil

A view towards the river (from the flag monument pictured, above). There is a lot of greenery, although much of it is dwarfed by the scale of the architecture surrounding it.

Mega shopping center and cinema, where you can find all kinds of European and even American goods

Khan Shatyr is an enormous tent and shopping center that may outdo any American mall I've visited recently. Stores range from the GAP to Baskin Robbins to Monsoon to  L'Occitane. Curious? Check it out here. The yurts are for up-coming cultural festival going on the end of this week.

A view from inside the shopping center where you can find a monorail,  a carnival ride (see center) and even a beach with imported sand.

A view from Khan Shatyr towards the Mall

Everything is in grand proportions! Here all roads lead to the  Bayterek or  Tree of Life Tower .

Grandiose modern buildings surrounding the mall from the Bayterek to the Presidential Palace

President Nazarbayev's residence sits on the opposite stretch of squares and promenades from the Khan Shatyr  (tent-shaped shopping mall). The Bayterek is half-way between the two buildings.