Hello
everyone!
It’s been a
long time, and Astana has become significantly colder since I last published.
It’s never nice to leave for work having just seen a number close to the
negative twenties. In spite of this, it doesn’t actually feel particularly cold
unless the wind picks up.
The
atmosphere and landscape of the city are changing. Literally. That river, the
one that we took a beautiful boat ride on in September? That can’t be done for
a few months. It’s now frozen. Frozen solid.
Kazakh fun fact: Apparently in winter the Ishim River plays hosts to car rallying, and cars skid along a specially laid track running from the footbridge to the Kobanbay Batyr bridge.
One night,
after a cheeky piva or three, we were walking back along the side of the river.
All of a sudden we were walking…on the river. It’s a weird sensation, knowing
that each unstable step you take could be your last before slipping through a
crack to a watery grave. Don’t worry – the ice is incredibly thick. People were
walking on it the following day, and we have since seen people skiing, skating
and even fishing on the solid watercourse.
This
happened whilst I was hosting my first couchsurfers. I have used CouchSurfing
in India, and really enjoyed the experience, so am more than happy to host
travellers who are adventurous enough to visit Kazakhstan. We were accommodating
a Canadian couple called Milan and Lindsey, who were friendly, very relaxed and
happy to explore independently.
When we do
venture out, it is generally to attend something interesting and important. We
visited a concert of classical music hosted by the Spanish Embassy. I was quite
tired before the show, so was struggling to stay awake unless the woman
unleashed the full venom of her voluptuous voice. I had expected salsa dancing
and the like, so I have to say I was a little disappointed with the content of
the show.
\
This wasn’t
the only concert we saw. There was a show in the pyramid as part of the
build-up to the 20th Year of Independence. We were expecting a
classical concert which would culture us. We got cultured. But in ways which we
could not have dreamt of.
It certainly
was a musical event. It was opened by an 81-year-old who sang a very loud song.
She was a great entertainer, and had a rather playful demeanour. She was also
one of the few people to actually sing. Even one of the violinists was miming.
Badly.
Music wasn’t
the only talent being showcased at this celebration of Kazakh culture. Comedy
was also on show, and I was thankful to my friend Zhussup for translating. It
was actually very funny. One of the sketches involved a boyfriend who wants to
break up with his girlfriend…until he hears her Dad on phone getting a
promotion in the government. His response? ‘I love you’.
We also
witnessed a ‘robot taxi’ in a traffic jam, a man singing in French who we
described as a ‘castrato’ due to the high pitch of his voice, and the Kazakh
version of the Backstreet Boys. Well, three of the quartet. The other one – an
older, balder man – didn’t seem to fit in. Some of our group didn’t appreciate
the concert, but I really enjoyed it. It was yet another unique experience in
Kazakhstan, a country that is proving full of endless surprises. Just like
walking on water…
Love you all
Matt
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