Ulytau concert in DC

Ulytau gave a concert in Washington DC. These guys travel so much, so it seems easier to attend their concert abroad than in Kazakhstan.

The Lisner Auditorium in Foggy Bottom was 60% full. No fees for entrance. The concert was announced in facebook and those who wanted to attend it just RSVPed the number of people. Of course the majority of attendees were Kazakh people, but there were also some Americans who seemed to like the beats of the percussion as they were moving to the tact.

Live music is amazing! You feel the music inside yourself.Videos with Ulytau performance, dombra play (national music instrument) and songs performed by Ulytau producer will not be able to convey it.

 

Kazakh wedding

Check the video about Typical Kazakh wedding

Some traditions preserved, some new elements acquired, now it is a blend of Kazakh and Western wedding. This is the most typical Kazakh wedding.

However, in some places you will be able to attend a traditional Kazakh wedding, with the bride dressed up in the national wedding dress and all traditions kept.

Some people prefer westernized weddings, others have purely traditional weddings. What do you think Kazakh people should do: keep strictly to their traditions, or allow alterations in wedding ceremonies?

Shopping in Astana

I found this useful and interesting article posted by an American expat in Astana with tips for shopping dor groceries. For more articles about Astana you can visit the KZBlog

Shopping in Astana

Posted by KZBlog on 6 April 10 • Categorized as Life in KZ
Tagged as Astana, Астана

So I get a lot of emails from people planning to move here, or doing weird things like doing a role playing game, who want very specific information on living here. As a PSA, I try to tackle the most frequent questions here every now and again. The topic today is doing the shopping and I thought I’d outline what I buy where and why.

Personally, I do most of my shopping at Vester, which is located in the Keruen shopping complex on the Left Bank, near Bayterek. I think it’s the best compromise of price, availability of products and quality. I prefer to do most of my shopping in supermarkets where I can pick things out myself and also where I can buy as many things in one place as possible. Vester has excellent produce for a supermarket and good meat. The only thing I don’t like is that it doesn’t target for foreigners or gourmands. So if you want more exotic things, you have to go somewhere else. The produce section is pretty much apples, oranges, bananas, potatoes, onions, carrots, peppers, lemons and scallions. Sometimes you’ll see lettuce or pears or limes or grapes or kiwis. I can’t get much in the way of spices or sauces there either.

Ramstor is quite expensive so I don’t do a lot of shopping there. I mainly go there when I want American foods. Ramstor does target foreigners so they have microwave popcorn, mac and cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salsa, fish sauce, tortillas, and so on. All of it is way over priced (mac and cheese is $2 a box now!) because only crazy Americans like me buy it. And a lot of it runs out and then you have to wait a month before you can get more. I recommend going to Ramstor once a month and stocking up on whatever it is you miss from home.

Silk Way City which just opened in Sara-Arka shopping mall on Sara-Arka Street, behind Triumph Astana is somewhere between Ramstor and Vester. The basics are reasonably priced. American foods are expensive–but I did just pick up Shop Rite brand generic Cheerios and Shredded Wheat. Meat is insanely expensive (about 1.5 times higher than elsewhere). They tend to have a wider variety of produce and also more non-food items like toys and pots and pans than either Vester or Ramstor. I’m starting to go there more often and between them and Ramstor I think you can get anything you might miss from home–though you will have to pay for it.

There is a supermarket, Astana, located near the old square, next to Congress Hall and the city administration. As a supermarket, it’s not bad but nothing special–and the parking is awful in that part of town so if you aren’t in the area already it’s not worth a trip. However downstairs, with a separate entrance, is an excellent culinaire/delicatessen where you can get all sorts of salads and meat pies and pre-marinated meat and chicken wings and fish. Great place for a take-away lunch or a good dinner that just needs to be popped into the oven.

Finally, one thing any visitor to Kazakhstan will note is that there are little mom-and-pop convenience stores everywhere. We must have 5 within 5 minutes of our house. The quality and variety of these stores vary drastically, but they tend to be good places to go if you need one thing or you forgot to get something at the supermarket. Great for milk, bread, cigarettes, beer, juice. Or if you’re walking down the street and want a coke and a packet of potato chips. Some of them do have produce or even meat pies, cakes or other prepared food as well. The visitor should be forewarned that in most of these stores, almost everything is behind the counter so you will have to ask the cashier or if you don’t speak the language, you will have to point and hope they can follow you. That can be a lot of fun by the way. It’s like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get!

Finally a couple of notes on shopping in general here:

• Don’t be surprised if stores run out of things or if things aren’t available all the time. Stores run out faster and restock slower than in the US in general.
• Don’t expect staff to run back to see if they have more in the warehouse. They might, if they feel nice, but I have had many a staff person say, “If it isn’t on the shelf, we don’t have it.” But smiling and looking slightly lost does sometimes help. Muttering under your breath, “In the US, they can get it for us,” has also been known to motivate people.
• Check the expiration dates. Monitoring of the health codes isn’t perfect.

Tours in Almaty, Kazakhstan

When you are in Almaty, do not miss a weekend tour! A number of tourist agencies organize various tours on Saturdays and Sundays. Places of interest are located in Almaty region and it usually takes 2-4 hours to drive one way. Buses usually depart at 08.30 a.m. to be back at 06.00-08.00 p.m. They have both 50-seat buses and 8-seat vehicles.

Guides are available, but not all of the agencies can provide English-speaking guides. Some have English, French, Italian, German, etc. speaking guides, but of course you need to make reservation in advance for them to arrange a guide.

Regular price for a weekend tour is 1500-2500 tenge (USD 10-15, you can also find the currency converter on the sidebar of this blog, search for Kazakhstani Tenge) if you travel by bus with a Russian-speaking guide. But you can also ask for a small van, or a big bus for your group and English-speaking guide.

When I was looking for an agency to organize a tour for a group of French people, it was pretty hard, because of finding an English-speaking guide and price. Prices in some agencies were pretty high. The one which was good both in terms of prices and services, was the Blast tourist company (located at Abay ave./corner Rozybakiyev Str.). The name of the girl who organized the tour was Nastya, she was really good and took care of the guests.

They charged us 38,000 tenge (USD 250) for the trip, which included rent of van with driver, plus French-speaking guide. Another tour that I organized though this Company cost 10,000 tenge (USD 70) without a guide.

The most popular destinations include:

THE CHARYN CANYON

It's a four-hour drive from Almaty to this amazing scenery, where one will be able to see whimsically shaped hills during 2-km walk down to the Charyn river.    
                    

THE BIG ALMATY LAKE

The Big Almaty Lake is like a crystal changing its color from pale green to turquoise blue. Since the lake is high in the mountains (2,511 meters over sea level), the water is always cold (July temperature is 8C only! - 46F). Despite the steep slopes, people usually prefer climbing there, but it's also possible to drive.

THE KOLSAY LAKES

Kolsay Lakes are called the pearls of Kazakhstan! It's a 2-day tour because it's rather a long journey, but it's worth seeing.

THE TURGEN FALLS

It's a nice tour when you will see the Falls, visit the trout fishery, where you will be able to fish for trout, and then have it cooked for you, and visit the ostrich farm, where you will be able to buy ostrich eggs and feathers.

THE SINGING DUNE

It's amazing how sand can make some music while you are climbing the hill!

If you are pressed for time, but still feel like seeing some sights, the options will be to see

THE KOK TYUBE

(also known as Kok Tobe)

You just ride a suspense train (7 min only to reach the top of the hill from the center of the city) and you will see Almaty as if it's in your palm! It's beautiful at night, but don't forget to take some warm clothes, because it is cooler over there. Besides, it is a popular place, so there might be many people and you might need to wait in a queue to get the ticket. It's not operational on Tuesdays.

CHIMBULAK

Or if you like skiing, there are many places to ski, like Akbulak and Tabagan, the most popular ski resort is Chimbulak. It is also a nice place to see.

Watch a video The Beauty of Kazakhstan