Insight into living and working in Kazakhstan

New Year, new house, new blog

2010-01-08T15:10:00.002+06:00

Happy New Year! Kazavida blog has turned one year, we moved back to Sweden and bought a town house in Stockholm, my baby is not a baby longer, Vince looks like a little kid.

It took me a little longer to decide to blog or not to blog. You can follow my new blog at www.anastasty.blogspot.com. This blog will be about my passions : food, cooking, photography and of course my little son. Hope you can find this blog both tastful and tasty -- Anastasty!!!

Ciao Kazakhstan!

2009-08-26T21:39:00.004+06:00

Tomorrow, the 29th of August it's time to leave Kazakhstan. The contract is over, a bit earlier than planned, but it's fine. I'm head over heels to come back to Stockholm!Can't wait to meet my family, friends, colleagues. I've missed you guys a lot. My home is where my dearest people are and that it so true.

Living in Kazakhstan has been a nice experience, different one due to the pregnancy and Vincent's birth. Today our best friends, by the way expats from Tunisia, came to say goodbye. "Sosed", we miss you but definitely meet you in Mahdia to drink mint tea and eat tons of baklava.

The question is:" What to do with the blog?" Should I close it? or find another topic, which is probably my baby by now. If you have any ideas, pls write.

Sosed

Vincent -- the Kazakh man!

Baklava to die for!

Adventures in Thailand

2009-08-13T23:42:00.007+06:00

I have definitely less "free" time now (and as a consequence to update the blog) since Vincent sleeps only few hours during the day and the rest of the time goes to entertainment, playing, feeding and walking.

We've survived our first long-distance trip. Now i think I can take Vincent everywhere, almost everywhere except some extreme cold, hot and high spots on Earth. It's possible and even joyful to travel with babies if prepared. Thailand is a great country to stay with kids: good infrastructure, high -quality medical services, friendly people (especially to kids), wonderful food at any choice, nature, beaches, etc. Extreme humidity and absence of baby car seats whatsoever were two inconveniences for us. The contrast between air-conditioned rooms and sauna-like outdoors was tough for Vincent, he was sweating a lot often wearing a sweat moustache. Here area few pics:

Vince goes Thailand

2009-07-25T22:51:00.005+06:00

Tomorrow we leave for Thailand for the first vacation together with our baby! It will take us 6,5 hours by plane, 2,5 hours by car to Rayong and 20 minutes by speed-boat to Koh Samet island. We have planned to go to Pattaya and Bangkok, maybe Koh Chang, 10 days in total. Our hotel reservation is so far for two days on the island. It's low season in Thai, no need to reserve the hotel for whole period. Hope everything wil go just fine, breastfed babies should be easy to travel with. Vince has got new baby carrier, stroller and sunglasses. Ready for the trip!

Let's go fishing!

2009-07-24T22:12:00.005+06:00

Yesterday I did fishing for the first time in my life. We went to Turgen , famous for its waterfalls and a trout farm. The fishing experience was fun but short.The trout farm has several ponds where trout is bred and it's impossible not to catch anything among thousands of fishes. In 20 minutes we got 8 fishes and in another 20 minutes we were already eating them. There are several ladies who cook the fish for your and serve it with salads, bread and drinks. Call it fishing for lazy ones but it was nice time we spent there. Highly recommended!

Baby update

2009-07-18T13:31:00.004+06:00

Vince is keep on growing, he weighs 9,2 kg! I wonder how big he can be. On Monday he will be exactly three months and his doctor will probably give me another advice for Vince not to gain to much weight. As soon as he is healthy and happy I don't actually bother. Isn't he sweat? :)

Fit ball training with dad.

I think he looks like a little boxer!

Let's stretch!

Dancing salsa in Almaty

2009-07-15T21:29:00.005+06:00

1. Beginning Dancer: knows nothing.
2. Intermediate Dancer: knows everything; too good to dance with beginners.
3. Hotshot Dancer: too good to dance with anyone.
4. Advanced Dancer: dances everything, especially with beginners.”

Obviously salsa has conquered the world and Kazakhstan is not an exception. There are three salsa schools in Almaty and two latino clubs (Cuba and Copacobana). I cannot advice on them since our baby-life does not get along with a club life ))) . Here you can see some shots from an open-air salsa dancing. If you are in Almaty and love latino beat, don't miss the event (Sundays, Kirova-Kunaeva str in front of the fountains). By the way I was surprised they danced bachata as well.

Paradise 70 km away

2009-07-06T16:27:00.009+06:00

Last weekend we went to the Kapchagai Lake, located just 70 km to the north from Almaty.

Kapchagai Lake is a man-made reservoir formed in 1969 for the purpose of building the Kapchagai Hydroelectric power station. In the absence of the sea (Kazakhstan is a landlocked country) Kapchagai attracts people from Almaty and vicinities. I was amazed that an artificial lake can be so beautiful:

On the way to Kapchagai, the closest town has the same name. The road to the lake is in a bad condition, which is quite strange, it's a popular place to go, so the government could have used the taxpayers money to renovate the road. They say, Russia has two age-old problems: fools (often referred to governors) and bad roads. It seems, Kazakhstan suffers from the similar problems. Watermelons, melons, apples, honey are sold on the wayFinally at the destination! The entrance fee to the beach was 1500 tenge (10 USD). If you have any food or drink with you you have to pay 4000 tenge (25 USD). Probably the restaurant folk would not have any job if everybody came with own food basket. R looks at the menu, Vince looks at the lake.

Me and Vince, my big boy!

Vince can swim!

2009-07-05T09:15:00.006+06:00

When Vince was one month old we took three lessons from a swimming instructor for newborn. First day I was watching how my baby get massage and got into the water in the hands of a experienced instructor. The second day it was my turn to repeat the whole procedure. What should I say, it was not an easy job for anybody, especially when I had my precious little boy in my hands. Since then we repeat the whole procedure with massage, swimming, going under the water for 4 seconds and few seconds under the cold water called acclimation every day.

Vince learns how to handle himself in the water. At first we helped him to hold his head with a pair of ribbons on the bonnet with five foam rubber blocks. The bonnet calls here " mermaid bonnet" ;)

Now he can float with three blocks himself! He moves through the whole jacuzzi ;)

Ohhh, going under the water is a hard job!

Mountains and shashlyk

2009-06-28T13:44:00.006+06:00

Yesterday we escaped to the mountains from the summer heat. 30 minuted from the city and you are in the peaceful chilly place. Here are some pics:

Somebody turned the party music on and ppl had fun dancing.

Dinner: Shubat ( dring made from camel milk), baursaki ( fried doughnuts) and shashlyk ( grilled lamb meat)

The happiest family It was quite chilly so Vincent got proper cloths

Internet and politics -- Livejournal banned in Kazakhstan

2009-06-23T09:42:00.011+06:00

For two weeks I have not been able access Livejournal website -- the biggest blogging platform in Russian. It turned out that LiveJournal has been banned in Kazakhstan since October last year, but I was among those 10% who still could have access to the platform.

At first there were no official information why Livejournal has been blocked, but the unofficial reason was said to be Rakhat Aliyev blog, ex son-in-law of the President Nursultan Nazarbaev. Rakhat Aliyev is a political opponent of Nazarbayev, lives in Austria and has been granted political asylum.

In May 2009 Kazakh authorities recognized that LifeJournal has been blocked due to political reasons and court decision to "stop spread of false information".

Some states still believe that deliberate political censorship is possible in Internet. There are two things they need to take into account:

-Information is accessible via different ways.

- The forbidden fruit is sweet.

Hot summer and fountains

2009-06-10T14:23:00.006+06:00

Summer in Almaty is really hot, it's better to take siesta or stay inside between 11.00 and 17.00. Average temperature of July is the same as on the islands of Sri Lanka or Kalimantan. Average temperature in January can be compared with north of Finland.

I like Almaty summer for two things ( so far):

1.For it's warm breezy summer nights with it's special smell. You can go out in t-shirt at night and don't bother to take a jacket with you.

2. For it's fountains. Perfect for dry and hot summers. There are 125 (!) fountains in the city (wikipedia knows everything). Again, I like fountains at night, especially those with floating lights. Here you see pictures of different quality but all of them are original without any Photo shop tricks.

DAY

NIGHT:CHANGE OF COLORS

Summer is here and we are back

2009-06-03T13:41:00.006+06:00

We are back after three weeks of joy, sleepless nights, long walks and intensive growth. Take a look how Vincent has changed:

With daddy (about 1 week old)

little-little legs

6 days old

6 weeks old (6 kilo)

Slingomama

2009-05-16T20:39:00.004+06:00

Wearing a sling and different kind of wraps is trendy here. I bought a sling and thought it was an easy thing to use. Well, after some failed attempts to put my baby in a comfortable position we both were exhausted and almost ready to give up. Luckily, there are so called "sling meets" for mums who use or want to use the sling and like us struggling with it.

Here you see some of the mums with there babies.Vince was the youngest participant among the babies, besides, he was eating when we took the pictures and his head is covered.

Russian "solyanka" under military sauce

2009-05-13T22:46:00.009+06:00

I was among those who didn't watch the Eurovision song contest first semifinal. It was enough to watch the video how the the host country promotes itself in the show. It was a wierd mix of t.A.T.u "Don't gonna get us" with Alexandrov Red Army Choir (!), drummers, kalinka-malinka, Roma and Cossack dance in front of pink tank and blue jet. Was it a joke? If not, what message is Russia trying to get through?

Well, Swedish Tingeling is actually more about truth then sterotypes. The whole idea was anticipated in the Tingeling video.

Anyways, military messages contradict the whole idea of Eurovision and I really hope Russia will make a great peaceful show at the final on Saturday.

The Great Canyon... in Kazakhstan

2009-05-11T22:07:00.008+06:00

Do you know that the Gran Colorado Canyon in the US has a real brother - The Great Charyn Canyon in Kazakhstan, 200 km far away from Almaty city? The place is also called Valley of the Castles.

Last weekend my husband and his colleagues made a trip to the canyon. Look at the scenery!

The trip took the whole day including walking up and down in the canyon area. We were considering going together with Vincent, but stayed away of this crazy idea taking a three-weeks old baby to a desert-like place.

Victory Day!

2009-05-09T22:28:00.006+06:00

While different countries have different versions of the World War II history, the sacrifice of the Soviet people in defeating fascism should never be forgotten. 64 years have passed, but May 9 or Victory Day is remembered and celebrated in Kazakhstan.

Yesterday we took a walk at the Panfilov Park, where the main festivities took place. Vincent were sleeping despite the live concert at high volume.

In front of the war memorial in remembrance those who died during the second world war, people laid flowers at the site of the Eternal Flame. Thousands of flowers! Another park, just behind the "spaceship" house we live in. The park is so well groomed that the police station is placed there. I love yellow tulips, suddenly it reminds me of "Yellow tulips/Желтые тюльпаны" song by Natasha Koroleva. It was my first summer camp, I was 13.

Breastfeeding is a life-style

2009-05-04T12:28:00.004+06:00

There are three reasons for breast-feeding:
the milk is always at the right temperature;
it comes in attractive containers;
and the cat can't get it.
Irena Chalmers

Having a baby makes your life different, I would say very different. Almost all time goes to breastfeeding Vincent. We are two employees with full-time and overtime job: Vince is responsible for eating and me for feeding him. He is always hungry my little boy, he also likes to combine sleeping and eating. In between I try to do some basic things such as taking a shower or grabbing some food for myself. No wonder there is almost no time for blogg update. I'll be back soon with some nice pictures.

Vincent Antonio's Grand Entrance!

2009-04-28T11:07:00.006+06:00

Our baby boy, Vincent Antonio, was born last Monday, April 20 at 16.49 at "Keruen-Medicus" maternity clinic in Almaty. He weighed 3700 gr and is 55 cm long.

Our delivery story is short -- the whole delivery took less then 2,5 hours.

As I wrote before, I was laid at to the maternity clinic for observation on Monday, the 20Th of April. We arrived to the clinic and I didn't know what to expect and how long I would stay there.

My husband R and I speculated that our baby wanted to be born under the Taurus sign since it was the last day of the Aries. At the mid-day we were sure there were no chance to be born the same day.

The nurse checked me at 14.30 and at the same moment waters had broken .Almost immediately I went into labor with a lot of pain, contractions were strong and came every second minute. R arrived and helped me with massage, I tried to remember the breathe technique and it helped a lot in the beginning. After one hour of unbearable pain, shaking knees and sweating I called for epidural. I was told that labor usually takes between 12 and 18 hours for first-time mom. Just thinking about pain for another 10 or more hours was impossible. I got epidural and had to wait for another 20 minutes until there were no pain. Not long after it was time to push. I couldn't believe it. After another 20 minutes our baby was born. The whole delivery took 2 hours and 20 minutes. Vincent made a fast entrance into this world under the Aries sign. It was amazing and unrealistic to feel his body at my stomach. R helped to cut the birth cord.The clinic staff were surprised that everything went so smooth without even tearing. Who said that a 29-year old women is too old to be a first-time mom?

Too old, too tall

2009-04-18T22:57:00.002+06:00

40 weeks and 4 days today. Yesterday I went to the clinic for a check control. Three doctors checked me up and concluded that there are two major reasons for my post-term pregnancy:
1.I'm too tall. So my hormone balance is somewhat out of balance.
2. I'm too old or rather old (29 years) to give birth for the first time

Both arguments are ridiculous since we know how many tall and much "older" women got their babies without any problems.

Anyhow I was told to grab my delivery bags and come to the maternity clinic on Monday for examinations and observations if not delivery itself. Usually women stay in the clinic 4-5 days after the delivery. Probably I won't be able update my blog in a week or so, but I'll be back!

Almaty is in the top of 50 most expensive cities

2009-04-16T20:14:00.008+06:00

A bit old news, but i thought it would be interesting for you to know.
Mercer Human Resources Consulting included Almaty in top of 50 most expensive cities worldwide. Even if Almaty has jumped from 30th place in 2007 to 44th in 2008, it's still more expensive than Toronto, Los Angeles or Hamburg.

Stockholm as not far away and occupies 31st place in 2008 (23d in 2007).Moscow is still the most expensive city for expatriates; Asunción in Paraguay is the cheapest.

I wasn't surprised about Almaty. Some things are really costly here, especially when it comes to foreign and luxury products and services.

Here you can see an advertisement for such food items as yogurt, milk, cheese, juices, sausages made in EU. "The best from Europe"-- magic words! All things made in EU are per se better in post-soviet eyes. In addition to all preservatives with triple E-numbers, you pay three times more than for local, to me much tastier food.

One rainy day

2009-04-16T08:19:00.003+06:00

Some pics from chilly and rainy Almaty... Spring is beautiful in any weather...

Expected date of birth yesterday and no baby yet...

2009-04-15T08:35:00.006+06:00

My delivery date passed yesterday. Now it's the final countdown backwards.I know that a normal pregnancy is 38-42 weeks and only 5 % of babies are born on their exact date of delivery. As a saying goes: "when the apple's ripe, it will fall". But it's hard to pass the date imprinted in your head and calender.

My husband once was kidding that Peruvian babies need more time to get color in the oven )) Let's see when it's ready...

Happy Easter! Glad Påsk!

2009-04-12T00:31:00.004+06:00

Happy Easter to everybody! Easter is celebrated in Kazakhstan by many Christians living in the country. Did you know that Kazakhstan is populated by 120 ethnic groups? The largest are Kazakhs (68%) and Russians (21%).

Orthodox Easter falls on the 19th of April, but you can already buy traditional Easter bread called "Paskha" or "Kulich". Actually Paskha is very similar to Panettone, Christmas bread popular in Italy and in Latin America. Each time we come to Peru during Christmas holidays, we eat Panettone with hot chocolate, mums. I like baking, but baking Paskha is too time-consuming ritual. Instead I've picked up a tasty, easy and healthy "Poppy cake" recipe made without flour. Here we go:

Ingredients:

200 g poppy seeds (vallmofrön/зерна мака)

200 g walnuts

200 g sugar

6 eggs

1 tsp vanilla sugar

50 g breadcrumbs (ströbröd/панировач сухари)

1. Blend poppy seeds and walnuts ti fine crumbs in the food processor. Mix with the breadcrumbs.

2. Wisp egg yolks with sugar.

3.Wisp egg whites separately with vanilla sugar.

4. Stir 1-2-3 (crumbs, egg yolks and egg whites)gently until blended . The mixture should be fluffy.

5. Put in the round form 26 sm. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the oven preheated to 200 C.

Enjoy! The cake baked yeasterday is already gone))))

Baby names-2: Top-10 in KZ

2009-04-09T22:13:00.007+06:00

Baby names is the topic of the day. In the latest issue of a local magazine"My child" I found top-ten baby names in Kazakhstan.

Kazakh female: Aruzjan, Tomiris, Zere, Aulim, Ajazjan, Aidana, Aiim, Aisulu, Simbat, Amina.

Russian female: Alina, Maria, Arina, Milena, Polina, Evelina, Diana, Anastasia, Kseniya, Darya.

Kazakh male: Meirzjan, Miras, Sanzjar, Il'yas, Tamerlan, Alisher, Alihan, Ramazan, Askar, Abilai

Russian male: Egor, Il'ya, David, Nikita, Daniil, Daniel, Maksim, Yaroslav, Emil, Dmitrii.

Baby names

2009-04-09T12:13:00.003+06:00

A man goes to the Birth Registration Office to register his newborn son.
The man behind the counter asks the name he wants to give to the boy, and the father replies, “Euro.”
The man says that such a name is not acceptable, because it’s a currency.
The man says: “What? There weren’t any objections when I called my first two sons Mark and Frank.”

A friend of ours proposed a special name to our baby I have to share with you.

Nursultan Sven-Olof Dormidont Joaquin

It goes really well with our international background ))))

Black & White

2009-04-08T20:09:00.011+06:00

Yesterday kazavida blog got a record number of hits 33. Usually it's not more that 10 hits per day. I don't know what can generate more interest, probably some of you want to know if a new member has arrived. I wish I knew too))

I still try to use my spare time effectively before the day D. After reading different books about newborn psychology and perception of colors I was inspired to make a "black&white mobile" (thing you hang over a baby bed). It has been a while I did smth similar but it was worth a try. On the last picture it's a cylinder filled with beans so it can also make some noise.

Why Black & White? The answer is simple, newborns can see only high-contrast black and white patterns. Large black and white colors present the highest possible contrast (100%) to the eye and thus captivate and hold baby's attention, encouraging visual development.

Let's see what our baby will say about it ))))

12 days left... I hope...

2009-04-02T20:22:00.005+06:00

Many people are wondering if I'm still pregnant. Yes, I am, as you can see on the picture. Seriously, I don't know if my belly will keep on growing for another 12 days. It's already on the edge of explosion. I can't really complain, all pregnancy period have been pure joy for me.

Some people are wondering how I spend all free days in Kazakhstan. As my friend said, it's great we have nine months to realize and get ready for parenthood. Just reading books how to take care of a newborn is time-consuming. Internet is still the worst time-killer for me so I force myself to go out for long walks. Training yoga is good both for body and soul

and I try to do it every day.

Few weeks ago I got obsessed with the idea to play piano after 15-year break (since I graduated from the music school). What a pregnant women wants... she gets. I've chosen keyboard, sounds and feels almost like piano plus hundreds of other functions, instruments sounds and possibility to create own music.

Green light for green city

2009-03-29T00:21:00.003+06:00

Have you voted Earth tonight by switching off the lights for one hour? R and I have voted by falling asleep at 19.00 without having dinner. Now it's 04.00 in the morning, I'm awake and hungry.

I also read discussion forums what people say about the Earth Hour initiative. The positive ones make lists for "what you can do in the darkness", for example to paint the body of your partner in the darkness and then to take pictures of the result.

Many are not so positive. Some parts of the city were left today without electricity due to the electricity failure during several hours. People from this parts went furious about their "involuntary" voting. Electricity failure is still a common practice here. I remember it was even a common practice in old Soviet times and even more in post-Soviet. I remember when the electricity was suddenly off during Christmas and New Year celebrations. I remember one winter when the whole heating system AND electricity was off during several weeks. We slept in the fur coats with bottles with warm water and made fire in the garden to cook food.

I like the city turns green and here are the very first leaves:

First tulips

Happy New Year!

2009-03-22T15:01:00.009+06:00

Happy New Year! Наурыз кутты болсын!
Today is the third day people in Kazakhstan celebrate New Year called Nauriz, the greatest Kazakh holiday throughout the year. It's nice not to go to work on Monday!

Nauriz is also celebrated in Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asia, the Caucasus and Turkey on the spring equinox on 21-23 of March.Since Nauriz’s central theme is renewal and joy hence is the tradition on the eve of Nauriz to thoroughly clean you house, return all your debts, forgive all offences and resentments and to make peace with all with whom you were at odds.

Particularly in Kazakhstan they cook a special dish -- Nauriz Kozje (yogurt soup) -- prepared from 7 ingridients , that symbolize 7 elements of life:water, meat, salt, fat/oil, flour, cereals and milk. We tried it for the first time and it was ok, R was not exited so I ate the whole bowl.

Festivities on the main square, +20 degrees

Traditional sweets are very popular. Easy to put on some extra kilos after three days...

Me and my balloons... It was hard to find a parking place, but the police was implacableKazakh national carpets made from felt (войлок)

Felt brooch I bought at the festival:

Non-boring weather

2009-03-20T11:34:00.004+06:00

Don't knock the weather;
nine-tenths of the people couldn't start
a conversation if it didn't change once in a while.
Kin Hubbard

Almaty three days ago, sunny, warm and outdoor seating, + 21 C.

Almaty yesterday, lots of snow, cold and refreshing, + 3-5 C.

Russia through Swedish eyes

2009-03-18T12:20:00.004+06:00

This doesn't have anything to do with Kazakhstan, but I can't stop myself from commenting on the Eurovision song contest finals in Sweden.

Living abroad, I got used to the same old image of Russia based on stereotypes.
Russian gangsters, mafia, vodka, bear, matreshka (also called babushka), balalajka, girls in tight cloths, Russian dance just to name a few. All these things were ingredients in the comedy sketch about Russia during the Swedish contest. The sketch called "Tingeling" is a catchy mix of techno music with Russian military chorus and folk songs. The song got even reactions to make "Tingeling"Sweden's entry to the Eurovision contest in Moscow.

To me it's fine to make fun of stereotypes in the ironical way about both Sweden and Russia in this particular song. But I think it went too long making fun of Stalin in the context of satire. Stalin is not about fun. Among not so many real Russian words you can hear: "Na zdorovje, Stalin!", "Na zdorovje, Lenin!", "Do svidanya, Putin!" ("Cheers, Stalin!", "Cheers, Lenin!", "Bye-bye Putin!").

Yoga for moms-to-be

2009-03-13T21:59:00.006+06:00

I didn't like yoga at all when I tried it for the first time in 2002. It was too slow, too boring and too cold. Today I'm addicted to yoga.

These are the girls including me from yoga classes for moms-to-be . Since almost all pregnant women in KZ take paid maternity leave 70 days before the delivery date, we have enough time to stay after the classes and talk about pregnancy in hours. Fabulous and pregnant!

Panfilov Park

2009-03-10T20:48:00.003+06:00

Located right in the middle of the city Panfilov Park attracts all kind of people and animals. You can also see lots of couples kissing on the benches. My role as paparazzi is useless, I don't dare to disturb their privacy by taking pictures.

Women in politics with many children

2009-03-07T16:30:00.005+06:00

How contradictory can be two statements made by the same president in the same speech?

Nursultan Nazarbayev talked about gender equality and role of women in business, politics and public life:

"We need to foster women's business activity...Kazakhstan women should participate in the political and public life of the country. In Kazakhstan over last five years the number of women among Parliament and Maslikhat deputies has not changed. Today they make only 17%. The number of women who hold executive positions in central authorities does not increase. Our country has plenty of leaders among women and they succeed. Employers must encourage women in building up their career."

At the same time he says that women should "take care of well-being of the family"( how would you say "хранительницы очага"?) and have many children.

"Families with many children should constitute the norm of a successful family, just as it was “at all times in all nations”".

Nonsense.

Мы должны и дальше расширять возможности женщин активно участвовать в политической и общественной жизни. В то же время в Казахстане за пять последних лет практически не изменилось количество женщин-депутатов в маслихатах и в Парламенте. Сегодня их доля составляет всего около 17%. Не увеличивается численность женщин, занимающих руководящие должности в центральных государственных органах и акиматах. В нашей стране достаточно женщин-лидеров. И они успешно справляются с поставленными перед ними задачами.Руководители должны смелее продвигать женщин по карьерной лестнице, способствовать тому, чтобы женщины реализовали себя как профессионалы.
***
Считаю, что нормой преуспевающей семьи должна быть многодетность. Так и было испокон веков у всех народов.Богатство человека измерялось наличием детей.

Another restaurant experience

2009-03-03T21:24:00.002+06:00

Did you hear about the new restaurant on the moon?
Great food but no atmosphere.

"Alasha", an Uzbek restaurant, has be chosen by the public as the best restaurant in Almaty according to TimeOut Almaty. So we decided to test this place to celebrate R birthday there.

The entrance looked quite impressive reminding of famous palaces in Samarkand or Bukhara. We saw more foreigners than locals inside, the waiters were dressed in traditional Uzbek way, the service was good, live band played at a reasonable sound level so we could here each other.

The entertainment programme introduced different styles of traditional dance as you see on the pictures. The restaurant have a couple of traditional dresses for guests to put on and it's very well used by foreign guests. The only thing we were not satisfied with was the food. If you would like to have a dinner in a nice atmosphere, "Alasha" is a good choice. If you want to enjoy good food, it's better try other places.

What annoyes me most

2009-03-03T11:30:00.005+06:00

Spitting on the streets! If you don't watch your step, you might step on one of the loogies.

I know it is not just exclusive to Kazakhstan, but i bet Kazakhstan can win a championship in spitting. It is smth only men do, probably it's their way to mark the territory similar to dogs. Do you have any idea what other reasons can be?

I think spitting is disgusting and rude. It's also dangerous for health in terms of disease transmission. Tuberculosis is still a problem in Kazakhstan and it can be transmitted by spitting.
People, if you don't spit on your health, quit spitting on the ground! You are not camels, aren't you?

Ballroom dance competition

2009-02-26T12:07:00.008+06:00

"Love Story" was the name of the ballroom dance competition that took place in Almaty last weekend. We went to see the final show but the competition took four hours in the evening and we were already tired to stay for the show. Four hours were more then enough to enjoy waltz, tango, chacha, rumba paso doble etc. Here come some snapshots:

The moves)

Glimpses of Almaty

2009-02-20T20:20:00.011+06:00

One sunny day I took a picture of the the Ascension Cathedral. It is said to be the second tallest wooden building in the world (54m).

Entrance to the Uzbek restaurant "Kishlak". Good food and entertainment programme.

Arasan Baths with three types of bath : Russian, Finnish and Turkish. We have to go there one day. The birch beating and massage in the Russian sauna are very popular.

Twin Towers of Almaty.

Karaoke Bar "ZAPOI". Well, if you understand Russian, you get the double meaning ;)

What Sweden and Kazakhstan have in common?

2009-02-19T20:25:00.007+06:00

Answer: Blue and yellow flag colors.

The Kazakh flag was adopted right after the independence in 1992. The Swedish flag is believed from 1442, exactly 550 years older.

Cultural life in Almaty

2009-02-18T22:11:00.005+06:00

R and I have set record for theater and opera visits in Almaty. Each week we go to new performances and enjoy our cultural life make-over. On the other hand we don't have many options for other kinds of social activities. There are almost no restaurants, pubs or other public places with non-smoke area. The sound level in the cinema is very high and I feel that my baby doesn't appreciate it.

Actually, it's cheaper to go to the 2,5-hour performance in the Drama Theater or 3-hour opera then to go to the cinema. It's still communist prices -- 5-10 dollars for a ticket to the theater. And as you see, the closest theater of opera and ballet (the yellow building behind the blue one) is just across the street from us:

Hearts and roses for breakfast

2009-02-14T23:19:00.005+06:00

That's what my dear R got for breakfast today. These sausage hearts takes just few minutes to make. That's why you can make it every day for your beloved, friends and why not for yourself.

You need to split a sausage in two parts leaving one end unsplit. Then you connect two spare ends together by a toothpick. Now you can fry eggs in the sausage. I took quail eggs, three for each sausage and some green paprika. Garnish with dill and leek ( green onion).
That's what I got from my dear R. He knows I like flowers ;)

Schtraffmen and parking

2009-02-13T21:38:00.007+06:00

"You know, somebody actually complimented
me on my driving today.
They left a little note on the windscreen,
it said 'Parking Fine.' So that was nice.

If you are looking for parking lots in Almaty, don't waste your time. You can park wherever you are able to put your car. Parking on the pavements is also ok, as you see. Just be careful, your safety is not guaranteed.
On the other side you see Almaty traffic police, called informally "schtraffmen" among expats.

Later I will tell you why, it's a separate topic for discussion.

Spring is in the air

2009-02-10T22:45:00.002+06:00

It smells spring in Almaty!Probably too early, but you can already find the first sign of spring --SNOWDROPS! Look at my pretty bouquet of snowdrops. I took two pictures on white and black background. I like both )

Saturday walk among wedding couples

2009-02-09T10:05:00.007+06:00

You you take a walk in Almaty biggest parks and squares on Fridays or Saturdays you won't miss a caravan of wedding couples taking pictures and leaving flowers at historical sites. Here are some pictures from the Saturday walk in the Panfilov park of 28 heroes.

In 20 minutes we have seen 8 wedding couples. Can you see three of them?

The necessary part of the wedding ceremony in all post-soviet countries is a wedding train of several cars. Usually the couple rent limos (hummer limousines are very popular, the more the better ;)) for a tour around the city sights with the guests. The cars are decorated with ribbons and flowers.

In Almaty the couples lay flowers at the so-called "eternal fire" place in memory of people who died in the World War II.

Even if there are some couples who live together without being married it is not always accepted by the society, especially of they have children. So the average age of getting married in Kazakhstan is 24 for women and 26 for men.

The traditional Kazakh marriage usually takes three days with lots of different rites. There are three important aspects: marriage is forbidden to any couple related over the past seven generations. In addition, the male should be older than the female. Finally, the nomadic tradition of stealing a bride is still practiced, although rarely, by some Kazakhs.

The Snow Queen

There is no way back ;)

How Kazakh people became poorer in one day

2009-02-04T21:43:00.006+06:00

Yesterday the National Bank of Kazakhstan devaluated the tenge by 25% from 120 to 150 tenge to the dollar. Officially. On the black market there were crazy rates up to 180 tenge to one dollar. One might think that it was a predictable trend and that Kazakhstan would sooner or later follow the devaluation of the Russian ruble. Yes, the story is very similar to Russia but way too extreme. In Russia the devaluation went gradually but in Kazakhstan everything was done by one step creating enormous panic...

An interesting fact, that just a couple of weeks ago, Minister of Economy and Budget Planning Bakhyt Sultanov had promised that the tenge would be devalued by less than 10% in 2009.

Personally I had a déjà vu from the Soviet times when I saw the empty shelves in the grocery store. The grocery store didn't sell some products, they simply took away them. Another big supermarket, opened 24 hours was literally invaded and people bought everything to spend their tenges before the prices went up. The stores selling electronics and electrical goods suddenly closed for a " re-calculation".

It was said, by the Kazakh officials, that the devaluation was necessary to boost the national economy and "support the local producers" and that the prices for the local products won't go up. The biggest lie ever:

1. The goods produced in Kazakhstan are marginal, most of the goods are imported.

2. The goods produced in Kazakhstan are made from and depend on the imported commodities.

3. The prices have already gone up.

Most of the people who get their salaries and pensions in tenge are 25% poorer today. The biggest losers are ordinary people, as usual.

30 weeks!

2009-02-03T10:49:00.006+06:00

Here I'm 30 weeks pregnant, 10 more to go! I seems I've been pregnant forever at this point.
It is really funny watching the belly moves, kind of belly dancing from inside. Sometimes I see a hard round lump sticking out, I guess my baby demonstrates his bottom to me ;)))

This is my message to all pregnant women: Be proud!

Sushi school

2009-02-01T16:50:00.011+06:00

If you are looking for McDonald's in Almaty, you won't find a single, in fact, none in the Central Asian republics. And I don't care when some people measure development level of the country by the availability of McDonald's fast food restaurants. Should we measure development at the expense of people's health?

There are healthier fast food alternatives and for me its sushi. Today this simple Japanese meal is conquering the world and Kazakhstan is not an exception. There is even a sushi school in Almaty. I couldn't miss the opportunity to take a lesson in making sushi! Here are some pictures from yesterday:

Sushi school

The first rollsHere you see how to make Philadelphia rolls. You wrap cream cheese and cucumber in rice, the upside-down technique. Then you wrap the roll into tiny spices of salmon with help of the plastic wrapPhiladelphia roll wrapped in the plastic wrap. Cut the slices with the wrap on, then take off the plastic. Invented in Russia, Philadelphia roll is the most popular sushi type here in Almaty.Sushi made by me ;)

Aren't they beautiful?

Philadelphia roll, nigiri sushi and karai unagi ( eel spicy sushi)

After sushi we learned how to make salad Syake-Sarada, fried rice with vegetables and chicken teriyaki. Here is the salad:

How to make money in Kazakhstan or The Kings are naked

2009-01-26T15:25:00.008+06:00

Yesterday I nearly bought two tickets to the Gipsy Kings concert. As you see on the picture, the famous band is coming to Almaty. Gypsy Kings and Manolo. Wait, who is Manolo? Never heard of him... Whatever, I thought to dance to the original "Bamboleo" anyway...

On the local forum I read that these guys are not the REAL Gipsy Kings!
I called the organizers of the concert and they tried to convince me that the real Gipsy Kings will come to Almaty! The ticket prices were between 45 and 210 USD and it made me almost believe them!

The official website of the band does not say a word about their tour to Almaty and they will be performing in Orlando instead. I read also that so -called "Gipsy Kings and Manolo" are fake and it is not the first time they posing as Gipsy Kings. Who knows, maybe next time we will have a chance to see and hear Elvis Presley live ;) Nothing is impossible in Kazakhstan!

The Green Bazaar has everything!

2009-01-24T23:54:00.007+06:00

The central market, known as the Green Bazaar and "зеленка" in Russian, located in the center of the city is a must if you are in Almaty for a visit.

For those who are from Stockholm, it looks like a huge Hötorgetshallen with negotiable prices and wild atmosphere. Here you can find everything: traditional eastern spices, mobile phones, gold, sushi rolls, pirate DVDs etc.

The Central Asian market is nothing without dried fruits and nuts.
This is a guy from Tajikistan selling dried fruits. Yesterday he told me what raisins are best for plov. I get really good advice for cooking here.

There is even a sex shop and the entrance fee is 50 tenge ( about 0,4 USD) ;)

Diagnosis -- pregnant

2009-01-22T20:11:00.005+06:00

Last two days I spent in the clinic doing lots of testing and visiting all kind of doctors for my pregnancy check. I have dual experience of being pregnant in Sweden and in Kazakhstan and the approaches to pregnant women are veeeeery different. In Sweden I was just pregnant, in Almaty I have a diagnosis.

This is my little pregnancy journal with different notes and stamps:
We have chosen a private clinic in Almaty having quite good conditions and some smiling doctors. After signing a contract I was told to do a complete medical examination. So here is the list of examinations and doctors:

1. Blood test for everything, even for my testosterone level. In Almaty mandatory HIV- testing is done twice during the pregnancy.
2. Ultrasound of thyroid ( Щитовид железа), kidneys and abdominal cavity
3. Gynecologist
4. Endocrinologist
5. Oculist
6.Therapist
7.Otolaryngologist
8. Dentist
9. Surgeon (!)
10. Neurologist

It still puzzles me why I should to be checked by the oculist during my pregnancy...

Usually you go to different clinics to do all these checks, but I was lucky they had everything in one building. Still I had to wait among other pregnant women and kids for my turn to every doctor.

In contrast to Sweden where the doctor meets you outside the door ( usually all visits are pre-booked) shakes your hand and presents yourself, here you enter the room where the doctor in white rock sits behind a robust table making notes in his/her journal, looking at you above the glasses the way you feel sicker then ever before. Everybody has a computer at their table, but all notes were made by hand in the journals. Even in good clinics there are these left-overs from the Soviet time.

Well, some of the doctors were really talkative, making funny, often unnecessary comments. The oculist told me that my hip size was perfect for giving birth, but my face was swollen and need more rest. Then she took my bag and said that it was too heavy for me... Then she measured my blood pressure... Finally she said that my sight was good.

From now on I will visit my doctor every week for a control check. She also left me her personal mobile phone number and said I can call her any time of the day and night. I hope I won't need to call her at night, but it feels good to have her number in case of emergency.

Nomad/Кочевник

2009-01-19T21:49:00.004+06:00

I have seen another famous movie about Kazakhstan... no, not "Borat II". The movie is called "Nomad" or "Кочевник" (2007), historical epic about the great Kazakh leader Ablai Khan who defended Kazakh people from invaders in 18th century. The government of Kazakhstan has invested 40 million $ in the movie production making it the most expensive Kazakh movie ever made.

Well, I liked the nomadic scenery and the costumes but the rest... the acting is poor, the plot is boring, naive and somewhat pathetic. Hold on, the movie starts with the title "by order of the President of Kazakhstan" and ends with the presidents patriotic speech. Let's imagine any other president do that.

Most of all I wonder why the main characters are played by white guys who do not look like Kazakh at all. Ok, if it would be a 100% Hollywood production, but the movie is made by a Kazakh-Russian-American production team and directors Ivan Passer, Sergei Bodrov and Talgat Temenov. Anyway better then "Borat" being produced in Romania.

Felices Bodas de Oro!

2009-01-18T21:19:00.007+06:00

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be.
Robert Browning

Yesterday was a very special day. It was the Golden (50th) Wedding Anniversary of my parents-in-law who live in Lima, Peru.

Imagine spending half a century in love with one person! It is very true about my parents-in -law. It is enough to look at them to see they are in love. I hope I can publish some nice pics of them later, so you will see what I mean.

When I asked what the secret of their eternal love was, they answered with one word: Patience. So simple but not easy at all. R and I have smth to practice upon.

We wish we were together with "la familia" at the ceremony to share lots of nostalgic moments.

Smoothie to keep the doctor away!

2009-01-15T23:56:00.005+06:00

Each morning I make kind of smoothie and believe it or not, it keeps me healthy during influenza-time. Being pregnant I 'm especially proned to some unpleasant winter diseases. So here is my variant of a breakfast smoothie:

150-200 ml Kefir or Plain Yogurt
One big slice of pineapple (to set the flavor)
2 dried plums
1 dried apricot
1 piece of fresh beetroot
1 piece of pumpkin
1 little slice of fresh ginger
1 spoon of dried goji berries ( bought in Sweden, haven't seen them in Almaty)
3-4 hazelnuts
1-2 drops of sea buck thorn oil (havtornsolja/облепих масло)

Blend everything until smooth and drink for breakfast. Sometimes I put frozen berries ( blackcurrants, raspberries, or strawberries) instead of pineapple.
If you want your smoothie to keep your energy level high during longer time, add 1 scoop of whey protein powder.

Hot weather forecast for cold winter

2009-01-15T23:21:00.003+06:00

This is how the weather forecast looks in Kazakhstan on a special channel called MUZ-TV, kind of prototype of MTV. Girls in bikini probably keep their ratings high, I don't know. The only thing I can think about while watching this is to leave Kazakhstan for some warm place.

This girl concluded the winter forecast: "Just look at me and it will warm you up"...

Chak-chak

2009-01-12T21:55:00.006+06:00

If you don't know what chak-chak is -- you better taste it once. It disappeared at once when I made it for my farewell party in Stockholm in December. Once you get one bite, you cannot stop, yummy! The only thing that stops me make it often is its total unhealthy nature. Now you will know why, here comes the recipe:

Ingredients:
Dough:
5 eggs
2 teaspoons brandy
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups or 8 dl flour ( approx)
Syrup:
650 g honey
1 cup or 2 dl sugar

Vegetable oil for frying
Walnuts ( optional)

Break fresh eggs into a bowl, add brandy, salt, flour and make soft dough. Divide dough into pieces each about 100 gramme, roll them out about 0,2 cm thick. Cut slim stripes, spaghetti-type. I used James Oliver pasta machine to make very thin pasta. Fry pasta in vegetable oil. Don't go away, pasta takes few moments to be ready.

Mix honey with sugar and boil the mixture in a separate bowl until all sugar dissolves. Pour still boiling mixture into the dough, put some walnuts and mix everything. Shape chak-chak as you wish, it can be a pyramid, a cone, a star. Use cold water to wet your hands so you won't get burn and and the mixture won't stick to your hands. you can also decorate chak-chak with dried fruits. Chak-chak is ready to eat when it cools down, usually takes 3-4 hours. Enjoy!

Originally, chak-chak comes from Tatar cuisine made from small dough balls.

High heels everytime, everywhere

2009-01-11T21:31:00.004+06:00

How tall am I?
Honey, with hair, heels and attitude I'm through this damned roof.
Drag Queen RuPaul

Even when I put my super comfortable, definitely not so sophisticated Ecco-shoes, I feel insecure to walk in Almaty. First of all, some pedestrian sides are uneven and covered with pure ice. Secondly, most of the entrances to the public places are made of polished marble which makes it incredibly slippery when covered with snow. Thirdly, you have to be able to run from all crazy drivers who sometimes drive on the pedestrian side or don't bother to wait on the crossings.

Most of all I admire Kazakh girls and women who wear heels with incredible skill on uneven surfaces and ice. They manage to wear really high ( at least 10 cm) heels every day, basically all the time, not only on formal occasions. Personally, I love high heels with my 178 cm height, but I think I won't risk my unbroken bones during the Kazakh winter.

BTW, I've heard on the local TV today that the main goal of any woman is to attract men... Hmm. I hope that high heels in Kazakhstan are matter of personal choice and attitude, not just another, pretty uncomfortable tool of male attraction.

What to drink in Kazakhstan?

2009-01-09T15:23:00.009+06:00

Needless to say that Borat has set Kazakhstan on the world map at least for Americans.

I wonder if people believe that Kazakhs drink horse urine...

R almost believed Borat when I brought a bottle with some suspicious liquid in it. You can see it on the picture to the right.

So, what do you think? Actually, I love this drink, it is very very healthy, made from wheat, rye and corn crops fermented naturally according to the ancient recipe. The taste reminds a little of beer or slightly Russian kvas ( svagdricka fast inte så sött). Excellent source of vitamins and minerals. We used to drink it in Bishkek during hot summer days.

Big bottle in the middle is kind of feremented sour milk drink, very good one too.

Traditionally, Kazakh drink Kumis, alcoholic fermented mare's milk. I'm not so fond of it, but you can also find different types of kumis in the store:

Here you can find good selection of Georgian and Moldavian wines, smth you cannot legally buy in Russia for example. Lucky you, but I will skip the wine for a while ;)

Kok Tobe

2009-01-08T21:39:00.006+06:00

Curiosity is the best guide

Today I took a short trip to the Kok Tobe mountain. The mountain is connected to downtown Almaty by an aerial tramway. In 10 minutes it takes you to the top of the mountain. It also shows you how polluted the city is. On the picture you can see the skyline divided by grey and blue zones.
The Kok Tobe mountain is a typical tourist place with number of restaurants serving all from national dishes to pizza and burgers. There are also art galleries, a mini-zoo, amusement activities and souvenir shops. Most of the places were closed but I enjoyed being in the park almost alone.

You can also find ... a bronze statue of the Beatles surrounded by the speakers playing the Beatles music. Some fans of the Beatles raised some money to get the statue up on the Kok Tobe. Sorry, I just don't see any connection between the mountain, Almaty and the Beatles.

Merry Crisis?

2009-01-07T22:14:00.007+06:00

Kazakhstan has been called the emerging " Dubai of Central Asia". It has gained entry into the exclusive club of the world’s ten largest exporters of crude oil, and caught up to the living standards of Central European countries...Oil and metal make up about 90% of all Kazakh export. Good time with high oil prices seems to be over.

I hope the crisis will in the end serve as an incentive to change the Kazakh economy from the raw-materials oriented to more diversified, lead to less consumption of luxury goods and promote investments into the social sector. Personally I hope there will be less and smaller cars to mitigate air pollution.

"Anti-crisis offer from the Hungarian Chef". The restaurant branch in Almaty adapts quickly to the new conditions.

Day and night from my window

2009-01-07T15:29:00.002+06:00

As I wrote before, we live on the 11th floor and this is the view from my window. I wonder how it looks like from the highest 22nd floor.

In reality is looks facsinating, especially at night. I have to be better in taking night pictures, leave me some space for improvement.

The Television tower you see in the background is 370 m high and the highest one above see level (1000 m). Since Almaty is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes , the TV tower was designed to withstand earthquakes up to a strength of 10 on the Richter scale. I've heard that the tower is a popular look-out area over the city. We have to go there and take some nice pics!

Food diversity in Kazakhstan

2009-01-06T10:25:00.012+06:00

- Waiter, why your napkins are greasy?
- I have no idea why you use the pancakes to clean your face

It is simply impossible to stay hungry here. This delicious plov we can buy at any time ( for 24 hours) just around the corner of our house ! As you see plov is traditionally cooked in a deep metal kettle known as a "kazan". Originally plov is a national dish of Uzbekistan, but here in Central Asia you can really find a fusion of Uzbek, Uigur, Russian, Tatar, Korean dishes. Kazakhstan's food is a reflection of a unique ethnic and religious composition. With people of more than 100 ethnic groups one can only imagine a wide variety of cuisine art and cultural rituals.
So, let's see what they have next to plov. It is Russian bliny or pancakes -- really good ones. The women makes thousands of pancakes every day non-stop and amazingly they are all sold out. There is also Uigur manti cooked in a huge steam-cooker. Korean spicy salads are sold next to the stand in the shop. So, just two pictures show you the diversity of Central Asian food that i missed so much.

To conclude a food joke in Russian:

Кухни народов мира

Украинская: в качестве начинки для торта возьмите две свиных отбивных и сальные шкварки.

Русская: приготовьте что угодно, лишь бы получилась закусь. Залейте майонезом. Грузинская: приготовьте что-нибудь, засыпьте кинзой, залейте кинзмараули, добавьте сулугуни.

Французская: как-нибудь поджарьте мясо, залейте его соусом, с которым вы напарились 3, 5 часа, украсьте шалотом.

Итальянская: соберите все остатки еды из холодильника, разогрейте, посыпьте моцареллой. Подавать на блине или с макаронами.

Китайская: соберите умерших мух и тараканов, нарвите травы во дворе, обжарьте на быстром огне с горой специй и литром соевого соуса.

Японская: поймайте что-нибудь живое в море, немедленно разделайте на куски, подайте к столу трепещущим и с васаби.

Мексиканская: добавьте перца. Все остальное можете не добавлять.

Ливанская: намазать кунжутным маслом, залить лимонным соком. Подать к столу через 20 минут, чтобы не все поняли, что там было в начале.

Индийская: смешайте карри с перцем, перцем и перцем. Добавьте к карри. Украсьте горошком.

Греческая: подайте к столу дешевые продукты, просто нарубленные кусками и даже не смешанные. Гордо повторяйте: "Натур продукт!"

Twilight in Almaty

2009-01-05T11:10:00.000+06:00

Here are some pics from yesterday

Almaty has its own Eiffel Tower, located in front of the so-called " French House" where they sell perfume.

After 100 days I can be a mom to a little boy!

2009-01-04T16:18:00.000+06:00

Q. Should I have a baby after 38?
A. No, 38 children is enough.

Today I have 100 pregnancy days left! The belly is keep on growing and I wonder where it will stop ;)

We did ultrasound last week and it is a boy! I met so many people who tried to predict the sex of the baby... It's amazing that most of them were 100% sure it was a girl. Even if there is 50% chance to guess right, I wonder how some people can really be sure.

I did also an online test to define the sex of the baby by your apperance and cravings. The test gave me the following result:

You have a 50% chance of having a boy. And you have a 50% chance of having a girl.

And Here's Why...

You are carrying the extra weight out front, so it's a boy.
The hair on your legs is not growing any faster during your pregnancy, so it's a girl.
Girls are carried high. You are going to have a girl.
Sleeping in a bed with your pillow to the north indicates that you will be having a boy.
Your feet are not colder than they were before pregnancy. You are having a girl.
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread. You are having a girl.
Dad-to-be hasn't been gaining weight along with Mom-to-be, so it will be a girl.
The maternal grandmother doesn't have gray hair (dyed or natural), so a girl will be born.
You had morning sickness early in pregnancy, so you are expecting a girl.
You are looking particularly good during pregnancy. Therefore, it must be a boy, because girls steal their mother's looks.
Since the sum of the mother's age at conception and the number of the month of conception is even, it will be a boy.
A needle on a thread held over your belly moves in circles, so you will have a boy.
Your urine is a bright neon yellow color, so you will have a boy.
You have a craving for salty or sour foods, which means that it is a boy.
Your nose hasn't changed during pregnancy, which indicates a girl.
You have been craving fruits, so it is a girl.
Your baby's heart rate is below 140 beats per minute, so it's a boy.
You must have orange juice every day, so it's a girl.
You are having headaches, so it's a boy.
Your belly looks like a basketball, so it's a boy.
You show them the palm of your hand, so it's a girl.
You use the handle, so it's a boy.
http://www.childbirth.org/articles/boyorgirl.html

Another trip to the mountains or how to escape the pollution

2009-01-03T23:08:00.000+06:00

Турист обращается к сидящему у сарая местному жителю:

- Любезный, не подскажете ли, как мне побыстрее попасть вон на ту гору?

Житель задумчиво посмотрел сначала на туриста, затем на гору и отвечает:

- Хотите, я собак отвяжу?

Today we went to the Butakovka Gorge ( Урочище Бутаковка), a scenic place famous for its waterfall, located at 1860 meters.

We didn't reach the waterfall. After 40 min walking uphills we were more then exhausted.

We did enjoyed the surroundings and fresh air. If you don't want your lungs turn black, you have to leave the city for a while. First I thought it was fog covering the city, located BTW in the valley... Now every time I look out of the window, I see the smog obscuring the Almaty skyline. Considering the number of cars in the city it is not strange at all. Won't Almaty need to start dealing with it?

This is the apartment we live in

2009-01-03T21:15:00.000+06:00

I felt in love with this apartment from the first site. It's spacious, modern, has floor heating system and three bathrooms. I like the minimalistic style, few furniture items and things. I just wonder where I put all our stuff that will soon arrive from Sweden.

"The jacuzzi" -- really big one with DVD and a bucket for champagne. Imagine the amount of water to fill it up. I think that's why we haven't used it yet.

Here is the entrance into our apartment-house guarded 24 hours

Skating in the shopping mall?

2009-01-03T20:18:00.000+06:00

In Almaty you can go to the shopping malls instead of museums. First of all it's entertaining, secondly most of them are open at least untill 22.00 and you can find shopping centres of different styles and sizes with some extra stuff, like... skating. Good idea to make your partner and kids busy while shopping ;)

This is the house we live in

2009-01-03T00:51:00.000+06:00

We live in the apartment-house called "Stolichnii Zentr" in the city center on the 11th floor. The house was built in 2005 and has lots of facilities that I haven't explored yet. The view over the city and mountains is magnificent when it's clear weather. So far it has been foggy and I hope for the better weather!

Лучше гор могут быть только горы

2009-01-02T17:44:00.000+06:00

"There is one thing that's better than mountains

And it's mountains that we haven't climbed."

Vladimir Vysotsky

Russian poet, actor and singer.

Today we went to the mountains to take a dose of fresh air and a huge portion of sun.

Almaty is located at the foot of Tien Shan Mountains and it took us 30 minutes by car to get the the ski-resort called "Chimbulak" (2300 m above the sea). Now i get why people drive big cars here, mostly jeeps. It is much easier to drive jeep to the mountains. R went to ski and I took a long walk in the mountains. You have to be there to feel the magic of this beautiful place. I wouldn't mind to have a "dacha" there. Here come some pictures from the today trip.

Camels

2009-01-01T23:23:00.001+06:00

The first cultural insight: camels do exist in Kazakhstan, even when it's minus 10 C. I took a picture of the camel just behind the corner of our house. Although if this camel is not a real one, there are 1,5 billion camels in the steppes of Kazahstan and Mongolia.

Welcome to Almaty!

2009-01-01T21:50:00.000+06:00

Here comes my very first report from Almaty! So far I do it in English but some posts can pop up in Swedish, Russian or Spanish ( if my dear R gets inspired to write smth in Spanish). Let's see if it works.

OK, to the point. Almaty met me with lots of snow and nice decorations all over the city for the New Year celebration. BTW, Almaty literally means "Father - Apple" or "rich in apples".