Before we came to live here Astana was just a name on a map –
a remote capital under the achingly beautiful blue sky in the middle of the endless Central Asian Steppe. Remote Astana may be but it is also vibrant,
modern and beautiful.
As part of the Piri-Piri Lexicon 'show me around your neighbourhood' world tour I am writing about our daily life in Astana.
Astana is the second coldest capital in the world – the temperature drops below freezing in November
and the city is frozen until March.
Temperatures of between -20 and -32 Celsius are common and it is not
unknown for the temperature to drop below -45.
Add the windchill factor from the fierce, ceaseless northern winds and
the actual temperature is enough to freeze the car exhaust fumes as the cars
drive.
Astana is, however a dichotomy, a city of opposites. While our winters may be brutal we bask in a
beautifully warm summer. Once the
temperature warms up the flower beds bloom in a profusion of colours and walks
in the park become heady with their scent.
Fountains are all over the place, providing a cooling respite from a
walk through the city.
Beautiful, fragrant flower beds are laid out in tengrist
(ancient religious) patterns.
|
Getting around can be a challenge, particularly in the winter when the temperature drops. Public Buses are frequent and warm but the wait can be cold. Most people prefer to hitch-hike with a gypsy cab - a great way to practice Russian and Kazakh skills. We bit the bullet and bought our own car which makes life much easier.
Any car can become a cab - just stick your hand out and wait for someone to stop. Rides cost about $2. |
Our children go to British Independent school Haileybury Astana here in Kazakhstan and there are several other international schools including an American School and a Turkish School. Local schools are found throughout the city and pupils are educated from the age of 7. The Schools tend to be large, low buildings designed around functionality for the extreme weather. Local schools will close if the weather gets too bad - this is to make sure that children (who often walk to school) are not out in very cold weather. The temperature at which children must stay at home varies depending on age.
Shopping in Astana can be has high end or as low end as you wish - all the prestigious malls have supermarkets and they make for an easy one stop shop, particularly for dry ingredients. Supermarkets, however high end, are not, however, the best place to find fresh ingredients, particularly vegetables. When I need to buy fresh produce I tend to visit one of the covered bazaars in the old (right bank) part of town. My particular favourite place is Artyum a five floor emporium. The ground floor has a good selection of stalls selling fresh fruit and vegetables, dried fruit, pulses and spices. The shops on the upper floors sell everything from household equipment to sporting goods, coats to lingerie and dogfood to furniture.
Stall holders in Artyum display their wares. |
Produce is always artfully displayed. |
Astana is being built before our eyes – go away for a month
and construction will have started on a new building. The right bank of the
River Ishim comprises the original town but the left bank is the bustling
centre of the new metropolis. Wide
boulevards are lined with prestigious apartment complexes and statement
architecture.
New buildings spring up every few months –
the ‘Death Star’ is to be the new National Library. |
Typical apartment buildings as seen from the Baiterek. School 66, a local high school, is seen in the mid distance. |
A typical summer entertainment complex in a park - electric cars are very popular and can be hired for five minutes at a time. |
Even in the winter intrepid children can be seen climbing and swinging on the equipment or building a small ice slide but the cold is too intense to stay out for very long. For this reason covered playgrounds are very common and the malls will give over a large amount of space to indoor entertainment complexes. One mall has a climbing wall and arcade, the Khan Shatyr has an animatronic dinosaur park, a monorail and a log flume not to mention dodgems and many smaller rides. It also has an indoor beach complete with water slides and a beach volleyball court.
Astana's indoor beach at the top of the Khan Shatyr we can relax by the beach even in a -40 blizzard. |
The climbing wall is a popular attraction at one of the malls. |
Astana is a very young city with a high birth rate - almost all malls will have a toddler friendly soft play where children can let off steam over the winter. |
The main boulevard on the left bank runs from West to East. The centre of the boulevard is a pedestrianized garden walkway allowing people to promenade from the Khan Shatyr (a Norman Foster
designed gigantic tent containing a shopping centre, amusement park, beach
complex and restaurants) all the way down to the Ak Orda – the Kazakh White
House. Along the way you walk past the new Astana Opera House, Government ministries in the shape of salt and
pepper pots, a concert hall built in the shape of a Dombyra (the national
instrument), or a tulip depending on who you talk to and various spectacular skyscrapers.
Pedestrians relax in the gardens leading to the Ak Orda (the
Palace of the President).
The golden pepper pots are government ministries. |
Designed by Manfredo Nicoletti in the shape of a Dombyra or a tulip the beautiful concert hall on the banks of the river is one of Astana's many cultural venues. |
In the centre of the boulevard pedestrians
find themselves at the Baiterek monument.
The structure is an allegory of a Kazakh myth – representing a tree in which
a magic bird lays an egg to protect it from a voracious dragon. The white ‘tree’ is topped by a huge golden
egg which contains a viewing platform giving unparalleled 360 degree views of
the growing city. The bar/restaurant
serves drinks and snacks and is the perfect place to relax and watch the sun
set over Astana and the Steppe beyond.
The Baiterek – the monument in the centre of the left
bank. The photograph shows
the Baiterek lit up for the Nauruz (Persian New Year) celebrations. |
The Baiterek is surrounded by tree lined gardens and dominates the centre of the Left Bank. |
From the observation deck it is possible to spot almost all
of Astana’s statement buildings. The government complexes are a short walk
away, further away towards the airport the sporting complexes stand out on the
edge of the city – the football stadium with the roof that can be closed for the
winter, the ice palace and the velodrome built in the shape of a bicycle
helmet. Closer in to the centre of the
city is the Triumph of Astana a modern (and vast) take on the Moscow Seven
Sisters, Mega, the shopping centre shaped like a doughnut, the flying saucer that
houses the circus, the sombrero that houses the palace of children and the
building shaped like a pot within which there is a restaurant and music
hall.
The ‘flying saucer’ houses the Astana circus – a popular
place
for families to go and enjoy their weekends. More apartment buildings are seen behind. |
From the Baiterek it
is also possible to see over to the other side of the river. In another large and very beautiful park is
another Norman Foster creation, the Pyramid Palace of Peace and Reconciliation where Kazakhstan hosts a triennial
meeting of the leaders of world religions down to the Kazakh Eli national
monument and the Academy of Music that everyone calls ‘the Dog Bowl’ because it
is, well, shaped exactly like a dog’s bowl.
This giant ‘dog bowl’ houses the National Music Academy.
|
I love visiting the Baiterek because it allows me to enjoy
the whole city. When my feet are firmly
on the ground, however, I love nothing better than to walk along the
river Ishim. In the summer wide boulevards are
the favourite haunts of courting couples, fitness fanatics, skateboarding
children, proud parents pushing prams and just about everyone in between. The river is calm and heavily managed, people
fish or swim along the edges while pleasure boats take tours down the
centre, there is even a rowing
club.
The wide embankments are the perfect for promenading the river gives a different perspective on Astana. |
In the winter, however, the river freezes solid very early
on and is used as another pleasure park.
Ice rinks will be set up at various points and the city builds
vertiginous and very fast ice slides down the embankments. Snow mobiles power up the centre of the river’s
course while cross country skiers enjoy their exercise. Come February there is an ice rally –
the sinuous and slippery course testing the skills of even the best
drivers.
The river becomes an ice playground in the winter time. |
I hope you have enjoyed the tour of Astana. If you enjoyed it you can read more entries in the series here.
Click on the picture for more posts on life in Kazakhstan.
Click on the picture for more posts on life in Kazakhstan.
Fascinating view of Astana. I am ashamed to say I know very little about it and I was very curious about your post.
ReplyDeleteDear Annabelle, so pleased that you enjoyed the 'tour'. Astana is one of the world's best kept secrets.
DeleteI also knew very little about Astana and am so happy to have this tour. It is amazing how people have adapted to living in such a cold environment. I love the indoor beach! And you mention that children stay up to play until very late at night in the summer. Besides being out of school, is this because the days are very long that time of year? Thank you for showing us your neighborhood!
ReplyDeleteDear Leanna, it is just a cultural thing, kids stay up late in the winter too but stay indoors to play. Kids are not put to bed early.
DeleteDitto - I hadn't heard of this city before. Looks like a great place to live for families!
ReplyDeleteThanks togamama, we are very lucky.
DeleteThank you for this excellent round up! I have been following your blog for a while as we are considering a move in summer 2014 with my work. I'm happy to see things for young children to do as my husband will need to entertain our (currently) one year old while our Reception-age son attends school (hopefully Haileybury). I've been meaning to comment for some time how your blog has brought me around to the idea that Astana would be a fascinating place for us to live! Zoe
ReplyDeleteHi Zoe, you will not regret a move here, it is probably the easiest expat experience I have had and everyone is so friendly and welcoming. The major problems are the cold which you get used to and the isolation, we are a long way from anywhere. That said we are getting more and more direct flights to hub airports now so things are getting easier in that regard.
DeleteOh I should mention that Haileybury fills up fast (my husband works there so I know!) so try to get on the registers as quickly as possible if you are interested in a space.
DeleteI don't know if I could survive that kind of cold but the indoor beach is absolutely amazing! Your photos are stunning - thank you for sharing your neighborhood and introducing me to another part of the world!
ReplyDeleteDear Jody, many thanks for your kind comments. I was very worried about the cold before we came here, I found it very difficult when we lived in Norway. The cold here is mostly dry cold, however, which is easier to deal with than water cold. As long as you have the right gear and respect the temperature it is ok.
DeleteThanks for your blog! I accepted a job offer as an English teacher in Astana today (after a lot of agonising!) and am now looking forward to experiencing life in Kazakhstan / Astana. I'm from South Africa and am terribly worried about the cold winters - but I suppose everything will work out fine in the end......
ReplyDeleteCongratulations - hopefully we will meet up when you come here! You really do get used to the cold, a lot of our friends have come from various places in Africa some even arrived in the middle of winter which must have been a real shock. We all seem to acclimatise pretty quickly but make sure that you put money aside to buy proper outdoor clothes. Good luck with your new adventure.
DeleteI lived in Astana for 2 years...I loved the place, the people, the food..Yes, weather is harsh, but one does get use to it very quickly...I left behind lots of friends...hope to return one day soon!
ReplyDeleteYou won't recognise the city when you get back.
DeleteThis is a good read. I wish I'd found it before I moved here rather than yesterday, two weeks after landing in Astana. Better late than never.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Are you enjoying your time here.
DeleteThank you so much for taking the time to write such a nice introduction to Astana. I will be coming over for a new work assignment which will last until the end of 2016, and my wife and 5 year old daughter will be joining me. I was hoping to find a nice furnished apartment in the $1,500 to $2,000 per month price range inside the triangle formed by Qabanbay Batyr Ave., Sarayshyq Street and the Left Bank 'boardwalk' along the river. Any suggestions? From Mr. Jeff
ReplyDeleteI have never even heard of this place! Thank you so much for introducing Astana!
ReplyDeleteThanks - it was a very special place to live.
DeleteI'm fascinated by the Stans and just loved reading about Astana. It's amazing there are so many incredible buildings designed by such big names. It must have been an interesting time to live there. That cold is extreme but I do like the idea that it doesn't thaw and refreeze as that makes it ugly and unpredictable. Living with real winter for months would be quite an experience. I love this series of Annabelle's (I participated too a while back) and every now and then pop in for a tour of somewhere I don't know.
ReplyDeleteTanks Phoebe. Astana is an unpopular destination for expats but we just fell in love with Kazakhstan and really enjoyed our time in the capital. It will always hold a special place in our hearts.
Deletet is a great series isn't it. Such a big world with so many interesting places to explore - if only I could see them all in person!
Hi there also planning to move there from south africa. Do you know of a college there too get the tefl qualification?
ReplyDeleteDear Dave
DeleteYou might find a private tutor to teach you while there but you could also do a correspondence course.
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