Astana

4 jUNE 2012

The long distant trains are really comfortable and this one was brand new.

I travelled on an overnight train to Astana passing through kms of open desert, small villages and then past the huge expanse of lake Balkash. The long distant trains are really comfortable and this one was brand new. You get a bed, mattress and clean sheets and a sitting area to share with four others. The attendants make sure the toilets are clean and that there is always hot water for drinks - quite a service.... On this journey I shared the space with two students returning to Astana for the holidays. One spoke really good English and was keen to practice so its a great way to find out more about the country too. The trained stopped twice for us to get off to get more food and drinks. One stop was by the lake so we all bought the fresh grilled fish being sold by women standing along the train track.

Astana is Kazakhstan's new capital, since the president Nazarbaev named it such in 1994. The new area south of the river is a mass of governmental and business buildings with cultural, sport and leisure facilities being constructed each year. Around 12 billion US dollars ( about 30% from the Kazak government) has already been spent on the new city. The aim is to build a city population of 1 million by 2030.

The new area has very impressive futuristic buildings which compete with any big city, even Tokyo. The two most striking buildings are the tent like construction Khan Shatyr which houses shops, restaurants and a cinema. When I was there today, the shops were empty and bored assistants flicked through their phones. All the main high street clothes shops are there eg Next, Zara... but with no sign of many buyers. Coffee at the cafe cost 3.50 pounds - the price of two full meals in a local restaurant.

The Palace of Peace and Accord is the other pyramid shaped building designed by the English architect, Norman Foster. It is home to the triennial congress for world and traditional religions and aims to demosntrate how all religions can come together under one roof. A british artist, Brian Clarke filled the windows with stained-glass doves.

The Beyterek monument with the golden ball at its top has a lift up to the top from where you can get a great view of all the other amazing buildings. There is a place to put your had into an imprint of the president's. This union starts a rendering of the national anthem!

The place has a strange feel about it. There are few people around and its rather souless. I was there with a few visiting Kazakh's who were in awe of the sights and clearly felt this was a great capital and definate place to visit. I was glad to return to the older town, north of the river to see more people around and daily life in action.