Astana, Kazakhstan and Astana, Kazakhstan to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (days 19 & 20)

 Day 19 - January 25, 2023

Final full day in Astana today. Spent the afternoon and evening with Brandon. There was not a lot of opportunity to take pictures today as the first couple of the places we visited did not allow photos inside.  The National Museum was our first stop. It was quite interesting to learn more about the history of Kazakhstan, from the iron and bronze ages all the way to modern day. The parts I enjoyed the most were the areas that showed the very early tribes from the different regions of Kazakhstan. Probably could have stayed at the museum for around four hours total, but we had a bit of a schedule to follow for the afternoon.

After spending a couple hours at the museum, we headed over to the US Embassy where Brandon gave me a personal tour. It was really great to see the places Brandon has mentioned on our phone calls first hand. I also met some of his coworkers and a few of the people he is there to protect. Not sure I am allowed to tell too much more, but it was nice to get a better picture of what all goes on in Brandon's daily (or nightly) work. 

After a nice steak dinner we headed over to Barys Arena to watch a KHL hockey game. The game went to a shootout after a bit of a slow paced 0-0 game, but unfortunately the Barys ended up losing. After the game we met up with one of Brandon's buddies, who teaches music at one of the English Schools in the city, and drove back with him from the arena.

It has been a really great time here in Kazakhstan, although it has been a bit chilly :D Definitely enjoyed the place more than I had expected I would. Enjoyed the time with my bro about as much as could be expected :) But in all seriousness, thank you for what you do Brandon!

 Day 20 - January 26, 2023

My flight from Astana left at 9am, so it was a bit of an early morning. After the 5 hour flight, we arrived in Dubai. People from all over the world come here to visit, made for some fun people watching while waiting in lines at the airport :D It was a bit of a jump in temperature here compared to cold Astana. It has been a bit rainy here lately and it is somewhat humid. After being deafened by all the car horns and traffic directors' whistles, we left the airport for my hotel.

There was not much to see of the city from the airport, but as we drove, there were beautiful green gardens full of flowers. Then came some of the high-rises, and soon after that, the main downtown area which was absolutely incredible to see!

After reaching the hotel, I had a quick shower and then headed down to the large lobby area where they have a coffee shop and large seating area. Had a much needed coffee after a long morning and then headed out the door across the street to Dubai Mall. 

Dubai Mall is the second largest mall in the world, and it showed! There are so many things to see and places you could stop at. The building is packed with shops, buildings, and even an aquarium. I feel like you could spend a couple days just walking through and exploring. Also makes for a great place to people watch :)

A souk is a marketplace or bazaar. They have a whole area of the mall modeled after the bazaars that would have been here before modern Dubai.

The Dubai Dino fresh out of Wyoming, USA

Loads of people here speak English, which is a bit of a relief after I tried desperately to learn some Russian in Kazakhstan, but found it quite difficult. I was able to read and understand a little, but I found speaking the language much more difficult. I have been using Duolingo, an app for language learning, at each of the places I stopped so far, just so I at least try to understand a bit. I found Turkish much easier to understand than Russian.

Only booked four days here, but after seeing the mall and the city, I think I might come back here after Perth for a few more days to explore some more.

Astana, Kazakhstan (day 18)

Day 18 - January 24, 2023

Lots of walking today, clocked just under 8 miles in the afternoon :) Went a ways to the east and then later north. Light snow was falling for most of the day, adding a little layer to everything. First area I walked through was Independence Square and on through Millennium Park (an area of apartment complexes) ending up at the Kazakh State Academic Musical Drama Theatre. Also nearby is the National Museum which I hope to visit before leaving Kazakhstan.

After some lunch with Brandon and a haircut, I made my way over to Assumption Cathedral, about 45 minute walk one way. The Russian Orthodox building was completed in 2006. The interior is your typical Orthodox style with lots of imagery throughout.  

Made the walk back to my hotel as the sun was setting off in the distance, quite beautiful.

Brandon and I went for dinner a bit later on the 25th floor of a building where we had a great view of the city below. Fog started rolling in as the night set in. Dinner was a national Kazakh dish called Beshbarmak. Horse meat, noodles, onions, and a bit of broth in the bottom make up Beshbarmak. It is a bit of a bland dish, but it was good to try something new :D For appetizers we had Dolma, Turkish cuisine usually a meat wrapped in grape leaves, in this case lamb. The Dolma actually tasted quite similar to a Dutch meatball soup my mom makes. Enjoyed the food and had a great time together with Brandon.  

Beshbarmak

Astana, Kazakhstan (day 17)

  Day 17 - January 23, 2023

Today Brandon and I visited the Grand Mosque of Astana, the largest mosque in central Asia. The building was just completed and opened to the public in 2022. The mosque is currently on the outskirts of town, without many buildings nearby. Because of its location, it is hard to judge just how big the mosque is until you are right up close to it. The height of the central dome is 273 feet. The carpet in the main and women's prayer areas are handmade and cover an area of 167109.71 square feet (the largest handmade carpet in the world). It was quite interesting to see how a brand new mosque, which took 3 years to build, compared to some of the mosques I visited in Istanbul. Everything in the mosque here looks and feels so fresh in comparison to the comparatively 'ancient' mosques like Hagia Sophia.

After the mosque we went over to the Expo complex. An international expo, on future energy, was held here in 2017. Inside the center sphere are a bunch of exhibits, but it is only open for the weekends at this time of year.   

Walked from the Expo over to the Arch of Triumph which is set in the center of a busy street. The arch was built as a symbol of the twentieth anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence.

I find it interesting to observe what kinds of different things can be found while traveling. Seeing how cultures do things in different ways because of their location and traditions. Watching the way people work, they seem to be much more relaxed than our fast paced American culture. Work still gets done, but just at a more chill pace (no pun intended, or was it :D )

Groups of city blocks are developed by one developer, so the buildings within each block have similar designs.