beyond the mountains

This is most probably going to be my last 2005 post, and I find it an excellent opportunity to share my last 2005 moment in Kazakhstan J to be continued… As mentioned in my previous piece, Nazarbayev is now sure to remain in the office for the next 7 years. Bravo! Still, opinions clash whether he entirely deserves it or not… Here again, various points of view have to be taken into account. The local one first: with a GDP growing around 9% per year, Kazakhstan has nothing to complain about, President Nazarbayev has indeed done a good job by reforming the country economically. Reforms’ inspirations came from the world’s “Economic Best Practice”, where you tend to avoid repeating similar country’s mistakes and adapt their successful policies to your model. Rendez-vous in a couple of years to see whether, all in all, it worked out. On the other hand, the country’s stability has a price, and Kazakhstan, counting many ethnies and influences, needs a strong power. Everybody acknowledges this...

This post will be devoted to 3 subjects. First, I’ll take you with me in a little promenade around the colourful Zhelion(Green) Market of Almaty as well as the Chimbulak ski and skating resort, 15 minutes away from the city center. Radically different, I’ll explain you how Astana, the newly-born capital, has great strategic and demographic importance. Finally, I’ll say a word about the presidential elections, which are taking place today. An empty fridge is never a good sign… Too much work, no free time, and non-stop delivery meals… It was time for action! Rachel, Simon and I, decided to hit the market located in the south of the city, next to the Mosque. Known as the Green Market, this immense Labyrinths-like concrete building offers you anything you can think of. Since we were there for fooooood, and most of you know how important it is for me, we did a first pit-stop at the meat station. Mmmmmh, accurately divided into sections, one will easily find any part of any animal standing o...