At the good restaurant
Kazakh and Astana Flags in the wind
Chris and Zhana in the Model near a Southern Region
Model of Almaty (note - the four buildings in the back are real)
View of the Old City from the Monument to Victims of OpressionDuring our visit on Saturday there was another couple (from Spain) who was visiting their daughter for the first time. Nikolai was so funny and reacted in an unexpected way (at least we did not expect it). When we first went into the play room he gripped my arm and did not want to get down and play. When he did play, he kept gathering his toys - sort of in bulldozer fashion crawling on his elbows and scooping the toys in front of him. The little girl was playing with the stacking rings and the blow-up tube that jingles, which are communal toys. He kept trying to go over and take her toys – even the stacking rings, which he has had no interest in playing with ever; he would complain cry when we would redirect him. I guess since other than the second day of our visits there has been no one else in the play room, Nikolai had decided everything in sight was his. He only really relaxed when the couple left early and we had the room to ourselves again. Hopefully he will be secure enough to share by the time we go to get his little sister!
The weather on Saturday was beautiful – warmer and sunny. We went for a walk to a park we had seen driving home from the baby house. It has a great sculpture at the entrance that would be perfect for a zoo. There is also an empty building with the outlines of trees around it. The center of the park is paved with flower gardens. The surrounding area has natural winding paths through birch and other trees. We then walked back down to Kshlak for dinner – which is definitely my favorite restaurant here.
Sunday we went to a place with models of the major cities and landscapes of Kazakhstan. It was neat, and would be a lot of fun for kids because several of the models can be climbed or walked through. It was sunny, but there was a constant 30-mile an hour (or so) cold wind that made the trip a little difficult. I felt bad for our interpreter in her nice skirt and fancy boots. I wore wool socks, hiking boots, and kept the hood of my coat up the whole time. She did not try to rush us at all – if I were in her shoes I would have been tempted to ensure we kept moving to get out of the wind sooner. There was no guide available because of the cold, but Zhana did tell us a lot about the buildings in Taraz, where she is from. This was useful because based on the models it appears that Taraz really has the most interesting features as it is one of the oldest cities, having been situated on the Silk Road. It is also at the base of a mountain range. I really want to go to Taraz.
We then walked to the aquarium and paid the fee to get in to the first section (no fish). The aquarium itself was more expensive and I had heard not that interesting so we skipped it. The first section was kind of like a kid’s Vegas, with one-story models of various places including the Statue of Liberty, a tee-pee, the Great Wall, Greco-Roman statues, etc. We had a cup of tea and then went across the street to the Mega Center, which is basically a mall like you would find in the US, except with more hands-on activities for kids.
Murat was not able to pick us up afterward because of family obligations. So we took the bus with Zhana. It was really easy – and just 60 tenge. It would be easy for us to get home on a bus by ourselves as getting us anywhere close to Bayterek will do. I imagine it would be harder to try to take the bus to some other specific place without knowing the routes.
Two more days till court – Ack!
The weather on Saturday was beautiful – warmer and sunny. We went for a walk to a park we had seen driving home from the baby house. It has a great sculpture at the entrance that would be perfect for a zoo. There is also an empty building with the outlines of trees around it. The center of the park is paved with flower gardens. The surrounding area has natural winding paths through birch and other trees. We then walked back down to Kshlak for dinner – which is definitely my favorite restaurant here.
Sunday we went to a place with models of the major cities and landscapes of Kazakhstan. It was neat, and would be a lot of fun for kids because several of the models can be climbed or walked through. It was sunny, but there was a constant 30-mile an hour (or so) cold wind that made the trip a little difficult. I felt bad for our interpreter in her nice skirt and fancy boots. I wore wool socks, hiking boots, and kept the hood of my coat up the whole time. She did not try to rush us at all – if I were in her shoes I would have been tempted to ensure we kept moving to get out of the wind sooner. There was no guide available because of the cold, but Zhana did tell us a lot about the buildings in Taraz, where she is from. This was useful because based on the models it appears that Taraz really has the most interesting features as it is one of the oldest cities, having been situated on the Silk Road. It is also at the base of a mountain range. I really want to go to Taraz.
We then walked to the aquarium and paid the fee to get in to the first section (no fish). The aquarium itself was more expensive and I had heard not that interesting so we skipped it. The first section was kind of like a kid’s Vegas, with one-story models of various places including the Statue of Liberty, a tee-pee, the Great Wall, Greco-Roman statues, etc. We had a cup of tea and then went across the street to the Mega Center, which is basically a mall like you would find in the US, except with more hands-on activities for kids.
Murat was not able to pick us up afterward because of family obligations. So we took the bus with Zhana. It was really easy – and just 60 tenge. It would be easy for us to get home on a bus by ourselves as getting us anywhere close to Bayterek will do. I imagine it would be harder to try to take the bus to some other specific place without knowing the routes.
Two more days till court – Ack!
2 comments:
Wow--everything sounds very interesting! I hope I'm able to remember and recall everything as you have been doing in your posts. I want to take it all in and share with family and friends, and there is so much to see and remember!
That's funny about Nikolai gathering the toys for himself! Cute.
Thanks for sharing the travel tips in the previous post. Very helpful!
So just a short time now until court. We'll be sending positive thoughts! I'm sure things will go fine, but I can perfectly understand the nerves. From what I hear, though, the teams really prepare families well.
We continue to follow along and appreciate the opportunity to read about your journey!
Lisa and Corey
Good luck on the court prep. I know it is unnerving. We feel the same - ACK! We have a new judge. That completely freaked me out this weekend. But, there is nothing we can do but prep and wait and hope. Here's hoping this is a great week for court appearances in northern Kazakhstan!
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