Nur Sultan, modern heart of Kazakhstan


Bayterek Tower
Nur Sultan, previously known as Astana, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.  Like Canberra, it is an  administrative capital and hence a little boring. Its remote location in the windswept northern steppe pokes out like a space  station with its protruding bold and futuristic architecture. Looking from the airplane window, the landscape looks rather hostile and unwelcoming, with pockets of cafe latte coloured lakes,  hardly any greenery nor signs of population.

I had flown with Aeroflot to Nur Sultan via Moscow. With just one hour transit in Moscow and having to change planes, the risk of losing your luggage is almost guaranteed. And yes, it happened to me too.
Thank goodness I was staying at the spanking new 5-star St Regis hotel and resort. The spacious luxurious rooms are fitted with a walk-in bathroom, ample wardrobe space, l'Occitane toiletries and plush beddings. It somehow made up for being without luggage.

Hearty Breakfast at the St Regis

After a hearty breakfast I went out exploring the town and my first stop was Bayterek Tower, an observation tower fashioned as a tree with a golden egg at the summit. It represents the mythological tree of life where the magic bird Samruk has laid its huge golden egg. At the root of the tree lurks the dragon Aydahar who will attempt to eat the egg, and that symbolises the eternal struggle between good and evil.

Inside the glass pyramid
meeting of peace doves
pyramid
The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, a 77 metre high glass pyramid designed by British architect Norman Foster, is out of this world. The pyramid is a symbol of friendship, unity and peace and serves as a conference centre for the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions as well as an Opera house and exhibition venue. Inside the pyramid I rode the special elevator to the top of the pyramid ; mind you, visits here are guided, whether you liked it or not.

The Globe
Inside the glass globe
who says that the sun is held up by a woman?
The one that impressed me the most had to be the Astana Expo 2017 complex. It is massive and construction still seems to be going on. In the middle of the complex is a giant orb, and visit is by admission fee only. Once inside you can visit all 8 levels of installations on future energy, inter-planetary exploration, science etc.. it is ten times better than any science centre i've visited in the world. It is ultra modern, interactive and certainly not built on a budget.

drop of a hat or tent
Finally, I dropped by the Khan Shatyr entertainment centre, a huge cavernous tent housing shops, cinemas and even an artificial beach. I went to the supermarket to buy camel milk as I've heard how popular it is with the locals. I didn't like the taste of it though, and I ended up emptying the bottle into my bathtub for a long good soak..

space program exhibit on the road to the airport

grand mosque


Georgian restaurant 




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