The Kazakhstan Experience

Dasvidania Almaty!!

2008-08-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

Well I finished my stint in Almaty on the 1st August and headed home, so my time in Kazakhstan has come to an end. I must say that Almaty really is a beautiful city with a bit of a rough edge, frontier type feel to it - it is a pity that the country is so hard to get into. If any of you ever get the chance to visit it, do not hesitate.

I took some pix of Almaty as I flew out - gives you a great view of the city and mountains behind, and as a matter of interest, tt was 34 degrees celcius when I boarded the plane.

Big Almaty Lake Peak

2008-07-18T22:33:00.001-07:00

A couple of the guys I work with, Justin and Adil (a local guy) climbed Big Almaty Lake Peak last weekend. I did not go with them, but after seeing the pics I wish I had. The view of Almaty looked fantastic!! As I leave here for good on August 1, I doubt that I will get that chance either. Anyhow, enjoy the pics!!

Friday Night at the Tinkoff

2008-07-14T01:46:00.001-07:00

Went out on Friday night to farewell Graham, who has taken over managing the project from Peter. Graham was heading home for a few weeks break, and a few of us will not see him again as part of this project, we decided to go to the Tinkoff for a meal and a few drinks. It was a balmy evening and so we decided to sit ourselves up on the roof to take in the spectacular views of the mountains and watch the incredible light show that happens on a couple of the buildings. Was a good night out.

Trying to get a ride

Alex negotiating the fare during peak hour

In the rather small taxi

Graham, myself and Alex enjoying the beers and the view

"More piva please!!"

Graham having a good time

Hendra, our waitress and Christie

Alex, Justin, Elena and Hendra

The best pork shalicks in Almaty

More Pics From The Markets...

2008-07-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

Lotsa beef

...and heaps of HORSE meat!

Smallgoods

Fruit & nuts

Prepared salads

Sauces, spices & seasoning

Heading Home

2008-06-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Turgen Falls

2008-06-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

Farewell Dinner

2008-06-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

As the project is coming to an end, a few of the consultants are being re-assigned. Natasha is the first - she is leaving the project to spend a month in the Mincom Moscow office and then onto another project in north-west Kazakhstan.

All of Mincom consultants gathered at Peter and Chris' apartment last night for a farewell dinner to her. The food the boys cooked was great - a roast with really nice gravy - mmmm! Was a really good night, albeit a little sad.

I am still here until the end of July at least, but am really looking forward to my next trip home. As nice as it is here in Almaty, I really am starting to miss home more and more.

The consultants

The 'Project Manager' and Natasha

Ile-Alatau National Park

2008-06-08T00:51:00.000-07:00

With our go-live occuring during this last week and the remaining major pieces of work completed, it was time for some long overdue R&R. As it was Justin's birthday on Saturday, a few of us arranged to do something a little different - head to the Ile-Alatau National Park and cook some shaslicks.

Justin (Kiwi Infrastructure Consltant), Elena (Russian HR Consultant), Natasha (Russian Finance Consultant), Turleybek (our Kazak driver) and I headed off on our little adventure just before midday in Turleybeks Tarago van.

The park is about 40 minutes by car from Almaty central and was a very interesting drive, passing through areas of large modern housing and older Soviet style housing. The road that leads into the park itself was a nightmare to drive along, with large potholes for nearly its entire length. The entrance to the park was manned and gated and after paying an entrance fee we followed the bumpy, narrow and windy road to its end. It was not as I expected a national park to be - overgrown vegetation, a lack of parking and no facilities. This along with a large steel water pipe that ran along side the road really was a let down for me.

We parked, unloaded and set up along side the river. It was actually a nice spot, shaded and very relaxing, with the sound of the water running in the background. We built our little BBQ and cooked the shaslicks. It has been a long, long time since I last cooked over an open fire in a national park and it took a while to get used to the fact. We ate and then had a look around down by the river - what a fantastic setting. The water was very cold and very clear and was running at a fair pace, obviously coming from the melt much further up the mountain. The day was fairly warm and the river provided some relief from the heat.

The rest of the afternoon was spent celebrating Justins birthday - we then toasted Justin, a tradition in this part of the world, where everyone present will give a little speech on the person. Even though I could not understand it, I was surprised at the length of Turleybeks toast - it was both very positive and very personal (Elena later translated it for me). Natasha then presented him with a sketch she had completed in just 4 evenings - it was brilliant - along with some old Soviet medals we had picked up from the markets. It really was a different birthday experience to what I am used to, being a lot more personal and genuine than the way we celebrate.

We stayed there until just after 6pm and then headed back home. It was a really enjoyable day.

Justin receives his portrait that Natasha drew

Marinated beef and chicken shaslick

Turleybek and Natasha cooking alongside the river

Looking down to the river

Mmmm - looks great, smelt and tasted even better!

Turleybek doing the honors

The run off from the melting snow - very cold

The water was very clear

Looking donw stream

Justin and Elena strike a pose

Give way to the cows

The road up to the park entrance - full of potholes and very narrow

Another Soviet relic

More of the 'road'...

Some of the housing...

...and more...

...and more!

Close to home

Flying Between Almaty & Bangkok

2008-06-08T00:26:00.000-07:00

A few pix taken on my last trip back home from Almaty via Bankok to Oz in late May. They show the snow capped mountains of northern Afghanistan and the waterways of southern Myanmar.

The flight path between these two cities on Air Astana is not direct due to the Himalayas lying between them, hence the reason for diverting across northern Afghanistan.

Kok Tobe

2008-06-07T23:33:00.001-07:00

The following set of pix was from back in early May when Adrian and I wandered down to the central park in Almaty (gates in the first pic) and then walked back up Dostyk and took the cable car up to Kok Tobe. Gives you an idea of the position and size of the city, as well as the change in architectural style slowly occurring as a result of the influx of money.

Busy!

2008-05-29T04:22:00.000-07:00

Wow - been a long time between posts!! Since arriving back in Almaty I have been very busy with work, so not much to let you know about really. We have go-live this coming weekend, so no respite yet!! Oh, the weather has been good - getting up into the high 20's so summer is almost here.

Olympic Flame

2008-04-04T02:34:00.000-07:00

The Olympic Flame made it's way through Almaty on Wednesday, right past our office. It was the first stop as part of it's lengthy journey around the globe and towards Beijing - heaps of people lined the street to cheer the runners on.

Golfing in Bishkek, Kyrgystan

2008-03-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

The Project Team

2008-03-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

Was a beautiful day on Friday (that was Good Friday to all you westerners on holidays!!) - got up to about 20 degrees - so we started our Project Meeting with a group pic taken outside on the balcony.

From left to right - Nik (Materials - Mincom), Turleybek (Driver - JVI), Peter (Project Manager - Mincom), Dwight (Materials - JVI), Graham (Finance - Mincom), Natalia (Finance - Mincom), Justin (Technical - Mincom), Elena (HR - Mincom), Chris J (Technical - Mincom), Pat (Materials - Mincom), Marina (Project Admin - JVI), Assyl (Finance - JVI).

Only two people missing from the photo - me & Alex (Finance - Mincom). Graham is only on the project covering for Alex whilst he finishes some work in Norilsk.

Some More Pix

2008-03-21T00:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of pics of the communication tower taken from my bedroom window. At night this tower is lit up, changing in colour every 30 seconds - looks quite spectacular.

Early morning, around 7:00am

Late evening, around 7:30pm

Our project office is in the bottom of the green tipped building on the left, so as you can see I don't have far to walk. Note the amount of rubbish in the alleyway to the right of the white house in the foreground - this is fairly common from what I have seen so far and is more visible now the snow has melted.

View from the front of our apartment block over Dostyk Ave and looking to the mountains. Unfortunately the trees obscured the view of the snow capped peaks, but they looked looked spectacular in real life. Taken on my walk to work on Thursday morning.

Baggage Update

2008-03-18T07:14:00.001-07:00

Well it's Tuesday night and still no word on my bag that Qantas lost for me. I have been monitoring the World Tracer Services which is supposed to show updates on lost baggage, but sadly my entry has not changed since I first viewed it yesterday. I plan to ring the Brisane branch tomorrow to see if they can assist me any more than the people in Bangkok. And to top a rather disappointing day off, look what I found on the News website....

Maybe, just maybe a few bags (coz there was about 4 other people on my flight with the same issue) could have been missed as part of this action?? Who knows, I just want my bag.

Update:
I finally made it down to the airport on Friday morning and picked my bag up. It appears that Qantas tagged it incorrectly, explaining why it sat in Sydney for so long. Oh well - I'm stcking with Singapore Airlines from now on.

The Hassles Of Travel

2008-03-15T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well I hope that my run of luck whilst returning to Almaty does not reflect how the next six week stint will be!!

I arrived at the airport on Saturday at midday but found that I was too late to check in for my flight - silly me thought that it was only a domestic check in for the flight to Sydney, but it was in fact an international check in. After trying to reschedule my flights to Sydney and then Bangkok I was able to get on a flight to Sydney and got the last seat on a Qantas flight that arrived into Thailand at 11:15pm. Phew!!

The nine hour flight from Sydney to Bangkok was good as I managed to sleep most of the way, but this was quickly spoilt soon after arrival. I waited for about 45 minutes at the carousel but to no avail - my bag was missing. Bugger!! I was left with the clothes I was wearing (shorts, tee-shirt, thongs) and my laptop. I made my way to the lost baggage desk and was told that it was still in Sydney and would arrive on Sunday evening AFTER I fly out to Almaty. I got to my hotel located right next to the airport terminal at about 12:30 and checked in, too tired to worry about the consequences of no luggage.

I woke early on Sunday morning and realised that the major issue with not having my bag is that I am dressed for warm weather - I would be flying to Almaty with no warm clothes. Looking at the forecast this is not as bad as I first thought - the Sunday night low is forecast at around 14 degrees. Think I will just travel as I am, maybe buying a warmer top. What a pain!!

Oh well, not much I can do about it now.

Home Sweet Home

2008-03-01T23:57:00.000-08:00

Well my first seven weeks in Almaty have finished and I can tell you that Iam really excited about returning home. A lot has happened in my personal life since I left Brisbane back in January and it will be really good to see everyone again. And of course, I will get to ride my motosickle!!!!

I have never spent so long away from so many things that I love - to be honest I didn't think I would be so keen to return, but I think when it is cold and you are kind of stuck indoors it can get a little frustrating. I really didn't do too much while in Almaty - just spent time getting used to how everything works. When I return for my next stint I will be able to spend a bit more time outdoors - I do know a few of us are planning a golfing weekend just over the border in Bishkent, Uzbekistan on the weekend after I return, so no doubt I will have plenty to write about.

Anyway, I just experienced my first bit of weather above 10 degrees when I got off the plane in Singapore - only about 27 but raining and humid, just like home. Tis good!! Less than a day till I'm home again!!

Still Here...

2008-02-19T23:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know...I haven't posted much over the last few weeks, but I have been busy at work and really haven't felt like sitting at a computer and recounting what's been going on.

I can tell you that the weather has finally started to warm a little, and with that comes the big melt - there is water on the ground everywhere and because of this, it is now a little more difficult to get around as everything is getting soft and slippery. When walking on ice you know that it isn't going to move, but the slush is so unpredictable. The temperature today was suppoosed to get up to about 5 degrees C and it sure felt good - the change in Almaty is very noticable with more people out and a few little things like the sound of birds and even the odd squirrel. You really can appreciate how good spring must be in this type of climate, where you can finally get outside for extended periods - a very noticeable change of season, unlike Brisbane.

I am coming up to my last weekend in Almaty before heading home for my first two week break (and my first ride for seven weeks), so this weekend will be spent hunting for souvenirs. I hate shopping, but being here in a different environment should make the experience a little less painful. Am looking forward to seeing my girls again but also to returning for the next stint and spending spring in Almaty.

Markets

2008-02-03T03:37:00.000-08:00

Pat and I decided to walk down to the markets this morning to finish what we started last week. They really are an amazing experience - so many people and so many stalls spread over numerous buildings and many narrow lanes. You can get everything you need - clothing, shoes, food, hardware, memorabilia, etc. The great thing about them is that everything is negotiable - something may have a price on it but unlike what most of us are used to, you bargain with the shopkeeper. Up until now, Pat and I had been buying all our food at the local supermarket but after today, not anymore.

One thing that we did find today and that I had been looking for were the meat stalls. They were located in a large hall type building with all the vendors dressed in the same clothing, really trying hard to sell you their produce. The place was a vegetarians worst nightmare - all sorts of meat hanging from racks and either cut or ready to be cut. The stalls were grouped into different areas by the type of meat/poultry including pork, beef, goose, chicken and one type of meat that the Kazaks do eat a lot of - horse. I have tried it, but would not eat it again by choice - a bit too lean and tough for my liking. Anyway, I ended up purchasing a couple of kilos of t-bone (beef that is) and wow, it looked good. Because of the language difficulty, the lady only cut it into two pieces instead of the four that we asked for, so we ended up cutting it again once home. I also purchased cheese and some cooked pork roll at other stalls and these looked equally as good as the t-bone.

After leaving the markets, we headed to get something to eat at King Burger which I think is a bit of a rip off of Burger King (similar logo and products but not a franchise). The burgers here are absolutely fantastic - the meat tastes like a real BBQ'd pattie and not some processed crap and the roll is a genuine hamburger bun without all the sugar that you would usually get. The cost is about the same as in Oz, but they are a lot better and a lot bigger here.

After burgering ourselves out, Pat and I headed off on our 45 minute walk back up the hill to our apartment. I am just glad that we finally found where to get some decent meat, because the supermarkets stock very little and if they do have a fair bit the majority is usually equine.

If you don't like body contact then don't bother heading to the markets!

These narrow lanes went for what seemed like miles

The butcher birds who sold me the t-bone - will be going back here

Tender, yummy looking t-bone

A bit too thick to cook, so we split it

Chimbulak

2008-02-02T04:11:00.001-08:00

Only 25 minutes by car from my front doorstep lies Chimbulak, the local ski resort which will host the 2011 Asian Winter Olympics. Yeah I know - I don't ski, in fact I had never seen snow up until 3 weeks ago, but the Canadian guys (Dwight & Kim) from work were heading up for a day on the snow, so I thought I would tag along.

We arrived up at the resort just before 10 and headed to rent some skis. Once the gear was arranged we then went and purchased our lift tickets. After that, Dwight accompanied me to the beginners slope whilst Kim headed further up for some real fun. Dwight gave me a few pointers and once I had built up enough courage I went for it. Now I will happily have a go at anything and usually stick it out, however this was different - the slope was quite steep and the snow was really hard packed. Whilst trying to practise some of what I had been told I lost a little bit of control and I managed to take off at a fair rate down the slope, only to end up in a pile on both occasions. I really did not enjoy it - too quick and no way of stopping yourself in a hurry (so I thought, anyway). I persisted for a couple more attempts and then I gave in - I was not having fun. I also felt a little guilty as Dwight was sticking with me when he could have been up with Kim and getting some real action.

Anyway, I headed back to the ski school at the bottom of the beginners run and just stood, watching as people made their way down the mountain – I thought to myself that this was probably the first time I had given up on something so quickly, but I didn’t want to end up with anything in plaster so I kind of felt justified. I returned my ski gear and was able to sell off my lift ticket so it didn’t really cost me that much.

I met up with Kim and Dwight and we went and sat in the restaurant/bar area for a drink. This was just so beautiful – sitting in the warming sun, snow capped mountains on three sides, the smell of shaslicks cooking and local music in the background – it really was so peaceful. This was the first time I had managed to experience the winter sun in all it’s glory by getting above the smog that constantly hangs over Almaty. We had a couple of beers and the boys then continued skiing – I just remained there, sitting in the sun and enjoying the sights.

About an hour or so later, the guys returned and we ate lunch. Shaslicks along with salad, and it was great. They again headed off for more skiing on the mountain and so I took off for a bit of a wander around the village. Not a huge place, but there were plenty of chalets and weekenders where I assume the top end of Almaty comes to play. There is no town as such – everything is based around the resort, so its BYO supplies if you plan on ‘chaleting’ it for a while. There is contruction work going on right next to the resort for a new gondolier which will bring everyone up from the skating rink further down the valley – the idea is to limit traffic travelling up and down the tight, narrow road, which I think is a great idea.

After another hour or so I met up with the guys and we decided to head off. The access road to Chimbulak would be a great on the GSX – lots of slow, tight curves and some straight sections, you could really have some fun, although with the local drivers I would have to think twice. We stopped a couple of times on the way back down to take more pics. At the last stop the view looking back down the valley towards Almaty really highlighted to me how much pollution hung over the city – it really did look yuck. Most mornings are clear but as the day goes on, the smog increases, and with very little wind it really has no way of clearing. Think I may have to visit Chimbulak a bit more!!

Brass Monkey Weather

2008-01-21T02:59:00.000-08:00

God this place is sooo cold!! This morning was about -20 when I got into work. I had been ok with the temperatures last week and thought that they weren't too bad BUT yesterday afternoon and in particular this morning, I really wish I had stayed in bed. And you know what made the day worse - the office aircon was not working, so we were forced to sit around a few portable oil filled heaters!!

Ahh, the joys of working in Almaty!!

Sunday Morning

2008-01-20T16:02:00.000-08:00

I took a walk early on Sunday down to the park at the end of the street I am living on - a very large square, smack bang in the middle of Almaty, and including a war memorial (hammer & sickle - obviously constructed before 1991) and church. It was very cold, but once moving and especially when in the sun, I soon warmed up.

Apartment

2008-01-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

Moved into a new apartment on Friday - did so because I can now walk to work and not rely on transport. It is smaller than the one I was in but is more modern and within a short walk of shops. Apparently they are paying rent of US$4200 a month!!

Living area

Kitchen

My room

Project Office

2008-01-18T23:56:00.000-08:00

Thought I would post a few pics of the project office where I am working. It is located about 200 metres along a lane running off Dostyk, one of the main roads in Almaty. Iam lucky in that it is only 5 minutes by foot my new apartment, which I moved into yesterday - it is seperate from the JV Inkai offices, which are about another 15 minute walk up the hill.

The project office entrance

Inside...

My desk in the foreground

View out the window

One of the back lanes running off the office lane

Communications tower viewed from the office entrance

Kazak Beer

2008-01-17T01:54:00.000-08:00

Got my hands on a couple of these huge 1 litre cans of Baltica 7 at the supermarket yesterday arvo for a grand total of 450 Tenge or about $5 Australian. Very cheap and very nice - this brewer actually make a range of these beers distinguishable by the number, ranging from 0 (alcohol free) up to 9 (about 7.5% alcohol). Naturally I will sample as many of the different types on offer as I can. Cheers!!

Shopping In Almaty

2008-01-16T04:48:00.000-08:00

Went shopping today, Wednesday, with Dwight, one of the Canadian guys on the project and our driver Tulybuk. Drew suggested that we should go to a specific supermarket that sells good meat, as good meat is hard to get. This supermarket was located right in the CBD and as usual, traffic was a nightmare, but we eventually made it. A few things that stood out to me.....

the supermarket aisles are very, very narrow

staff to customer ratio of about 1:1 - there were staff everywhere and I bet these people were paid a very low wage

service from staff was absolutely crap - can't blame them really when you think about what they are probably paid

food on offer was really good - the range of fresh and cooked produce is absolutely fantastic

no fresh vegetables - these are available at the "markets" (yet to go) but I believe they are pretty expensive

prices were not too bad - unless you want fish, steak or breakfast cereal

still can't ge used to the amount of alcohol available in the supermarkets - I reckon it must provide them with about a third of their turnover (beer is very cheap at around $2 a litre, as are cigarettes at about $1 per packet)

people stare when you speak - understandable when you are in a non-English speaking country

when we left and returned to our vehicle there were guys in the street stopping traffic and "managing" the parking spots - for a fee

the traffic in Almaty is shocking - no, it's even worse than that, it's absolutely crap!

It really was a great experience, and so different to home.

Almaty - At Last!

2008-01-14T22:50:00.001-08:00

This is the view from my apartment on the 7th floor - those mountains are a spectacular sight - when it's not snowing and you can see them. I will post more pics as I can take them. Currently I am leaving for work in darkness and arriving home in darkness!!

Beijing - Day 2

2008-01-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

Thought I would take a walk down to the Forbidden City (on the northern end of Tiananmen Square) today – I left the hotel and made my way back towards Tiananmen Square. Along the way I met a local guy, David, who had spent time at UQ in Brisbane as part of a cultural exchange – he said he would take me to the side entrance of the Forbidden City and so I agreed. We ended up leaving the main road and walking down one of the side streets – this was amazing! I got away from the commercial sights and was able to see how people lived their every day in Beijing. Local vendors selling everything you need from tiny roadside shops along with hot food prepared in front of you as you waited, and some more upmarket looking places – it really was a busy with everyone going about their daily tasks. We stopped a few times looking down the side lanes and into some backyards and man, life sure is cramped in Beijing!!

We got to a small shop and David suggested I come in and view some of the art – I thought about it and decided I would, after all, he had shown me a side of Beijing I otherwise would not have seen. It was only a small shop about the size of my bedroom, with traditional Chinese art covering all three walls. I did see a couple of pieces that I had been chasing earlier in the year for the spare room at home, and so ended up buying them. Now I know I didn’t need them and hadn’t planned on purchasing anything like it, but I thought for what I had just experienced, it was worth the money. It turns out that it was a University shop selling artwork done by students and lecturers raising funds for exhibitions and funnily enough, they will be in Brisbane in March for an exhibition at UQ and plan to contact me.

I left the shop after exchanging email addresses with David and made my way to the side entrance to the Forbidden City. You could not enter from here, but the gate was still impressive. I made my way further around through the many pain-in-the-ass vendors and entered the courtyard through another side gate. Wow – they made sure that no one was ever going to get in here quick, with four inch thick timber gates and a very high and thick outer walls. There was another gate through which lay the Forbidden City – as it was getting close to my checkout time at the hotel I decided to not go in and instead took the walk back to towards Tiananmen Square through two massive squares within the walls. The sheer size of the place as well as the amount of effort these people went to in order to protect their emperor was mind blowing. Just unfortunate that I did not have the time to take the tour inside, as I’m sure it would have been even better. I exited through the Tiananmen Gate and moved through the large crowds of people, and made my way back to the hotel.

Later on, I checked out of my room and was able to leave my bags in the hotel lobby. I headed out looking for some Peking Duck for an early dinner – the hotel concierge recommended a place three blocks away in Wongfujing Daije (a mall) and so I set off. When I got there I found the store was closed and so continued looking for another place – then I got a strange feeling – I was lost. I had taken so many turns, I had forgotten which way I had gotten to where I was. That was a bit freaky as I can usually find my way around ok – lots of people, strange place, nothing seemed familiar. I did manage to find my way back to a place I had been earlier and so once I got my bearings I thought I would head back to the hotel and eat there.

I decided to head to the airport at about 7pm and so got hold of a taxi from the hotel. The roads out were amazing – overpasses, underpasses, all bordered by large apartment or office buildings. The driving kept me entertained for most of the journey and then I saw something I would never see anywhere else - people on bicycles with no lights riding down these freeways alongside the cars. Crazy!

At the airport and back into the queues of people waiting to pass through immigration. The guy I got was a prick – I think the authority had gone to his head, the way he spoke to myself and others. He said I needed to fill the departure card out in pen, but the pen didn’t work and so I told him in no uncertain terms. I really wish they knew how to treat people as people and not as cattle. Anyway, I made my way to check-in and found that the plane had been delayed two hours to a 2:40am departure. I was lucky in that I was given a pass to the lounge and so, unlike all those other poor bastards, I was able to spend my time eating, drinking, reading and on the internet.

I did fall in love with Beijing and will be going back for a longer stay one day.

View down the side street that David took me down

Same street, looking the other way

A lady wahsing dishes at the back of one of the shops

Mode of transport

A Beijing "ute" with a load of coal

Side gate to the Forbidden City

One of the ramparts - amazing detail

In one of the squares looking towards the main gate

Once used to defend the emporor - intricate detail

Looking through the wall to the outer square

The gate to the inner square

Outer gate looking across to Tiananmen Square & Chairman Mao's Mausoleum

Tiananmen Gate with a 500 year old statue in foreground

Tiananmen Gate in all it's glory

Wongfujing Daije where I went searching for Peking Duck but ended up getting lost!!

One of the two pieces that I purchased from the art shop

Looking towards the radio tower with mountains beyond

Beijing - Day 1

2008-01-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

Well I'm almost there!! Got into Beijing last night just before midnight and man it is a mind blowing place - so big and so many people. A few things I have learnt so far....

Don't know why they have lanes painted on the roadways - even so the drivers are actually quite good.
They use their horn lots, but not in an aggressive manner - only to let others know where they are.
It is really cold and the air is very polluted.
The sun doesn't hang around for long.
For once I felt like the odd one out - there are so many of them.
Chinese guys like to spit a lot - and I mean a lot.
Tiananmen Square is huge but the vendors are a pain.
No one smiles - especially the police and military.
The Silk Road markets are fantastic but the vendors are a pain.
The architecture is amazing.
Everyone on a push bike thinks they are in a car.
Never try and drive in Beijing and don't even think about a motorbike.

The Beijing International where I am staying

Go the pushies!!

Sun rising at about 7:45 - smog pretty bad

Special lane for bikes

...and there's lots of em

Gridlock Beijing style

Another hotel nearing completion

...and another one set to begin

The Chinese National Museum on Tiananmen Square

Looking towards Tiananmen Gate

Another one from in the square

Me outside the Great Hall of The People

Me and Tiananmen Gate

Looking towards the Monument To The Peoples Heroes and Chairman Mao's Mausoleum

Great Hall of The People - where the government convenes

Mr Not Happy sharing a joke with me!!

Monument To The Peoples Heroes

Chairman Mao's Mausoleum

Another shot...

I don't know what this is but there was another just like it on the southern end of the square

This building was massive

View from the back of my hotel - extreme urban living

Two Days to Go....

2008-01-07T17:21:00.000-08:00

Don't need to say much - check out the conditions I'm flying into compared to home at the moment!!

The Organising...

2007-12-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

Well all the organising is finally underway - received my letter of invitation to enter Kazakhstan, visited the Chinese Consulate to arrange for a visa and my flight has been booked. I will be flying to Beijing for a one night stopover so as to arrange my Kazak visa and then, flying into Almaty.

Still have a bit of shopping to do in order to prepare for the cold - thermals, gloves, etc, but that should be relatively easy. I just had a look at the weather in Almaty and shit, the forecast maximum temp for the 26th December is minus 16 degrees C - something that I have NEVER experienced. Think I may have to get a little more in the way of clothing than what I thought!!

Confirmed....

2007-11-28T13:04:00.000-08:00

Finally got my commitment sheet confirming that I will be flying out of Brisbane on the 12th of January to start work with this project on the 14th. Now the fun of arranging everything for while I am away begins.

The weather in Almaty looks to be growing colder, so should be interesting as I have not experienced the real cold before!

Project Delayed....

2007-11-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

Due to Christmas and the fact that JVI has still not yet signed on the dotted line, the start of project has been delayed until late February of next year.

No more action around here till the new year.