Here is it - the Caspian Sea - from the air. It is a blue, slightly salty oasis in the middle of a brown dry dusty desert. Another tic on my list of geological places to visit
Holland was a good traveler.
The taxi ride from the airport to the city of Aktau took us through the driest bleakest landscape I've ever seen. There is no fresh water in this area - no rivers, springs, wells, and scarce rainfall. Aktau was created as a uranium mining town in 1961 and was named Shevchenko after a Ukrainian National poet. The Soviets built a major nuclear plant to run a desalinization plant, and the desert was transformed into a livable city. After independence, the Kazakhs renamed the city Aktau, and it has become Kazakhstan's only port. The city has boomed because of the oil and gas exported from the country. Aktau is an unusual city because the streets have no names. The city is divided up into un-named but numbered districts which are called micro-regions. Addresses are generally written like this: 14-42-30, which means District 14, building number 42, apartment number 30
Yes, those are camels. They aren't "wild" but are part of someone's herd.
We were (at least I was) so excited! A camel!!! Not in a zoo or in a movie.
Our hotel turned out to be really nice - just one little hiccup in getting two rooms with a balcony view of the sea - on the same floor.
And the Caspian Sea from the balcony with a warehouse for Caspian Industries (oil and gas) blocking the pristine view.
And..a nice breakfast buffet (in Russian the buffets are often called Swedish Smorgasbords), And, oh my gosh, they had bacon!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We all took more than our share - especially Warren - look at his cheeks - that's bacon in there!
First thing we did was to head off to a little grocery store so Warren could load up on healthy snacks.
Heading back to the hotel with our stash of nutritious organic snacks.
Then to the beach. This hotel is advertised as the only one in Aktau which is close to the sea - and it was....only about a five minute walk away.
And.....
Holland and I had the same goal - to walk in the waters of the Caspian and relish the sand between our toes.
I am showing of the Caspian style of having you shirt partially tucked in to ones pants.
After accomplishing the first goal of touching the waters, our next goal was dinner.. I had been told that sturgeon shashsleek was the very best shashleek ever - and, right here, in Aktau was the best source. Our advisor friend had also said that there were little restaurants everywhere, especially by the seaside, which would have this specialty. Well, we hadn't seen any signs advertising this entree, so we asked the hotel where we should go, and shortly, we were in a taxi to "The Bridge" restaurant. Hmmmm....a bridge goes over a river, but there are no rivers or streams or creeks here. The food was good. Dad and W&W ordered some boring chicken or noodles or something, but I got the sturgeon and grilled veggies! And....it was tasty....but .....just a fish and expensive at that - $15.00.
We spent two night in Aktau, and each morning, as my traveling companions slept soundly, I went on a morning beach walk. Surprisingly there were quite a few locals starting their day in the same manner. Lots of pictures for my memories.
Tankers in the distance
In one direction there was a long brick walkway that eventually ended at a pier and a parking lot and a yacht club.
There is a lot of trash on the beach and evidence of previous construction projects.
....like this round thing.
And lots of concrete (actually, in Kazakhstan, there are concrete bits and blocks everywhere) like these slabs which were probably placed to try to avoid beach erosion but instead created beach concrete art.
a partially buried tire
The sand is relatively coarse and at the high water line there are lots of shells
and a chicken bone.
The other direction from the hotel is a bit more 'resort-ish"
An outdoor restaurant is either being built or renovated.
And, behind a high fence, there is a swimming pool which is being repaired. It looks like it might be a city recreation center.
Walking under this pier made of big metal pipes, you head down the beach.
There is a lot of trash that people just 'leave' and broken glass everywhere. It is a real shame.
There are portions of the beach, however, which have been cleaned up - you can see the tire tracks of the machines which 'groom' the sand, separating sand from trash. They look inviting, and you'd probably let your kid go bare foot here....maybe.
a wobbly pontoon walkway and dock.
exercise station
cabanas for respite from the sun.
a water slide in the distance
The water in the pool was algae green in color - not quite ready for the summer.
In Aktau there really isn't much to do, and we knew that. But, we'd identified five points of interest and decided to create our own walking tour of the city. What I noticed most is that the city is so dry and brown that it makes Astana look like a lush garden. Landscaping is minimalist in design and function.
Some apartment buildings have individualized designs on the walls.
This building is lilac in color
An example of a bad concrete sidewalk with exposed re-bar
An old apartment building
This apartment complex has a great play structure which our grandchildren would love.
And there are shade structures
a skate park
An amusement park in the distance. There are a bizillion new trees planted everywhere. We have come to really appreciate trees and their shade and the 'comfort' they provide.
Workers were planting a bizillion annuals along the roads which will be really pretty when they have grown a bit.
Here is a good example of urban irrigation. The blue pipes follow the tree lines and then hoses are hooked up to the little nozzels.
We got excited to see this, but it wasn't yet opened for the summer season....I guess.
Our first point of interest - the symbol of Aktau, the ship named "Aktau" Nice plaza, nice fountain. The ship may be the city's symbol because of the Caspian Sea.
On our way to the site of the statue of Shevchenko
whose head is bowed and in a shadow. In 1850, the poet Taras Shevchenko, was exiled here by the Russian government. He wrote “A desert without any vegetation whatsoever - only sand and stones. You would gaze around and feel so dreary that you might as well hang yourself.”
There were some art students practicing their skills.
On the side of the plaza a worker was watering plants. The desalination plant produces potable water and industrial water
We're on our way to the next point of interest
....a Soviet-era mig.
and this one - don't know what it is - but there is a wreath.
Every Russian city (and Kazakh city) worth its salt has a Word War II (Great Patriotic War) Memorial Eternal Flame monument. That's probably because Russian foot soldiers suffered the most on the battlefield.
Bas relief panels approaching the monument which is in the shape of a Kazakh yurt. At the beginning of the war, the entire male population of a town would be conscripted into the Russian army to fight an enemy they'd probably never heard of.
statues all around the top - one for each year of the war
The flame and wreathes
the flame, the dad, and the baby
That completed our walking tour of the "points of interest". Our destination now was a shopping mall - the new Aktau Mall. Our internet tour guide said that there was a restaurant with two locations in the mall. The one on the top floor had an all you can eat lunch buffet from 12-3 for....cheap. Sounded good to us. The mall was a mile and a half away, so we thought it'd be a good experience to take a bus. It may have been but after a good half hour, the bus we needed never came (#35 drove by 3 times), and we were disheartened. So we walked! And there it was in the distance.
Ice rink on the ground floor.
Everything else looked just like malls in Astana (we are in the same country, after all). Got to the top floor and could not find the restaurant. We asked someone who said it was on the second floor. Person on the second floor said it was closed and pointed in the direction of some closed metal door. Dang! But it was after 3:00 so we would have missed the "all you can eat event" lunch. Ended eating sushi and noodle bowls for lunch.
Back to the hotel....nap....walk on the beach..sunset ....... and
back to Astana the next morning to begin numerous loads of laundry.
Thursday - we went to visit one of our partners, Emin, who has a sheltered workshop located at a mental hospital. The people he helps rehabilitate learn all sorts of skills - woodworking, sewing, printing, mural painting, furniture making.
Outside the hospital there is this interesting garage and an artful window.
On the way back to the apartment we stopped off at the Russian Orthodox Church for a quick look inside.
Then back to the apartment just in time to finish up a skyped Mission Conference from Yekaterinburg. The Young Men's General President Counselor with the main presenter. Then we took a District photo and went to a restaurant for a District Lunch.
There was still daylight left to go the the big mosque which you can see from our bedroom window. Dad and I had eaten in the cafeteria at the mosque, but we'd never been inside the worship area.
another view
It is really beautiful inside. Teal blue colors and matching carpets. The women have to wear robes (that match the hue of blue) while the men are in their casual street clothes (I will not present any commentary about this).
In the background, a group of boys are receiving religious education. It appears that they were reciting and memorizing verses from the Koran. The three girls in the foreground are probably saying, "wow, we're glad we don't get to take that class."
An interesting light fixture
And a still life called, "Feet and Carpet".
Holland's eyes match the color of the carpet.
Afterwards we walked around the big People's Square. It was very windy. This is a big imposing arch that appears to be made of marble. Actually is it a metal framework covered by slabs of marble. A workman was up on the scaffolding replacing the marble which we believe blew off during a recent windstorm.
This is a University of the Arts and Culture (we all call it the Jello Mold)
In the distance is a architecturally iconic museum.
Getting off the bus, we passed this woman who is always (snow or shine) selling socks and shoe inserts. Some socks caught Warren's eye, and we stopped to purchase a few pair.
Friday - we went to the site of EXPO 2017 which was the big event last summer. There is pretty much nothing there anymore - just the empty buildings which we have heard are going to become part of an international financial center and conference rooms, and lots of things.
The "Death Star" was the exhibit hall for Kazakstan. It is still functioning as a museum and is well worth the visit just to experience the architecture of this incredible ball building.
Glass walkway over the abyss below - kinda creepy to walk on it.
Went to the weekly District Meeting and then the Friday night English Club. Here is Holland with Ali who is one of our favorite young Kazakhs. - at English Club.
Saturday - We'd wanted to go to ALZHIR for about a year and were just waiting for a good opportunity. The Akmola Camp for Wives and Mothers of Traitors of the Motherland (ALZHIR) opened in 2007 and is a museum that displays all sorts of memorabilia that had belonged to Soviet-era female political prisoners. The camp was established in 1937 for women who happened to be related to Soviet poets and political and public figures who had been labelled as enemies of the state. They were deprived of their surname, nationality, and profession and were known only as enemies and traitors of the motherland. After being at the camp for two years, the women were allowed to send correspondence to their friends and family inquiring about the fate of their husbands and children. Almost 18,000 women of 62 nationalities across the USSR were arrested and convicted as wives of and family members of traitors....until 1953 when the camp was closed. We mentioned in English Club that we wanted to go there, and a Kazakh friend said she had never been wanted to go too. Great for us because she is a friend and speaks Russian and has a car.
The weather was miserable and rainy and very windy. The road was straight and the countryside flat.
Cool looking building which kinda looks like a yurt and the arch that looks like we are being eaten by a shark.
Inside we got earphones and a remote thingy that you pressed on a sensor at various displays....and we heard great explanations in English. All kinds of photos and documents, and stuff.
"For the Motherland, for Stalin"
A camel and wagon.
This sad description of the life Sima
Group photo
Upon leaving we noticed the guard tower on the perimeter
and a new shipment of women prisoners has just arrived by rail car....capacity - 70. They are all dressed up in their city clothes - just like they were leaving their homes to go shopping.
The Taylors (the Humanitarian couple like us) from Almaty came up to Astana to do some church business on Sunday. We all gathered as a district and...... again....went out to dinner.
For dessert we went to the mall across the street for gelato. We visited a craft fair on the second floor, and W&W bought some dishes from Uzbekistan.
And Holland found a friend named Ainara.
And thus ends the two week adventure with W&W - what a great time we had!!!!
E/S Gray...what an amazing post! Filled with wonderful photos and comments. I think I am tired just reading about all you are doing. Thanks...
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