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Kazakhstan: Pegasus Wings its Way into Almaty

5 Mar

Turkish budget airline Pegasus has started up a twice-weekly Istanbul- Almaty flight, which provides some welcome competition for Air Astana and Turkish Airlines. With prices starting at $200 for a one-way ticket, this twice-weekly service seriously undercuts its main rivals.

A return on Air Astana is from around $550, while a return on Turkish is from around $500, offering a substantial saving. Pegasus offers flights from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen airport on the Asian side on Monday and Thursday, with the return from Almaty leaving on Tuesday and Friday.

Pegasus is a no-frills airline so you don’t get food included for this price. Hot meals or sandwiches can be ordered on board if you can’t wait for Istanbul’s culinary delights or want something reasonably edible before hitting Almaty.

Flying to Istanbul opens up a number of options for those travelling on a budget – Pegasus has cheap flights to many destinations in Turkey and beyond. It flies to 30 destinations worldwide including Beirut, London, Berlin, Paris and Rome.

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Kazakhstan: Justice is Might

25 Feb

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The authorities in Kazakhstan resorted to a show of brute force to keep a lid on protests in the commercial capital Almaty on 25 February. Hundreds of regular police in riot gear were augmented by special forces troops as an area of central Almaty was physically cordoned off by hundreds of officers in a bid to stop an opposition rally.

The organisers of the rally were rounded up before it took place, leaving other activists to lead the protest. Several arrests were made by snatch squads as the authorities came down hard on what it regards as an unsanctioned rally, despite Kazakhstan’s constitution safeguarding the right to free assembly.

This show of strength sent out a strong message that Astana is in no mood to compromise and that it will crush any dissent with an iron fist. Does anyone else sense an air of desperation in these actions, as the powers that be are increasingly backed into a corner with violence and intimidation as the last resort?

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Kazakhstan on Alert for Toy Protests

24 Feb

Image taken from Ivan Krupchik's blog http://ivan-krupchik.livejournal.com/11965.html

Reports are coming in from Kazakhstan on a crackdown on the sale of children’s toys ahead of the protests planned by opposition groups for Saturday, 25 February. Kazaxia tried to go to the Childrens’ World (Detsky Mir) store in downtown Almaty but found the doors firmly closed on a recent Thursday evening.

The authorities are worried that the toys might fall into the wrong hands after toy demos in Barnaul, Russia and Minsk, Belarus. Observers say that unsanctioned copycat demos, involving toys holding placards showing anti-government slogans, could break out in Kazakhstan unless steps are taken to restrict the sale of toys.

It is likely that Astana will follow Russia’s lead and ban toy rallies as toys are not considered to be citizens of Kazakhstan

“As you understand, toys, especially imported toys, are not only not citizens of Russia but they are not even people,” Andrei Lyapunov, a spokesman for Barnaul, told local media.

When Kazaxia called Detsky Mir to ask for comment on whether they had been told to ban toy sales to those over the age of 13, no-one answered the phone.

With Kazakhstan’s jails already overfilled with opposition figures, imprisoned for upholding their constitutional right to free assembly (via unsanctioned rallies), Astana will be keen not to see over-aged toy purchasers joining them.

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Kazakhstan: Artist Targeted in Crackdown

2 Feb

Kazakhstan’s crackdown on dissent, which has been unfolding since an ‘unsanctioned’ opposition rally in Almaty on 28 January, has seen performance artist Kanat Ibragimov hauled in to stand trial alongside well-known opposition figures such as Bolat Abilyov, Mukhtar Shakhanov and Gulzhan Yergaliyeva.

Kanat Ibragimov screams for democracy in Almaty on 28 January 2012

Kanat Ibragimov, unlike Bolat Abilov, escaped a prison sentence and was given a fine for daring to take to the podium and call for democracy. In the generally grey world of Kazakh politics, Kanat cuts a colourful figure with his history of protest actions. He posits himself on the side of art rather than politics, but his activities carry an edge that never fails to needle the authorities.

A panda meets an untimely end at the hands of Kanat Ibragimov, Almaty, January 2010

Kazaxia first came across Kanat at a rally in January 2010. The demonstration was protesting Chinese expansionism into Kazakhstan and Kanat’s response was to symbolically decapitate a toy panda. Other actions he has initiated include ‘A Fish Rots from the Head Down‘ in which he savages a fish with an axe on Almaty’s Republic Square. I wonder who the ‘head’ could refer to here?

While Astana can cope with any amount of shouting and barracking from the podium by the usual suspects, Kanat Ibragimov’s humour is an approach that the stilted grey men are ill-equipped to deal with. Fines and prison sentences will only spur this performance artist onto greater things.

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Kazakhstan: Alsara Goes All Modest

25 Jan

In a rare moment of modesty for a member of Kazakhstan’s ruling elite, Aliya Nazarbayeva’s top- end jewellery line, Alsara, is now being promoted in Almaty with an image of a piece from the collection rather than featuring Aliya as a model.

Alsara billboard in downtown Almaty without Aliya Nazarbayeva

Aliya Nazarbayeva teamed up with Italian jewellers Damiani in 2011 to produce Alsara, an exclusive collection of 30 diamond-studded pieces. The brand is a combination of the names of Aliya and her mother Sara and is aimed at Kazakhstan’s high-rollers with prices ranging from 15,000 to 70,000 euros. Here’s how the collection was being promoted.

Aliya Nazarbayeva promotes her Alsara jewellery brand

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Kazakhstan Election 2012: Venal’s View

17 Jan

Kazaxia has received the following contribution from Britain’s Lord Venal, who was recently in Kazakhstan to observe the parliamentary elections.

I’ve just returned to Venal Towers after another successful observation trip to Kazakhstan (kindly subsidised by Kleptys Oil and Gas (KOG)) and I’d like to share my positive feelings that the election has left me with.

First off I’d like to offer my hearty congratulations to Kazakhstan as it enters an exciting new phase of multi-party democracy. The election itself was very well-managed and went off without a hitch in this vast country that straddles both Europe and Asia.

It was an early start on the Sunday as I was ferried to the nearest polling station from my diggings at the splendid Rixos Hotel. Polling was sluggish in the morning session, but that came as no surprise to me as Sundays are always slow to get off the ground in the Venal household. By the time my minder from KOG suggested a spot of lunch at 12.30 turnout was a somewhat low 6.9%.

After a splendid lunch – hospitality is something that Kazakhstan excels at – I was feeling a bit woozy so I retired to my suite for a quick power snooze. By the time I got back to the polling station at 18.30 there had been a surge in voter activity and the turnout stood at an impressive 79.1%.

The last 90 minutes of voting passed by quickly as we cracked open a few bottles of bubbly to celebrate a good day’s work. Then it was off to the KOG post-election party at a secret location where representatives of Kazakhstan’s high and mighty were schmoozed until the early hours.

When one has been observing elections as long as I have, one sometimes thinks that one has seen it all, but this election threw up a few surprises even for me. As I mentioned in my earlier report from the Presidential election last April, Kazakhstan has a splendid tradition of giving presents to senior citizens and first-time voters – take note Britain!

Some other innovations that could well prove popular in Britain included ‘carousel voting’ where the voters are taken by mini bus to different polling stations and ‘family voting‘ where a representative votes for all the family members.

My only regret is that the next elections in Kazakhstan will not be until 2016. But with KOG’s new contacts made at the post-election bash, I’m sure I will be visiting these shores again in the not too distant future.

(Editor’s note: Lord Venal is a contributor to this blog and his views are not necessarily those of Kazaxia) 

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Season’s Greetings from Kazaxia

23 Dec

Kazakh New Year Decorations near the President's residence in Almaty, Kazakhstan

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Happy Birthday Kazakhstan?

16 Dec

Kazakhstan has been celebrating its 20th anniversary of independence today. In the capital Astana, President Nursultan Nazarbayev opened the country’s answer to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris – Infinity Land.

In the commercial capital, Almaty, celebrations were more muted. There were few people on Old Square when Kazaxia went to have a look.

A fairly deserted Old Square in Almaty on Independence day


Trouble was reported in the west of the country in the town of Zhanaozen, which has seen a long-running industrial dispute this past year. Reports of deaths ranging from 5 – 500 remain unconfirmed at the time of publication of this blog.

Vote for Nur Otan!


Meanwhile, the revellers who headed to Old Square in Almaty were greeted by the Leader beaming down from a billboard urging citizens to vote for his Nur Otan party in next January’s parliamentary elections.

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Kazakhstan: Almaty Winter Escapes (3)

13 Dec

Winter is really on its way now in Almaty, with snow making on and off appearances and New Year decorations springing up. Kazaxia wants to share some of its favourite things to do in and around Almaty to help pass those frosty days and long nights.

Our third tip is the Tabagan leisure complex.

If you’re in need of a longer break from the fumes and noise of Almaty life, then why not consider a visit to this leisure complex located near the village of Gorny Sadovod some 17km from Almaty’s city limits on the road to Talgar. Click here for detailed directions.

A cottage at Tabagan, near Almaty

The complex features a hotel and cottages – accommodation prices vary according to the time of the week and the time of year when you visit.

There’s plenty to keep you occupied with a downhill ski run, complete with a chair lift, a small skating rink, an indoor swimming pool, sledging and horse riding on offer. Look out for the resident reindeer roaming the grounds. Après-ski is provided in the on-site restaurants and bars.

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Kazakhstan: Almaty Winter Escapes (2)

5 Dec

Winter is really on its way now in Almaty, with snow making on and off appearances and New Year decorations springing up. Kazaxia wants to share some of its favourite things to do in and around Almaty to help pass those frosty days and long nights.

Our second tip is Tau Spa Center.

This spa center is located on the road leading through the Almarasan valley to Big Almaty lake. It combines heated outdoor swimming pools and hot tubs with a Russian banya, a Finnish sauna, a Turkish steamroom and a Japanese bath. For the hardcore there’s an unheated plunge pool for some serious cooling down.  

An outdoor swimming pool at Tau Spa Center, Almaty


There are heated indoor mineral pools and three cafés on-site providing beer, vodka and shashlyk. It can get pretty crowded at weekends and look out for bling bling crosses being worn by some of the clientèle -they’re risking some serious burns in the banya!

One-off visits don’t come cheap at 10,000 tenge ($67.50), although you can buy cards for 20 visits for 100,000 tenge ($675.00) and sometimes there are offers with 5-visit cards costing 15,000 tenge ($100 but with limited validity). Bring your own towel and dressing gown unless you want to be deprived of yet more of your hard-earned cash.

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