Astana, Kazakhstan

Khan Shatir Commercial center.

A free day in Astana! It is very rare to have a free day to walk around, sit in a café and observe people. Also, I get a chance to take advantage of the gym at the hotel. All cameramen, if not everyone, have back problems. I should have started a long time ago, but for 2 years now, I go regularly to the gym for back exercises and haven’t had any problem since.

Taxi’s are pretty cheap in Astana and the drivers have always been very nice. This morning we waved down a car. Any car can be a taxi and you just agree on a price when they stop. When the driver found out we worked for Euronews, he said he watched the channel every day. We told him about the report we did and he said he would go home and watch it. When he dropped us off, he thanked us for the nice conversation and said he was happy to meet us. I told him the same!

He dropped us off at Rafé Coffee House near the President’s palace. It’s Ainash’s, our journalist friend’s, favorite place. It is very modern, has internet and if you don’t have a computer, they will lend you one. And not just any computer, it is an Apple Mac Air!

The President's Alley at night.

Then we walk down President’s Alley, the beautiful walkway from the Palace to a big modern shopping center called Khan Shatir. Inside Khan Shatir there are small trains to  see the place, different rides for kids, restaurants and all the namebrand stores. One journalist collegue said he had never seen anything like it, even in Dubai