Best Purchase Ever

Almaty, Kazakhstan

2/27/2012  10:15 am

Dobryi vecher!

     So, apparently Sunday for us is Bazaar day which is a mixed bag of tiring and amazing.  When I get the chance to upload some photos from yesterday's bazaar, you'll see all kinds of whatsits and whosits galore that they sell.  Until then, I would like to entice you with my recent purchase of this "Kazakh Baseball Cap."  It's made with the traditional material used by Kazakhs to make winter hats yet it is shaped and designed to be a baseball cap.  If only it came with one of those fancy stickers.

Kazakh Swag got me sayin' YouOnlyKazakhOnce

'Till next time,


Shaak.

Altai Mountains - Almaty's Frozen Paradise

Almaty, Kazakhstan
2/24/2012  3:45 pm

Privet suki!

     Things are going in Kazakhstan.  Well enough, I tell myself.  Well, enough to tell myself that it is all going well enough.  I have been here for just about one week and things are just OK.  I'm a little home sick but, that comes with any trip to a foreign land with not much to do.  However, this morning my buddy, Yerlan, took my uncle and I out to the mountains for some fresh air and skiing.

     Now I'm at the office/warehouse so I shall update you on this stunning beauty I've "discovered" in Almaty.  I'm afraid these photos will not do the natural beauty of the Altai mountains any justice.  But, as I am in Kazakhstan and you are (probably) not, it will have to do.

Pure beautiful nature circa. two kilometers above sea level.

We driving up the mountain pass.

-10 degrees Celsius at around 10:00 am.

"Ski Resort"  Yerlan built the Presidential VIP suite for the Asian Winter Olympics.

View from the lift...again.

View from the lift.

Reppin' my Fing gloves by HSK.  Hanging out with Yerlan.

Nearly three kilometers up in the atmosphere - shit is cold!

My favorite photo of this trip to the Altai Mountains.  Yerlan and my uncle, Najot (Nick).

OK - so Yerlan was the only one to go skiing but the view and air was badly needed. 

Hey dude - get out of the way!

     The atmospheric pressure and weather is nothing to trifle with.  The average elevation of Almaty is 800m, we drove up to the Altai mountains reaching an elevation of almost 3km.  At the top of the slopes is where it was very cold, probably close to 0 degrees F/-17 degrees C.  I layered up expecting near freezing temperatures but this took the cake and the cold seeped right through.

You can't get this in New York.

     The Altai mountain range is no more than an hour away from Almaty - and that is with heavy traffic such as rush hour.  The Altai mountains have provided a natural barrier for Kazakhstan where it borders Kyrgyzstan and China.  For awhile, there was an incessant fear that China would expand westward from Xinjiang.  The re-deployment of the capital from Almaty to Astana helped curb those fears.  Yet, these mountains are more than just a natural defense and barrier from not so friendly countries.  I hope you see the beauty that is in these photos - that pure white snow with the sun illuminating the darkest crevice in these mountains.

This snow is fucking fresh.  Just imagine trying to trek these mountains by foot.

We got the best view of these mountains right here.

Lined with trees and little people skiing down the slope.

Coffee outdoors, anyone?

     There were some really great videos I got the chance to take while up there but I've been having issues uploading them.  When I get the chance, I'll upload them.  The sooner the better - you have to see the views from the lift that I couldn't capture with just photos.  I'm telling you this country can be beautiful - the trees, the snow, the mountains, gorges and, rivers all surrounding Almaty.  I think I am in love with these mountains.  I cannot wait to see them transform into green grass and forests.  I'd love to give hiking a shot here.  Of course, I'll have to snowboard down that slope first.  I gotta have it.

     I have to admit, it is a shame I have to head back into that smog drenched city after all this.

'Till next time,


Shaak.

Culture Theory: Driving in Almaty

Almaty, Kazakhstan
2/22/2012  6:50 am

     Up early again.  I haven't slept in or slept well since I've got here to Almaty.  Haven't had the time to adjust.

     Anyway, straight to bizniz.  As I mentioned previously before about the road situation here in Almaty, it fucking sucks.  There seems to be no rules or lanes or anything.  Drivers here will cut you off, swivel around your car, stop short when they want and, will not give a fuck about you or anything.  Well, almost anything - pedestrians over here love to cross the street whenever the fuck they want to not giving a shit if a car is a few feet away or not around at all.  I have been here for less than one week and already I have seen almost two people get ran over.  I think the odds are that I will see someone get hit during my stay here.  Drivers and pedestrians do not give two, maybe three but, possibly seven or eight fucks about each other.

Maybe it's cause you can't see shit but then why drive like a maniac.
SLOW DOWN FOR FUCK'S SAKE.

JUST LIKE JAY-Z, KAZAKH PEOPLE PLAY CHICKEN WITH A MACK TRUCK.

   

     So, here is my theory:

1.  Drivers here learned how to drive by playing Mario Kart.

This is the best representation of what it is like to be on the road in Almaty.

2.  The inspiration for the video game, Frogger comes from Kazakhstan.  Who else would cross the street with two ways of traffic during rush hour like that?  Seriously, it's as if these people are either trying to kill themselves or trying to prove their roots as the inspiration to this classic video game.

Frogger is Kazakh.

Almaty, Kazakhstan
2/22/2012  1:13 pm

     Well, I have not much else to say.  I'm brain dead after doing so much data entry.  I want to forget.  Now it's time for me to eat lunch and prep for my first Russian lesson.!

Drive safely!

'Till next time,

Shaak.

Sundays Can Be So Bazaar

Almaty, Kazakhstan

2/20/2012  3:41 pm

     Hey all,

     I think I'll be in Almaty for about six months at most - so I figured I'd get acquainted where the people do their shopping and what people do for fun.  I spent Sunday going to the bazaar, a couple of shopping malls and, squeezed in a Russian lunch with one of my dad's friends.  And later on, I attempted to do a special Live from Kazakhstan podcast with Najman and Hae Sol Kang - it turned into a podcast remixed into dubstep.

UPDATE: IN THE FUTURE THEY PLAY DUBSTEP MUSIC IN THE SUPERMARKET.

     Now I'm at the warehouse doing some more data entry and research.  Kind of going crazy but at least I have some delicious coffee to hype me up...which I probably shouldn't be drinking...

     Also found a specialty coffee roaster here in Almaty, 4A Coffee.  Can't wait to check them out.  I'm also going to get a tutor to teach me Russian.  So, I'll actually learn how to say something other than Nyet, Spacyba and, Vodka.  The vodka, by the way, is very hit, miss, or piss. - It's decent or tastes like corn syrup or tastes like it's been diluted with clear anti-freeze and you're dying with every sip.

     So here are some photos from my shopping sorties in Almaty on Sunday.  We hit the bazaar in the morning and the malls at night.  There's nothing too special about the malls and I'll spend more time in them soon enough so I didn't take too many photos there.  It's the bazaar I want you to see.

     Also, unlike Uzbekistan they seem not to jive with the hip-hop game.  Maybe they just don't give a fuck about anything American.

'Till next time,

Shaak.

Outside the Bazaar!

Here is how my day went:

Fresh produce, yo!

Enough steak to feed Najman.

Kimchi and other pickled deliciousness

Kumis.

Kumis from the Kumis wench?...

Fresh bread.  Tandoori naan.

Squash.  Such a beautiful golden yellow.

Variety is the spice of life.

Dried fruits and nuts.

More fresh and local produce.

You can buy this broom for about two bucks.
Also makes great torch when you ride your horse at night.

Outside section of the bazaar - clothes, hardware, anything really.

Liver, Kidneys, Tripe, Lungs, Hearts - They got what you crave.

Kazakh woven slippers.

No joke - this is ass. Lamb butt. gnarly shit.

My uncle chillin' with his soon to be buddy.

Dollz heads.

Lambz heads.  Babushka watches her herd.

Like I said, sweet glorious meat.

Horse ribs - primarily used for Kazah, Kazakh sausage

Enough hippie herb shit for another Najman I know to probably smoke.

Mega Mall - Western Decadence at its finest.

I want to shit on this store so badly.

Had to get this macchiato to go. >:C  Tasted like the 90s.

This jar of Nutella costs ten USD.

Baby, It's The Weekend

Almaty, Kazakhstan
2/18/2012  6:51 am

     So, I'm here in Kazakhstan.  In what I'd like to say, Chillin' Like A Baws Apartment.  Well, it is pretty nice.  Still getting used to the living arrangements.  I got the couch which turns into a bed.  It's pretty dark outside right now.  It's the black of night over here.  For fuck's sake, it's nearly seven am over here and the sun has not risen.  Seeing how my sleep schedule was all kinds of fucked back in New York, I think I've adjusted here pretty well thus far.  However, I'll let time tell.

     The temperature in Almaty is a little bit colder than it is in New York, with snow all over the ground.  It feels good to experience a real winter in another country.  You know, cause 2012 ain't got real winter for New York City.  It's not the cold over here that bothers me, there seems to be this dust or smoke in the air that you know is bad for you in nearly every capacity.  It is as if the earth is on fire underneath us and you can smell it in the air.  There seems to be this proper mix of charcoal heating from old houses, new construction of apartment buildings and infrastructure to improve the city, and dust from the surrounding steppe that gets into the air for your precious lungs to breathe in and soak up.  Fuck.

View from the apt.  City of smoke & cranes.

This smoke/fog/air ain't fucking normal. Who lives like this? That was at 11:00 am

     Yesterday, my first full day in Kazakhstan, was a mixed bag of half excitement, boredom, and jet lag.  I found out my phone will not work here, the SIM card is way too small - Fuck you, Verizon!  But it's ok, I got a nice phone here that's got some 90s SWAG (What was the equivalent to SWAG in the 90s?)  I'll upload the photo when I get the chance.

     Also, found out I'm in the "Queens" section of the city - the part where you can drive your car and public transportation is shitty but, you still live within city limits.  And if that isn't something, the specific area I am living in is called the "Manhattan Project(s)."  I love the name as it brings the idea of the U.S. atomic weapons project, that existed from the 1930s to the 1940s, to my mind.  Living in the "Manhattan Project(s)" in Almaty, especially after leaving New York City, is just bizarre.  O the irony!

Good morning from "Manhattan Project(s)"

     Driving around Almaty has been an experience.  I would not dare do it, not cause I still don't have a license but, there are no lanes of traffic.  Over here in this part of the world, anything goes - if you think you can sandwich your car in between two others, you do it cause if you don't someone else will swivel through.  Or, you don't do such a thing cause that's how you are going to get into a fucking car accident.


2/18/2012  4:26 pm

     The warehouse that my dad has his auto parts business set up at is bizarre.  Let's just say cs_assault and cs_office smashed each other and birthed out cs_kazakhstan.

     I've been at the warehouse all day.  I think we get to finish up soon.  I just wanna chill at the apartment.  But, we've got a guest tonight!  My good ole' buddy, Yerlan.  He's coming over for dinner and, I finally get to start diving into getting this coffee business.  Yerlan is one of the people interested in starting a coffee business in Kazakhstan.  He also is the project manager for the new mall that is being built out here in Almaty (THE ONE WITH SAKS FIFTH AVENUE).

    Anyway, I won't have internet access at the "Manhattan Project(s)" so I might as well update the blog again and shout it out to my peeps.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend people.  I will try to enjoy my very first weekend here but, we'll see.

     Miss you all.  Enjoy the photos.


'Till next time,

Shaak.

CS_Kazakhstan

The ground - with its ice.

Another part of the complex, one of two warehouses.

Inside the dark warehouse...

Uhh...what?