Today I fly from Shymkent to Astana at a very pleasant time of 1130, meaning that could have a leisurely breakfast before ordering a car. I got to the airport at 1000 to find the counters already free of queues.
The staff asked me to get a paper boarding pass even though I noticed people used their mobile versions later. The gate opened an hour before departure and we boarded soon after.
The aircraft had been here on a 2h05 turaround and we got away on time. As liquids are not allowed on domestic flights, it was good to be given a small bottle of water on SCAT Airlines. All announcements are made in Kazakh, Russian then English.
I got to the Belon Lux Hotel in the centre of the Nurzhol Bulvar, the new heart of Astana, at 1400. The area seemed devoid of small enterprises like small shops or takeaway bars. It was all large fancy restaurants but I finally found a mini supermarket.
On my walk a little later to explore the area, I found a mall with everything that I could possibly need for the rest of my stay, so I suddenly felt better about the choice of my hotel.
Khan Shatyr, the much talked-about complex with a beach club wasn’t as big or fancy as I had imagined. It was a mall enclosed under a trumpet-shaped plastic canopy, with a beach club on the top floor.
With my open abrasion, I’m not in a state to go into public waters. But looking at the depth and width of the floor on which it was located, the pool would only be shallow in the form of a narrow U-shape.
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- Presidential Palace.
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- Presidential Palace.
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- Nurzhol Bulvar looking towards Khan Shatyr.
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- Arouund Astana.
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- Khan Shatyr.
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- Inside Khan Shatyr.
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- I only need to buy the land taken by the base, not the overhang?
After about 2h30 of exploring in the heat, I grabbed a Tom Yum noodle dinner at the mall before returning to my room. I popped up briefly to appreciate the Nurzhol Bulvar area by night.
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- Presidential Palace.
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- Baiterek observation tower and monument.
