This morning we left around 9am and came across what on the map said Astana Circus which we weren't too excited about. Low and behold a completely random fountain with a golden clown on a unicycle!!! Not only that but surrounded by a beautiful garden filled with circus animals and performers. The edges of the fountain were lined with bears, donkeys, camels, elephants, clowns and acrobats. Hedges cut into elephants and giraffes near by, quite amazing but completely unexpected. We treid to find out what it was there for but to no avail.
We followed the neverending straight street to Khan Shantyr the oddly shaped shopping centre in Astana only a year or so old it was quite interesting just to look at almost following the circus theme it looked like a lopsided circus tent. We and half of the city so it seemed had arrived early so we waited until it opened. Once we were inside it was incredible and confusing, rows of shops lined the outskirts of the inner building and then two floors up an arcade level and with rides and a full size merry go round. On the next level was a water park, slides and a lagoon area to relax. Definately something Sydney should think about investing in.....it's pretty awesome. We shopped a bit bodught some much needed 16gb memory cards for our cameras and continued down the 'strip' to Bayterek tower dedicated to ancient Kazakh legend the Bayterek was 'the tree of life'.
The roots of this tree lay in the subterranean world, it's trunk in the earthly one and it's crown in the heavens. Each year the sacred bird Samruk laid a golden egg in the crown of this tree, only for it to be consumed by the dragon Aidakhar, which lived at the base of it. The annual routine of egg laying and destruction symbolised the switch between summer and winter, day and night, good and evil.
Quite a beautiful legend I'd say, Bayterek is impressive similar to the likes of the eiffel tower in design and individuality. You will not see this anywhere else in the world, anyone can see the care and consideration that was taken in selecting the location and the planning of the entire plaza and the many kms of planned path, floral gardens, fountains and with statues and sculptures lining the path up to the tower, continuing in all four directions beneath the tower for kms.
We paid our 500Tenge and ascended in the lift to the tippy top of the tower for a 360 degree gobsmack!!!! Honestly I have never seen something so perfect, a beautiful modern city planned to the T and as you look over you can see where the city stops and the endless wonderment that is the steppe begins.......I have never seen anything like it a city in the middle of nowhere.
At the very top is the highest platform within the golden dome. Here stands a green malachite plinth, on top of which is a disc made of 5kg of solid silver. Resting on this in turn is a triangular-shaped 2kg lump of gold , into which is pressed the hand of President Nazarbaev. Visitors are encouraged to place their hands in that of the president and make a wish, which of course we did along with countlless others.
On another note I cannot stress enough how beautiful and lovely the people are here......kind and patient and always smiling.
Once we left the tower we made our way back stopping at the Nur Astana Mosque which was quite stunning with its pure white walls and golden dome. I could have probably stayed there and just looked for a while, not just because my feet were in some serious pain, as were Bec and Aimee's.
We made the seemingly endless walk back to our guest house were the lovely girl at the desk was waiting to welcome us back......time for a cuppa.
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