Few cities got renamed as often as Astana. Since it had become capital of Kazakhstan in 1997, some of the world’s leading architects got a new playing field. I loved the swimming pool floating like a miracle above the crazy dome-like structure of Khan.Shatyr shopping mall. Defying outside temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius I bought a ticket for the pool, enjoyed inside temperatures of 50 degrees more, unfolded my laptop and finalised my report while sitting on imported sand from the Maldives. Everything felt a bit artificial in this capital surrounded by endless steppe..- even marriage proposals: By chance I could follow ten assistants preparing a proposal dinner in a fancy restaurant by order of a rich Kazakh gentleman. Unfortunately the chosen lady had to wait forever. The reason: The fireworks in front of the impressive Astana skyline the bridegroom-to-be had ordered to coincide with his proposal did not work out.

From Astana I took the night train to Astana, ten hours passing through steppe, ample time to make lots of nice aquaintances in the train and share local food (‘beshbarmak’, a traditional oriental dish with meat and rice, Russian pelmenis and Korean spicy salads). Just after sunrise the first snow-clad peaks of the Tian Shan mountains appeared like phoenix out of the steppe. With friends I did a weekend trip to Lower Kolsai lake: Ot’s colour was an unbelievable deep turquoise, but not artificial at all.