When traveling in a massive country like Kazakhstan, you may find it hard to escape the city. Due to lack of public transportation and expensive tours, most backpackers you Kazakhstan as nothing more than a transit onwards to Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan. There are options, however, to take in some of the country’s natural beauty. Read how to escape Almaty and visit Charyn Canyon for cheap on the website, link in the bio! . . . . #kazakhstan #almaty #centralasia #adventuretravel #natgeo #lonelyplanet #followmefaraway #worldnomads #theglobewanderer #solotravel #traveldiary #welivetoexplore #adventuretravel #instatravel #travelgram #travelingram #travelblogger #bbctravel #backpacking #kazakh #instapassport #travelling #traveltheworld #seetheworld#travelpics #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelphotography #backpacker #traveldeeper (at Almaty, Kazakhstan) https://www.instagram.com/p/Byz7MK5A2Em/?igshid=nb5dpjilngen
Kazakhstan declares a state of emergency after mass protests sweep the country over soaring energy prices, forcing the government to resign. These are the biggest protests in Kazakhstan history.
Fuel prices have doubled.
Other issues are involved too, such as anger over the corrupt regime of (technically former) President Nazarbayev, his puppet successor, and the monopoly his family have over politics and business - directly responsible for the price hikes. Civil rights restrictions and a lack of press freedom are also factors.
““Fuel prices were a catalyst that triggered mass protests over long-held grievances in a country riddled by corruption, lack of political choice and civil freedoms and where ordinary people often struggle to make ends meet while the elite lead luxurious lives,” said Marius Fossum, a regional representative of Norwegian Helsinki Committee based in Almaty.”
Dozens of protesters were killed by security forces, with 100s more injured.
At least 12 police officers have been killed in the protests, including one who was beheaded.
Russia and its allies dispatched troops to quell unrest.
Government buildings in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, were set alight.
Meanwhile, as of January 9, it’s reported that 5,969 people were detained in Kazakhstan for participating in the protests. Also, according to previous days, 26 people were killed by the security forces.
But nobody cares about this (except for the Kazakhstanis themselves and part of the post-Soviet people), there are no #prayforkazakhstan promotions, there are no donations for the victims. And for some reason, many are more worried about whether Bitcoin will be mined after the protests.
Now “Mediazona. Central Asia” is reporting that since the beginning of the protests 164 people (including three children) have died, more than 2,200 people have been injured.
Blood stains are seen on snow at the site of a plane crash outside Almaty January 29, 2013. The passenger plane crashed in thick fog near Kazakhstan’s commercial capital Almaty on Tuesday and broke into pieces when it hit the ground, killing all 21 people on board.
As far as shock value comedy goes, the arrival of Borat in 2006 is hard to beat. Sacha Baron Cohen’s larger-than-life, jew-fearing persona had his unwitting guests stammering and uncomfortable, while his sayings – ‘wa wa wee wa’ - can still be heard in college dorms across the world. There may have been doubts about whether this out-of-the-blue sequel from Amazon Studios could retain the same element of surprise, but Borat Subsequent Moviefilm skimps on none of the outrageous comedy of the original, adapting to a changed and crazy world - new presidents, new viruses - in hilarious and yes, shocking, ways.
After his documentary-making exploits in the first film lead to national humiliation for Kazakhstan, Borat finds himself imprisoned for his crimes against his home country. Yet, when new president Donald Trump steps in, and Kazakhstan is presented with an opportunity to win favour with the United States, Borat is sent on a mission for his own survival - present his own daughter Tutar (Maria Bakalova) as a gift to ‘Vice Pussy Grabber’ Mike Pence, or be ‘execute’.
Borat needed a good excuse to return for a sequel, and luckily 2020 has been a year just waiting to be satirised. Like with the quest to marry Pamela Anderson, the plot here doesn’t make much sense, but Cohen and director Jason Woliner use it as a tool with which to expose alarming social attitudes in the US. As Borat ventures through the south – cleverly using disguises to elude discovery from fans of the movie - there are genuinely jaw dropping scenes with a pastor who takes his support of pro-life to extreme lengths, and a store owner who does his best to help Borat get the right materials needed to ‘gas gypsies’.
As before, much of the humour here comes from the awkward reactions of Borat’s targets, though you would hope that Cohen and regular collaborator Anthony Hines would’ve taken more risks with their material – a final act about the ‘coronavirus hoax’ ends up feeling slightly toothless. That being said, the film has a huge trump card in the form of Bakalova as Borat’s socially repressed daughter. Stepping in as Cohen’s new foil (the gruesome fate of Borat’s previous assistant Azamat is revealed early on), Bakalova is just as committed to the cause, willingly plunging herself into absurd stunts – a period-stained dance father-daughter dance, and an encounter with a certain former mayor – that somehow top the audacity of those in the first film. As Borat’s relationship with his daughter forces him to confront his outdated views on female rights – maybe they don’t belong in cages? – the resulting ending is both silly and weirdly sweet, with the most genius cameo of the year yet.
A Borat sequel purely for fans of the original, this delivers more of the same, boosted by a father-daughter subplot that provides some of the most uncomfortably funny moments yet. For the most part, it’s very nice!
Aisha Garifovna Galimbaeva is a Kazakhstani painter and educator. She is noted for her colourful and realstic depictions of women’s changing position in the Soviet Bloc in the mid-20th century.
Flowers Gallery is pleased to present Nadav Kander’s most recent project Dust, which goes on display in New York for the first time in April 2016. Rooted in an interest in the ‘aesthetics of destruction,’ Dust explores the vestiges of the Cold War through the radioactive ruins of secret cities on the border between Kazakhstan and Russia.
Priozersk (formally known as ‘Moscow 10’) and Kurchatov are closed cities, restricted military zones, concealed and not shown on maps until they were ‘discovered’ by Google Earth. Enlisted to the pursuits of science and war, the sites were utilized for the covert testing of atomic and long distance weapons. Falsely claimed as uninhabited, the cities, along with nearby testing site ‘The Polygon’ set the stage for one of the most cynical experiments ever undertaken. Scientists watched and silently documented the horrifying effects of radiation and pollution on the local population and livestock.
I’ve hit a milestone. It is somewhat obscure but very meaningful, and is an accomplishment that took lots of effort, and yet was never really striven for.
On September 8th, at the age of 21, I landed in Trinidad, and officially had been to fifty countries. The big 5-0.
I think that all of this reflection I’ve been talking about in the past couple posts was initiated largely by the realization of this accomplishment. It is strange because I don’t travel to increase my number, yet as a fact, it is still representative of many things. As I’ve written before (here), I view my passport as kind of the physical manifestation of this ‘number,’ and as a kind of table of contents to my life. The stamp, or the name of the country on the list I’m about to present, doesn’t tell you what I’ve experienced or learned in each location, but you can assume certain things.
I’m presenting the list here for a few reasons. 1. I think it would be fun for readers to ask me about certain locations I may have not yet written about. 2. In the next few days I want to put a list up of places I want to go, and it would only make sense to know where I’ve been. 3. It’s a generally accepted human desire to share accomplishments with others. Also, if you think I’ve traveled a lot- then read about the world’s most traveled men (here).
So here it is. I’ve divided it by continent (though I like to divide it by region too) and then in parentheses written the order it was chronologically. If I’ve written a post about it then a link follows.
There are some things in this life you have to do. Like sign up to drive to 10,000 miles across the planet in an overloaded compact car and hardly any preparation with a bunch of strangers.
![Aisha Galimbaeva / Айша Ғарифқызы Ғалымбаева, b. 1917, d. 2008Self PortraitKazakhstan (1970)[Source]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/30601c252398d6e49a254e7718dbec43/tumblr_pcl1f1EOAK1ug5xwdo1_1280.jpg "Aisha Galimbaeva / Айша Ғарифқызы Ғалымбаева, b. 1917, d. 2008Self PortraitKazakhstan (1970)[Source]")
