The snow was still with us yesterday, and we awoke to this:


Refusing to be daunted, we slithered our way through continuing flurries of nasty white stuff to the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, a very striking pyramidal building completed in 2006 as the venue for the triennial Congress of World and Traditional Religions, which Kazakhstan conceived and hosts. Inside are a theatre, a huge congress hall, and an apex conference room.






I loved the doves. There are 130, representing the different ethnicities present in Kazakhstan (ethnic diversity is very much a recurring theme here).





By the time we'd finished here, and had lunch, the snow had stopped, and the pavements were less icy. So we made our slightly less slithery way to the Bayterek Monument.




This highly unusual tower is rich in some rather thought-provoking symbolism:

"The monument embodies the idea of the Kazakh people related to the structure of the universe. According to the legend, Baiterek is the tree of life, the destination of the sacred bird, Samruk. The structure of the tower symbolizes the three pillars of creation -- underground, terrestrial and celestial worlds... Every year in the Tree crown, Samruk -- the sacred bird -- lays an egg, the Sun, which is swallowed by Ajdahar, the dragon who lives at the foot of the Tree of Life." This ongoing process symbolizes the constant movement between summer and winter, day and night, good and evil.

The views are great at the top, and you are invited to place your own five powerless fingers in the powerful hand print of the first president, and make a wish...






Having got nice and warm in the tower, you'll have enough energy to walk back up to Khan Shatyr, along another bit of the grand axis that runs all the way from there to the mosque/museum/monument complex where we were on our first two days.



Today, the Easter Sunday weather was much, much more clement. The snow had mostly gone, and the thermometer made it to 9 degrees during the course of the afternoon. So it was walking day!

Along the river, via various parks and monuments; back to the Khan Shatyr (for the third time); then home, once again along the splendid paths of that massive axis. There were lots more people out and about today. There were even some brave souls eating ice cream.









If you too get caught in the snow, and need a cafe to scuttle to after your visit to the peace pyramid, there's a hugely popular branch of the Coffee Boom chain near the US Embassy. They have a vast menu, but I can recommend, from the Georgian section, the kharcho (a meat soup featuring really tender beef, rice, and a pleasant degree of spiciness). Coffee Boom's pistachio torte is also divine...


Today's walk took us past a restaurant called Turfan. This place is great! For just over KZT 500 (MYR 50), our table was covered: Some of the best flat bread I've ever had; a platter of chicken shashlik, served with rice, onions, and a very fresh tomato sauce; and a dish (whose name I've forgotten) of eggplant, capsicums, tender meat, and a tasty tomato gravy (plus tea -- see below).




There's a wonderful fruit tea tradition in these parts. I've not been able to work out where it comes from. Coffee Boom offers a warming pear and cinnamon tea, and Turfan has a whole list (we chose the delectable "Turfan tea", which includes, in addition to the actual tea, grapefruit, orange, cardamom, honey, and more).

So, our little Kazakhstan interlude is nearly over, and tomorrow, we fly to the UK. We really want to see more of this country, though. I hope this initial experience has just been the prelude.