1994 Travel Part 9 - short time in Kazakhstan

We landed in Karaganda at four o'clock in the morning.  This was a little of a problem because they told the people there that we would land at six which meant that nobody was there to greet any of us.  Except the Mafia man who had a chauffeured car ready to drive him from the plane to wherever he wanted.  I was cold outside and didn't want to stay in the drafty airport, but I thought it was too early to call my friend and announce "I'm here!"  Plus, I didn't know where the phone was anyway.  After some convincing of the state of my personal safety being alone there from a German tourist and his girlfriend who was from Kazakhstan I made the call.

I had a fantastic time in Kazakhstan!  It was a continual adventure, not that anything went wrong, but because of the experience of being there.  I walked, I talked, I went to the parks, I went to a concert (and saw Mafia man again).  I received a free tour the museum and their new exhibits that weren't open to the public yet because I was an Anthropologist!  I even had drinks at the KGB colonel's apartment.  In fact, his daughter is a friend of my friend and helped arrange my visa.

Granted there were some tense moments like when I had to go the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and "check in."

-"So, what is your profession?"

-"I'm an Anthropologist and Sociologist."

-"And what organization do you work for?"

-"I don't work for an organization.  I'm...uh..."independent" right now."

-"Are you here on business?

-"No."

-"Why are you here then?"

-"Vacation"

This poor guy must have either thought I was spy or an idiot.  Karaganda was a former gulag and mining city.  Nobody ever came there for "vacation."  It took him a while to be convinced of this, but soon he sent my friend and myself on our way.

Or when I tried to exchange money.  For some reason the banks were having trouble exchanging money then and they would help me.  So I had to do it illegally with some guy at the bank who wanted western cash.  During our transaction people saw us huddled in the corner and ran over to see what we were doing.  We almost started a riot and had to run out the back stairs.

               

But one of the more enjoyable things I did there was go to a Russian bath house.  It was great!  I went there with my friends uncle and some of his friends.  You strip down and go into a steam room that's so hot you can't breath through your nose.  I tried and it felt like someone set all the hairs in my nose on fire!  Then you can either sit down and rest which is much like sitting on a hot stove.  I learned the hard way that you must angle yourself in a certain position so as not to let another part of the anatomy rest on that same surface.  Or you could take a birch branch and beat yourself with it.  I'm not sure how this particular custom came to be, but you smell great once your done.  Once you get out of the "sauna" you run over and poor a bucket of ice cold water over you.  Two hours later I was exhausted (going from hot to cold continually), but I felt, looked, and smelled like a new person.

Unfortunately - I'm still the same old me.