Joe Ragan

I arrived in Astana yesterday and I have decided to change its name!  Atlanta is called Hotlanta and now we have Hotstana!  Yesterday the temperature gauge in my car read 40 c (104) and the weather site said 100.  Several friends arrived in Hostana before me and went sight seeing.  They called me shortly after [...]

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I left Karaganda last Saturday afternoon and endured a 19 1/2 hour ride to Almaty.  The group made it in time to attend service at a new church plant.  After lunch, we took an excursion back up to Medeo so that another group could see the beauty of the region.
We traveled through the city and [...]

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While in Almaty, I took a group of friends up to the mountains surrounding Almaty.  Medeo is a sports complex situated in the mountains.  During the winter it serves as a skating rink.  During the winter, there were people roller blading and riding bikes around the surface.

After taking these shots just above Medeo, we [...]

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While in Almaty last weekend, I went to a village about 50 km from Almaty.  There is a rehabilitation center with several men and one woman trying to recover from drug and alcohol addictions.
When we arrived, they had just begun butchering a pig.  So the first hour was spent watching them cleaning up the mess, [...]

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I made my first long road trip in my car to Almaty last week.  My friend, Max, went with me.  The trip is more than 1,000 km (over 600 miles).
There isn’t really too much to see along the way.  The Kazakhstan steppes cross through the heart of the country and extends almost the whole trip [...]

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Last week I took my neighbor, Nina, to Saran (a nearby city).  Most of her family is buried in the city cemetary there.  She was unable to go on their remembrance day so I had promised to take her.
I must tell you that I do not like going to cemetaries (and my opinion hasn’t changed [...]

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Willie Nelson’s song is becoming my theme song!  I am leaving early Thursday morning for Almaty.  This will be my first cross country trip driving my car.  It is more than a 1,000 km (more than 620 miles).  I will drive there Thursday and return on Sunday.
I spent an interesting Wednesday morning at a nearby [...]

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The city of Karaganda unveiled a new monument last week.  The main street in town is named after a Kazakh poet, Bukhar Zhirau.  You can read about him here.
Here are a few photos…

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Wow, they really know how to put on a good show in Astana!  The city was gleaming for its 10th anniversary.  The city and national governments did a good job of showcasing the city.
Last Friday I drove around with some colleagues to see the sites.  First off was a stage set up on Respublica Street.  [...]

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