Current affairs

The river splits Astana into old and new; poor and rich; neglected and embellished; genuine and pretentious; down to earth and built to the sky. But if the bigger picture is too much and you just want to go for a walk, the river is a good neutral route; away from the pretence but also the mess and pollution. The current is ceremonial at best and the well lit buildings reflect off the usually still water surface.

Still, that is, until a raft of revellers send their wake ashore, causing temporary ripples through what feels, at times, like a temporary city.

Cruising along the Ishim.

But I think those who live in Astana and have semi-decent jobs - the growing middle class - are glad to have a clean, forward looking, brightly coloured city with a sense of future and freedom. I tend to take these things for granted as I criticise the tack and the folly (there's so MUCH!).

Rowers revel on the river.