A Bit of Retail Therapy

On the way to Santai today we stopped by at a Kazakh house for food. Here are Niyaz and Peng stuffing their faces on a traditional spread of sliced nan bread served up on a cloth with delicious thick sour cream and washed down with copious bowls of slightly salted milk tea. The tea may not sound as if it would appeal to our western taste buds, but in fact I am now beginning to develop a quite a liking for it. Just as well as I am about to tackle Central Asia.

I am a sucker for Kazakh embroidery, and when the lady of the house produced a colourful set of wedding saddle bags for Shandan to model, there was not much internal debate before I yielded and persuaded her to part with them.

She very proudly showed off their living quarters - here are some of the family members with Michelin woman. This luxurious interior richly furnished with carpets and embroidered wall hangings is typical of Kazakh houses, and a throwback to their traditional nomadic lifestyle living in yurts. The young son was quick to seize the opportunity to display his Kazakh accessories.