Observations in Uralsk

We thought we would start the day with an interesting fact we just learned ……….

The Oral River runs though a small part of Kazakhstan -- on one side Kazakhstan is considered part of Asia. On the other side Kazakhstan is considered part of Europe. We learned that Uralsk is on the European side -- we always thought that Hailee was born in Asia -- but now know she was born in Europe.

And the following are just a few of our observations -- they are different from America which makes it unusual to us ………

The way to get your streets really clean is to power blast them. See the photo below for the way it’s done. One thing to always remember; if you see the street cleaner coming your way and you happen to be walking on that side of the road --- MOVE FAST or you’re going to get a bath.



Now if you’ve arrived at your destination early and found the perfect parking spot close to the building you may find that when your business is complete and you’re ready to leave you will be waiting a LONG TIME. No one parks in any specific place -- cars are two or three deep - some are angled, some are straight, some are sideways -- it’s anyone’s guess. Please see photo below.






We’re thinking that a good running car is very important -- here in Uralsk it really doesn’t matter how well your vehicle runs -- what really matters is how loud your horn is and how frequently you use it. It doesn’t really matter if the light is yellow or red -- if you’re stopped longer than you think you should be you just beep, beep, beep at the people in front of you.

Jack has also found his calling -- if only he were a few years younger and was up to living in Uralsk for a few years. He would have a gold mine in a brake & clutch repair business. It is not unusual to hear the distinct sound of brakes squealing and the smell of a clutch burning as the cars leave a stoplight.

If you’re roads are unlined there’s a crew that will come in; shut the entire stretch of the road down and run the painting machine (see photo) -- now when the machine has done it’s job and you look back and the lines are not completely filled in the workers will grab a can of paint and a brush and hand fill in those lines for you. Although, truthfully, Jack is not sure why the lines are there because when you want to get around a bunch of cars you just create another lane.