Koshpendiler Alemi Ethnoaul - The Universe of Nomad - 5th World Nomad Games 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan

Koshpendiler Alemi Ethnoaul (Universe of Nomads): the heritage of the steppes in the center of the metropolis

The Koshpendiler Alemi Ethnoaul or the Universe of Nomad - the heritage of the steppes in the center of the metropolis - was organized at the Kazanat (horse racing) hippodrome. It was the day when we watched the horseback archery competition, we visited the Ethnoaul, which happened to be held at the same place. I had heard about it from the World Nomad Games website, but I had no idea on how it was going to look like.

So I was so thrilled and exciting upon entering the area. They organized it in a way where everyone would be able to immerse themselves in the rich world of the Kazakh people and be acquainted with the original culture of nomadic peoples. It was simply amazing!!! It was just like an open-air museum showcasing the nomadic civilization. No words could describe how lucky we were to experience it in such a short visit in Astana.

Altybakan - Kazakh wooden swing (Ethnoaul in Astana, Kazakhstan)

After checking out our ticket at the main entrance, we saw this big wooden swing, which later on I found out its name to be Altybakan - literally meaning six pillars. The Kazakh swings were built of six pillars. The ends of which were drawn with a strong rope with a cross-pole established on the top, and a pair of ropes for legs and a seat was secured (a big plank of wood). People stood out or sat down on it and swaying front and back. My roommate and I tried swaying on it. Well, it was easier to see than be done. Hahahaha... Perhaps, if we had this during our childhood, we would not have difficulty in swaying it around :P 

Shygys Bazary (Oriental Bazaar) - Ethnoaul in Astana, Kazakhstan

As we walked, we were entering the Shygys bazary (Oriental Bazaar) and smelled the delicious golden flaky Kazakh Samsa with savory goodness!!!Too bad that we just had our breakfast from the hotel. Therefore, we had to give it a miss and continued browsing around. Basically the bazaar was built in a row of yurts (nomad tents) - restaurants or cafes inside the tents - where people could taste the local authentic Kazakh national dishes, snacks, and delicacies.

Sheberler Auyly (Village of Craftsmen) - Ethnoaul in Astana, Kazakhstan

We passed by the Sheberler Auyly (village of craftsmen) where you could purchase a variety of souvenirs. It was said that more than two hundred artisans from all over the country would present their unique products and share the secrets of their craft.

Outdoor music performance from Atyrau and Almaty Region - Ethnoaul in Astana, Kazakhstan

The things that I found it most interesting there were the display of different styles of ethno-tent, which came from different regions in Kazakhstan. People were wearing their beautiful and colorful traditional dresses, completed with the head, shoes, accessories, and they were singing, dancing, playing the musical instruments, inside and outside, welcoming the guests from all over the world to visit their tent. They displayed their animals too, such as the Tazy hunting dog, hunting eagle, etc. Not only that. They were even displaying their food, and let us try their local delicacies, everything that were on display.

Beautiful eagle and handsome owner :D - Ethnoaul in Astana, Kazakhstan

For the photo below: Initially they were outside the tent. So we asked them if we could take a photo together. After taking photo, they invited us to enter their tent. Inside, there was a display of their local food. Again, we took a group photo inside. Then, they asked us to taste their food, whatever we wanted. This warm hospitality was called "konakas" - a tradition of hospitality by providing the guest with the most delicious food and do everything to make them feeling safe and comfortable. 

Inside the Kostanay-tent - Flatbread, varieties of kurt (dried cheese), horse and camel milk, etc. - Ethnoaul 

Wow!!! I heard about their hospitality before I came here by reading the article online, but I never expected that they really offered their food from inside the tent. I thought that it was only for display.

There were so many varieties of snacks and food, with some that I never tasted before, on the table, such as: kumys (mare's milk), shubat (camel's milk), kurt and its varieties (Kazakh dried cheese) - including the colorful ones, qazi - traditional Kazakh horse meat sausage that only the wealthy could afford in the past, dried fruits (apricots, raisins, dates), nuts (walnuts), zheti shelpek - the round flatbread, roasted in oil, "bauyrsaq” - a round or diamond-shaped doughnut - a symbol of brotherhood, unity, and abundance, butter, cheese, samosa, etc. 

If you never heard before, the traditional Kazakh cuisine revolved around lamb and horse meat, as well as a variety of dairy milk products. It was our second day of the trip and we had not tasted the horse meat yet because we did not know how it tasted like. We worried that if we ordered it in the restaurant as a dish, and if it happened not nice, then we would waste the whole dish. So when they offered us to try it, we did not hesitate a single second and gave it a try to it immediately!

Inside Kostanay tent - Shuzuk and qazi - horse meat delicacies tasting. Yum!!!! - Ethnoaul in Astana

I tried both kumys and shubat. Kumys was a bit sour. Perhaps they had kept it too long outside and not that fresh. Shubat was ok. Not really my favorite but I was glad that I tried. Then we tried all things in the plate that contained kurt (dried cheese). Some a little bit salty, some hard, some soft. Nice experience!

Then, it was the horse delicacies or qazi. I tried 2 types. First the one shaped like a cut sausage, but inside was lots of yellow fat. Another one also like a cut sausage, but more like mixture of meat and fat. If I was not wrong, it was called shuzuk. They usually smoked and dried it, and served it in slices as an appetizer. It was made by combining the rib meat and fat in an intestinal casing. Interesting right? Moreover, I was surprised that it tasted reaaaalllyyyy gooodddd..... hahahaha... really tasty!!! From there onwards, we ordered horse meat dishes a lot when having our meals in Kazakhstan :D They entertained us by singing and playing dombra - a long-necked musical string instrument - after that. 

Wedding ceremony from Karaganda Region + Shashu - scattering candies - Ethnoaul in Astana, Kazakhstan

In another tent, we experienced another Kazakhstan culture, which was the wedding ceremony that usually performed in the Karaganda region. They showed us the whole processes with music and singing, and at the end, they also performed "shashu" ritual, literally meaning 'scattering', by tossing out sweets, dried cheese, chocolates, etc. at the end of the ceremony, while reciting “nūr zhausyn” (may the light of heaven fall upon you). This ritual was done as a symbolic act of wishing everyone wealth and happiness. 

Dumandy dala (joyful steppe) concerts at Ethnoaul in Astana, Kazakhstan

We also had a chance to watch the Dumandy dala (Joyful Steppe) concerts representing the best regional groups from all over the country, consisting the ethno-folklore ensembles, Kazakh national orchestras, soloists, dance groups in the traditional ethnic style, poet reading, and so on. Btw, I was almost mistakenly that I had met Abai Qunanbaiuly, a very famous Kazakh poet, composer, philosopher, and also a founder of the modern Kazakh literature.

My Almaty's guide thought I saw his ghost. Hahahahaha.... It turned up that he had passed away long long time ago back in 1904, but Kazakhs people considered Abai, through his nationalism poetry, as one of the first cultural heroes to penetrate the surface of the entirety of their national awareness and the one who opened up Kazakhstan to many opportunities for education and philosophical diversity.

450 Kurak-korpe recorded in the Books of Records of Kazakhstan - Ethnoaul at Astana, Kazakhstan

At the ethno village, one of the unique events took place and I was lucky for witnessing the 450 Kazakhstani seamstresses breaking the world record by embroidering a patchwork blanket (1.5m x 90cm kurak-korpe with same size, technique, pattern, ornament and color scheme), when joined together, formed one huge beautiful carpet measuring 252m x 40m - included in the Book of Records of Kazakhstan "KINES", and nominated for the International Guinness Book of Records. 

Various Kazakh souvenirs from different regions - Ethnoaul at Astana, Kazakhstan 

And more artisan souvenirs from the Sheberler Auyly (Village of Craftsmen) at the photo above. 

There were a lot more things to see and experience but too bad we did not have so much time to spare. It opened from 8 to 13 September though. If I were to visit on my time, I would browse the tent one by one and experience everything there and immersed myself in the beautiful culture of Kazakhstan (also beautiful and handsome looking people of Kazakhstan) Hahahahaha.......

Seriously!!!! Since we landed in Astana airport, we had already felt amazed with the beautiful and handsome looking people of Kazakhstan as many Nomad Games volunteers were waiting there to fetch their guests. You could witness it yourself from the photos I shared in my blog ;)

More photos - Ethnoaul in Astana, Kazakhstan 

So, I hope you enjoy reading this and could imagine yourself how it looked like if you were there by just reading this. Bye for now :)

5th World Nomad Games 2024 - Astana, Kazakhstan

Central Asia - 5 countries in 22 days (Itinerary Map - Reeverking.blogspot.com)

It was my dream to visit Central Asia. As someone who did not usually read news and did not learn about the world history, actually I had no idea what countries are they. I only knew that those countries mostly ended with "-stan", which mean "land of" according to the Persian suffix. It consist of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan (finally I knew how to spell each country while reading and researching the itinerary :D). 

Looked forward for the 5th World Nomad Games 2024 - Astana, Kazakhstan

After around 8 months and so, we finally realized our dreams. We traveled to these 5 countries in 22 days. Our first stop was Astana or formally known as Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan. I looked forward for this trip because the 5th World Nomad Games happened to be held there in Astana from 8 to 13 September 2024. 

"The World Nomad Games are international sports competitions in ethnic sports. The competition is based on folk games of historically nomadic peoples of Central Asia. WNG are aimed at the development of ethno-sports and ethno-cultural movement as a heritage of human civilization." - worldnomadgames.kz

Kok Par/ Kok Boru/ Buzkashi/ Ulak Tartysh - 5th World Nomad Games 2024 - Astana, Kazakhstan

The World Nomad Games were also included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. The 21 competitive games included horse races, national types of wrestling, horseback wrestling, traditional intellectual games, competitions in martial arts, traditional archery, national types of hunting with birds, horse racing, folk games, horse-back archery, kok par or kok boru, and so on.

5th World Nomad Games Opening Ceremony - 8 September 2024

We reached Astana on September 7th. And we were fortunate being able to get the opening ceremony ticket and watched it 'live' at the Astana Arena Stadium. It showcased the masterpieces of musical and choreographic culture in theatrical way. 

Famous local bands and singers were performing there too, such as: Dimash Kudaibergen with ”Kieli Meken” (Holy Land), Abyroy group sang “Rukh” (Spirit), Ulytau band playing Adai, Ayree with Oiladyn Ba, and so on (Fyi, I found out all about them only after returning back home. I would be crazy if I knew earlier about them and was watching them 'live' like that. Hahaha.... They were really super talented people and I loved hearing their music and songs). There were cultural performance and dances as well.

"The ceremony’s cultural performance took the audience through Kazakhstan’s history, featuring pivotal moments from the Tengri period, the legend of Altyn Adam (Golden Man), Tomiris, the Silk Road and the rise of the Kazakh Khanate, also known as Ulus of Jochi. The show of tradition and modernity highlighted Kazakhstan’s role as a unifier of nations, symbolized by the shanyrak, a Kazakh symbol of unity and peace." - Astanatimes.com

Singapore team at the 5th World Nomad Games - Astana, Kazakhstan

Just like Olympic games, the World Nomad Games had also a parade introducing each country's flag and participants of the games. I was surprised that Singapore had also sent athletes to participate in the games. Indonesia had also sent their athletes there and Reno Suri, the female athlete, won 1 gold and bronze medal for the archery competition. Well done!!! :)

Central Asia Head Leaders - 5th World Nomad Games 2024 - Astana, Kazakhstan

Since Astana was our first destination in our trip, I really had no idea on many things in Central Asia, including the their leaders and Presidents. So after coming back, I was so thrilled and surprised knowing that many of them were present during the opening ceremony, sitting together in one room with me :D 

Those who were there included: President of Kazahstan - Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Uzbekistan - Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Kyrgyz Republic - Sadyr Zhaparov, Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan - Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Head of the Republic of Tatarstan - Rustam Minnikhanov, the Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) - Aisen Nikolayev and former Mongolian President - Nambar Enkhbayar.

Representatives from international organizations, including UNESCO, the UN World Tourism Organization, the Organization of Turkic States and the European Union, also attended the ceremony.

5th World Nomad Games - Astana Arena - Kazakhstan

The games were held every two years. I really recommend everyone who are interested to visit Central Asia to come during the event (the future event) to experience a very rich and diverse cultural activities that you could get from the opening and closing ceremony, from watching the sport games competition, and also the Ethno-aul - the Universe of Nomads.

Fyi, the first World Nomad Games were held in Kyrgyzstan. The city of Cholpon-Ata has hosted international competitions three times (in 2014, 2016, and in 2018). The 4th World Nomad Games were held in 2022 in Iznik, and the 5th was in Astana, Kazakhstan. So, stay tune on where the 6th will be held in 2026 :)

Life

Change the way you look (IG: rimareyka.writes)

L I F E

Life is too short,

to be unhappy,

to not doing what you want to do,

to not following your dreams,

to regret not doing things with people you love,

to not be where you want to be,

to miss the chance or lifetime's opportunity,

to keep thinking of your failure,

to hold on to your past (be it good and bad),

to keep relationship with the wrong people,

to keep thinking but not doing,

to keep what you feel inside,

to always live for others but yourself,

to focus on what you don't have,

to indulge in things that you knew were not good for you and others,

to think negative,

to hold on to something that is not worth having,

to not appreciate of what you have,

to always blame others for everything that happens in your life,

to not show the love to the person you love.

Remember,

nothing is perfect,

and no one is perfect.

Our life is not perfect either.

Just make the best of it,

and be happy.

Life is short.

Love life,

and live life the the fullest.

Healthy food, healthy lifestyle, healthy me :)

Healthy food quotes - Rimareyka.writes

I did not know when it started. Perhaps after being diagnosed with SLE almost 15 years ago, with regular visits to the hospital for blood/urine tests, consultations with doctor, accompanied my parents for their regular body check up, made me realized how important good health was, especially when we grew older.

We all knew that wealth was not something that we should take for granted. Chronic diseases such as hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, and by having high cholesterol level, obesity, smoking habits, over consumption of alcohol, and so on, could lead to cardiovascular or heart disease and stroke. 

It was uncommon to hear many people in their late 30s or early 40s were getting stroke, cancer and heart disease. Many were even died because of that. It was not like before, that those diseases were only attacking people in their 50s and above. High stress level, pressures, expectations, competitions, lack of exercises added into it. 

"We are what we eat." - Rimareyka.writes

I was sure you must have heard of the above quote as well. It was not just important, but very very very and very important!!! 

I loved food, super loved food. I was born in Indonesia, so we were pampered with so many kind of delicious food. I studied in few different countries for few years and now lived in Singapore for more than half of my life now. Travelling too had exposed me to taste and love so many kind of food. However, since few years ago, my food intake had gradually changed, especially after started working.

In the morning, after waking up, I made a big cup of fruit and sometimes, mixed with vegetable juice. Apple and tomatoes, banana and blueberries, celeries and tomatoes, apple and carrots, apple and celeries, kiwi and cucumber, pineapple and orange, and lately, added in kale, the superfood, with my apple, cucumber and lemon juice. (Fruits chosen would depend on the season, but most common one would be apple since the quote "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away" must be there for a reason. 

Kale article (Source: The Sunday Times July 20, 2014)

I was very lucky being able to find fresh 'kale' in the supermarket nearby my house and sometimes nearby my working place, as it was not a common vegetable to be found in Singapore. The one that I usually bought - fresh bunch of green curly kale - was grown and imported from Australia.

I found the above article at the shopfront nearby where I took my language course. The article was from ten years ago. Even since before, it had become famous due to its healthy contents.

"Kale is a nutritious food rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, and beta-carotene. It also contains nutrients that can support eye health, weight management, heart health, and more." - healthline.com

It did not taste good when eaten raw. That was why I always added it into my fruit juice mixture. Much better to consume that way.

How to make Kale Salad (Source: Love and Lemons.com)

In case you wanted to eat as salad, the above information would be very useful for first-timer. 

How would you pick out the best bunch of kale? The leaves and stalks should be dark green with small- to medium-sized leaves free of any yellowing or browning. Kale leaves should be firm and dry, not wilted and mushy.

I recommended this highly to everyone and hoped that you too could benefit from it.

I had quick breakfast after reaching office. A piece of avocado and a cup of black coffee. Sometimes, I added in banana, peach, nectarine, plum, kiwi, or any other fruits to increase my immune level - to prevent flu or cough, and so on. (Fyi, I used to eat supplements such as Vitamin C, lutein, bilberry eye support, but stopped it and replaced them with fresh fruit/vegetables as eating them too much might not good for kidney).

I brought my own lunch most days (at least 4 days per week). Expensive lunch costs at the area where I worked was only one of the reasons. Too heavy meals - too much carbohydrates, too salty, too oily, too much coconut milk, were the main reasons. 

My lunch content was the organic raw oatmeal, chia seeds soaked overnight with soybean milk with no sugar (used to added with fresh milk but after learning about the content, I changed it to soybean milk), added with a piece of dried prune, some nuts (used to add pecan but now changed to walnut and almond), and sometimes fruits (blueberries or banana).

After work, I would eat at home, my mother-in-law home-cooked meals, usually without rice or very less rice. Stir-fried vegetables, fish (steamed or deep fried), sometimes chicken or pork, sometimes prawns or sotong (cuttlefish), and soup. The only thing I could not stop yet was nibbling snacks and sipping beer or any other type of alcohol drinks while watching TV. But I did my best to lessen the portion (and many times failed), hahaha....

Blue sky - perfect weather for some exercise!!!

And with the free exercise programs given by the government, read here, I signed up two Zumba classes held nearby my house each week and one Nirvana Fitness or Pilate session nearby my office. I wanted to have both but could not as it clashed with each other and with my language class. So for now, just be active with these activities first.

It did not help me with losing weight because it was not enough and I still loved eating and ate anyhow during weekend and holiday time, but.... with the eating habits that I mentioned above, it had helped me decreasing my cholesterol level, from the recent health screening that I took freely organized by Get Fit 2024. Perhaps I would blog about it next time.

Yes, it lowered my cholesterol level. In the past, my cholesterol levels were always in borderline high. That was why I was happy and surprised when I received my blood test result. It had been 5 years since the last time I checked (before Covid). The blood pressure, glucose level, and cholesterol level were all normal. The only thing that I had to change was the BMI. It was borderline high. I had to lose at least 5 kg of body weight. Blamed it to the aging and slow metabolism (plus unhealthy snack, tidbits, beer, liquor, etc. etc. etc.) hahahaha....

I was not as hardcore as others to really train their fitness and build muscles. For now, let me maintain the healthy eating habit and have regular exercises, not forgetting to be mindful of what is going on in my mind - to be peaceful and at ease, maintain positivity in every aspect of life, live, love and laugh more, and have good relationship with everyone. 

I hope with this post, you would pick a thing or two to implement into your daily life (only the good ones, of course, hehehe...) and more conscious, care, and love about yourself (your body, mind and soul), and most importantly be grateful and happy with your life. I wish you all the very best in everything that you do. Cheers..... :)

Great Reminders from the How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies and Before the Coffee Gets Cold

How to make millions before grandma dies (Pic source: Google.com)

"How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies premiered on April 1, 2024, and is now hitting cinemas worldwide. It is currently rated at 8.5/10 on IMDb, with 97% positive rating from Google users, and has made THB 320.7 million in Thailand alone, as of June 2, 2024." - Lifestyle Asia

I heard about this when I was staycation in Batam with my friend two weeks ago. She had been wanting to ask me to watch this together since it was cheaper to watch movie there. But since we both were busy, we could not watch. Until yesterday, finally I grabbed my hubby to watch it together with me.

He was wondering what kind of movie it was. I just told him it was a Thai movie and I bet, he believed my taste, so he just agreed and joined. He was struck in awe upon seeing a fully occupied theater on Thursday evening (not even weekend), and people was willing to sit at the most front rows because every where else was occupied. "It must be really good," he claimed inside his heart.

After finished watching, I understood how it had become really famous not only in Thailand, but worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia. The movie depicted Thai Chinese life and culture, which was also applicable to any other Chinese immigrants in Southeast Asia countries like Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Filial piety, favoritism upon boys, and greed upon wealth/ inheritance came hand-in-hand and usually appeared when someone old and sick was going to die - realistically and sadly. The young "good for nothing" boy - who had initial intention to benefit something from the upcoming grandma's death, changed his heart through love and over time as he spent more time together and closely with his Amah (grandma). 

It was heart wrenching. I could hear sob sounds somewhere inside the theatre when the movie was almost ended. I did not cry though, in fact, I laughed more while watching it. Thanks to the boy's character that was lighthearted and always wanted to see his Amah smiled :) 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold Quotation - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Our parents were getting old each and every day. One day, soon or later, one thing or another, we might have to face such thing in life. I hope my parents would be blessed with good health all the time and they could spend the rest of their days happily and full of love despite living away from their children. Hope they can gain happiness from travelling and seeing the world, spending time together with their children, grandchildren, friends, and families.

The above picture was taken from the "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" book by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Three sequels were published with the almost same stories over and over again, on how customers had the opportunity to travel to a time of their choosing, as long as they followed a long list of rules.

"There is only one seat in the café that allows time travel; the seat is only available when the ghost that usually occupies it goes for a toilet break; once back in time, customers can't leave the seat; the only people in the past who can be met are people who have visited the café; whatever happens in the past, the present won't change; and, most importantly, the customer has to return to the present before their cup of coffee goes cold (around 1 hour)." - Source: Wikipedia.org

In real life, whatever had passed, would never return. Just like a broken vase that could not return to its initial form. As Amah said, "What has been done, cannot be undone." 

Hope the movie and the book would be a great reminder to all of us to always treasure the people surrounding us, to feel grateful of their existence, and in any way possible, to spend more quality time with them - be it near or far, and to love with all of our hearts, not because we expect something in return.