Atyrau Journal - Notes from the other side of the world!

Rhonda and I are capturing fun and interesting things that we are experiencing in Atyrau Kazakhstan, where Jim filling an assignment from Chevron to be the Deputy General Manager, Legal for Tengizchevroil, LLP. Enjoy!

February 5, 2023 - Snow and Crossing the River to Asia!

We had a big snowstorm on Friday overnight to Saturday. We received about six inches, which was enough to provide beautiful cover to Atyrau and our village. With the temperatures dipping well below zero again, we decided to walk across the iced-over Ural River from the Europe side to the Asia side. Some friends that went ice fishing yesterday told us that the ice is about 1.5 feet thick. So, the risk wasn't falling through, the risk was stepping in an an old ice-fishing hole and twisting an ankle or worse. It looked like an ice fishing convention today!

European Side Down to the Ice!

Jim in Asia Rhonda Mid-River

Our house in Europe across the river from Asia

January 14, 2023 - Happy New Year!

Rhonda is loving her yoga class that meets twice each week in our gym here in Dostyk Village. Her instructor Dinara is a Kazakh native who not only enjoys stretching the ladies to their limits but also likes them to do crazy things like headstands!

For Christmas, Jim's son Michael asked Santa for a Russky hat and Santa delivered! She and her friends went to Dina Market on the Asia side of the river on a 12 degree Fahrenheit day to ensure that he would be happy on Christmas day. The market is outdoors with hundreds of stalls for sellers. How they keep warm in the cold weather? It's probably the vodka, so they don't they feel much of anything! Mikey was very happy!

Picture Pending!

The weather in Atyrau is very cold in the winter, but usually not a lot of snow. It reminds Jim of living in Minnesota. A cold wave hit in early December, and Rhonda had to bundle up! Behind her in one picture is our front door. The other picture was taken at our Dostyk Village Clubhouse and School. The vans behind her are the taxis for the expats in Atyrau. We are not allowed to drive in Kazakhstan, so the company provides taxis to take us wherever we need to go around town - groceries, restaurants, massages, markets, church, everywhere. The taxis pick us up at our front door, which is important on these cold days.

December 11, 2022 - The Ural River is finally frozen over, and it has become a playground for many. Most people appear to be fishing, but some are also ice skating, playing hockey, or just being outside. It was scary last week when people were out on the ice within a few feet of open water. Sometimes people will put studded tires on their bicycles and ride on the ice. I would be tempted to try that! Last year, someone fell through the ice while riding. Thankfully, he was pulled out quickly without any serious consequences, with the exception of the loss of his bicycle in the bone chilling water that flows down from the Ural mountain range. A few years ago, a local woman fell through the ice and was saved by someone from our expat community. When the river has been frozen for several weeks instead of several days, we will walk across it from Europe to Asia. Here's the view from our bedroom window this afternoon.

December 10, 2022 - We were at a local crafts sale about a fifteen-minute walk from Dostyk Village a few weeks ago. We decided to stop at McDonald’s, but it was closed with red and white warning tape over the entrances. The rumor was they closed due to corruption of the franchisee, but a perusal of press outlets on the internet attributes the closure to inability to get supplies from Russia after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I like the rumored reason more than the real reason since part of my work is company compliance with anti-corruption laws.