Cultural learnings of a surprisingly prosperous Kazakhstan for make benefit tourists from glorious nation of UK

Kazakhstan is more synonymous with Sacha Baron Cohen's mustachioed alter-ego Borat than the words 'pleasure-seeker's paradise', but a new book on central Asia's richest nation is pitching it as just that. Let's consider the evidence.

An oil-fed construction boom means that new hotels, restaurants and nightclubs are opening in the capital Astana every week. The city is also famed for its strip clubs, all of which offer 'crazy menus' in addition on the show (blow job?). If you're after something a tad more cultured, follow the example of the most affluent residents who decamp to the old capital Almaty at the weekends. It boasts beautiful scenery (snow-capped mountains, fruit orchards) and historical buildings. And it's here that the real partying happens.

Don't be expecting to live like a prince on your western wages, though. The country's new-found wealth means real estate values have shot through the roof and it's often as expensive to rent a flat (or eat out) in central Almaty as in London or New York.

A secondary note of caution before yo book your flight: temperatures can drop to -40°C in the winter, so be sure to pack more than a Borat-style man-thong.


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