<<  -- 6 --  Howard Smith    VISIONARY DEVELOPMENTS

Great cutout likenesses of Mr and Mrs Frost, impervious to the snow, awaited us at 'Mechta' Recreational Centre and here we tried our hand at target shooting, pool, and jetskiing. We could hardly refrain from expressions of consternation as helmeted, daredevil Marat, swathed in greatcoat and muffler, sped off alone at near kamikaze speed, vanishing in a slipstream of snow beyond the nearby white horizon.

Deputy Minister of Culture Felix Bayukanski accompanied our party throughout the eight days or so. The airline gave us VIP treatment; indeed we were served sandwiches and coffee in a welcoming lounge while tickets, visas and immigration formalities were sorted out.

Across the city seasonal lights shimmered in the dark. And with each daybreak dark, heavily-clad men and women, figures in a moving frieze, picked their way in silence across the snow. Eaves glistened with menacing ranks of giant icicles.

Everywhere we visited we were received by local entertainers and treated to one banquet after another. Supporting oil and gas groups showed a proprietorial hands-on interest in the music and organisation; in fact their top executives attended and spoke at several events and at least three of the more formal meals. Their message was one of pride and ongoing support for the Uralsk competition and orchestra.

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