AYG - Kazakhstan and Myanmar

One of the major attractions of the Games Village that was always crowded and filled with visitors was the area set up by the participating nations themselves...in the form of booths showcasing their respective nation. On the very 1st day they were up, I happened to pass by a couple of booths.
This was one of them...Kazakhstan. There was this handsome young man dressed in a beautiful costume of his native land and he was using a pencil to draw a portrait of this student volunteer. I love portraits and so went closer to have a look. He was very skilful! Pity that I did not have the time to be his subject.
Astana is the capital city of their country. It happens to be the 2nd coldest capital city in the world after UlanBator ( Mongolia ). In winter, temperatures can reach -35 to -45 Celsius! And guess what is their population figure? Only about 750,000 people.

As I was going into the Operations Centre, I was invited by these lovable Myanmese guys to stop and have a closer look at the Myanmar booth.

After looking around at their nice set-up, I related that I love Myanmar especially Yangon the capital. I was there less than 2 years ago.

These booths and the idea behind it was simply fabulous. It provided everyone with a real opportunity to have a better understanding of our ASIAN neighbours and friends, their culture, history, music and arts.