Sayat Tour, a leading Kazakh tour operator, recently announced several new tours for Americans and others who are willing to travel to Kazakhstan and see for themselves what the country is really like as opposed to its crude depiction by the character "Borat," played by actor Sacha Baron Cohen in the comedy hit, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." The movie has Kazakhs in an uproar. The tours, called "Kazakhstan vs. Boratistan" and "Jagzhemash!!! See the Real Kazakhstan," include visits to the cosmopolitan Almaty and its surroundings, tours of ancient sites such as the Hodja Akhmed Yassaui Mausoleum in Turkestan, as well as opportunities to meet and interact with the real Kazakhs. In addition to sightseeing, tours also include visits to local colorful bazaars, artifact shops and high fashion boutiques; as well as sampling kumyss, the Kazakh traditional drink made from fermented horse milk. Marianna Tolekenova, Sayat's executive director, said, "With the release of 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,' we are hoping many Americans will want to engage in 'cultural learnings' of that unknown 'glorious nation' for their own 'make benefit.' That is why we are launching these new tours and hoping the Americans will come visit us." For more information, visit [www.sayat-travel.kz].
