Joseph Lim :mastodon:<p>At the <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/EXPO2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EXPO2025</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Osaka" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Osaka</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Kansai" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Kansai</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Japan" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Japan</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/exposition" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>exposition</span></a>, we were surprised by the uncharacteristically simple and subdued <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Kazakhstan" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Kazakhstan</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Pavilion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Pavilion</span></a> when compared with pavilions presented by its <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/CentralAsia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CentralAsia</span></a> counterpart <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Uzbekistan" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Uzbekistan</span></a>, and, even more so, with <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Turkmenistan" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Turkmenistan</span></a>. <br>We still fondly recall the 2017 Astana Kazakhstan Expo which we very much enjoyed for the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Astana even had a delightful specially-commissioned <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/cirquedusoleil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>cirquedusoleil</span></a> performance at that exposition.<br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/travel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>travel</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/%E4%B8%80%E6%9C%9F%E4%B8%80%E4%BC%9A" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>一期一会</span></a></p>