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Hello everyone! This may be a stretch, but I am out of options, so posting this question here: I am heading to Astana Kazakhstan (the capital) in a week. I know there are TONS of fossils coming in from that country, like the cool transitional otodus teeth, but am having a tough time finding an exact spot/group to actually do a fossil hunt. Another problem, is I'm only going to be in Astana, and it's a HUGE country. I am looking for a place that is a day trip away. At this point I am simply looking for rock and mineral shops in Astana, but can't find any. Anyhow, has anyone been to Kazakhstan, or know of any fossil places or even rock shops near Astana? Thanks!

Just wanted to say "Hello" to everyone. I'm a collector from Northeast Florida and I have been hooked on fossil shark teeth since I was seven. I won't reveal how many years that has been, but let's just say my back and knees are feeling a lot older now than they did then. Like many fossil hounds, I was introduced to fossils by dinosaurs and the adventures of Roy Chapman Andrews, Henry Osborn and many-many others. Since I have yet to go dinosaur fossil hunting, that remains a big "to do" on my bucket list. Over the years, my range of collecting has been much of the Southeast from Maryland to Florida. Shark teeth are still my first passion, but over the past few years I have also become interested in the mammals of the Miocene & Pleistocene. After all my collecting, I have found that the hardest thing about fossil hunting isn't so much the finding (although that will always be a real pain in the rear) as it is the finding of a place to put all the stuff. I'd love to have a room dedicated to fossils, but that will have to wait. Although my wife is very supportive of my hobby, she is not quite supportive enough to let me add on a room (all I want is a tiny one) for all the old dead stuff lying around. Unfortunately, a fossil room will have to remain another one for the bucket list. Because of my love for collecting fossil shark teeth, the fossil marine site I want to visit the most is Shark Tooth Hill in California. Since I really don't like to purchase fossils, I have very little from that site. (I have made a few small purchasing concessions for Shark Tooth Hill since the teeth from that area can be stunning.) I plan on following discussions of what is going on there, so that when I am able to get there I'll have some clue as to what I'm doing. Well, enough rambling. I look forward to getting to know some of you through the forum and to learning a thing or two. Hopefully, I can add some entertaining words about some of my recent collecting trips, as well. Greetings to All, JC3