ALMATY (KAZAKHSTAN) - APART from a few stints back home, chef Wilson Low has been a nomad for the past 18 years, working and living in faraway countries like Austria, Denmark and Germany.

S'POREANS ABROAD: MP Lee Bee Wah (left), who accompanied Parliament Speaker Abdullah Tarmugi to Kazakhstan, with Singaporeans Simon and Susan Yap and their daughters Tessa and Sonia.

But his most exotic posting so far is his current one.

For the past four years, he has been in Almaty, Kazakhstan's biggest city, working as the executive chef of Di Wang, a high-end Chinese restaurant frequented by dignitaries like Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Last year, he cooked for Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo who was on an official visit.

Last week, however, the 43-year old doubled as a guest, with 20 other Singaporeans living in Kazakhstan.

They were invited to dinner by Singapore Ambassador Sim Cheok Lim to meet Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi, who was visiting the Central Asian country.

There are about 40 Singaporeans known to be living and working across Kazakhstan.

Some work for Singapore-linked companies like ST Engineering, which supplies multimedia equipment to Kazakh schools and has a joint venture with Kazakhstan Engineering. Or Keppel Offshore & Marine, which is involved in a number of projects around the Caspian Sea.

Others are entrepreneurs or employees of multinational oil companies like ExxonMobil which have moved in to tap the country's huge oil and gas reserves. There are also some Christian missionaries.

Most, like Mr Low, knew little about the place before they packed their bags. 'All I knew was that it was a remote country with oil. I also knew it was near Xinjiang,' he said.

Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world, so large it spans two time zones. Located between Russia and China, it is 2.7 million sq km and is the size of Western Europe.

But its population is just 15.3 million, fewer than six people per sq km.

Mr Low's reasons for staying are pragmatic. 'I like it because it is cheaper to live here than in Singapore. Also, I spend less here because there is nothing much to spend it on,' he said.

Yes, he misses Singapore, especially the comfort of friends, family and hawker food, all of which he indulges in on his trips home once very two years. Still single, he says he has been too busy working to find a girlfriend.

He intends to stay for as long as Kazakhstan continues booming. 'Right now, it is developing very quickly and I want to be here to profit from its economic progress,' he said.

Between 2002 and last year, Kazakhstan's economy grew by 8 per cent on average, thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic reform, good harvests and foreign investment. It chalked up 10.6 per cent growth last year.

The effects have certainly been felt by Simon and Susan Yap, who have lived here for 10 years.

'Three years ago, you could buy a one-room flat for US$4,000 (S$6,000). Now it costs US$80,000,' said Mrs Yap, 45, who runs the pre-school programme at the Kazakhstan International School.

Mr Yap, 47, is director of humanitarian group Spring Of Love. An offshoot of Touch Community Services, it helps care for orphans and delinquent youths.

He has also set up the Spring Of Life church in Almaty. It boasts a congregation of about 50, a mix of Kazakhs, Singaporeans and other expatriates.

'The Kazakhs know a lot about Singapore because it is featured a lot in the media here. The President talks a lot about Singapore and the general impression of Singapore is very good,' he said.

President Nazarbayev is an unabashed admirer of Singapore's success and adaptability and especially of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who visited Kazakhstan in 1991.

Like Mr Low, the Yaps do not know how long they will stay. For them, the deciding factor will probably be the future educational needs of their daughters, Tessa, 15, and Sonia, 13, who are now at the International School and speak fluent English and Russian.

'When they reach university age, we may need to think about moving,' said Mr Yap.

American Fred Phelps, 47, and his Singaporean wife, Lily, have lived in Kazakhstan for 17 years and are missionaries affiliated to a church in the United States.

'When we first came to Kazakhstan, things were chaotic in the wake of independence and there was a huge demand for spirituality,' said Mr Phelps. 'Now, with the economy picking up and people chasing material success, there is less interest in religion.'

With an almost nostalgic air, he recalled: 'In 1990, we could get cheese in only one restaurant, as a side to a main dish. So a few friends and I went there and each of us ordered that particular dish. We then gathered the cheese and took it home to make pizza.'

Today, by contrast, you can buy a luxury Herman Miller chair - which costs thousands of dollars - from Mr Vijay Singh whose company sells high-end office furniture.

'There is still a lot of money to be made in Kazakhstan,' said the Singaporean entrepreneur who has lived here for 11 years. 'But you have to take a risk and you must be prepared to tough it out.'

The 43-year-old married one of his Kazakh employees, making his ties with the country both economic and personal.

For Mr Samuel Kwan, 40, who runs a food import-export business, Kazakhstan is merely the tip of the iceberg for adventurous Singaporean entrepreneurs.

He has been coming for seven years and now splits his time equally between Singapore and Kazakhstan, spending half the year in each.

'The place is improving every day. Singaporeans just have to learn to adapt to the culture and the way of doing things,' he says. Dealing with corruption, for example, can be a rude culture shock.

It took three years for his business to break even and he had some heart-stopping moments in the early days when he did not get paid for his shipments for more than a year, he says.

But, at the end of the day, the profit margins make the hard work worthwhile.

In fact, as more foreigners move into Kazakhstan, Mr Kwan is already looking further afield. His next stop: nearby Tajikistan.