Kazakhstan - Central Asia - page 107

1 ¨Sights
o Levoberezhny¨Park¨ PARK
(Left-Bank Park; adult/child 300/100T; h 10am-
7pm) This large new park on the south bank
of the Irtysh contains several interesting ex-
hibits and is well worth a couple of hours of
your time. Moving west from the entrance
through still-growing botanical gardens you
reach the Ethnographical Exhibition which
comprises houses in the traditional styles of
over a dozen of Kazakhstan's ethnic groups,
from Chechens and Tatars to Koreans and
Uyghurs.
Returning eastward along the northern
side of the park, you encounter pavilions
with exhibits on WWII heroes, the Afghan
War and the Chernobyl 'Liquidators' - those
involved in the 'clean-up' opeation after the
1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine.
Returning towards the entrance past a long
alley of Soviet weaponry, you'll find a collec-
tion of Soviet-era statues - multiple Lenins
but also artistic figures like Mayakovsky,
Gorky and even Tolstoy - assembled against
a backdrop of the shiny blue domes of Ust's
newest mosque. You can reach the park by
bus 60 eastbound on Ordzhonikidze, to the
first stop after the river (60T).
Park¨Zhastar¨ PARK
( h daylight) The pretty, beautifully main-
tained central park makes for a pleasant
stroll, and several of Ust-Kamenogorsk's
oldest buildings and some worthwhile mu-
seums are clustered around it. In the park
itself is a replica Russian¨pioneer¨village
(admission 200T; h varies) of log cabins, fur-
nished and decorated in period style.

History¨Museum¨ mUSEUm
( % 25 54 60; Kaysenov 40; Kazakhstani/foreigner
250/500T; h 9am-5pm Wed-mon) The good
History Museum has a natural-history sec-
tion with stuffed regional wildlife, includ-
ing a snow leopard and a giant maral deer,
and human history exhibits that reveal the
huge number of ancient burial mounds in
the region.
Ethnography¨Museum¨ mUSEUm
( % 26 46 61; admission per branch 200T; h 9am-
5pm) The Ethnography Museum is in two
buildings facing opposite corners of Park
Zhastar. Korpus¨No¨1 (gorky 59) exhibits the
traditional culture of the Kazakhs of east
Kazakhstan region; Korpus¨No¨2 (Kayse-
nov 67) is devoted to the many other ethnic
groups in the region.
Strelka¨ VIEWPOINT
It's nice to take a walk to the Strelka (Ar-
row), the point of land where the Irtysh and
Ulba meet, marked by a large Heroes of the
Soviet Union memorial.
4 ¨Sleeping
Hotel¨Alyans¨ HOTEL $
( % 22 29 45; Abay dangyly 20; dm 2500T, s/d
4000/5000T; W ) This fairly friendly budget
option, 1km north of the bus station (two
tram stops), sits on the top floor of a seven-
storey green building bearing the word 'Nur-
sat'. Rooms are clean and hold either two or
four; bathrooms are shared.
Hotel¨Irtysh¨ HOTEL $$
( % 25 09 85; [e-mail]; Auezov 22; s/d
incl breakfast from 8500/11,000T; paW ) This

Ust-Kamenogorsk (Oskemen)
æ Sights

11 Pitstsa Blyuz ............................................C3

1 Ethnography Museum Korpus No 1 ..... B2 12 Pitstsa Blyuz ............................................ A1

2 Ethnography Museum Korpus No 2..... B3

Pitstsa Blyuz .................................... (see 9)

3 History Museum ..................................... B3 13 Teplitsa .....................................................B2

4 Park Zhastar ............................................ B2
5 Russian pioneer Village.......................... B2 ï Information
14 Altai Expeditions......................................C2

ÿ Sleeping

15 American Corner ..................................... C1

6 Hotel Irtysh .............................................. A2 16 Imperia Turizma ...................................... D1

7 Hotel Ust-Kamenogorsk .........................C1
8 Shiny River Hotel .....................................A1 ï Transport
17 Bus 12 to Airport......................................B2

ú Eating

18 Bus 60 to Levoberezhny Park ...............B2

BarBQ.............................................. (see 13)

19 Bus Station............................................... B1

9 Kofe Blyuz................................................ B2 20 Buses 2 & 39 to Airport ..........................B2

10 Maslenitsa................................................ A2