Uzbekistan - Central Asia - page 206

high-quality temporary exhibits. The huge
collection is rotated every few months, so
you could visit many times and continue to
see new works.
The Savitsky Museum's warehouse of
stored works, many in the process of res-
toration, is also open for viewing. It costs
US$40 for small groups, and should be ar-
ranged in advance. Meanwhile, an annexe of
the museum that was until recently housed
in the Regional Studies Museum, has been
reabsorbed into the main collection and the
archives, as the Regional Studies Museum
is being demolished and rebuilt elsewhere.
T ¨Tours
The mother of all Uzbek excursions is the
trip out to the South Aral Sea - which gets
tougher with every passing year as the sea
continues its inexorable shrinkage. The
two best organised and most experienced
Aral Sea operators in Nukus are Bes¨Qala¨
Nukus ( % 224 51 69; www.kr.uz/besqala) , run
by Tazabay Uteuliev, and Ayim Tour (p214),
which operates from the Jipek Joli Hotel.
The overnight trips cost US$420 to US$450
for a car (more for a Landcruiser than a
UAZ), plus US$35 per person for food and
a bit more for extras like sleeping bags and
tents. Others doing similar tours are Omir-
bay¨Sarsenbayev ( % [phone]; om-
[e-mail]) , ¨Ayap¨Ismayilov ( % 505 07
75) and Oktyabr¨Dospanov ( % 222 67 57, 351
13 65; [e-mail]) . All guides speak
English except Ayap.
z ¨Festivals¨&¨Events
The annual Pakhta-Bairam¨ festival takes
place on the first Sunday after Karaka-
lpakstan meets its cotton-picking quota,
usually in late November or early Decem-
ber. Competitions are held in traditional
sports such as wrestling, ram-fighting and
cock-fighting.
4 ¨Sleeping
Tazabay Utiliev of Bes Qala Nukus (p212) ar-
ranges apartment rentals with registration.
Hotel¨Nukus¨ hoTeL $
( % 222 89 41; Lumumba 4; d/tr from US$30/40,
apt US$100; a ) Conveniently located in
the heart of town, this old hotel has been
spruced up nicely and the staff can even be
quite friendly once you've warmed them up.
The rooms show their age, however, with
torn wallpaper and poor bathrooms, though

we were told in 2013 that a full-scale renova-
tion was imminent. The spacious apartment
sleeps six and is a great deal.
Kizil-Kum¨Hotel¨ gUeSThoUSe $
( % 614 51 00; Utepova; s/d US$15/25) Surely the
winner of Central Asia's 'least likely location
for a budget hotel', the Kizil-Kum is some
distance from the centre of town in a truly
forlorn stretch of Nukus' suburbs. But once
you're here it's a great deal, with sparklingly
clean rooms, hot water, shower curtains
and even showerhead holders in the tiny
bathrooms! Staff don't speak any English,
but they make an effort to communicate
nevertheless. To get here take minibus 78
from the bazaar. It loops down to the sta-
tion and then back into town, passing the
hotel. To recognise the Kizil-Kum, look for
the only painted building on the otherwise
very ramshackle street.
o Jipek¨Joli¨ hoTeL $$
( % 222 11 00; www.ayimtour.com; Rzaev 4; s/d/
tr from US$30/50/65; aiW ) Exactly what a
struggling backwater like Nukus needs - a
well-run hotel with enthusiastic and respon-
sive English-speaking staff to help you make
onward plans. This extremely comfortable,
18-room place is well furnished and spa-
cious, with luxuries such as fridges, TV and
good wireless reception even in the rooms.
Hot water can be unreliable, but otherwise
this is by far the best place in town. There's
a second even more modern annexe ( % 224
25 25; www.ayimtour.com; Tatibayev 50; s/d/tr
US$30/50/65; aW ) just a block and a half
away, should the main building be full.
Rahnamo¨Hotel¨ hoTeL $$$
( % 222 47 43; www.hotel.rahnamo.uz; Karaka-
lpakstan; s/d US$75/90; aW ) This study in
beige offers 13 rooms, all of which are very
comfortable and spacious, though drearily
lacking in atmosphere. It's very well located,
however, and staff are polite and English-
speaking.
5 ¨Eating
Eating is still a fairly dreary experience in
Nukus. You'll find cheap and cheerful res-
taurants and street food places along Gha-
rezsizlik, while there are a couple of other
better, pricier places nearby too.
Sheraton¨Cafe¨ RUSSiAN $$
(gharezsizlik 53; mains 10,000-30,000S; h 10am-
11pm; E ) With its red-and-cream uphol-
stered dining room, this chintzy place may