Robby's World

Flitting from Lily Pad to Lily Pad

or

How I have Kept Myself Busy in Uralsk

As I have been looking through my 58 days worth of notes for the blog, I find myself wondering what I am not telling you that you’d like to know. How I have kept busy all this time comes to mind… Let me fill you in on some of the activities that I have done in Uralsk:

Museums:

1 on Kazak history – the yurt is wonderful (their nomadic homes) as are the warrior items

1 on an ancient warrior – replication of home

1 on Uralsk itself – in a storefront, you’d never know it was there. It is based on the collections of the

owners grandfather and quite touching

Religion:

Mosques for the Muslims (3) – very plain, I actually went in 2 and was surprised at the simplicity of the

building. Women pray in a different area and have to cover head & hair.

Russian Orthodox Church(2) – very ornate, no chairs, very dark, standing services.

Catholic Church (1) – more modern than expected, it is new and very contemporary

Fine Arts:

1 Art Gallery

1 Concert Hall – has a cozy feel for the music, I saw 2 dombra concerts – very exciting music

1 Russian Dramatic Theater – more like ours 3 Cinemas – James Bond in Russian – easy enough to

follow and only 500 T ($4.00)

1 Women’s Center for Traditional Weaving – this was wonderful, they teach women how to do the

weaving of the past and make a living

Shopping:

Chinese Bazaar - think supersize flea market with seconds from every designer known and everything

you could possibly need - ever

3 Large malls – with scary Russian security men – I dare anyone to shoplift here!

Numerous small strip malls

A billion mom & pop food stores specializing in breads, candy, water, and liquor

Outdoor Activities:

Kirova Park (amusement park by a river)

Many small bench parks

World War II Memorial by the Ural River Restaurants

Traditional Kazak food - very good, I even tried the horse meat (2 types, 1 good, 1 bad) and Camel &

horse milk (bitter & awful)

Traditional Russian food – greasy but good

Knock offs like McJohn’s and Pizza Hot

Dixie Pub (actually English food) the menus were the best part – translation is everything

Chagala Hotel’s Business lunch – the three course meal is only 900 Tenges ($7.20) but the catch is it

takes 2 hours. Oh, they have ice!

Galactica – This is a combination restaurant and arcade. The meals (good) take 45 mins!

Educational:

Teacher’s University – the director of the English studies asked me to come and talk to the students and

to help practice their skills. That was so much fun. They were so excited and friendly. They really want

to learn…

American Corner – at the public library, there is a group of local people who like to participate in

discussions each Saturday in English. There is a theme and guests can participate.

Site Designed & Hosted by

Home

The Chinese Bazaar

A Traditional Concert

Inside the New Mosque

Kazak Museum Display

A Traditional Russian Meal