No Baby Visit :-(

There are no baby visits on Sundays, so this morning we went to the culture museum, where we met Zhana. There were no English-speaking guides available, so we had a guide give us a tour in Russian and Zhana translated. She did a really good job, and the guide was patient, waiting for each statement to be translated. The museum was free as was the guide – or at least we did not pay anyone. It added so much to get information in English since we could not read the exhibit signs. I loved the museum – it is well laid out and the exhibits are visually appealing. (I am sure the fact that I am an archaeologist had nothing to do with it :). There is an ethnographic display on the first floor that includes examples of how the nomadic people lived in the 19th and 20th centuries (and possibly presently). There is a yurt that looks just like the piñata Jen made for the party. The examples of clothing, tools, rugs, and adornments were amazing. Zhana said when she visited her grandmother that she lived in a yurt. She said it was very comfortable – warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The rest of the exhibits summarized the history of Kazakhstan, including the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Sachs (sp?) era, Turks era, Hun period, Russian, Soviet, and post independence periods. We need to find a book that summarizes the history as it was a lot to try to memorize and there was no bookstore or gift store at the museum.

After getting back from the museum, we decided to walk down the gardens to the west of Bayterek to see if we could find what Zhana had called an entertainment center (did not find it). There are bronze-like statues all over this side of the gardens. The architecture is so interesting, so I have included some pictures of the city. There were not many people out and it kind of felt like walking around a closed amusement park.

At the western end we found a great restaurant with beautiful décor and good food. I had chicken cooked in paprika, garlic, and scallions and Chris had lamb shashlik. We were exhausted by the time we got back and just relaxed. For dinner we watched a couple episodes of Arrested Development and ate fruit, bread, and cheese with Georgian wine. We have become spoiled here, not having to be anywhere before 10 am and having someone drive us where we need to go. Today is our last day of relaxation, however, as I have to start actually doing some work. I do not want to use all of my vacation on this trip so I can save some for when we get home. I can’t wait to see Nikolai tomorrow!