Kazakhstan > Walking tour through Semey

The package still hasn’t arrived. Perhaps, against better judgment, we had all hoped it would. It’s also unclear when it might come, or even if the package has already reached Kazakhstan. There is nothing else to do but wait. We have a calm breakfast and discuss the possibilities. Milko needs the ring to continue. It would be frustrating if he couldn’t proceed just because of a missing ring that costs less than ten euros. On the other hand, the visa for Kazakhstan is only valid for fifteen days. This means that we will have to leave the country by Sunday, regardless. The motorcyclists go to a garage. Allert rides along with the materials. I spend the afternoon walking through Semey. Through the park opposite the hotel, I reach a second park. On the wide central square stands a Russian tank as a monument. Further on, a flame burns in memory of war victims. Behind the Semey hotel, slightly hidden, is another small park. Here, communist statues are supposed to stand. Looking left and right, I see nothing. But when I look up, I notice one. Diagonally behind me, hidden among the trees, stands a fifteen-meter-high statue of Lenin. How had I not seen it before, even though I am only five meters away? Along the partly overgrown path, there are several smaller statues and busts.

Kazakhstan - The decaying Lenin statues in Semey

Many depict Lenin. Why don’t they just remove the statues if they are no longer emphasized? Along the riverbank of the Irtysh River, schoolchildren sit with their feet in the water. The water level is high. I walk along the concrete railing. Soon the path becomes narrower and more overgrown. It looks somewhat neglected. There are no people along the water here. I wonder if I made the right choice walking alone through this deserted area. Strange, because until now I have never felt unsafe during the trip. Here, too, I don’t feel unsafe, but if someone wanted to do something, this would be an ideal spot. Without any problems, I reach the bridge. I cross the long blue bridge to Polkovnici Island. Here stands the monument to the victims of nuclear tests. The somber thirty-meter-high statue depicts a mother protecting her child, with a nuclear bomb’s mushroom cloud above her. It is an impressive site. I walk back to the river. The old gate of the fort, once Semey’s base, is somewhat disappointing. There is a small building with two old doors. On each side stand two cannons. To reach the Voskresenskij Cathedral, I must cross the railway tracks. Locals simply cross the tracks, and I follow them, carefully looking left and right for any trains. The colorful church dates from 1860. Inside, it is a typical Russian Orthodox church with a beautifully decorated iconostasis. Worshippers pray at every icon. I discreetly look around the church. Meanwhile, the sky darkens. Almost pitch-black clouds hang over the Semey Bridge, giving the 750-meter span a dramatic appearance. Behind the bridge, I see lightning strike. I quickly walk back to the hotel. Before the storm breaks in full force, I am safely in my room. In the afternoon, we walk together again between showers to the terrace we visited the night before. Large puddles fill the streets, and drivers here are remarkably considerate. They stop to let us pass. Nearby, there is also a nice restaurant—a mix of Japanese and Italian. Sushi in Semey. At the end of the evening, we order coffee at the Ali Baba bar across the street. Karaoke is being sung, and young people dance to the music. A cozy, lively atmosphere.