My Dream Destination: The Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia

The republic of Bashkortostan, also known as Bashkiria is situated between the Volga River and Ural Mountains. The capital and largest city of Bashkortostan is Ufa. As of 2010, 4,072,292 people make up the total population of the republic and is the most populous federal subject in the Soviet Union. Bashkortostan was founded on November 28th 1917 and was the first independent republic in Soviet Russia.

After randomly discovering Bashkir pop singer Elvin Grey on the web, I wanted to do some basic research on Bashkortostan. The culture, language, and people are very similar to the Tatar people, so the whole idea of Bashkir culture, food, language, and people won't be unfamiliar to me. I have not listened to songs that were specifically by Elvin Grey, nevertheless I've listened to indigenous Bashkir music from multiple artists, and have listened to the odd song by Tatar-Bashkir singer, musician and gymnast Ilnar Sharafutdinov, who I believe was born to be a musical artist!

Below is one Bashkir song I've listened to. Please subscribe to Ilnar Sharafutdinov's YouTube channel and follow him on Instagram, using the links below. I'm sure he would greatly appreciate your support and passion for his music and other content!

Link to Ilnar's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4KdqrQS3uugV_kbYy_9Dw

Ilnar's Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/ilnarsharafutdinov/

Bashkortostan is different from smaller republics such as Ingushetia and Chechnya, because there are more tourist attractions to explore, enjoy, and more people to meet. Bashkortostan also doesn't require women to wear headscarves, and long dresses like Chechnya does. It is more liberating and accepting for women. As a result of how vast and populous the republic of Bashkortostan is, there are a lot of activities and places for me to explore and take advantage of during my first trip. Since I won't be able to do all of them during my first stay, I'll make a list of the top 6 things that I want to savour the most!

1. Stroll around, relax and eat at Kashkadan Park

Kashkadan Park is located in Sipailovo, which is a residential neighbourhood in Ufa, Bashkortostan. Since 2002, Kashkadan Park has served the Sipailovo area. The park is 31 hectares, of which 13 hectares are under Lake Sipailovskoye. In Bashkortostan, there are a number of parks that are a part of the "The Park of Culture and Rest" organization, with Kashkadan Park being one of "the parks of culture and rest" in Bashkortostan. The parks consists of many amenities and activities like rides, casual cafes, playgrounds, and a lake with a picturesque sandy beach for families, kids, youth, and everyone else to take advantage of!

Kashkadan Park, indeed reminds me of Earl Bales Park, which is another big park that I used to visit on a regular basis. The only discrepancy is, there is no beach, but rather a small little lake that visitors are forbidden to swim in. Also, there are no rides at Earl Bales Park.

Just like when I used to visit Earl Bales Park, I would love to spend a few hours listening to music, walking around, eating, reading a book, and playing on my phone during my leisurely trip to Kashkadan Park. The parks are not just places for me to enjoy, but rather my "comfort zones" when I'm travelling internationally.

2. Shop, enjoy, and eat at the Mall Iremel

The Mall Iremel shopping centre in Ufa is as huge as the Hotel Riviera in Kazan, Tatarstan. The mall consists of 4 floors of colorful and spacious properties with convenient multi-level parking for visitors and staff. The shopping complex is a consolidation of entertainment and shopping which includes 20 bowling alleys, slot machines, the fitness center "Mendeleef", a swimming pool, 6 cinemas, nightclubs, restaurants and cafes. Visitors can buy clothes, cosmetics, shoes, electronics, accessories, and household items in multiple stores. There is something for every visitors to benefit from at the Mall Iremel shopping and entertainment complex.

Specifically for myself, I would love to take advantage of the restaurants, cafes, and the clothing stores. After my trip to the Kashkadan Park, I would love to come to the Mall Iremel for a pleasant meal. In addition to dinner, I would love to grab a dessert to indulge in before my trip back to the hotel for the night. Ideally, the top two eateries that I wouldn't mind visiting are the Idel bistro for dinner, and the Nice Cream ice cream parlour and dessert bar for a decadent dessert. With all that food in my belly, I'll be full until breakfast the next day!

3. Tour around and take some photographs of The Ufa Lemonarium

The Ufa Lemonarium is situated on the territory of the park and forestry, and is opened to both tourists and locals all year round. In the lemonarium greenhouse, an area of 1 hectare harvests about 1,300 lemon trees of different varieties like "Tashkent" and "Jubilee". The creation of lemons reaches 22 tons annually. The distinctiveness about this particular tourist attraction is that, this is the first experimental lemon farm, as well as the fact that it is the northernmost lemonarium of Bashkortostan. Asides from cultivating lemons, other fruits like oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, and citrons are harvested. There is a gigantic collection of tropical, subtropical woody, shrubby, and herbaceous plants. These particular plants include figs, laurel, pomegranates, melon trees, bananas, fatty trees, yuccas, and many more to discover! About 20,000 people visit the Ufa Lemonarium per year. The lemonarium is a popular place to have wedding photo session, host wedding ceremonies, and run romantic meetings. In addition, excursion tours in which visitors can get acquainted with both exotic plants and fruits are common activities that happen. Visitors typically leave the lemonarium with lemon seeds, coffee, pomegranate, figs, and potted flowers.

I would love to visit the Ufa Lemonarium during my trip to Bashkortostan. I'm fascinated by nature, trees, plants, and fruits, so this would be an ideal excursion for me. I would love to spend time by walking around, exploring the different parts of the lemonarium, take photographs of the different plants and fruits that I find, as well as get a nice breath of real and fresh Russian air.

4. Shop for some books at a local bookstore

In Ufa, there are a few bookstores in which visitors can find and purchase books in Bashkir, Russian, and Tatar. Znaniye is one of the largest bookstores that is located in Ufa, and offers a wide range of books in various genres, languages, and formats. Znaniye means "knowledge" in the Russian language. As the assortment of books is constantly increasing, the store now has 30,000 books for customers to purchase in the store. The sales department collaborates with most of the Russian publishing companies. Specialized departments such as "Bashkir Literature" and "National Literature" have been created in the store, where over 1,000 titles of republican publications are displayed in a wide range: gift albums, fiction, dictionaries, coloring/activity books, calendars, and many more to be excited about!

Although I don't read books in Tatar nor Bashkir, it would be a good opportunity for me to at least visit this store once in my life. I can easily access and purchase both digital and paperback books in Canadian Russian bookstores, but not Tatar or Bashkir books. By visiting a bookstore in Bashkortostan, I can find a few books in Tatar to read and take back home with me. I can read Bashkir, but I don't read in Bashkir quite often. A book or two in Bashkir is also possible, if I begin to improve my Bashkir language skills. My go-to book genres are fantasy, folklore, historical fiction, activity, adventure, mystery, thrillers, horror, and biography, so I would ideally purchase those types of books in Russian, Tatar, and/or Bashkir.

5. Enjoy some authentic Bashkir cuisine at a local restaurant

Duslyk is a perfect venue to host business meetings, family dinners, romantic evenings out, and casual gatherings on weekends. Duslyk means "friendship" in both Bashkir and Tatar. This luxurious, authentic Bashkir restaurant and event venue has a teahouse in which people from all cultures mingle. Duslyk offers dishes from various countries like Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. All the food is cooked in a cauldron, wood-burning stove, or on the grill. The teahouses uses a kitchen that allows visitors to watch the preparation of the food, and enjoy the scents of the delicious food. To prepare meat dishes, a cast-iron grill is utilized. For anyone who is an avid hookah smoker or loves the odd smoke, a hookah lounge with German glass hookahs, Classic Egyptian hookahs, Balinese hookahs, tobacco, and bowls is open to visitors. It is not just a place for people to eat, drink, and smoke; it is also a hospitable environment.

Bashkir cuisine is not unfamilar to me, because I've had Uzbek, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, and Turkish foods in Canada. Some of my favourite dishes and desserts from Bashkortostan and other Central Asian countries are Belyash (a stuffed pie with meat, veggies, etc.), Chak- Chak (fried honey cake), Manty (steamed or fried dumplings with meat, cheese, mushrooms, onions, etc.), and Uzbek plov (fried rice with veggies, meat, etc.). Since I no longer consume meat, I'll have to opt for the vegetarian options, which would be just as tasty as the meat dishes. I would typically get dinner and a traditional dessert at Duslyk before my trip back home to Canada. One dessert that I want to try is the Bashkir eremsek (cottage cheese mousse with cottage cheese and cherry marshmallows).

6. Visit the National Museum of the Republic of Bashkortostan

The National Museum of the Republic of Bashkortostan was established in 1864. This spacious facility does not only show the life paths and fates of the people who built the museum, but also reveals the history of the funding, collections, and items preserved in exhibition halls. The more flexible and richer the museum funds, the more enriching the history is. The National Museum of the Republic of Bashkortostan has a building area of 5684.4 square meters, an exposition and exhibition of 2417.5 square meters, and 34 exhibition halls for people to explore inside the facility. Each exhibition halls has exhibits on a variety of subjects like archeology, ethnography, nature of the native land, and the history where the past and present of the Republic of Bashkortostan is symbolized.

The museum is open 6 days a week, with the only closing day being Monday. There are numerous activities and excursions for both residents and tourists to take advantage of, upon prior request. Registration for public events and activities is necessary. The two core events that occur at the museum include sightseeing tours on topics like the natural history of the region, as well as thematic excursions that discuss the ethnography of the Bashkir people.

I would love to do both a thematic and sightseeing excursion on a variety of topics, because I have a penchant for both the history and culture of Bashkortostan. Touring the museum will give me a meaningful opportunity to expand my knowledge and make some memories to keep for life. Since one of my special interests is Soviet culture and history, there are multiple things about Bashkortostan that I want to continue learning and remembering.