Places stonoceno Wants to Go

Tucked away along a riverbend in an area known for its uranium mines is one of the world's tallest locks.

A statue of traditional Kazakh dancers adds some beauty to this Soviet-era mining city.

Stelae-eyed stones greet visitors to a corner of Kirov Park.

Local lore says this 700-year-old tree has sacred and medicinal properties.

This Soviet statue is based on a piece of propaganda that's been elevated to national myth.

A sober museum housed in the original administrative building of one of Stalin's largest gulags.

This small canyon is home to a treasure trove of geological oddities.

A Stalinist prison camp for the wives and children of men accused of betraying the Soviet state is now a memorial museum.

This was once the largest city in Kazakhstan, and a major stop on the Silk Road.

Beatlemania is still going strong... at least in Kazakhstan.

A collection of Lenin busts and other Soviet Era statues sit idly behind the Semipalatinsk Hotel.

Jurassic clays where the dinosaurs once roamed.

The Russian author's writing desk remains inside the house where he spent part of his Siberian exile.

These rugged, color-stained mountains hold the secrets of the Kazakh desert.

This 100-foot tall tombstone memorializes victims of 40 years of nuclear testing in Kazakhstan.

Try maple leaf tempura at the trailside shop that brought it back from oblivion.

This ancient monastery complex was transformed from an island to a peninsula when the lake was partially drained.

The observation point offers spectacular views of the ruins of an ancient Armenian capital.

The ruins of a medieval monastery built on a perilous slope.

Called the "Armenian Stonehenge," this ring of menhirs pierced with holes may be a prehistoric astronomical observatory.

Hundreds of intricately carved Armenian stone crosses can be found within this huge cemetery.

An unusual double-stelae obelisk with ancient and mysterious origins.

A museum dedicated to traditional Armenian clothing and their designer.

A tiny museum dedicated exclusively to the tiny art that decorates matchboxes.