European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 17, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine group of r�en-0r an of Wenn weather by tha Moscow River Star the Kremlin. Vacation by the user Holiday Camps it it k stories by Charles Mitchell United press International he pop music begins in the Early morning and blares All the Way to lights out shattering what probably should be the quiet stillness of the Coal miners Holiday Camp near Karka Malinsk in soviet Kazakhstan. The Holiday makers like the music so we play it or  said the red haired recreation officer disc jockey shouting Over the do of the Loudspeaker. Hoards of miners some of them crusty veterans Wheeling with blacking disease and their wives tramp off to breakfast serenaded by american Rock music or soviet pop fare. Article 41 of the soviet Constitution guarantees workers tha right to a Holiday irom their labor. The Noim is 24 Days of vacation a year. The responsibility of supplying Holiday accommodations Lor workers lies with the state enterprises and Union groups that employ them. Like Many other things in the soviet Union such accommodation is i Short Supply. Nearly allot the recreation areas Are allocated by a person s place of work so it helps to be a diligent worker a communist party member or have connections logo on a subsidized Holiday. There Are an estimated so million slate subsidized places in Holiday Camps sanitarium and resorts countrywide. Or about a Quarter of what is actually needed booking a private Holiday Al a soviet resort is not a common or even approved practice. Some adventurers do heed to a recreation zone and eventually find accommodations through a Black Market housing  the Karaganda Coal minors Unson Holiday Camp near Karaka Malinsk rest is indeed the name of the game with perhaps just a touch of boredom and regimentation thrown in but the Price is right. According to Ayoub county Thev the head of the miners Union a 12-Day stay with Lull Board costs a Mere 9 rubles or about 90 cents a Day. The Union subsidizes most of the Cost he  s a genuine bargain even if accommodation is a bit Stark. Meals Are Hardy and simple Chicken and Rice for breakfast and three course Lares for lunch and dinner. A 250 vacationers eat together in the dining Hall at set times served by waitresses who Tor some reason Wear heavy makeup and 6-Inch High heels. Children under 16 Are not allowed into the Holiday Camps but most Likely they already have been shunted off to government run Young Pioneer Camps for boating fishing and a dash of military training the Coal miners Camp is a sprawling Complex of Stark Gray Concrete. 4-Story apartment buildings a new communal dining Hall and a recreation Center that doubles As a moves theater and triples As a makeshift disco. The apartments Are Liny with two uncomfortable single Beds squeezed into one room but each has its own Shower and toilet. Liquor in keeping with the anti alcohol Campaign launched by soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev last year is not tolerated. Walls Are covered with warnings that drunkards will be expelled and exhortations thai a vacation does t require alcohol however broken Vodka bottles Dot the Pine Forest behind the Camp. In theory the Camp has every vacation wish a Laka boats fishing Tennis Ping Pong fresh air. Dancing. But theory has a Way of diverging from reality. The Lake water is brackish. Tennis and volleyball courts Are open Sandpit where no Ball will Bounce and the net is somewhat tattered. Mosquito and gnats thrive in marshes along the Lake. Vacationers Una up Lor the single Ping Pong table the Winner keeps the table until a loses. The disco Only opens when someone pushes Back chairs and tables and dears some floor space the Camp Itsell is isolated from any Urban area where vacationers might sneak Oil to Sample local delights they Are Here to rest said Chunky Thev. But just when you begin to believe people Aren t enjoying themselves an aging Kazant Miner whizzes by in roller skates laughing and smiling. At least one person was having a Good time sunday August 17, 1936 sunning soviet style the bus doors creak open  of Pale while beae goers and 1heyhaad for the Small sidewalk ice Cream stand dragging their inflatable rubber toys waterings and children behind them. Than As if drawn by an invisible Magnet the crowd begins the Hall mile walk to Ana of the Many beaches or government run recreation Lonea dotting the shores of the Moscow River. The greyish River snakes through the City past the Kremlin lending its did and grass Banks for Public bathing beaches Only a few minutes from the Bustle of downtown. When temperatures creep into the 80s along with the pressure of City living. Muscovites head for these dirt beaches and those on  reservoirs. Bui big City Beach bathing Moscow style is not quite getting away irom h All even if you manage to find space to plop Down your Towel and picnic Basket. The Ever present Lanei thai dominate Moscow me Are on the Beach too. There Are lines for renting Beach chairs Lor getting a snack a Shower a boat toilet and especially a bus Home. Some beaches Are free. Others with special facilities like changing rooms water fountains and showers Cost about 7 cents per person or the Day. Hearty every beae goer seems to be equipped with some sort of inflatable toy from Beach balls to floating rings to air pillows. In the City Beach toys Are big Sellers purchased from special sidewalk stands outside such shops As own Thrush Al House of to san oversized Beach Ball costs about s3. Gone Are the Days when soviet Beac goers would strip to their underwear out of necessity. Today s Beach fashions Are much More sophisticated though limited. Solid coloured and rather tame bikinis Are in Lor women of All Ages shapes and size this year. Men mostly opt for Standard racing style costumes. A new tank style women s suit with Tow Cut Back and High Cul legs has appeared lately in Leopard of Zebra prints. Also gone Are the Days when sunbathers could buy Beer from Beac Side bars. Now it is soil drinks juice and Mineral water in keeping with the government s anti alcohol Campaign. Muscovites Are More accustomed to Clouds and Snow than warm weather and take extra precautions to guard against skin damage. Local newspapers advise Beac goers to Wear hats cover sensitive areas and limit initial exposure to 15 minutes. The beaches Are full of sunbathers standing by their towels arms outstretched noses covered by White Sun Cream or some substitute such As paper. Once in to Witer activities Are strictly supervised. Marker buoys limit swimmers distance from the Beach. They Are often so close to Shore that he Waters Are overcrowded. A police boat on patrol broadcasts strict warnings to those who dare to Mova outside the buoys. Boaters who move too close to Shore Are likewise advised to move further out. Children Are limited to swimming in sets fenced off pens where the water is ankle deep. Foreigners avoiding the official diplomatic Beach elicit a fair amount of curiosity and Are easily recognized by their More stylish beaches of and pop lop drink cans a packaging technique unknown in tha soviet Union. For the most part the locals Are Friendly offering ice Cream and salted fish in Exchange for a can of Coke or an imported Beer and eager to try out their English. But getting away irom it All even on the Beach is just not possible. After 30 minutes in the Sun an aging woman approaches tells you that she has been watching you and scolds you for exceeding the recommended exposure so Early in the season. The stars and strikes Page 13