Moscow was way warmer than Irkutsk which made exploring the city a lot easier. We went to Red Sqaure and saw the famous St. Basils cathedral which is amazing. This is something I always see in photos so to see it for real really made me relaise where I was and how amazing it is. We wondered around the streets and could not believe that every building looked amazing. They all look like they should be important but, more often than not, they turn out to be a shopping mall or something! We also ate more russian food - I have decided I love Borscht!
A visit to Lenins mausoleum was very strange. We had to hand our bags in, go through security and be ushered down a lot of steps into a dark basement before eventually walking around the dead body in a glass caninet and back out again. I have never seen anything like this before and it was a strange atmosphere. We also went into the Kremlin and ventured around the buildings and museums in there. Many people say Russia is dangerous and warned me to be careful but I found it a beautiful city and had no problems at all.
We then took the night train to St. Petersburg. It only took 8 hours which was a breeze after the 4day train! We arrived, checked into a nice hostel by the train station and walked down the main street. I could definatly tell that we are getting closer to Europe as this city did not feel as Russian. There were many familiar chains and shops and instead of spending my time looking at the buildings, I would point out clothes shops and fast food chains! We are trying not to spend money in these fast food chains though so we started cooking in the nice kitchen in the hostel with a bottle of vodka to save money!
We went to see the famous sights such as The Hermatige, Peter and Paul fortress, St. Issacs cathedral an the cathedral of spilled blood. They were all impressive but I do not want to see another cathedral for a while!
Next we are getting a bus to Helsinki in Finland. It will be strange getting on something other thn a train and I am looking forward to getting into Europe.
xxx
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
One Long Train Ride
On the 14th November Ben, Jen and I boarded the Trans-Siberean train from Irkutsk to Moscow. We alighted on the 18th November, 82 hous later!
We decided to travel in Plaskart (third class) as it was cheaper and we thought we would meet more people. It turned out to be the best idea! We boarded at 11pm, were setting up our beds when three boys from the next cabin began talking to us with very little English. They were mechanic students on thier way back to university. We soon got told off by the scary prodvista (attendent) for being to loud and had to got to bed. The boys came back in the morning to try and teach us a russian card game and drink vodka made in thier home town. They had to get off the train later that afternoon so after saying goodbye we all had a little nap.
As I woke up from my nap, a Russian army boy was sat on the end of my bed! He was very eager to intoduce himself and ask questions. He also had little English so it was difficult but we got by with the help of a Russian phrease book! He then went off for a bit and came back with a spcial forces army issue vest which he gave me as a present!! We were soon surrounded by more army boys and drinking vodka and beer! Another one of the soldiers gave Jen a belt as a present too which she then had to wear for the rest of the night! Again we were told to be quiet by the prodvista! The next day when Ben asked me how my book was going I said I had only read a page as I'd been too busy!
Another night on the train brought another group of people to drink vodka with. This time it was an 18year old Minor Belarussian celebrity and an old man with 14 children and five wives! The Belarussian taught us the card game that we had been trying to play with the students. He had less English than they did but was still, somehow better at teaching us. The game was called Russian joke and Jen and I became pretty good by the end! The belarus guy also gave me 2 rocks from Lake Baikal, where he had been to visit his grnadma, as another present!
Day Three and the cabin was full again! We played the card game and had vodka shots with two older men who transported fuel, a random man with gold teeth, who Jen met at the hot water tap, and a crazy old lady who decided she was going to hepl me play the game. I became pretty good at introducing myself in Russian and the crazy lady could speak a few words of English so we became friends!!
It was finally time to get off the train in Moscow and after saying goodbye to everyone we waited for the metro to open. Having a shower in the hostel after four days on the train was amazing! The train was lots of fun and an experence none of us will forget! We also learnt a card game in Russian, how to drink vodka Russian style and that a phrase book really comes in handy!!
We decided to travel in Plaskart (third class) as it was cheaper and we thought we would meet more people. It turned out to be the best idea! We boarded at 11pm, were setting up our beds when three boys from the next cabin began talking to us with very little English. They were mechanic students on thier way back to university. We soon got told off by the scary prodvista (attendent) for being to loud and had to got to bed. The boys came back in the morning to try and teach us a russian card game and drink vodka made in thier home town. They had to get off the train later that afternoon so after saying goodbye we all had a little nap.
As I woke up from my nap, a Russian army boy was sat on the end of my bed! He was very eager to intoduce himself and ask questions. He also had little English so it was difficult but we got by with the help of a Russian phrease book! He then went off for a bit and came back with a spcial forces army issue vest which he gave me as a present!! We were soon surrounded by more army boys and drinking vodka and beer! Another one of the soldiers gave Jen a belt as a present too which she then had to wear for the rest of the night! Again we were told to be quiet by the prodvista! The next day when Ben asked me how my book was going I said I had only read a page as I'd been too busy!
Another night on the train brought another group of people to drink vodka with. This time it was an 18year old Minor Belarussian celebrity and an old man with 14 children and five wives! The Belarussian taught us the card game that we had been trying to play with the students. He had less English than they did but was still, somehow better at teaching us. The game was called Russian joke and Jen and I became pretty good by the end! The belarus guy also gave me 2 rocks from Lake Baikal, where he had been to visit his grnadma, as another present!
Day Three and the cabin was full again! We played the card game and had vodka shots with two older men who transported fuel, a random man with gold teeth, who Jen met at the hot water tap, and a crazy old lady who decided she was going to hepl me play the game. I became pretty good at introducing myself in Russian and the crazy lady could speak a few words of English so we became friends!!
It was finally time to get off the train in Moscow and after saying goodbye to everyone we waited for the metro to open. Having a shower in the hostel after four days on the train was amazing! The train was lots of fun and an experence none of us will forget! We also learnt a card game in Russian, how to drink vodka Russian style and that a phrase book really comes in handy!!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Irkutsk and Lake Baikal
After a train journey with a 9 hour border crossing, we arrived in Irkutsk in Russia. The first thing I noticed was definatly the cold! -21degrees with lots of snow! The second thing was the amount of fur that people were wearing! We checked into a lovely hostel and explored the city wearing as many layers as possible! Irkutsk has some lovely cathedrals and churches which look even nicer with a snowy background.
The next day was even colder at -24 and we then took a bus to Olkhon Island which is in the middle of Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and could supply the whole world with water for 40years should it run out. The bus journey there was pretty long but we were kept entertained with a Russian alcoholic who spoke to us in Russian and fed Ben many large vodka shots! He would say random stuff in Russian and Ben would say random stuff in English as a reply. He could have been agreeing to anything and at one point we thought he may have sold Jen for 70,000 roubles!!
On the Island we stayed in a lovely guest house called Nikita's where three meals a day were included. The meals were mainly omul fish from the lake. I am not a fan of fish and would never eat fish that actually looked like fish! However, I did eat it and ended up really enjoying it by the end of the three days. Apart from eating, sleeping and using the banya (Russian Sauna) we went on a jeep trip to the north of the island. It was cool to walk to the tip and appreciate how big the lake actually is. It was a clear day and the views were great. We also had lunch on a random table by the forrest (fish soup of course!) cooked on a random fire which was cool.
The next day we woke up to snow covered streets and decided to go for a walk. It was cold of course but it ws lovely to see the lake with different scenery. It looked totally different from the day before. We put our hands in the lake to, apparantly, add one year to our lives! We also walked up one of the hills to see a Christmas card view of the snow covered town.
We got the bus back to Irkutsk and spent one more day walking around and taking photos. After relaxing in the warm hostel and having one last shower, we went to the train station to board the 82hr Trans-Siberean train to Moscow. Previously we have travelled in second class but this time we decided to go third class as it was 100pounds cheaper and we thought it might be more of an expereince as we mix with locals in an open carriage! We'll see.....
The next day was even colder at -24 and we then took a bus to Olkhon Island which is in the middle of Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and could supply the whole world with water for 40years should it run out. The bus journey there was pretty long but we were kept entertained with a Russian alcoholic who spoke to us in Russian and fed Ben many large vodka shots! He would say random stuff in Russian and Ben would say random stuff in English as a reply. He could have been agreeing to anything and at one point we thought he may have sold Jen for 70,000 roubles!!
On the Island we stayed in a lovely guest house called Nikita's where three meals a day were included. The meals were mainly omul fish from the lake. I am not a fan of fish and would never eat fish that actually looked like fish! However, I did eat it and ended up really enjoying it by the end of the three days. Apart from eating, sleeping and using the banya (Russian Sauna) we went on a jeep trip to the north of the island. It was cool to walk to the tip and appreciate how big the lake actually is. It was a clear day and the views were great. We also had lunch on a random table by the forrest (fish soup of course!) cooked on a random fire which was cool.
The next day we woke up to snow covered streets and decided to go for a walk. It was cold of course but it ws lovely to see the lake with different scenery. It looked totally different from the day before. We put our hands in the lake to, apparantly, add one year to our lives! We also walked up one of the hills to see a Christmas card view of the snow covered town.
We got the bus back to Irkutsk and spent one more day walking around and taking photos. After relaxing in the warm hostel and having one last shower, we went to the train station to board the 82hr Trans-Siberean train to Moscow. Previously we have travelled in second class but this time we decided to go third class as it was 100pounds cheaper and we thought it might be more of an expereince as we mix with locals in an open carriage! We'll see.....
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The Gobi Desert
On a cold friday morning we packed into a very old Russian looking van, that looked like it was in the war, and begain driving accross the desert with two Finnish guys and our lovely driver Norra who didn't speak a word of English. The drive was very difficult and bumpy and at one point we got stuck in an icy river. Luckily there was a tractor nearby that was able to pull us out! We stopped for lunch and entered our first ger of the trip. It belonged to a local family who cooked us a very nice meal of mutton, veg and noodles. It was lovely food and at this point we didn't realise we would be eating this same dish everyday and would be sick of the sight of it by the end!!
We soon realised that breaking down and the van getting stuck was going to be a regular occurance but luckily Norra always knew how to fix it. We eventually arrived to the ger which we would sleep in for the night. It was snowing and very cold but it luckily had a fire to keep us warm. The lady looking after us didn't speak a word of English but as she came in to light the fire and we were all wondering what she was using she just pointed to the bag and said "shit"! She was burning camel and sheep dung! The ger was very basic with no running water or toilet and the fire would burn out in the middle of the night. We had to drink vodka to keep us warm!
The rest of the week was also spent driving off road accross the desert before arriving at a ger each evening. The landscape was amazing and changed drastically. One day we would be driving through snow and white sky and the next would be sand and blue sky. A couple of activities we did were walking in an ice valley and riding a camel by sand dunes. I didn't realise how big camels were and was pretty scared when it stood up!
I was ready to get back to the city and a shower by the end of the week but the trip was still amazing. Mongolia is definatly the most different place I have ever been. We spent one more night in the capital to have a cheeky hamburgur, pint and a good warm nights sleep before getting on another 36hr train to Irkutsk to Russia.
xxx
We soon realised that breaking down and the van getting stuck was going to be a regular occurance but luckily Norra always knew how to fix it. We eventually arrived to the ger which we would sleep in for the night. It was snowing and very cold but it luckily had a fire to keep us warm. The lady looking after us didn't speak a word of English but as she came in to light the fire and we were all wondering what she was using she just pointed to the bag and said "shit"! She was burning camel and sheep dung! The ger was very basic with no running water or toilet and the fire would burn out in the middle of the night. We had to drink vodka to keep us warm!
The rest of the week was also spent driving off road accross the desert before arriving at a ger each evening. The landscape was amazing and changed drastically. One day we would be driving through snow and white sky and the next would be sand and blue sky. A couple of activities we did were walking in an ice valley and riding a camel by sand dunes. I didn't realise how big camels were and was pretty scared when it stood up!
I was ready to get back to the city and a shower by the end of the week but the trip was still amazing. Mongolia is definatly the most different place I have ever been. We spent one more night in the capital to have a cheeky hamburgur, pint and a good warm nights sleep before getting on another 36hr train to Irkutsk to Russia.
xxx
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