Moscow in three days not possible... Where to start. Got settled in the $28/night 8 person mixed gender dorm top bunk the squeaked when I coughed. The cough has been developing as I am traveling to the East and the pollution seems more pronounced. Best breakfast of the trip, small restaurant, coffee/americano, 2 eggs basted, thick slice of canned ham cold, heated bread that passed a toast unfortunately the coffee was not a bottomless cup but americano never is: is it? $8. Red Square is not quite as I had pictured, not a big as it looked in May Day parades [View Full Entry]

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MOSCOW - part two ... freedom isn't free But it does have a price. In Moscow it $750. Apparently due to a small misunderstanding on my part and definitely my fault. Talking with the visa agent in the States while in the planning stage I came to understand that Date of entry was the date you actually entered the country. World travelers stop laughing. It is of course the date on the passport. With my plans I has a 6 day safety factor. But was over the exit date. At the boarder I was escorted from the train, taken to the [View Full Entry]

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http://picasaweb.google.com/paulsendnv/Paulsen?authkey=Gv1sRgCNqYwLqo3facggE# http://picasaweb.google.com/paulsendnv/Paulsendnv02# photos... best i can do for now Working on KZ ticket.. not so easy... [View Full Entry]

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Irkutsk to Yekaterinburg Packed and on the train shared open third class compartment with Alexander, @x Russian born in Kazakhstan, some sort of police work. and Licka 20? headed to Novosibirsk. No English, but it developed with time, and still no Russian on my side. Starting to recognize the sound of some words like "harashaw" good fine, all is well. Visited several hours and got off at stations where the stops were more than 20 minutes, as things progress it turn out I was the "iguana" a common bond between them, their project because they had not met before. Some [View Full Entry]

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Harbin to Suifenhi Vladivostok stop over Skovouodino Irkust, Lake Bikal 6 oct Had no difficulty purchasing the Ticket to Suinenhi, overnight hrs $24, third class middle bunk. Slept much of the way; arrived about 8 am, station and ticket windows. Could not get a ticket; my Chinese must be getting worse. At the second travel agency met Lee, Jong, 25 born in V. is Chinese on Russian passport. He, I thought offered to let me travel with him for $35. Sounded like a good idea to me. Several taxi rides and lunch on him. I purchased my own Bus ticket, 14 [View Full Entry]

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Harbin to Suifenhi 6 oct Had no difficulty purchasing the Ticket to Suinenhi, overnight $24, third class middle bunk. Slept much of the way; arrived about 8 am, station and ticket windows. Could not get a ticket; my Chinese must be getting worse. At the second travel agency met Lee, Jong, 25 born in V. is Chinese on Russian passport. He, I thought offered to let me travel with him for $35. Sounded like a good idea to me. Several taxi rides and lunch on him. I purchased my own Bus ticket, 14 hrs $10, plus another $10 on the Russian [View Full Entry]

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Oct 4, 2009 Up at 06:00 (for real Barbara), noodle breakfast $6. Several trips to the ticket windows, third class ticket to Harbin, 31 hrs $80. Does not leave until 9:00a. plenty to get organized. With ticket in hand this time cleared x-ray security and made it to my waiting room (think gate). After another conversation in Chinese (have I mentioned I don't speak any Chinese?) it appears I elected to use the porter pre-board option, $2, what a bargain. I showed me the ropes, and my carriage and my bunk. No one is allowed in the platform boarding area until [View Full Entry]

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This is my third attempt at getting this in ... it gets briefer each time. Don and Wanda greeted me at SEA/TAC. Good to visit with them and the were very helpful in getting me to the right security gate for my terminal. They are both heading out soon, Wanda to London and Don to Italy. Impressed in airport by various Asian airlines stewardess and how stylish and professional their uniforms looked. Flew Alaska air and Asiana Las Vegas to Shanghai $539. Asiana safety record on the net looked ok. Seat assignment put me between Don, 75, on his second visit [View Full Entry]

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Hi, this is David Paulsen, you are are listed on the travel blog for David and Barbara Paulsen. I will be traveling to China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Vietnam without Barbara in the Fall and Winter of 2009. If you have been following our travels, Barbara writes the blogs, you may want to click the unsucribe at the bottom of the page. Travelblog asked that we do no delete emails that we don't recognize because there are individuals that have subscribe whom we do not know... For those of you who hang in there here's the deal. I have wanted to do [View Full Entry]

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We have been on the peninsula for almost a week. We have had a great time exploring the area. After the crab trapping which only yielded the one small crab we decided to drive north on the peninsula along the eastern shore toward Port Angeles. Beautiful drive through forested area folloing the Hood Canal most of the way. Had lunch at the Dockside Restaurant at the marina in Sequim. Delicious! David had a fried fish filet sandwich. I had the bouilliabase which had salmon, shrimp, scallops, oysters and clams. We then went to Graymarsh Farms where you can pick your own [View Full Entry]

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