Everette
Everette Studdard Joined: October 2nd 2006
Logged in: February 14th 2012
Logged in: February 14th 2012
We hope you will keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.
Travel Blog Posts
Young Girl in Kimono at Temple
Hi Everybody! Walt and I started our trip by flying to St. Petersburg using frequent flier miles. We decided early on that we would not use the return trip tickets. Instead, we hoped that somewhere in Asia, we would be able to get into the Military Space Available program. When we got ready to move on from our visit to Singapore, we went to the nearby Singapore Military Air Force base and were lucky to get the last two seats on a contract flight. A contract flight is like a regular airlines flight with stewardesses, catered meals, etc. The only difference on this flight was that it only had 32 seats. The rest of the plane was blocked off and used for carrying military equipment. We flew into Yakota AFB near Tokyo. Tokyo, Japan's capital, is ... read more
Raffles Hotel in Singapore
Hi Everybody! Jim, Walt, and I flew from Lhasa, Tibet to Singapore. We stayed two nights in Singapore and enjoyed a little R & R. On the third day, Jim left us to go back home to the U.S., and we took a train to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We bought a five day pass on the Malaysian Railway. The cars are old but very comfortable. They have a dining car but few options. On our way to KL, we sat with a very nice Scottish couple and their two children. The teenagers were on a Fall Break, and the family was headed to an island off the coast of Malaysia. While on the train, we passed many palm and banana trees, lots of thick tropical foliage, many flowers, simple homes, Hindu temples, new rail construction. Kuala ... read more
Beautiful Snow Topped Mountains
Hi Everybody! The train journey from Beijing to Tibet was not a fun trip! We were bumped from our booked first class cabin by a delegation of Tibetans. Because of this, we were in a 6 person cabin and were very crowded. The cabin had no door so we had no privacy. We are just glad that part of our trip is over. I will have to say that the scenery in the mountains of Tibet was beautiful. We saw herd after herd of sheep, yak, horses, and cattle. Many of the mountains were covered with snow. The sky was so clear and the prettiest color of blue. When we reached the modern new train station in Tibet, we were met by our guide Sat. He welcomed us to the "Roof of the World" by adorning ... read more
Red Lanterns for National Day Holiday
Hi Everybody! In this blog, I am going to let the photos tell the story. I am starting with the train from Ulan Bator. The landscape changed many times as we traveled across the Gobi Desert to Beijing. Walt thought that it would be better if I published the blogs for Beijing and Tibet after leaving China. The Communist government blocks many internet sites including Facebook, Firefox, newspaper sites, and many others. The people are very kind especially the service workers that you come in contact with at hotels, restaurants, etc. Yet, these people have a fear of their superiors, the police, the military, etc. They do not want to be the center of attention. Sometimes, they would not take a tip if their supervisor was watching but would gladly take it in private. Police and ... read more
Photo from End of Train
Hi Everybody! FYI: Jim, our fellow traveler, finished high school and college with Walt. They took ROTC at JSU and both retired as Army Lt. Colonels. Jim thought he loved trains until he had 5 cabin mates between Moscow and Irkutsk. This trip has been full of surprises –some good and some not so good. The train ride from Irkutsk to Ulan Bator was on a small train with just 5 cars and no dining car. The train cabins so far have had no bathroom facilities – not even a sink. Each car has 2 toilets but no showers. The cars do have plenty of hot water in the samovar. The attendants add charcoal or coal in the burner to keep the water boiling. After a couple of days, you really miss the comforts of home. ... read more
Food at Train Stop
Hi Everybody! We are halfway to our quest of making it around the world. FYI: This is my 100th Blog! We got off the train on Sunday in Irkutsk and were happy to be met by our guide/driver - Ivan. He took us for breakfast and then for a nice tour of the city. In 1920, Stalin closed all churches in Russia. People were not allowed to legally worship again until the fall of Communism. Stalin blew up the largest cathedral in Moscow and in Irkutsk (& possibly in many other cities.) Some churches remained vacant but others were used to store grain and other items. Of the 10 churches that survived in Irkutsk, some have been renovated and are now functioning. A few are not being used but are being renovated. I saw a beautiful ... read more
Everette & 2 Car Attendants
Hi Everybody! The TransSiberian is the journey of a lifetime and an epic trip into some of the world’s most remote landscapes, through spruce and birch forests, traditional villages, and endless steppes. The trip across Russia is one of the longest railway journeys in the world – starting in Moscow and ending in Vladivostok. Walt and I are not going the entire 6000 miles to Vladivostok, the Pacific port. Instead, we are taking the Trans-Mongolian option from Irkutsk to Ulan Bator, and then, on to Beijing, China. The train company does not allow you to buy hop-on hop-off tickets-----only point to point tickets. We will be spending 3 nights in Irkutsk and on Lake Baikal and 3 nights in Ulan Bator. The route crosses two continents and 7 time zones. On board, the poor mingle with ... read more
Everette in front of a giant doll
Hi Everybody! Walt and I left St. Petersburg on Sunday early in the morning. Ten different trains run daily between the two cities. We chose the fastest one and made the trip in four and a half hours. We quickly realized that we only had the hotel address in English, but we did have the hotel's phone number. In the future, we need to remember to have the hotel send their name and address in the country's native language. Our friend, Jim Hammett, arrived on Sunday afternoon. He will be traveling with us as far as Singapore. Moscow is more of a business center than a cultural center like St. Petersburg. The Moscow River gave the city its name. High rises abound here along with a mixture of many styles of architecture. When Stalin was the ... read more
The State Hermitage Museum
Hi Everybody! St. Petersburg is an icredibly beautiful city with its amazing architecture! It reminds me of Prague with the many pastel colored buildings. It has given us a great first impression of Russia and has definitely won our hearts. In some of our past travels to Eastern Europe, we have seen hundreds of gray Soviet apartment buildings and administration buildings. In St. Petersburg, we have seen not seen any ugly buildings. St. Petersburg was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great but was actually named for the Apostle Peter. It served as the capital of Russia from 1713 until 1918. It is Russia's second largest city and has a population of 5 million people. The locals call it, Piter. It was built on 42 islands and has 90 rivers and canals. I believe that we ... read more
Beach
Hi Everybody! If you are looking for a safe spot for a vacation, you might want to consider Bermuda. It is only 2 1/2 hours from Atlanta. It has a sunny, temperate climate (70's & 80's), beautiful pink sand beaches, is very clean, and has friendly people. The only negative is that it is expensive! Everything is imported from the U.S. They grow a few crops but are unable to meet the needs of the population. Luckily, the citizens do not have to pay income tax or sales tax. The island has zero unemployment. I assumed Bermuda was one large island but quickly discovered that it is made up of six main islands joined by bridges. There are actually 138 islands, but some are just large volcanic rocks. Bermuda is 21 square miles. Locals call ... read more
