In retrospect, I kinda forget what attracted me to Ekat, A city famous for the brutal murder of the Romanov family, the last Tsar and co, and a gang war in the early 1990's. And rocks if you're into that sort of thing. On arrival at the Meeting Point (or place, I forget) Hostel, an excellent little place run my Katya, possible the nicest and most helpful hostel owner of all time I was amazed to find real Tea - none of this Russian Churney Chai much, proper British tasting tea, with Milk and everything! Milk tasted a little funky, but [View Full Entry]

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Unfortunately I am without the ability to upload pictures for the moment so you'll have to make do with text only! I arrived in Moscow at 8am to find minus 2 degree weather and a light smattering of snow. A start, maybe good or bad - either way it didn’t last. By the end of my week in Moscow it was 25 degrees, and I was mooching around Red Square eating ice cream, in Russia! Who’d have thought it! Classic Brit talking about the weather here…. I have had an excellent week in Moscow, I like it better than St Petersburg, [View Full Entry]

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Waiting at Yaroslavski station I inadvertently discovered the best tactic for avoiding hawkers and beggars all after your cash - Be French. Someone came up to me trying to sell me some tat, and when I didn’t respond asked me “speak English” “No. err…Little.” “What Language?” Didn’t really think this one through did I… for want of anything better to say, “ Je parle Francais” “Oh! Francsikiii!? Ah…” And promptly walked off leaving me in peace. Jackpot! Confusingly Ekaterinbur [View Full Entry]

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I arrived in St Petersburg to find all steriotypes true - My first sighting was of an industrial wasteland from a car with a racist taxi driver having just been through a very unfriendly customs experiance. The taxi driver even told me that the old Lada was the best car ever, very well suited for Russian roads, not like other cars. I have found St Petersburg to be a city of faded splendour, clearly a very beautiful city, but not very well mentained. Even in the Hermatage, I went into the room in the Winter Palace where the members of the [View Full Entry]

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Well team, I'm soon to be off on my epic journey, overland across Russia, Mongolia, China and Cuba. For those of you I'm useless at keeping updated with, here is a brief plan of action: Russia 11th April - Fly to St. Petersburg! Over the next month I will be getting the train across Russia, stopping off at St. Petersburg - Venice of the North. Moscow - Place where lots of Communist things happened Ekaterinsburg - Notorious for 2 things: The brutal murder of the Tsar and family, and a bloody Gangland feud in the 1990's. Awesome... Irkutsk & Lake Baikal [View Full Entry]

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