Blogs from Far East, Russia, Europe

This was my last email from Russia, back on May 26, 2014, probably sent from St. Petersburg. Some of you ask if I would go to Russia again, or even take the Trans Siberian Railway again. Probably not. Once was enough. This is my last email (with some updates and additions)from Russia. Many of you are thankful. Back when Siberia was the land of dispossessed white Russians, the little towns did not offer much. It did offer space and quiet. Some day you could hear your watch ticking at high noon on main street. Life was so dull, that anyone receiving a telegram was expected to circulate it as reading material for the entire town.Most of the cities and towns along the TSR are gray, drab, and depressing. Meeting ... read more

A friend posted this first photo. And, naturally, it got me thinking. I have been so fortunate to travel the world. There are so few trips or experiences I would never do again. But there are a few: I probably would not take the Trans-Siberian Railway again. It is a long trip, covers one third of the earth's surface, the food is horrible, and the taiga and tundra are endless. And you know I passed on a "free" trip to Kiev, Ukraine! TSR facts: The TSR is the world's longest direct train service. With two scheduled trains, an express departing once every two days and a regular service departing daily, the url=https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Ftravel%2Fmaps-and-graphics%2FWorlds-longest-train-journeys%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C3dca477b386a4d46225208d9f093a53e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637805339198551602%7CUnknown%7C... read more

After getting back into the Beast and departing Gorely, we made our way along what was basically an ice road towards our next destination: Mutnovsky Volcano. After about an hour of driving (why were they so concerned about the roads again??), they stopped and asked if this was a good site to camp. Yes! Oh, the views. The flowers. The sunset. And you could see the steam clouds from the volcano just over the rise. It was so beautiful! And it was dry and nice weather to boot! So, we set up our usual tent and C was the one to cook for us tonight. And it was gooooood. Apparently, none of our guides were cooks. The next morning we woke, had a brief breakfast and started the hike up Mutnovsky. It was a fairly gentle ... read more

After returning to the hotel, freshening up and packing, we were amazed to discover the giant beast of a truck that would be taking us to Avachinsky Volcano. The night before, our main guide (through Maria translating) tried to impress upon us the potential difficult trekking we would be facing as bad weather was expected. Additionally, bad weather could impact the route up even with that behemoth. So we packed accordingly. He also tried to make sure we understood the very real possibility that bears would come into our campsite. Yikes! We loaded up and climbed into that monster, stopping first for some snacks and drinks. It was surprisingly comfortable actually! After about an hour, we turned into what looked like a park entrance and then slowly started making our way upriver, often times passing cars ... read more

In countries other than the U.S., making a decision between taking the plane or train is worth a cost comparison. While we do not have that luxury here, a quick review of some other countries reveal some good cost comparisons. Most of us know about the great deal in Europe, the Eurail pass. I bought my first one back in the Seventies. Then a few decades passed before I bought a four country pass: Hungary, Austria, Germany, and Slovakia. I may buy another for an upcoming trip in October, that will include: Poland, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Austria, and perhaps Greece. Only a few of you will remember the old Pan Am world pass. The version I am familiar with allowed unlimited travel on their network for two weeks!! I used a mini version of this ... read more