Blogs from Far East, Russia, Europe

Coming back from Kamchatka I spent another night in Khabarovsk before catching the train the next evening to Vladivostok. I used the day to update my blog and catch up on some things on the internet – scary how used we got to the internet, 2 weeks without it and you can spend a whole day catching up on the most important things… After an unspectacular overnight train ride, I got off at my final destination: Vladivostok! I cannot really describe what I felt in that moment – something between extreme satisfaction, happiness and surrealism. For so long I was dreaming of doing this trip, getting off the train in Vladivostok I realized: I made it, I actually did :) I took the obligatory picture of the final mark of the Trans-Siberian: Moscow – Vladivostok 9288km. ... read more

Ira dropped me off at the airport before going to work – consequently I was there well in advance. In some way it was a good thing – given that not many people use online check-in I actually got a window seat :) I went through the security check and sat down in the waiting area listening to music and observing people. Khabarovsk airport has four gates – so there are probably like four ladies doing the boarding for all the flights. The most important skill in that position is probably to have a loud voice – the ladies are actually walking and screaming through the whole waiting area “last passengers to Moscow, flight 1234, please board at gate 3’’ after they announced the last call for this flight at least half an hour ago :) ... read more

Almost until the last minute I was standing on the track talking to Aliki before jumping on the train to Khabarovsk. I boarded the train, as usual the train attendant passed by to take the copy of your ticket, but for some reason everyone except for me already got their linen beforehand – I thought maybe it’s because I was standing outside for so long. Turned out , even for the train attendant a foreigner was something special – I asked him for the linen, he told me he’d bring it… after waiting like 1h I decided to pass by his ‘’office’’ – he started asking me all the typical “OMG a foreigner” questions :) After some 15min I got my linen and free chocolate on top of that ;) I made my ‘’bed’’ – lay ... read more

Chita – Blagoveshchensk was my longest train ride in Russia, 37 hours, 2 nights, 1 day to the Russian Far East that kind of indicates already that it’s far away, but it didn’t occur to me that I am actually gonna be on the same degree of longitude as the center of Australia!. The train ride however was also the most boring one so far, nobody felt like talking; everyone just minded their own business. That gave me time to catch up on some blog writing and for once I actually took pictures of the nature passing by outside the train window :) At 7am I got picked up by Natalia at the train station. Natalia is a business woman as so many women in Russia nowadays. She rents apartments in the long-term and lets them ... read more

Views of The City's River Port. The Port works allowing the commerce and the touristic trips by the Lena River. The Lena River is the Biggest and most important River in Russia, and one of the longest Rivers in the world. It starts in the Baikal Mountains and flow into the Artic sea, its 4,400 km (2,800 mi) Long. On winter the City's temperature its around -50 ^C , that means that the Lena River can only be enjoyed in Summer (right now the temperature its around +30^c). On winter it works like a 6 lanes Highway. I love running everyday by the Port's way, its just 200ms from my house. ... read more

Hi, I am looking for a Travel Buddy with plenty of time on your hands. Want to do the Train Trip from London to Saigon stopping at numerous still to be decided locations. Expect to take at least 6 weeks minimum to do the trip. It would be great if you could speak Russian or Chinese and English. I am 64 years young and can still mix it with the best of them. Hope to go late 2011 or early 2012. If you are at all interested please contact me and chat. I am open to changes in my plan. I usually travel and stay in mid-level accommodation and have lots of experience staying in Hostels and Backpackers. Regards, Peter... read more

Considering the title of this blog, the fact that the crust rupture in question erupts spectacularly every year or two and not forgetting the other potential attractions in the area, such as pretty much guaranteed sightings of the Kamchatka Brown Bear (in summer), one might expect the nearby town of Klyuchi to have some sort of infrastructure, or at least be easily accessible. Not so. Its snow-buried sprawl of wooden shacks lies 600km of dirt road north of Kamchatka's capital and is located in one of the Far East's many closed areas, places where no one, Russian or otherwise, is allowed to go unless they live there or have obtained a temporary permit. Which is why, at 9am on a Monday morning, I found myself hanging around by the roadside just out of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, with Kostya. ... read more