THE GORNO DRINKING EPISODE

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First bush camp in Siberia is just outside of the border town. We met Sasha at the frontier he will be our guide for the duration of the trip through Kazakhstan and Russia. Already he is encouraging everyone to drink by presenting a Parliament vodka bottle to all and toasting our arrival. It actually is quite good, very smooth, but I can sense this will be trouble for most of us who can't hold their drinks. i am in the cook group, Lydia decided to do an egg curry so we helped her prepare it. On a cold night like now it is good to eat something spicy. When we went to bed few hours later we heard sounds of truck driving past but it seems to have stopped right where we are camping, it took ages before the engine was turned off and then on again, I was too lazy to get up and investigate, when we woke up to set up breakfast there were 2 big trucks parked near our camp fire, apparently they(the drivers) helped themselves to the warmth of our fire. One guy looks like the Russian version of Jack Osbourne only taller, he turned on some Russian type house music and pumped up the volume, glad we are about to leave anyway. Went back to the border town to fill up with water, I saw one of the guards from yesterday on the street as I was wondering around, he is playing with his son before work, i waved at him and he nodded his head to acknowledge me, i think he was the one who gave us a hard time and had us bring out all our luggages out, oh well.. From here we drove to a settlement town called Koshagach to try and register ourselves as the usual requirement in Russia. we were told we have to go to Gorno-Altaisk, so we finished our food shopping here, changed money then left. The drive to Gorno was very pleasant, wooden house with intricate window carvings, beautiful veggie and flower gardens and heaps and heaps of apples of different sizes, also plums, nectarines.. We stopped at a roadside stall selling fruits, I bought some plums of different colors and some small apples and they were just delicious, I never had small crab apple types this sweet before, the plums are also fantastic. As I was standing by the truck door munching away on apples waiting for the rest to return, an Audi car stopped next to me, it was a couple with their young son, the man asked me where I am from, when I said America both said wow! But I quickly realized they probably thought the truck actually came all the way from America, my car is from America too he said,( I think not, isn't it a German car?)There was a panoramic viewpoint that we stopped for a break, took in the sights and had a few corndog type things we bought from a van in the parking lot, it was quite good.

For the night we camped in a farmer's field. There is a stream next to it so I decided to wash myself a bit, it was cold! The owner came in a car, I guessed word got out that the circus is in town(us), asked what we are doing in his land, later he gave his ok signal but asked if we make sure the fire is put out before we leave the next morning, after camping through Mongolia and not finding really substantial food, not mystery meat as we call those sausages we buy for lunches, Amy's group treated us to a really nice Spaghetti Bolognese, superb! Oh and noodle soup before that, it was quite cold at that camp and got worse as the night went on, my sleeping bag is good up to 15 F but I was still freezing,so have to wear all my thermals, my alarm clock has a temp reader and it said 40 something, i think not. The next morning all the tents are wet as rain came through last night as well to make matters worse, We had breakkie then tents down, it did not dry well but we have to go, as we drove uphill maybe just 2 to 3 km from where we camped we saw that there were slushy snow on the ground, I think it snowed as well that night only melted where we are when the sun came up. This has been the coldest camping for me since Tash Rabat in Kyrgyzstan where there were icicles that formed in our tents(@ 4000 m). We arrived in Gorno hoping to register quickly and then find a bush camp somewhere in the Altay mountains but alas it will take hours and so we decided to stay the night in town. We stayed in a Soviet era style hotel, there is a babushka in every floor and the toilets are communal, there is only one shower for the whole hotel believe it or not and the hot water runs out after every go so you have to wait about an hour for your turn unless you fancy a cold shower. Peter and I went for a walk trying to find internet, found it but not working, it is quite a nice place, modern and progressive looking. I bought whole chicken from the supermarket and shared it with peter for lunch, for dinner the group decided to meet up for drinks at a nearby bar then find a decent meal, and that was the plan, had a few beers, then some more, and a few more, the locals befriended us and soon toasting vodka shots with them, there is also a wedding going on, strange custom here, before the couple wed at the church, the woman came in a car went inside the bar and waited for her husband to fetch her then off they go, i don't know if it is a traditon for all, but certainly they must have met at this bar! The other member of the wedding party drank with us, at one point we ran out of vodka, one dude asked me if I want to come with them to buy some, I said yes and before i know it I was pushed in a car with three other lads, only a minute drive we got to a liquor store, we went in and bought the vodka, they refuse me to pay for it but I insisted, there were some Asian looking people in the store and they exchanged unfriendly glances and a few chosen words in Russian, by the tone of it does not sound good, I don't know if it is racially related but we moved on. We got back and everyone breathe a sigh of relief, they thought i wasn't gonna come back, I was stupid to go with strangers especially when intoxicated, though nothing happened to me, I have to use my head sometimes as cloudy as it may seems at this point. Drank some more, toasted some more, and I think I danced a few and hit the light fantastic can't really recall it only Andy's photo proves it. To make a long story short We all got pissed(Amy, Me,Andy) and Anne came to our rescue, she came back to the bar to have a few beers and found us all wasted, couple people threw up and a tall Russian fellow helped us get back to the hotel and to bed eventually, between Amy, me and Andy i was the most sober, I remember helping Amy walk back to the hotel and put to bed with the help of the Russian mate, then we fetched Andy whom we found throwing up next to a set of stairs, according to Anne I was hitting Andy and trying to fight him don't really know why, the Russian lad helped Andy to bed, Anne had to separate us because I apparently keep hitting him. The next morning woke up with a major hang over, I was called in to Claire's room where I found out Andy's wallet and cell phone was stolen last night, no one knew who and where it happened, but we searched for it everywhere, nothing. So instead of leaving early, we stayed and waited for Andy to make a police report, it was about past 2pm when we left town. Another camping on a field for the night then drove to Barnaul the next day, while the cook group is shopping we set out to find the internet place LP recommended, found it but was very difficult cause it is hidden from the main street, Amy and I went in a clothing store I bought a shirt and so did she, they have a promo thing where they give you a dart and try to hit a target if you hit bulls eye you get 40% off, I did so Amy and I saved heaps!We set up camp in a field just outside the town of Rubtsovsk, As I was helping with the kitchen set up Bryan came to me and said MJ plants just behind our camp, We went and explored it and true enough they are growing profusely, about 8 to 9 feet tall! Since none in the group were junkies we just took photos for fun and laughs. Over dinner a local man came to the camp and offered moonshine which Sasha and Bryan were happy to drink, I heard them til the wee hours of the morning. We have to drive towards the border today, our registration allows us only 4 days in Siberia, too bad we did not even get the chance to hike the Altai mountains, but we need to move on.


WIKI INFO:


Gorno-Altaysk or Gorno-Altaisk (Russian: Го́рно-Алта́йск) is the capital of the Altai Republic, Russia. It is situated 3,641 km east of Moscow. Population: 53,538 (2002 Census).

This only town of the Republic lies in a narrow Mayma Valley in the foothills of the Altay Mountains. Russian Orthodox missionaries arriving in the valley in 1830 stumbled upon the tiny settlement of Ulala, consisting at that time of nineteen indigenous and three Russian families. The next year Ulala was chosen as the site of the first Orthodox mission in the Altay and Russian settlers started migrating to the village.

When the Oyrot Autonomous Oblast was created in 1922, Ulala became its capital. In 1928 the village became a town and in 1932 its name was changed to Oyrot-Tura. However, in 1948 the authorities finally realized that the indigenous tribes of the area do not actually call themselves oyrots, the name of the autonomy was changed to Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast (i.e. the autonomous oblast of the Mountainous Altay), and with it the name of its capital.

Gorno-Altaysk has a scattering of industry, the Gorno-Altaysk Airport, a theatre, a university and a regional museum. It is 96 km from the nearest railway station at Biysk.







Barnaul (Russian: Барнау́л) is a city and the administrative center of Altai Krai, Russia. Barnaul is situated in the southwest of the Siberian Federal District on the Ob River. Population: 649,600 (2007 est.); 600,749 (2002 Census).The city lies along the Ob River in the West Siberian Plain. It is the closest major city to the Altai Mountains to the south. Barnaul is also situated relatively close to the border with the countries of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China.

Barnaul is one of the older cities in Siberia. Originally chosen for its proximity to the mineral-rich Altai Mountains and its location on a major river, the site was founded by the wealthy Demidov family in the 1730s. In addition to the copper which had originally attracted the Demidovs, substantial deposits of silver were soon found as well. In 1747, the Demidovs' factories were taken over by the Crown, and soon became the major silver center of Russia.

By the 18th and early 19th centuries, 90% of Russian silver was produced in the Altai region. Barnaul was the site of the largest silver-smelting factory, and as production expanded, so did the population. In 1771, the once-small settlement acquired the status of a mining town that was one of the largest in Siberia.

By the 1900s, Barnaul had grown into a major center for trade and culture of the region, especially after the construction of the Turkestan-Siberia Railway.

The city lies approximately 220 kilometers (137 mi) south of Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia and the third-largest in Russia. It is at a junction of the Novosibirsk-Almaty and Biysk train lines. There are also frequent buses to nearby cities Biysk and Gorno-Altaysk. It takes about four hours to reach the Altai Mountains in the south by car along the Chuysky highway.

When one takes Russia's difficult economic climate into consideration, business is thriving in remote Barnaul. As a result of local entrepreneurship initiatives, the city is making progress towards a more open economic climate and as a result is now home to two Rotary clubs, chartered in 1997 and 2005 respectively.


Modern buildingsThe main business street of the city is Lenin Avenue. New malls with stores and prices geared towards the more wealthy residents of Barnaul were open.

There are also various sprawling Soviet-style bazaars off of the main streets, where anything from fresh meat to CDs and clothing can be purchased in stalls and from vendors on the streets.

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Photos

BUSH CAMP NEAR TASHANTA
SPOT THE RUSSIAN JACK OSBOURNE LOOK ALIKE

ALTAY SCENERY
LUNCH STOP

ALTAY SCENERY
ROADSIDE FRUIT STAND

BUSH CAMP NEAR TUEKTA
SLUSHY ICE IN THE EARLY MORNING