Blogs from Kamchatka, Far East, Russia, Europe

Our next adventure was to head to and climb Gorely Volcano. The Beast came back to pick us up, only this time we had to take ALL our luggage because the hotel would not keep our extra stuff overnight. We were assured that the extra luggage (like, my work laptop) would be kept in the Beast overnight. We stopped again for snacks and set off. This ride would be much longer than our previous one, so we settled in. For a while, we were just travelling along main roads, then main flat gravel roads, but we were soon obviously deeper into volcano territory. Everywhere we looked, there were grand peaks, many of which were conical. A few of us had also noted what appeared to be a constant jet trail, but it was actually smoke from ... read more

For my next Trekkup adventure, I joined with two of my friends for one's 40th birthday request. It was to be a trip to see the far east, bears, water, trees, and VOLCANOES! This meant a lot of hiking, and I was mostly nervous about the first volcano - we were supposed to do a bit more hiking in Saudi to prepare me, but it was what it was. First things first, 22 hours to travel and a couple of other excursions before we even got to the volcanoes. Travel Day We met at the Dubai airport before our flight, and checkin was fairly smooth though the flight was surprisingly full. Apparently, Novosiberisk, Russia is a hopping place! Actually, I think because it is like the center of the country, it's like the flight hub. So, ... read more

"Why did you come to Kamchatka?" - Dasha "I wanted to get close to the beach, to the ocean, to the great power of it all." - Natasha It's one of our final days in Kamchatka and today we decide to accompany Natasha to the beach. It's actually the main reason she chose to come to Kamchatka. Living in Sydney, and a mere 40 minutes from the ocean/beach (which is actually quite far from most Sydneysiders) I've grown to take the beach for granted at times. So it completely amazes me to meet someone who has chosen to fly 8.5 hours to come to the beach. Nonetheless we think it will be a lot of fun so we decide to join Natasha on her beach adventure. Like all fully hectics, I decide to call everyone in ... read more

Following a night of feasting and warm showers we take off early in the morning to travel to Talmachevoski valley (Толмачевская Далина). This time we join a tour with the Kamchatka Excersions led by Elena Perminova . Designed by Elena, the tours make it accessible for locals to see something of Kamchatkas beautiful nature, without the ever expensive price tag that usual tour companies attach to their Kamchatka tours. The tours are very worthwhile, especially if you understand Russian as they are led by Elena herself who has over 7 years higher education equivalent to a masters degree in Kamchatka history and anthropology. She is full of information beginning from when the land was dominated by the indigenous Evenk and kamchidan people right to when Russian Cossacks invaded in the 18th century to present day history. ... read more

Ever wanted to know how to hitch hike with a helicopter? The following is a brief how to guide: 1. Walk 40 kilometers through a national park, preferably somewhere remote like one of the national parks in Kamchatka. For this story we will use a real life example being the Nalcheyvo National Park. 2. The walk should be done at full pace so that at least part of your team is left exhausted with an injury preferably incurred along the way. We walked about 2 days with 17km covered during the first day and 23km during the second. Total injuries incurred = 1. 3. The injured person should then proceed to use the positive energies of the universe to summon the helicopter. Our injured person being Natasha, did just that. The story like a few others ... read more