Irkutsk (original email)

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Hey everyone,

How's it going? Well, this is the second attempt at sending this message. The first one
Technical Explanation:
We lost because the internet connection timed out and while trying to reconnect with Russian prompts we lost it
NonTechnical Explanation
We lost.
Anyways, since we last talked to you, we have been to Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, and now we're in Irkutsk. Yekaterinburg was formerly called Sverdlovsk (for those of you with politically incorrect maps).

Yekaterinburg was, well, formerly called Sverdlovsk. That's about all we have to say about the city. However, the people we met there were amongst the friendliest people ever. A lady on the train told us which bus to take, and we must have taken it in the wrong direction, cause nyet less than six people on the bus helped us figure out where we were going, and then showed us the proper connection and told the conductor on the bus where we were supposed to be going. We were very impressed. (By the way this version of Word converts 'n-o' into something weird, must be like teh in English but in Russian, so we have to use 'n-y-e-t')

Novosibirsk was pretty cool. We were split up on the train because there weren't two seats together. I had a cabin to myself (Russian train logic for ya) and Gerry ended up in a cabin with a girl (Variya) from Novosibirsk who was going home from Moscow. Anyways, Variya's mom met her at the train station, and then insisted that we stay at their house. As the Lonely Planet says (it is the authoritative guide), one of the best ways to see Russia is to stay at a local's home. We talked about basic life things, like how many years of school and stuff. They even called all their English speaking friends to come over and meet the two Canadskis. They play SOS, Crazy 8's, Battleship, and even keep their garbage under the sink. And all during the cold war, I thought they were the bad guys. Weird, eh?

The train from Novosibirsk to here was pretty cool too. It was probably the low end of the second class Russian trains that we've taken. But we were the celebrities of the train. We introduced ourselves to the other lady in our cabin (in Russian!), and within 10 minutes the entire train knew that there were two Canadskis on the train and they all knew our name. It was pretty neat being the centre of attention. One guy kept on insisting 'Canada? Futbol!' and we kept on saying 'Nyet, hockey'

Speaking of hockey, we read that Messier nyet longer plays for the Rangers. Where'd he go? (Some of you who have nothing new to say about your lives can use this as an excuse to reply to us) Also on the hockey topic, the Stanley Cup was in Moscow last week. They had in front of Lenin's tomb. Maybe it was news in Canada?

Now for something different. We'll have recurring features in our little update to keep you interested.

Toilet Update: (thanks to MSB for the enquiry)
- Still western sit-down style, although the train toilets do have little anti-skid things for those who prefer to squat.
- Toilet Paper Quality: Going downhill. Poland was okay, Russia's is, well, paper and it is used in the toilet and so I guess technically is toilet paper.

Local Customs:
- Hangover Cure: Called 'Rassoule', it's pickle juice. And it works, based on my experience.
- Standing-in-lines: this part of the Russian stereotype is true, especially in train stations. We usually spend about an hour waiting in line, only to be told we have to go to another window.
- Drinking before noon: we're going to try this tomorrow.

Big Mac Combo research:
- BMC in Moscow was R25,000. (About US $4.25) The cheapest so far on my journeys has been El Salvador, at about US $2.35



Now for the personals (in typically inside-joke form so only the recipient understands)

MJV: Did you get the results from the syphyllis tests yet?

Lloyd: Watch out if you drive to meet the bridesmaid, that's when I dinged my car.

Nalini: Thanks for the CanadaDirect homepage info.

Viv: Yes we are missing you. We haven't been drunk since Moscow (see customs above). We never left the phone card cause we used it from the train station. Good to see your Cyrillic's coming along (re the subject of the last message).

Bobby: I think you should go rent a bulldozer and collect dirt from the neighbourhood to straighten out your backyard. That may help avoid future mishaps.

Kimmy: Where the hell is An*? ... And if you talk to her tell her I (Gerry) miss her.

WLS/DRG: If you want to continue to receive these updates, please send us a response. Or else we'll assume that it's inappropriate for level 3's to receive email from former employees. You can send us a personal email address if you prefer.

P&Gers: Can someone send us Katty's address? Thanks.



Well, that's it. We now have higher expectations of finding e-mail in places because we found 4 places here in Irkutsk! So, you can (please) send us mail.

Love,
Eric and Gerry (or Gerry and Eric)

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