Blogs from Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia, Europe - page 3

In Siberian cities, it seems it is popular to erect comic or eccentric monuments. In Novosibirsk, there is a monument to (supposedly) the site of the the first traffic light in Novosibirsk, showing a traffic warden saluting it in confusion. There is also a monument to the first general manager of the Siberian Telecom equivalent, a huge monument with a phone box on one side, a bust of his head on the other, and in between some "lamps" where the lampshades are old-fashioned telephones. Then, in Tomsk, there is a famous monument to Chekhov, who was vocal in his dislike of Tomsk, showing him as an idiot. This is hugely popular as a tourist site. It was so busy with people wanting to get a photograph with Chekhov when I was there that I practically had ... read more

Russia trekking + rafting in Altai mountains July 27 Thursday night the Russian tourist bus left Novosibirsk to the Altai republic. It was mainly Russian tourists except Kyle me and some israelians and a British girl. The bus ride was long and cold Kyle and I slept most of the way occasionally waking up to change positions. At around 1 AM the bus stopped at a 24-hour kind of diner. Not knowing where we where or what to do eat we decided to follow the crowd including the guide a man about 40 years old but who looked very fit and hard core trekker. We realized it was a cafeteria menu and chose for what looked like chicken and rice. It was an ok meal. The bus signaled for the tourists to hop on and off ... read more

New Ageism in Siberia Long before the soveits, the orthodox church or the Russian monarchy colonised Siberia, this land to the east of the Ural mountains was home to early Altaic people and Mongol clans. These tribes held old shamanistic religious beliefs, strongly influenced by the spirit of animism and sympathetic magic. It is perhaps therefore no surprise that my visit to Novosibirsk, the capital of Siberia, should have coincided with an exhibition promoting all manner of modern new age and spiritualist practices. The fair was held in a small modern office complex on Dimitrova Prospekt. The event was called Aeternum, and its logo was a single human eye set in a golden triangle. This eye adorned a giant poster hanging in front of the shiny yellow and black glass of the exhibition centre. The eye ... read more

Ever stumbled upon the perfect café in Russia? The quiet corner of the Novosibirsk city is Traveler Café. The café chain stores are located almost at every corner of the city. It is a café that combined with travel experiences and good food. Free internet is provided for travelers to update blogs and upload photos. It is also a café that we held our Flash Mob. We got the chance to talk to customers in the café, showing them postcards and photos of Australian scenery. We had a lot of fun bringing happiness to the customers. Among all the customers, there are our two little fans. They attend almost all of our events, including parties and talks about different cultures. Even though they are just at the age of 16, both of them are always the ... read more

We lived with a homestay family when we were in Novosibirsk. The homestay father drove us to his home. It was an apartment bloc in a little village faraway from the centre of Novosibirsk. It took almost 2 hours of drive to arrive there. The homestay was in a Soviet apartment block, as many of the residential place in Russia. The apartment was constructed in Soviet period of time, and was decorated with vintage furniture. The homestay mother told us that the decoration in the house has not been changed since the past 20 years. Everything remained the same as the time she just moved into the house. The only difference was that her sons have bought a computer and a high-fi set in their room. The apartment was occupied by the homestay mother, as well ... read more