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Published: July 19th 2012
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Russian Gingerbread House
exactly the same design as those thousands of miles away in Siberia Where are we – a Buddhist Republic, tea plantations & rice paddies?
No its not some exotic Asia destination – its Russia and the European part of Russia at that. On one particular day we start with Buddhist temples in Elista, cross Cossack territory with its golden onion domed churches and end up passing mosques in the snowy Caucuses Mountains.
Crossing the Ukraine-Russia border was surprisingly easy and fast. Would have been even quicker if we hadn't kept filling out our customs forms wrong much to the amusement of the border guards. Then we had to get out our Sterling as they had never seen British Pounds before and were really curious. The first houses we pass take me by surprise – single storey wooden houses with 3 windows surrounded by fancy fretwork, absolutely identical to the ones in Siberia thousands of miles away!!!
The south-west corner of Russia is full of diversity & history and we have 7 days to explore it before we meet the group. First stop: Taganrog scenically situated on the Sea of Azov (the shallowest sea in the world, part of the Black Sea) and famous as the birthplace of Chekov. Apparently the
town features in several of his books.
Next Cossack country. Starocherkassk on the Don River, once the ancient capital of the Don Cossacks now a sleepy little village that comes alive on Sundays when all the local go for a daytrip and little old ladies line the road selling pots of jam and baskets of berries. There's a real holiday atmosphere about the place, like carnival day. Plus there's lots of little stalls selling cakes so Edwin is happy.
Beyond Cossack territory is the Republic of Kalmykia - a fully fledged Buddhist Republic in Europe. I didn't know there was one so we have to go and visit. Its like you have been transported to Mongolia – the faces, the temples, the feel of the town – so not Russian. The main town Elista just appears out of nowhere – one minute you're riding through gently undulating planes the next minute a large town appears just over the slightest rise. The main temple is fascinating, mostly its similar to Tibetan Buddhist temple but on one wall are portraits of all the Dalai Lamas and there in the middle, quite unmistakable is the 14
th & current Dalai Lama with
Taganrog
the house where Chekov was born in 1860 his cheeky grin and round glasses. Interestingly to enter the temple you have to put a wrap around skirt over your trousers – this is the tradition in strict Russian Orthodox Churches, an interesting cross over in religious practices.
From Elista we head south to the snowy Caucuses Mountains and wiggle our way through some beautiful scenery back down towards the Black Sea: green valleys, snowy mountain peaks, giant pine trees – a nice change from giant wheat fields and steppe land. We decide we're not going to make it all the way to the coast and stop overnight in a friendly roadside in. What a good decision – 10 miles down the road the tarmac disappears in the middle of a hairpin bend and turns to gravel. Its then gravel all the way up the mountain and back down the other side. Finally the tarmac reappears to take us down to the Black Sea and Sochi – the Blackpool of Russia.
Its a holiday weekend so the Russians are out in force in Sochi lying on the beach sunbathing next to the shipwrecks that are being dismantled with the pile driver extending the harbour pounding away in
Taganrog
the shop where Chekov lived from age 9 to 14. It features in several of his novels the background. Evenings are for promenading past the discos, bars & souvenir shops.
Sochi is the location for the 2014 Winter Olympics so we go to inspect progress. Six futuristic stadia are being built further along the coast at Adler, some look almost finished, some are just steel skeletons. From here its 40km inland along a narrow valley to the site of the ski slopes at Krasnya Polyana. The entire 40km is one enormous construction site, they are putting in a rail link and an extra road. In places they seem to be built directly on top of the fast flowing river but the valley is so narrow they have no choice. All the steel work for the bridge is in place, they are impressive and even more so when your eye focuses on the people standing on them and you realise just how big they are. Then right at the end of the valley entire new villages are being built and hotel after hotel after hotel. It quite amazing.
Not speaking Russian hasn't been a problem so far. The hotel owners just ring up their granddaughters who speak English or log onto google translate and pass the
keyboard over.
So here we are sat in a seafront bar in Sochi waiting for the group to arrive on the ferry from Turkey.
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carl garrett
non-member comment
road trip
hi,thanks for the blogg.once again its great to keep up with you both.hope you both well and enjoying your trip,ride safe and see you when you return. carl