Train Travels

Home leg!!

eri — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:16:00 GMT

Have missed out Lithuania and Poland for the time being - will get back to them later. Am now in Dresden chez Andreas and Doreen (aka my German friends from the Lake Baikal project in Siberia), enjoying a few homecomforts over my last few days of travels.

On Wednesday will be going back to Berlin to get the night train to Brussels; will spend the day there then get an evening train back to London. So, looking forward to seeing you all soon!!

St Petersburg, and leaving Russia

eri — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:43:00 GMT

What can I say. It's stunning here. And the people seem less sour-faced here than other parts of Russia. (The Russians I've met in a social context have generally been friendly, helpful, and good spirited, however on first appearances they have a tendancy to be rude and miserable; especially when they are supposed to be providing some sort of service.)

Anyway, there's too much to see and do in St Petersburg - the city is like one big working museum. As opposed to Moscow where there is a lot of construction going on, here restoration works are everywhere. There are even a few signs in English around, so all in all it's much easier to be here than elswewhere in Russia.

Nonetheless despite the shiny exterior there are still signs of older times. On the subway one morning, a group of 4 retired uniformed soldiers got on - one with an amputated leg, another with a guitar and all smelling strongly of alcohol. Facing in to the carriage they broke in to sombre song, and the woman sitting opposite me immedialtey broke down in to tears. Her husband pushed 20 rubbles in to their hands. They stopped mid-song and moved on down the carriage.

Need several more days here. Saw lots (museums, galleries, churches, cathedrals, went to the ballet), but not enough. Got dragged out on another all-nighter.

Almost didn't leave. Foreigners all have to register their visas in Russia within 3 days of arriving in a city or they get in to big trouble with the police. The company I paid to register me lost my paper work, only managing to retrieve it a couple of hours before my train to Vilnius left. Also I had chosen my route home through Europe via Vilnius (Lithuania) in order to go round Belarus (which requires another visa). That was before I lost my train ticket (I'd put it in a 'safe' place before going out the previous day, however my vodka hangover erased that information..) Anyway, after a coordinated effort from all my fellow residents of the youth hostel, it finally turned up. Got to the station on the nick of time - only to find my Vilnius train went the long way round - through Belarus. Was not allowed to board the train. Had last minute scramble to get to the ticket desk, and by stroke of luck another train (that doesnt go through Belarus) had returned tickets, so was able to get that later in gthe evening instead :)

Got shouted at by man in left luggage cos I didn't understand. Got shouted at by attendant in train because I didn't understand her. Have lost count of number of times Russians have vented some anger on me for no real reason, excpet that that is the way things happen. Started to get angry back, at least inside. Now I am in Vilnius. Been here 13 hours hours and have not been on the receiving end of any objectional behaviour. Had a lot of very good times in Russia. Really, really! But it's nice not to be there anymore..

Moscow

eri — Fri, 8 Aug 2008 04:23:00 GMT

8th August

On train 2.5 nights: arrived 4am, but not impressed by my fellow passengers who got up 3 hours before our arrival to prepare. Bought my onward ticket to St Petersburg (even at this time in the morning there's a queue at the teciket window), then got coffee and waited for the metro to start running.

Katya (met Moscovites Katya and Korstya at Lake Baikal, and they kindly offered to be my Moscow hosts) met me off the metro and took me back to their apartment, explaining that like most Moscow apartments they are without hot water for 3 weeks due to the boiler system undergoing its annual service.

Moscow is suprisingly pleasant - thanks in part to Katya's thorough guided tour, and their hospitality. To be honest, based on both my preconceptions and stories I've hard from other back packers, I wasn't expecting much of Moscow. Probably a greyish sprawling city lacking any charm. But contrary to backpacker folklore, 2 days here isnt enough (especially given the queues to get in to the Kremlin). It also seems that Moscow has a thing for statues; Katya points one out on virtualy every street corner. I think Katya is secretly suprised at how few Russian writers, poets, scientists and politians I recognise.

Walked past their their old apartment block and Katya told me how their cat had jumped out of the top floor balcony window - and survived, turning up apparently unhurt one month later.

9th August

Met up with Jiu, A Malaysian girl studying aeronautical engineering in Moscow, who I originally met in Siberia. Went to the State history museum together and marvelled at things made by man 8000 years ago. Went back to Katya and Korstya's for Katya's birthday party. Unfortunately when I arrived they broke the news that their cat had bizarely died the previous night by jumping off the 8th floor balcony - as witnessed by Korstya. Felt terrible for them. And the cat. Wondered if cats commit suicide, but decided it wouldn't be appropriate to broach the subject.

Nonetheless the party did go on - with a mixture of wine, cognac, vodka and something homemade. Later as everyone drifted off home was informed "It's been decided you will now go clubbing with Andre". Was whisked to to an underground underground club. Upon entering the chillout room was actually a cellar room filled with books for the punters to browse. The Russians on their best friendliest behavior. All good. Hangover bad.

10th August

Manage a few hours kip, but K and K's apartment is only one small room. I sleep on a bed which is behind the wardrobe, next to the sofa. But they are already up and about when i get back, itching to take me out, plus I have plans to meet Jiu again. So together they show us around Moscow university where Katya used to study, including the rounds of many more statues. K and K fail to hide their suprise of my continued ignorance of Russian history, and Korstya does his best to educate me. The tour continues with various Moscow metro stops (Stalin did a good job here, they are really worth seeing), and my education continues..

Good end to my trip as my 3 friends see me off at the station. Feel like royalty for a moment, but the harsh reality of 3rd class sleeper life brings me back down to earth as surrounded teenagers partying on through the night.

Gallery: Mongolia

eri — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:32:00 GMT

Road trip

Olkhon island, Siberia

eri — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:13:00 GMT

After 2 weeks of hard graft / crippled back need to chill out. Olkhon is on the shores of Lake Baikal where the path-building project was, only a few hours further up. On the bus there it remends me of Monglia again - no paved roads, and bare hills between the taiga.

Met cycle tourers Karen and Jonathon form Sidney, who cycled 7000 km from Dublin to St Petersburg before boarding the train to Siberia. But they were outdone by Eric and Christine from Switzerland, who've cycled 34,000km over the last 4 years. Liking to have home comforts Eric is carrying 60kg of luggage on his bike, including a hammock, computer and candles. Tell them I'd like to do some more travels on my bike, and between us a list is compiled of what I should take. Am pleased that candles do not make the list.

Lake Baikal

eri — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:24:00 GMT

Just to let you know that I left Mongolia the night before the revolution last month, arriving safely in Irkutsk, Siberia.

Spent two weeks camping on the lakeside working on a Great Baikal Trail project. Great place, beautiful views, good people; survived the pickaxes, ticks and cooking duties.

Will write some more next time I get internet, but that may not be until August.

Mongolia road trip

eri — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:24:00 GMT

Driving

18 days traveling about 3000 km around the Mongolian countryside in a jeep - of which 15 of these days we drove for about 7 hours, and the remaining 3 rested at lakes. With the excpetion of the last road back to Ulan Batar, all but about one hour of the driving was off road - not because we are gluttons for punishment, but because even what appears to be a main road on a map is actually a dirt track.

The first week we drove through the Gobi desert, then we headed northwards towards central Mongolia and the north, where the arid steppes gave way to greener valleys, rivers and lakes. To be honest, a lot of the scenery looked like Scotland (also Norway, I'm told), but the really incredible thing is the vastness and endlessness of the landscape. Most days we only saw a handful of vehicles - often a nomad (and his family) on the back of a motorbike. Every three days we got to an aimag (province) capital - small towns hooked up to an electricity supply and a public bath, where many people still live in a ger (felt tent), or rough wooden houses (resembling B&Q garden sheds). In the Gobi there aren't any towns or villages inbetween these towns, but later on we passed through a small settlement most days.

My traveling companions: was very lucky to have a great group: Jason from Hull and Stina and Stina from Norway came to the Gobi, then headed back to UB, then I continued on with Gary (Scotland), and Ainsley (Canada). Plus of course, our faithful driver Misheka.

Staying in gers

Amazingly over half of Mongolians live in gers (round felt tents), despite temperatures of minus 40 in winter. We stayed in gers for the duration of the trip; they're fitted out with minature beds - either extremely hard, or ridiculously saggy but nothing inbetween - and, if we were lucky, a wood burning stove.

Terrible food

At least, it started out terrible, but improved to a mediocre standard. Breakfast and dinner were provided by our hosts in the gers, and to start with consisted of dry rusk-like biscuits for breakfast, and soggy noodles in soup with a sprinkling of dry meat for dinner. Breakfast did improve from rusks to bread once we left the desert, but dinner unfortunately didn't move on much. We survived with our camp stove for lunch and supplementing our meals, and in the second half of the trip we passed by eateries that serve mutton dumplings, or on a good day goulash.

Misheka

Our wonderful driver. The best. Likes to eat marmot. Also likes driving :) cherry flavoured boiled sweets, and vodka. Communication good, but English limited to "we go?", "sleep", "lunch", and "water", meaning 'there's a waterfall / lake / river /hotspring over there / its a long walk up the mountain to the monastery so take plently of water with you.'

Good at: Driving. Mending jeep. Navigating via 6th sense (we saw 2 road signs in 15 driving days).

Bad at: Hunting marmot.

UB

eri — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:46:00 GMT

Not up to date with my blogging, but just to let you all know that I arrived in Ulan Batuar, Mongolia at lunch time today. Am organising a trip to the Gobi desert, then up to some lakes and national parks in central and northern Mongolia. Think we have jeep and driver, so just got to sort the details then go food and water shopping. If all goes well will be off in the morning.

Will be away for up to 18 days. During this time will have access to electricity twice, but dont expect to find internet, so will catch up after. Am getting train to Irkutsk, Russia as soon as I get back, then will be camping by lake for two weeks (ie no internet etc). Hopefull I'll jump on the internet before the lake, but if not you'll hear from me mid July!

Beijing

eri — Sat, 7 Jun 2008 23:56:00 GMT

Beijing is big, and suprisingly clean and shiny - in fact more than most of London right now I'd say. Unfortunately I managed to coincide my visit with a bank holiday weekend, so I got to meet most of China's 1.3 billion citizens at the Forbidden Palace on Saturday.

In total contrast, went to the 'secret' great wall, 'discovered' by my youth hostel, who ran mini buses to an unrestored section; ie no one else around, no souvenirs, crowded car parks etc. So got to walk along the original bricks. A secret worth keeping!

Hospitals #2 and #3

eri — Sat, 7 Jun 2008 23:54:00 GMT

Got last minute tick borne encephalitus jab before I left Tokyo, and was assured at the clinic that I'd be able to get shot #2 easily in Beijing. So, armed with a list of Beijing hospitals courtesy of Yukiko (thanks!) and at the lst minute the British consulate, I started my Beijing trip by ringing round the hospitals, trying to find one with the vaccine. Two hours on the phone; 3 taxi rides and two hospitals later, got what I needed. Also cost a mear six dollars (compared to 160 in Tokyo), plus got dinner invitation from curious nurse who wanted to know why I'll be camping in Siberia for a total of 4 weeks. Answers of back of a postcard...

Gallery: Xian

eri — Thu, 5 Jun 2008 23:07:00 GMT

Xian - ancient capital; terracotta warriors

Hua Shan

eri — Wed, 4 Jun 2008 23:52:00 GMT

Decided to do put my vertigo to the test with a two day trip to the mountains near Xian. Hua Shan has 5 peaks, each like a stone needle jutting out of the valley. Looking at them from afar, they don't look like they are meant to be trodden by humans. However, got to the top of the peaks in a day by climbing a more or less continuous stone stairway cut in to the rock.

Picked up a slightly dodgy looking Italian pack packer called Fabrizio on the bus there, who became my climbing buddy and chocolate supply. Stayed the night at the East peak (discovering toilets even worse than the Guilin hospital ones) to watch the sun rise the next day.

Xian

eri — Mon, 2 Jun 2008 19:43:00 GMT

A welcome 27 hours of rest on train from Yangshou. The only other foreigners of the 1000s of people on this train happen to be in the same carriage as me - two American guys - theology post-grad students from Ohio.

Arrived in Xian and faced the ruthless taxi drivers who refused to take us to a hostel for less than 5 times the going rate. So we squeezed ourselves and luggage in to a tuk tuk - actually modified from one of those golf cart type things that disabled people drive around - and braved the city centre traffic. In any other circumstances would consider this the best way to halve my life expectancy, but as I was crammed in between two soon-to-be Masters of the Divine, I worried not.

So Xian. 8000 terracotta warriors worth the journey. Also cycled round city walls, ate kebabs and avoided buying authentic Chinese painting.

I keep on saying it, but photos to follow soon. Found internet cafe with the usual slow connection, but am only customer here so not like the hostels where always someone breathing down my neck in hostel for their precious minutes of internet time. Will be back. Off to see the Chinese acrobats now.

Yang Shuo

eri — Fri, 30 May 2008 18:11:00 GMT

Arrived on the boat along the river with huge pointy rock formations poking out. Will uplaod some pics if this connection is fast enough. Met a middle aged English hippy couple at the quayside who've been here teaching English. They set me up with a deal where I went to an evening English conversation class (which involved nursing a free beer and mingling with the students for 1.5 hours), and in return I was awarded a student to be my personal guide here. Sounds good huh!?? Well actually, my 'guide' turns out not to be a 'doer', in that he spends his free time 'watching TV and sleeping', so isn't exactly up on local knowledge. But has been interesting to have a sounding post for all my questions on China (excepting the ones on T. Square..)

Another 24 hour train journey tomorrow.

Gallery: Shanghai

eri — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:24:00 GMT

Shangahi

Hospital

eri — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:49:00 GMT

I hasten to add, this was as an outpatient! Dunno if it was something I ate on the boat over or soon after I arrived, anyway felt a bit 'wrong' pretty much from day one. 'Wrong' got progressively worse - with all the symptoms of amoebic dysentery, although I got myself to Guilin in the meantime. Checked myself in to a really good hostel, who recommended Hospital 181, the main city hospital.

No one really spoke English, so with the help of a few phrases from my guide book, some pictures and gestures (thank god the teaching experience amounted to something) managed to get my point across.

Anyway, they did some tests and the doctor wrote me a prescription for medicine to be administered intraveneously. After I'd paid, I was sent to collect it from the pharmacy - they handed over the medicines plus everything needed for my drip over in two plastic bags, which I had to take back to the doctor. A nurse plugged me in, and in the end it took until late evening to get it all inside me - at which point there were no taxis to be found, so a hospital orderly drove me back to my hostel in the hospital minibus.

Went back next day for another round, and 24 hours later miraculously am pretty much fully recovered. All in all - the hospital toilets were the worse I've seen in China so far, but everywhere else seemed clean enough, and more importantly the needles and everything they stuck in me came from sterile packs. Have no idea what they put in me other than the saline, but if only all treatment was this effective!

Shanghai

eri — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:05:00 GMT

Arrived first thing in the morning, after sailing a couple of hours down the river, making way between clusters of coal carrying barges. Everything shrouded in fog haze - just like Stephen Speilberg had got there first to 'authenticate' the river scenery.

At the port together with other passengers to get taxi in to town, but no luck to start with: we'd apparently arrived while the Olympic torch was making its way through Shanghai, so road access was restricted. But got to my hostel in the end - as had all the other young poeple from the boat. These are the Japanese you never meet. The ones who quit their jobs to travel solo across Tibet and Central Asia. More than once. So they became my senpai, and treated me to plenty of train traveling advice over dinner.

Ferry: Osaka - Shanghai

eri — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:55:00 GMT

All very smoooth, and ferry far from capacity so nice and laidback. Karaoke bar, games arcade and majong room keep some occupied, but after all the rushing around over the last couple of months was delighted to do pretty much absolutely nothing. In fact, another day, or two, would have been nice.

Some Chinese passengers tried to give me Chinese lesson. As all the boat staff are Chinese, tried it out ordering my dinner. Three tries later got what I wanted. Hope to make a finer art of it in the future..

Gallery: Osaka

eri — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:06:00 GMT

round the city; late night game arcade

Osaka

eri — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:25:00 GMT

Only one day to go before boat. last minute chores, last bright lights - for time being.

Last day.. had to pay phone company about 4000 yen (around twenty pounds) to cut my connection; withdrew the last of my yen. Final supper of okonomiyaki and takoyaki with Paul; my graceful host - who also supplied guided tour of Osaka game arcade, which seemed quite fitting as one of the first things I did in Japan was go to look at the games - or rather, the people playing them.