Since our last entry, we have travelled from the Urals into Siberia. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but first we could not find a computer with a USB port and now our batteries our dead. We spent five days in Boris Yeltsin's hometown...typical industrial Soviet town (not very pretty). We found out that we like Georgian food (Russian food is generally like prison food). In E-burg, we hiked outside in the Urals...the rest of the time we just chilled and drank some pivo and vodka (russian beers have sadly become the largest part of our vocabulary--but the beer is actually pretty good and cheap)
We then went on another overnight trainride to Krasnoyarsk--our first town in Siberia. Siberia is a welcome change. The towns are more beautiful and quaint (with only a smattering of Soviet architecture). The people smile!!! This is so nice. We had come to think that NYET (or "no" said very loudly and meanly was the national word here).
Typical exchange at a hotel in Russia:
Phong (speaking to stereotypical Russian woman in his poor Russian): Privyet (Hello!)
Russian woman stares icily back and says nothing.
Phong (in worse russian): We have a reservation.
Russian woman: NYET!
Phong (sweetly in sign language and english): We called.
Russian woman: NYET!
Phong (begging in sign language waving his passport and roubles): Please!
Russian woman gives scary look takes the passport and money and give us a key to a room.
Krasnoyarsk was a nice chill river town. Everyday we would walk/moutain bike to the river and drink some more pivo (Balteeka being a personal favorite), eat shashlyk (kebobs), and play cards. We went hiking in Stolby Nature Reserve which was amazing (our guide actually did get lost, but we found our way back after 20 kilometers of hiking). After 5 days there, we headed to Irkutsk--our jumping point to the pearl of Siberia--Lake Baikal.
by Phong:
Well we are in Siberia right now. It's trully amazing. The people here are very nice and out going. They never see Americans. So when they see us, we are some kind of phenomenon. They all want to take pictures with us and then the drinking starts.
This place can be very secluded. We spent a week on Lake Baikal (Olkhon Island) where there was no in door plumbing. There was an outhouse in the middle of the fields. Our days consisted of hiking through the forest, mountain biking, laying at the beach and spelunking-------which was crazy!! (Pictures to come when we get batteries and a USB port at the same time). On the island, we spent our nights with our "Russian friends" drinking and singing traditional folk songs at the campfire...Your russian can improve tremendously after a 1/2 bottle of vodka (:
It's amazing how the night sky can be away from civilization. The millions of stars, the milky way and the nonstop falling stars have put things into perspective for me. One of the things I hope to do is find out who I am and what I want out of life. I guess its easy to say the big Bs (listen to Eminem if you don't know what they are). I know I have only started this trip of lifetime, but I am growing in many different ways. I have learned patience, tolerance and understanding.
The Russians can be anti- George Bush at times. They do not understand why Americans are in Iraq and I cannot explain it my self. Some still think that america wants to bomb and take over russia. As an "ambassadors" from America (who gladly drink their vodka) hopefully we are dispelling some of their fears.
