Best Eastern Anastasia Hotel Irkutsk

... already very good, English language skills. There is the opportunity to learn more about the other’s country, life and culture. For the visitor this is especially useful as our Western style Tourist Offices don’t seem to exist. It is good to add local knowledge to what we have gleaned from the guide book.



Despite the fact that we passed the Europe / Asia marker before we ...

... Tuesday Sept 15:

I met my compartment-mates:a really great english couple called Dom and Maxine.

The other was a guy called Russ -
mostly a nice guy, but about once an hour he'd become the most annoyingly dogmatic person I'd met in a long time, probably
ever. (We'd be talking about anything from history to politics and mid conversation he'd quote some unsubstantiated factoid to prove his side of the ...

... the evil man train conductor opened the toilets and Kate, having been sitting in the corridor watching for such an eventuality ,managed to get 2 positions first in the queue - thats the Brits for you perfect queuing skills. So we reached Ulaan Bator, a little thankful to be out of the Russian clutches, to be met by actual SMILING, kind people.. shocks all round.

More on Ulaan Bator ( the land of the smiley people ) in the next blog

Chookies !

Kate and Gab

Well I am now well over hald way to Beijing at 5185km out of the 7865km so far. There is not loads to write about today we have just done hte usual hanging otu playing games and eating. The scenery has improved although it is still not great. I have not been that impressed with Russia so far, I have only visted Moscow and been on a the train but I cant see any reason whyI ...

... around 1am. The Australian girls came back about 30 minutes later and we all stayed up and chatted a bit. One thing that’s fun is no matter where you are, once girls know you’re gay, they instantly become your best friends. Every country I’ve been to so far has held this to be true. Must be one of those universal truths. Anyway, the girls are heading to Olkhon tomorrow and I’ll follow the next day. And with that, I finally crashed out.

... and we're told St. Petersberg) doesn't quite seem ready for them. This does mean that you can avoid large crowds and obtain a more genuine idea about the way that things work out there (a lot of it works very well, their transport system is remarkably reliable), but we found it an exhausting destination. Everyone we have spoken to since has agreed on how difficult a place it is, and it will be some time until Siberia relaxes and learns to smile.

... the tops of their voices first thing in the morning! Then when I went to have a sip of my water I noticed someone had been drinking it and put 2 & 2 together. Well I have the man flu so hope that is now passed on to them. Anyway so wasnt impressed then when ...

... laughing and loving. Later on we sat down on a park bench watching people go by as we listened on my headphones to the classics, Louis Armstrong and Etta James. She taught me about Russian culture. I taught her how to pinky swear. She apologized for her poor English. I apologized for my poor English too.

Things were going great until later that evening, something happened that made her cold and distant. As to what, I have no ...

Yesterday I made the trip to Lake Baikal. I arrived at the long-distance bus station and got on a marshrutka. It took some finding, and I had to ask someone. I think he must have been a taxi driver, because when I said, "do you know how to get to Listvyanka?" (a village on the lake), he looked hesitant, and then said, "yes I know. Taxi?" He eventually told me, and I boarded. It quickly filled up, and I was forced to sit in the back with the seats in front of me ...