Friday 25th July Alison: We caught our Aeroflot flight safely, after a slight trauma when they changed the gate but announced it in Russian and I couldn't read the board because all the letters are different, and finally Mike heard our names being announced and we raced down the long passage to finally get on the plane. The flight itself was ve...

We love travelling, discovering new cultures, meeting new people, admiring nature and learning all we can about this amazing world. Currently Tim works in Moscow and I live in the UK, but we are happily married and spend a lot of wonderful days together. You can guess that our current arrangement requires consistent travelling. So, on our blog y...

but there's not much else to report. i have no suitcase, it got lost by the airline and hasn't been delivered yet. i had to wash my jeans in the sink with dishsoap last night. i am mooching shower stuff off these great girls i met in the program. at least we get lunch and breakfast here at the academy. will up date more later, only a few minutes...

Lake Baikal: Wow! Banya - Yes i did pay someone to whip me with branches in a sauna and be doused with cold water!... oh, by the way, Lake Baikal apparently holds 20% of the worlds fresh water... and will one day become an ocean, splitting the Asian continent in two!!! And it's bloody cold if one was to swim in it!!! But i did get to share a pic...

Today we were up early and on our way to Moscow! Along the way we were pulled over by the Russian police. Katya had been speeding, and was brought over and inside the police car. She came back to the bus for papers, and was once again brought back into the police car. Once they agreed upon a price to bribe the cop we were on our way! Usually whe...

So we arrived in Moscow at 0800, after a pleasant over night train ride. Upon arrival, a man was waiting for us with a sign around his neck that said "Mr Bishop, Mr Barth, Mr Smith " He drove us to our hotel, which is a complex of four hotels built for the 1980 olympics. It supposedly the largest hotel in Europe. Its right next to a huge flea ma...

Was very intimidated to be alone on the train with no English speakers. I was located in Car 15, seat 24, with a family - I think two sisters and one of their son and daughter. I was timid at first, not introducing myself. I didn't even put my bag away because I wasn't positive I had the right spot. Before the train had been rolling five minutes...

Let me make on thing clear: banya is a MEN's activity. Now I know Reen will talk a good story and I'm sure she actually went over down the alley into that other part of the building. But at the end of the day, it's all about the guys at the banya. Just wanted to clear the decks first, now here's my tale from the Sandunovskiye Baths. We both hemm...

Avion/plane Paris -> Moscou. Arrive à Moscou 26 degrés Celcius Départ/Departure TRANSIBERIAN Train 11PM (2sd Class => 4 per compartment) Premiers amis - d'une longue liste - rencontrés (** first friends -from a long list- I met): 1 Suisse (** 1 Swiss): David, parle 8 langues couramment: Chinois, Russe,Japonais, ... /** speak fluently 8 lan...