TravelStream™ news feed for member loopystravels on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/loopystravels en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Sun, 11 Jun 2006 17:02:30 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/loopystravels/the_world/1148390400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/loopystravels/the_world/1148390400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/loopystravels/the_world/1148390400/tpod.html Sun, 11 Jun 2006 17:02:30 -0400 My big bad world wide adventures of mystery!

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St petersburg, Russia

after an interesting night on the train in a compartment with 3 russian business men who insisited i had a vodka before bed for "medicinal" purposes i woke up in st petersburg, hopped onthe metro and found my hostel.

man it couldnt be better placed! it is right in the center less than 500m from the heritage and winter palace! wow!! also breakfast is included and you have free internet and free use of the washing machine as well as no washing up!!! they do not like you to do it!!! fan - bloody - tastic!!!

so i went off tot he winter palace - WOW!!!! it is MASSIVE! but more exceitingly has a bus converted into a toilet parked outside! the lines go straight on the the sewage... of course you will find a photo attached!

SO what else did old laus get up to....

well i have tramped the city centre and seen the church of the spilled blood which is covered with mosacis inside and is stunning! i also went to the catherine palace, home of the amber room, and to peterhof, home of the fountains. not only that but i took in numerous palaces and parks and saw perter the great dunny! woo hoo! and his first house - the first establishment in st petes! the place is really nice i reminds me of london but nicers - though with the HUGE numbers of tourists it could be anywhere!

what else - well i met some fabulous people, with whom i went out for a beer and vodka sampling night...... and lost my wallet! can you believe - first time ever! i lost my credit card and my my student card.... but ho hum! and i also went to the world famous mariinsky theatre and saw the kirov ballet!

fabulous!

xx
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Tallinn, Estonia

well after a fantastic week in st petes, which reminded me much of london, i left the ballet early to hop on a classy eurolines bus to tallin estonia! so that is it - no more visas for me i am officially out of visa required land - boo hoo!

however, tallinn is a really beautiful little find! it is like port merrion in walse i guess! tiny cobbled street, brightly painted houses, ruins of the old city walls and their turrets, and cafe upon cafe lining the streets! yes i would say i am definately back in europe!

so i am going to take it easy today - then maybe go hiking tomorrow, before heading off to a few little islands!
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Riga, Latvia

so finally i made it! after waking up (late) getting to the old port and hopping on a 2 hour ferry back tot tallinn and then a 5 hour bus ride to riga! the hostel is brilliantly located 5 mins from bus station and woo hoo efrat is there so we can start the weekend with a tipple or two!
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Bridport, United Kingdom

yes thats it - after 39 hours on a bus from riga to london, 2.5 hours on a train from london to dorchester, 5 mions walking to surprise jo at the hospital, and then a 20 min lift to my mum and dads i walked through the back door and nearly (only nearly) gave my old ma a heart attack!

so that is it 566 days on the road i am back in the uk! unimaginable but true i am afraid - but already planning the next ride out of town! i promise i will get round to you all in the short time i am back and i will also finish goign back through this site and continue to upload piccies for your enjoyment!

all my love and drinks.... i expect many!

laus
xx
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Moscow, Russia

well i have finaaly made it here - after starting to plan my trans-sib trip how long ago??? check out the pics!
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Mt Swan Station, Australia

to be added to soon i promise!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/loopystravels/the_world/1146591000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/loopystravels/the_world/1146591000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/loopystravels/the_world/1146591000/tpod.html Tue, 16 May 2006 06:29:19 -0400 My big bad world wide adventures of mystery!

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Ulaan Batar, Mongolia

This country has to be one of the worlds best kept secrets! despite an atempted mugging i love this place!

many of the people are incredible friendly and very hospitable people - especially in the country! the family i stayed with were really lovely - i was really lucky to even participate in the slaughter of a sheep mongolian style - beats you doing mal!! i mean this is done in the ger (the one room in which everyone lives, cooks, eats etc and the meat was hung just by the bed! and the head and complete fleece kept!

what else was so cool - oh yeah i mustered on horseback a load of horses and then the sheep and goats, and fed the ickle ones from a bottle! and look at me - prize milker of cows now too! also the ger are great! the family i stayed with had 3 gers and their neighbour they travelled with 2, but only one was up! the have a cookign ger in which the elders also sleep, a sleeping ger for the young ones, and a guest ger which is slightly smarter, yet is also used when there are no guests. it is basically a round tent with a very thick wool wall and a fire in the middle to keep you snug and boy it does! it must have been close to 0 one night - thank god for my lynx lined jacket that the father of the family lent to me as he was worried i would get cold! and i even got tucked in! bless them! they didnt speak a word of english - except they finally got my name! so that was fun, but speciall in its own way - especially when me and sukee went riding together and the only common ground was through song! but that made the ride even more beautiful.

plus they have some of the best clothes! i am now the proud owner of a pair of mongolian style ugg boots and a very lovely jacket! (pic to follow - if i can get the computer to recognise the e: drive!)

anyway - must run i have a train to catch! russia next stop - ulan ude here i come!

xx
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Irkutsk, Russia

well now i can say "been there, done that got the t-shirt!" and it snowed!!!!!! bit chilly playing on the ice - and daring eachother to go "one step further" (the lake is melting and it is dangerous to walk on now :(! but we did meet some rich russians who had hired a hovercraft to go hunting across the lake in and got a ride! that was FUN!

anyway i must go pack as i have to get the train to Yeterkarinburg which will take 2 days...... fun fun fun!

see you

x
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Yeterkarinburg, Russia

well thats it i have done it! i have put my first step on european soil since november the 18th 2004!!! that is how many days! i'll buy you a pint if you can give me the right number!!! entries must be completed by may 20th and submitted in email form... he he he!

well the train from irkutsk to yeterkarinburg was ... interesting! i had a cabin to myself (again!) and seem to be the only westerner not to have to pay for sheets! i had a lovely hostess woman in the cabin who looked after me! i found the westerners cabin.... with the vodka train group on it - a right laugh! and than i got off the train to buy some munchies and beer from one of the dear old babushkas at the station only to have to run back to the train and up the platform to jump on the train as it was pulling out of the station! it was like the movies man! and my shorts fell down as i was running and leaping on the moving trainand everything! highly embarassing - but very ammusing for the hostesses! they kept a closer eye on me after that!what else? well one night the vodka train peeps (mostly aussies too... i seem to be meeting those sorts all over the place!), a couple of dutch girls i had met on a previous trainand myself wer drinking in a few cabins when there was a shreak form one girl and then this old russian lady came out and went nuts at one group in russian and wanted to fight this pommie guy - it was hylarious! but i had no involvement i hassen to add - just an observer from the side lines! so they nearly got themselves chucked off and arrested! most ammusing - but i decided it was safer to head back to the safety of my lovely little quited carriage!

so i am now in yeterkarinburg (17km from the hill range that marks to boarder hence the picture! which i will add sometime!) i have been to see the place where the tsar was shot, and dumped and then later buried! does that make me morbid?? and thats about it, but tommorow i head off to some random village for a sticky beak, and then the next day i a am goign riding in the hills before continuing my train ride! woo hoo!

so will update again soon! with pics!

as you can tell i am just trying to boost the percentage of the world i have seen hence the regular updates! :)

x
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Ulan Ude, Russia

Well i can honestly say that my first impressions of russia arent sooo good - and ulan ude is well not the nicest place! but hom hum i move to the lake tomorrow and will be staying with a russian family in their woodden house with a suana! so that WILL be good! man i miss mongolia!

but had a wicked and higly entertaining train ride with 2 dutch guys kees and daniel whom i met on the train from beijing - infact i even had a few anzac drinks with them! and this aussie bird christie! christie and i had a cabin to oursleves which was an abosolute luxury! it meant we could put the top bunks up so we didnt bump our heads and lock the door at night! though in the mornign we were joined by a mongolian lady who was trying her hardest to get us to put her luggage on our customs form and hiding pairs of jeans, leather jackets, and shoes all over the shot - it certainyl made for an entertaining journey - even more so when the officals searched through all her stuff! havent laughed so much in at least a week!

so anyway if you ignore the 8 hours we stopped in the night with no engine at some random station in mongolia, and the further 10 hours (give or take 1) it took to get through boarder control it was a "fast" ride into russia! though anyone taking a train i advise them NOT to eat too much dried fruit!! he he he! isnt that right christie! anyways i will add some photos soon - i just have to find a computer that recognises my card!!!

must run - some random russian has been watching me for the last few mins and his only word seems to be american! I AM ENGLISH!!!!

hugs n all

xx
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