Time travelling

Since i last wrote quite a while ago i have spent an equal amount of time on a train as well as off it. The problem with having only a 28 day visa and crossing the country by train is that a week is already taken off your trip, see five places and thats it time to go. Until you visit russia you just dont realise how huge it is, 8 timezones in all. I am now in Vladivostok the furtherst east i will be in the entire trip, further east than Australia. I thought this morning what would happen if FC Vladivostok ever qualified for europe some Liverpool fans trying to work out how a place 12 hour flight away was in the UEFA cup.

Most of the cities in Siberia are worth no more than a day unless you can visit the surrounding area. Yekaterinburg proved that way although i had two days there as i messed up my tickets, i thought i had booked 6am but i was looking at the date rather than the time. I managed to get out to see the Europe asia border marker which is in the ural mountains just outside of the town as well as the church of blood where the romanovs (anastasia story) met their grisly end. This was essentially everything and as there was no one else at the hostel a day relaxing by the river and the park was a good option. The mix up in tickets also meant i was able to watch england slovenia which was predictably tense and drab affair. I left fairly confident we could improve as we had won the group and had ghana in the next round.

The train station turned into a massive stress as the taxi was late and I arrived about 10 minutes before the train was due to leave and could not find it. As i was due to spend the next three days on it i could not really afford to be left behind. After frantically searching every platform it turned out it was late (nothing had been even remotely late to this point) but there was no one to explain this and after an hour or so with much relief i borded the train.

As with anything about travelling its the people and not the places that make the trip and the trans-siberian is no different. My carriage was full of people who did not speak english and did not want to try and make do with sign language etc that had tipified my time in eastern europe to this point. It proved to be three days of severe boredom as i proceeded to max out my ipod and books while staring out of the window at scenery that never changed. Since moscow the route of the train has showed countryside that to me looks like the wild west era of the USA. A group of small wooden cabbins amidst the forest and grass, with people eaking a living off small plots of land. Apart from the inevitable satelite dishes life has not changed much in hundreds of years. Outside of the cities and towns which are all 10+ hours apart its like serfdom of old.

The next stop was irkutsk next to lake Baikal. I had been looking forward to this for ages as i have hardly been able to hike or explore any countryside. I had an afternoon in irkutsk which despite the guidebook calling it the paris of siberia was plenty. I met tom (english) and patrick (dane/german) at the hostel and together we went out on a night out i shall remember for a long time. As there was little else to do we had a few beers in a bar where i expected to see england play ghana until patrick broke the news that england were playing germany the next day. A few beers led us to a packed club where everyone was in swim wear. Despite being heavily overdressed we headed in and soon realised why as it turned into a massive foam party with some very friendly locals. Im not sure what time it finished or we left but the three of us im pretty sure just made the bus at 7.45 the next morning heading to Olkhon island.

Olkhon was an amazing place, we reached the island itself after 4 hours of driving before having another 3 hours to get to the village where we were staying. Desperately in need of some sleep i managed part of the journey but after the ferry it disintegrated into essentially driving accross the peak district with no road. Everyone drives the old soviet trucks that will go anywhere and do anything and even a 4x4 i doubt would have made it. Kuzhir the village had only got electricity 5 years ago and was stuck in a time warp with wooden houses and cows wandering around the streets. Luckily that evening we found a tv and twenty people (90% german) crowded around the 5 inch screen to watch the game. Completely gutted.

I had a few days on the island and managed despite the drizzling weather a mountain bike ride accross the central hills to the deserted east of the island, as well as a tour. I even managed a swim althought the 7 degree water was hardly inviting. The guest house we stayed in was properly rustic with outdoor toilets and showers but three meals a day of home cooked amazing food. Your realise that Baikal is huge not only in surface area as well as the depth over a mile in some places. Standing on the cliffs you could see forever. I took so many photos which i shall sort through before uploading although i didnt see a seal.

I was gutted to leave so early but my train was the next morning. It was 72 hours but his time with some nice russians Serghei his wife and his mother, who were heading back to the air force base in vladivostok after visiting home. Most russians i have met on the train are in the armed forces and these guys showed true hospitality stuffing endless quantities of home made schnapps, beer, smoked fish, sausage and cheese down me. Its no suprise you dont see many old guys and those over 30 have a mouth full of gold teeth as the diet is horrendous. The time passed really quickly getting off at a few stations to catch some fresh air and sample the delights being sold on the platforms.

There is not a great deal to do in vladivostok apart from get ready for my flight on wednesday to japan. Really looking forward to it although i think a massive culture shock is due.