Day 38 - Homeward Bound

Sacred Sunrise in Siberia

Warsaw

14,024 Miles GMT +1 Temp +4

We arrived safely in Warsaw. Aeroflot was an experience, as was Moscow Airport, somewhere between Little Britain and Spycatcher.

Natalia my Godaughter is disappointed I can’t speak Russian, because I have been there. Oh to be 8 again.

I spent most of the flying time thinking about how to summarise the trip. I have so many images running round my head, some I’ve captured and some I might create.

I’ve thanked Lena for her patience and everything else she has given me. I know that I wouldn’t have seen half the things or met many of the people without her. I know I’ve been given a very honest view of a much loved country, not just by Lena but by everyone we met and talked with.

The times zones created a paradox for me. The clock told us we were moving forwards, the landscape and people reflect something else as you travel east. St Petersburg and Moscow are so far removed from the rest I saw in so many ways. For me the true spirit and beauty of Russia lies in Siberia and it’s peoples; their simple yet harsh existence, their sense of identity, the way they treasure and respect their land, their very strong sense of faith/spirituality and of course their warmth and openness.

I hope we manage to return one day and see this splendid country without the winter coating of snow.

I start my journey home tomorrow, by train, to unwind slowly. I just hope for National Rails sake I don’t get delayed because of snow, as it never happened anywhere else! 

Afte this I think I can face the Brtish summer

Day 37 - Vladivostok - Ee th water's cold and they've got a submarine in the car park

Vladivostok, the end of the line

9,325 Miles GMT +11 Temp –12 

Well here we are in Vladivostok. We didn’t sleep on the train last night, we stayed up and consumed two bottles of Russian champagne, which was ok given how cheap it was.

We had a very quick look at central Vladivostok, the former secret naval base. It’s very grey, very Soviet and still very navy orientated. There’s a real submarine parked up on the promenade and it’s not yellow. To think that it would have been impossible to come here not that long ago. 

You thought I was joking

Ive been in a Russian submarine

I couldn’t resist a guided tour of the submarine……well when in Valdivostok, before we headed down to the icy beach, breaking the ice and paddled very briefly in the Sea of Japan – oh my word it was cold.

The Sea of Japan - too cold for plodging

Anya and I leave for Moscow later today and will then fly on to Warsaw, Lena is flying back to Yekaterinburg. I think I need a few days at the very least to let the dust settle on this trip, but there has been some talk of doing it again one summer to see how colourful and warm Russia can be. 

 

In the meantime here is a taste of Russian humour.

A Communist died and since he was an honest man albeit atheist, he was sentenced to rotate spending one year in hell and one year in heaven. One year passed and Satan said to God: "Take this man as fast as possible, because he turned all my young demons into Young Pioneers, I have to restore some order." Another year passed, Satan meets God again and tells him: "Lord God, it's my turn now." God replied: "First of all, don't call me Lord God, but instead Comrade God; second, there is no God; and one more thing - don't distract me or I'll be late to the Party meeting."

A Russian and an American are sentenced to Hell. The Devil summons them and says: "Men, you have 2 options: an American or Russian hell. In the American one you can do what you want, but you'll have to eat a bucket of shit every morning. The Russian one is the same, but it's 2 buckets." The American quickly makes up his mind and goes to American Hell, while the Russian eventually chooses the Russian one. In a week or so they meet. The Russian asks: "So, what's it like out there?" "Exactly what the devil said, the Hell itself is ok, but eating a bucket of shit is killing me. And you?"  "Ah, it feels just like home - either the shit doesn't get delivered or there aren't enough buckets for everyone!"

Saint Cyril and Methodius, the two monks who invented the Cyrilic Alphabet

Day 35 & 36 - Kharbarovsk and the Really Wild East

Will you play with me?

Get off my hat!

8,443 Miles GMT +11 Temp -17

We left Khabarovsk at just after 4am, two trains and just over four hours to reach a small village. After a phone call from Lena we were picked up about an hour later and I was introduced to Tolenka. We eventually arrived at our destination and ushered into a wood cabin, which was effectively the headquarters of a tiger reserve for Amur tigers, who are very close to disappearing from their native land here, thanks to poachers and Chinese herbal remedies.

Tolenka took us out to a large fenced area and introduced us to Anushka and Petrushka, two tiger cubs. We weren’t allowed to touch them with our bare hands, but that didn’t matter, they ran after us and hunted our feet and legs, and sounded so pleased with themselves when they caught us – not a roar or snarl as such, more a sort of squeaky growl of glee. They might sound like kittens but they don’t feel like them when they catch you. In less than 2 months they will no longer have human contact, as they will begin their journey back to the wild.  

There was also an adult tiger, a female rescued from a circus. Tolenka told us she was damaged, not capable of being wild, but she looked happy in the snow. We didn’t play with her, I think she might have wanted to do more than chase from the way she eventually ran at us – thankfully there were two high sturdy wire fences between us and her - but it didn’t stop the feeling of fear, the adrenalin rush. Seeing her run at us and roaring directly at us – I dropped the camera, the hairs on the back of my neck didn’t stand up they hid when she hit the fene. Feeling that wild sound at such close quarters and tiger spit hit my face, that was scary.

Sadly we could not stay long because of transport, but it was certainly the highlight of the trip.

We’re back in Kharbarovsk now and will be making the final leg of our journey to Vladivostok tomorrow. We’re all a bit sad that the trip is coming to an end, but as we are about to visit a vodka factory, things might just perk up.

Day 34 - Khabarovsk - cold but friendly

Siberian bus stop

8,327Miles GMT +11 Temp -19

This part of the journey has been quite restful as there isn’t a great deal to see out of the window, although there are still sad reminders of the Gulags and the building of the railway with broken structures and small graveyards of wooden crosses occasionally.

We arrived at Kharbarovsk safely but within a minute or two of stepping onto the platform I’m provoked into uncontrollable shivering. It’s been around +21c on the train for the best part of 2 days but here it’s –19 again with freezing fog. We can’t talk properly just some unintelligible drivel, not unlike Bill and Ben the flowerpot men. It was never like this for Michael bloody Palin!

Siberian Fish Wife

Siberian Fish market

Reduced to being towed by a strap on my rucksack, like some oversized toddler, we arrived in bar to acclimatise with coffee and get directions to the hotel. Which has turned out to be ok, hot water and heating.

Khabarovsk was founded in 1858 as a military post, during the campaign to take back the Amur area from the Manchus. It is named after the chap who got the Russians into trouble with the Manchu’s in the first place, 17th century Russian explorer Yerofrey Khabarovsk. The Trans-Siberian arrived from Vladivostok in 1897. During the civil war it was occupied by Japanese troops for most of 1920. The final Bolshevik victory was in Volochaevka, about 45 km to the west. In 1969 Russian and Chinese troops fought a hand to hand battle over little Damanksy island in the Ussuri River. Since 1984, tensions have eased, Damansky and other islands were handed back to the Chinese in 1991. Khabarovskians are 80% native Russian speakers. The only indigenous people in the area are the Nanai, whose capital is Troitskoe, three hours north of the Amur towards the Arctic circle.

Khabarovsk is now a booming river city only 25 km from China, full of heavy industry. The city centre is a thriving metropolis of Chinese, Japanese and Russian cultures. We’ve done our tourist walk and have been out this evening to a Chinese Restaurant - the menu in Russian and Chinese and our first hot meal for 3 days. Fortune cookies, in Russian, mine said 'live long and prosper' - Star Trekski in Siberia.

Buses, the same the world over - none arrive then 3 together!

Tomorrow Lena has arranged for us to go and see something that “isn’t in any of the guide books” – I’m not worried about what it is, more that we have to be at the station for 4.00 am.............I'm going to need a holiday after this trip.

Day 33 - Somewhere between nowhere and elsewhere

Locals waiting near the Mongolian Border

Somewhere on the Russian / Chinese border in Siberia

6,883 Miles GMT +9 Temp +21 on the train -14 outside

We are on the most isolated  part of the journey now. There are twenty something stations between Ulan Ude and Khabarovsk, most of the ones I have seen are little more than outposts, this is the Wild East, all it lacks is tumble weed. It’s a desolate landscape, a mixture of patchy sandy earth, snow and hills. Trees are few and far between, most of them long gone, used to build this railway, and the associated gulags. 

Miles and miles of nothing

We’ve now said goodbye to the Mongolian border on my right, and with it the Hill that is said to be the starting place of the Mongol army’s campaign to defeat the Roman Empire. We only have China to the left now, which will at times be visible across the Amur river. 

Ivolginsk - the hill from which the Mongols set forth to pick a fight with the Romans

 

I’ve accepted two things today, the first is that we’re almost at Vladivostok and only have a few days left. The other is that I’ve only seen a tiny portion of Russia, cut out by the Railway, give or take a few excursions. I want more. It’s been frustrating, frightening, joyful, sad, beautiful and bloody freezing, but I’d turn around at Vladivostok and do it all again on a different route if I could.

The practicalities of the trip have been more or less as expected. In some way we’ve been fortunate with the weather and only had to go beyond –30 twice for a short time. The trains are well heated but you have to be careful when moving from carriage to carriage to remember to wear gloves so as not to leave your skin on the door handles. 

Warm on the inside but............

There are restaurant cars on the trains but perhaps they would be better named café cars. There is nothing wrong with the food, but it is somewhat limited in choice – soup with, and without lumps was the one that got me. We have more or less bought food from the local women on the platform and had picnics on the train. They are amazing, they turn up at all hours to greet the train and sell their produce. 

Meals on Wheels

the future of catering at Cheltenham?

Day 32 - Ulan Ude Capital of Buryatia and Buddhism

6,541 Miles GMT +9 Temp –18

Virtually no sleep last night because of the storm, but I did eventually get some photos, and see the sunrise, which was adequate recompense. Togo returned us to Ulan Ude early on Friday morning. It would have been nice to stay longer with the family, but we made our choices and have no spare days left to spend, sadly. We only had few hours here, as we can only use the Vladivostok service from today, so we spent most of it a little way out of the city at Buddhist temples.

During the 1930’s Russian anti-religious mania, every Buryat Buddhist temple was destroyed. Ulan Ude was closed by the Soviets until 1988, and the Buryat culture was almost destroyed in that time. Thankfully today Buryatia is recovering, new temples have been built and the Dali Lama has visited to encourage the education and the re-establishment of Buryat culture. We were welcomed at both of the temples that we visited, and at the second one, invited to watch the monks making sand mandalas, which was such a lesson in patience and timely reminder of impermanence.

Ulan Ude is the intersection of the Trans-Siberian meets and Trans-Manchurian Railways, and the diversity of cultures is evident at every turn, with Mongolian, Chinese and Buryats far outnumbering the Russians on the streets – although architecturally it’s still essentially a mix of Russian and Siberian buildings. 

In the main square built in Stalinist times is the largest head of Lenin in the world and two tanks set on plinths – They feel and look out of place in most cities to me, and here more than anywhere else.

All aboard

We will be back on the train soon for a journey of around 48 hours to Khabarovsk, skirting the Mongolian and Chinese borders on our right and to the left more of Siberia.

Day 31 - Ulan Ude - Camping in Buryatia

Trotsky the snowman

6,541 Miles GMT +9 Temp -11

After a very beautiful journey this morning we arrived in Ulan Ude, the capitol of the Buryat Republic. Before we stepped off the train it’s apparent were in a Mongolian influenced area, from the people we see and the dress they wear, to the Gers and herding horsemen. Lena had already told us on the train that we’re staying somewhere out of the ordinary – oh god not another soviet hotel went though our minds. However, the taxi we are waiting for turns out to be a motor sledge with trailer, and 40 minutes later we arrive at our accommodation, A Buryat Ger, which is a type of yurt. “Camping G, you said you liked camping”. 

Inside the Guest Ger

Togo and his wife Khisghee are our hosts, and settled us into our yurt, gave us the low down on our stay. The Ger is fab, there’s a stove in the centre for warmth and boiling a kettle, and only a few yards away outside there’s a Banya, and a few yards past that there a toilet block, a bath house and a shower house – all very western and welcome. 

Our hosts Togo and Khisgee

 

We were introduced to their children, Otto, Nara and Togon who are just the sweetest kids. They took us to meet the rest of their family tugging at our hands, and then to see their animals. We built a snowman with them which they thought was hilarious and we had great fun dressing him up. Khisghee asked us if we wanted to go riding with her father, which proved to be interesting as it wasn’t on horses but camels. Not an altogether pleasant experience, but our half hour kept the kids entertained. In return they came back to the Ger and taught us a game played with sheep bones, before relieving Lena of her stash of chocolate.

Nara

Togon

Otto

A Buryat bbq for dinner, together with the Katie and Max from New Zealand, who are on their honeymoon doing the Trans Siberian in the opposite direction to us. They’re going straight Moscow, so temping to tell them they’re missing the bits, but their choice. We were entertained by traditional Buryat dance and music, which is very colourful and different. Buryat throat singing is something that just beggars belief. Normally I expect one note from a voice, but somehow they can produce up to four, it’s very strange. I found some on Youtube so you can listen here

Meanwhile a vicious storm going on in the evening. We could hear the animals all creating various sounds and hail pounding on the roof. Not much point in trying to sleep, it’s a bit like a heavy metal concert.

Wild night in Buryatia

Day 30 - Sacred and spellbinding time with the Buryats and Shamen

Welcome

6,256 Miles  GMT +9 hours Temp –13

The Buryats are an indigenous people, related to the Mongols. They have their own republic, on the other side of the lake, but on this side of the lake they have a community a little north of us on Olkhon Island, which is considered one of the five global poles of shamanic energy by the Buryat people. 

Public transport

We caught the hovercraft up to Olkhon Island this morning and met some of the Buryat community. No hovercraft stops, you just start walking on the ice and then flag it down. The island has a long history of human habitation. The original indigenous people were the Kurykans, forefathers of two ethnic groups: the Buryats and Yakuts. The indigenous Buryats believe the island to be a spiritual place, and on the western coast is Baikal's most famous landmark, the Shamanka, or Shaman's Rock. Natives believe that Burkhan lives in the cave on this rock. The rock is one of nine Asian most Sacred Places. 

The Shamanka Rock

The people were very friendly and welcoming and greeted us with traditional scarves, to tie on the rock as we leave. They have usually made their living from fishing, fur hunting and livestock. However some of them are now embracing the tourist industry in different ways, from arts and crafts to accommodation and fishing trips. They took us around their farm in a very informal manner, there was no special show put on, it is very much take things as you find them. We witnessed the slaughter of two goats, and the subsequent butchering, which was very interesting as they were very careful not to spill any blood, and waste none of the animal. We met two people making woodcarvings and furniture and another preparing furs. We were introduced to the Shaman, who talked to us about various things. Some of them were a bit uncanny/spooky, still trying to process what went on there. You can read about an outline of their beliefs here. 

We walked back some of the way and had bit of a scamble round in the ice field that is created by the currents pushing the ice against rock and the shore, as the ice forms. From a distance it looks quite tame, but up close is very different with huge chunks of ice lifted and twisted out of the surface, some bigger than Lean and I. We also found some ice caves and had a good crawl around with icy stalactites and stalagmites, it was just like I’d imagine prehistoric times. 

We eventually caught the hovercraft back down to Lystvyanka, as Lena really wanted to try her hand at kite skiing, which is one of the adrenalin adventures on offer here in the winter. I’m adventurous, but I like snow to fall on and the prospect of being dragged across the ice at around 30mph on a pair of skis, so Anya and I decided to spectate. 

Not quite mad enough to try this

We’ve been down to the bar to buy our friends a drink and say goodbye, then we’re heading out on the lake to see if we can capture the night sky. I’ve not done much astro-photography, so it will be a night of trial and error. We’ve warned Sergei and Alina that if they see lights it’s not UFO’s or the lake spirits, it will just be us with head torches, probably dancing round the tripods to keep warm. If Tiny was still with us she would whistle with glee at the very prospect of it all.

but this was great fun

We leave for Ulan Ude in the morning.

Day 29 - Siberian Women are Wonderful

The Wonderful Elders Of Buguldeyka

6,256 Miles  GMT +9 hours Temp –7

Today has been a total joy. Siberian women are fantastic. We started the day with meeting the village elders, all women and all dressed in their traditional best. They wanted to know about my village, and how things are run there. I gave them a potted history of Tynemouth and North Shields and showed them the pictures I have. There were some warm smiles when I told them it had been a busy fishing port. The sea fascinates them. None of them have seen one before, or heard of the Vikings, or seen brick houses, or a lighthouse. When I showed them the map of the blog, there were gasps of amazement at how far I have travelled, and Anya too, they were equally curious about other parts of Siberia, but not other parts of Russia and distinctly not Moscow. The furthest any of them have been is Irkutsk. They keep verbal histories, and ensure the old ways are not lost, but they do embrace some modern things – mobile phones, bottled gas, Satelite TV. They have a very strong faith in the orthodox church, but no chapel in the village. Each house has it’s own shrine, but they are also very respectful of the local Buryats and their Shamanistic beliefs. They don’t think of themselves as Russian, they identify as Siberian. Lena asked them if when the Buryat Republic had been closed by the Soviets they had been aware of that or noticed anything different? They had been told, and warned not to cross the lake, but they ignored it because ‘the Soviets’ had no right to put down a boundary on their land or the Buryat’s, because they didn’t respect the land or  people. Four women who defied the might of the Soviet machine and told their village to do the same. Lena was quite moved by them. Partly because they reminded her of her mother, who would have smiled today, but also that the older generation in Russia put the land and people ahead of anything else. It’s known as Rodina ‘Родина’ which translated is, a love of the motherland. Some Russians may have forgotten it but the Siberians haven’t.

Danicng in the Market

On leaving there we caught the bus back to Listvyanka to top up our provisions, as the local shop only has dried goods and fish. There are two markets in the village, a fish market and another that sells everything else. We met a lovely elderly Buryat trader lady, and were talked into buying Yak cheese, smoked goat, and some garlic. She told us that we should visit her tribe on Olkhon Island, which we said we would tomorrow.

Our favourtie Buryat trader

 

On the other side of the market there was a bit of a knees up, some of the market women dancing, as the market was quiet. We were given tea while we completed our shopping, and eventually dragged into dancing in the market place with the locals. Everyone here seems so happy and content, it’s quite infectious.

CSI Siberia - the Clanger thief

We’ve had lovely time making ice sculptures this afternoon, and playing with trick photography, as it’s been much warmer today than it has been for a while. Curried goat went down well for supper.

Day 28 - Lake Baikal - The 'coolest' place so far

Home sweet home by the lake

6,256 Miles  GMT +9 hours Temp -19

Sergei is a fisherman and fur hunter and built the house we are staying in. Alina keeps the guesthouse and smokes the fish, which is Omul, a distant relative of the Salmon. Giant Kippers for breakfast, fab. 

Sergei and Alina

Sergei has offered to take us ice fishing, and he’s also given us some places to look for the Nerpa Seals, which are the only fresh water seals in the world and only live in Baikal. He was 'processing' two mink this morning when we saw him. It was a bit gruesome, but it’s a way of life here, and an old one. The furs he sells and the flesh is used to feed his dogs. 

the scale of the place

We’ve been out on a bit of walk on the ice and in the snow today. I can’t tell you how beautiful and peaceful it is. All you hear is your own breathing and the crunch of your boots on the ice and snow and even that feels like an intrusion on the forces of nature here. There is something very other worldly about this place, I can feel it but I can’t see it or touch it, question is can I photograph it. I hope so.

You should see the ones that got away!

We’ve been up to the bar tonight, which was something else. Probably the whole village crammed in, playing traditional folk music, at one end and some of the women trying to talk at the other. Alina introduced us to everyone, as Sergei was playing the accordion. We were asked if we could play an instrument, which I can’t, so I was asked if I knew a story. Lena has been hiding a talent as she can play the balalaika, so went to replace someone in the group. When she’d finished she interpreted the Lampton Worm for me, which was received with great amusement, followed by an interlude on the violin by Anya.

We’ve been invited to meet the village women tomorrow morning for tea. I have no idea what to expect, but can't wait as no doubt it will be full of surprises.