Flying time from HK to Hanoi takes about 2 1/2 hrs and our plan was to sleep. As we queued at the departure gate the American man/boy in front of us was joined by a lady/girl (from Finland I think) who he had met on his travels. We know this because from that point on and for the entire flight they talked about their travels and themselves with continual reference to everything being ‘awesome’ and ‘cool’ very loudly. As we boarded the plane we'd had enough of them and couldn't believe it when they sat right behind us. Earplugs didn't help. They talked incessantly. Even before we had taken off the man in front of us asked to be moved because of the ‘loud American boy’, but they still carried on. After an hour of high speed talking he got out his Ukulele (no that's not a euphemism) & started teaching her to play – on the plane!! Next he started to read to her- out loud – a short story - for all the plane to hear. For a good 15 minutes. Everyone around was looking at each other in disbelief! He was oblivious. When he finished even she was embarrassed. He announced that he used to be an actor – of course he did! As we landed they discussed where they were staying & we were mightily relieved it was not our hotel!!
We were greeted at our hotel (our best so far) by friendly staff, an upgraded room & petals on the bed. Our first task was to get our clothes laundered, then out onto the crazy streets of Hanoi where the scooter is king & pavements are taken up by parked bikes & street vendors. There seems to be no rules on giving way so scooter, cars, people - they all move around everything else & it seems to work . A little nervous at first we soon got the hang of it. We stayed in the old quarter so were well placed to see the highlights.We visited Hanoi prison also known as the Hanoi Hilton – worth a visit although the Vietnam slant on how US troops were treated may not be fully accurate.We also visited the women’s museum which I found really interesting.
I am not a fan of puppets but I enjoyed the visit to the water puppet show. Mr L was less keen and referred to it as ‘water torture’. We walked plenty and took in many of the other sights – the lakes, Ho Chi Min Mausoleum, Hanoi’s highest Building – we even came across a statue of our good ‘friend’ Lenin.
On one occasion a man stopped his bike and offered Mr L some guidebooks which Mr L declined saying he wanted one on Laos. We carried on walking & Within minutes the man returned with a guidebook on Laos! It was obviously copied but at £4 after some haggling, we were happy & so was he.
We ate some wonderful food on the streets and in restaurants/cafes and met some nice people. We also sampled a few glasses of the locally brewed beer – Bia Hoi – without preservatives and has to be drunk straight away. V tasty. One evening we found a small street full of bars, people, music & lights – great for people watching but, pricey. The following evening we found a quieter bar where we got talking to couple of dutch lads (I mentioned the rain in Amsterdam – I had to!) & somehow ended up in a ‘lock in’. Before we knew it, it was 1.45am! Our bar bill for the evening? Less than £6! As we left the streets were a complete contrast from what the day. They were silent, dark, still & clean - almost. When we got back to the hotel we were locked out & had to wake the staff who were all settled in for the night on make shift beds in the reception. We felt awful but they were still so lovely and friendly.
We had had enough of the city so decided to book a cruise around Halong Bay. Hanoi is full on, noisy and intense. Not a place to go to relax and if you have never been to Asia it may be too much for a first experience. We cannot decide if we liked it or not but we enjoyed our stay.
Tuesday, 8 November 2016
Tuesday, 1 November 2016
Watches, handbags and hash
How do you sum up Hong Kong? Fast pace, in your face,crowded, hot, humid, bright, noisy,multicultural, high end, low end and everything in between. And you know what? We loved it. The contrast between Mongolia and Hong Kong could not have been more extreme and the realisation of that really hit us when we walked down to the waterfront at Kowloon on our first evening. The ‘full on’ experience of all the towering buildings, lights everywhere, the brazenness of it all took our breath away. It's like London on something and I would love to have the chance to work/live here even for couple months to fully embrace the madness of it all.
Even though we used many forms of transport (taxi, bus metro, ferry) we still managed to clock up nearly 45miles walking around over 3 ½ days and we crammed as many sights in as we could but didn't really scratch the surface.
The first experience was the hostel. Looking at the reviews again I wondered why I had picked it. Budget was obviously a key factor – at less than £40 per night anyone who has ever been to HK will know that's very cheap. The entrance was through an indoor market which was very busy, loud, a lot of hassle and bustle and could feel a little intimidating. Every time you entered the building there were offers of “watches, copy handbags (at least they were honest) and hash”. To be fair they only offered hash in the evening – obviously not considered a daytime pursuit.We were on the 16th floor in a room that I can only describe as compact in the extreme and bizarrely fully tiled. But it was clean, safe and probably the most comfortable bed we had slept in so far. Little challenges like sitting on the loo side saddle were tolerable.
HK however is not a place to come if you hate queuing. with the Chinese visiting en masse, every hot spot we went to had what felt like 20,000 people ahead of us. Worth persevering though as the views from the peak and the cable car to Lantau Island were stunning.
We found some peaceful spots too- the bonsai gardens and Kowloon Park offered respite care and a chance to recharge.
The street markets were great. Friday we headed to the night market and bagged a table on the street and had some fabulous food, plenty of beer and lots of people watching. Some nervous Americans on the table next to us said they couldn't believe they were eating on the street, but it's the best place to be.
On Sunday we stumbled upon a food and wine festival – how fortunate! It cost us about £13 each to get in including drink tokens but as it was the last day, people were just giving drink away. I always advocate to others that you shouldn't mix your drinks. Sadly I broke my own rules with wine (various including fizz and kosher ) vodka, sake, beer and of course baileys. We had FaceTime later that eve with H&M and GR- hopefully they didn't notice!
Our last night in HK was hallowe'en and it seems the good people of HK love to dress up. As we walked down to the waterfront,with a couple of beers to hand the whole area was alive with street dancing zombies, bands, including a Ukelele band – all in costume & with lots of audience appreciation. A great atmosphere & a great way to say goodbye to HK.
Next stop Vietnam. This was actually where we originally planned to start our journey. We have for a long time wanted to visit Vietnam and knew that 2weeks would not do it the justice it deserved. It was only once we started to make plans that we decided to add other things on to our wish list like the tran-Siberian railway. So, technically this is really where our adventures begin.
Even though we used many forms of transport (taxi, bus metro, ferry) we still managed to clock up nearly 45miles walking around over 3 ½ days and we crammed as many sights in as we could but didn't really scratch the surface.
The first experience was the hostel. Looking at the reviews again I wondered why I had picked it. Budget was obviously a key factor – at less than £40 per night anyone who has ever been to HK will know that's very cheap. The entrance was through an indoor market which was very busy, loud, a lot of hassle and bustle and could feel a little intimidating. Every time you entered the building there were offers of “watches, copy handbags (at least they were honest) and hash”. To be fair they only offered hash in the evening – obviously not considered a daytime pursuit.We were on the 16th floor in a room that I can only describe as compact in the extreme and bizarrely fully tiled. But it was clean, safe and probably the most comfortable bed we had slept in so far. Little challenges like sitting on the loo side saddle were tolerable.
HK however is not a place to come if you hate queuing. with the Chinese visiting en masse, every hot spot we went to had what felt like 20,000 people ahead of us. Worth persevering though as the views from the peak and the cable car to Lantau Island were stunning.
We found some peaceful spots too- the bonsai gardens and Kowloon Park offered respite care and a chance to recharge.
The street markets were great. Friday we headed to the night market and bagged a table on the street and had some fabulous food, plenty of beer and lots of people watching. Some nervous Americans on the table next to us said they couldn't believe they were eating on the street, but it's the best place to be.
On Sunday we stumbled upon a food and wine festival – how fortunate! It cost us about £13 each to get in including drink tokens but as it was the last day, people were just giving drink away. I always advocate to others that you shouldn't mix your drinks. Sadly I broke my own rules with wine (various including fizz and kosher ) vodka, sake, beer and of course baileys. We had FaceTime later that eve with H&M and GR- hopefully they didn't notice!
Our last night in HK was hallowe'en and it seems the good people of HK love to dress up. As we walked down to the waterfront,with a couple of beers to hand the whole area was alive with street dancing zombies, bands, including a Ukelele band – all in costume & with lots of audience appreciation. A great atmosphere & a great way to say goodbye to HK.
Next stop Vietnam. This was actually where we originally planned to start our journey. We have for a long time wanted to visit Vietnam and knew that 2weeks would not do it the justice it deserved. It was only once we started to make plans that we decided to add other things on to our wish list like the tran-Siberian railway. So, technically this is really where our adventures begin.
Thursday, 27 October 2016
leaving on a jet plane....
Have you ever wondered if you could survive in temperatures of -17degrees? Well you can – provided you are wearing all your clothes, including scarf and hat, and are buried in two sleeping bags and a throw. All because Mr L fell asleep and let the fire go out!. The only part of my body exposed – my nose – was so cold I thought it would drop off. Thankfully at 6am the man came and restarted the stove and heat and body temperatures were restored.
Sleep had been fitful not least because one of pesky dogs kept barking and spoiling the otherwise soundless environment we were in. We discovered later that there were wolves in the area and an ox had been killed. Good doggie!
After breakfast of eggs, some indiscernible meat and Mongolian tea –warm milk with sugar and salt - the horses were saddled up for us. Now it may surprise you to know I'm not a natural horse rider, or particularly horsey, so you may wonder what an earth we were up to. But this setting was so beautiful it was the most natural & traditional way to explore our surroundings. My athleticism was quickly challenged when I was required to put my foot into the stirrup which was set at a height my leg had not achieved in sometime. However with some helpful hands, I was unceremoniously dumped into the saddle. Mr L got up without too much trouble although that was an achievement considering he was at this point wearing 7 layers of clothing!
We set off through the valley in the glorious sunshine (still well below freezing) occasionally passing other nomad homesteads with cattle, goats and horses roaming freely and the dogs running alongside us. Ama singing the occasional song as we rode. After about 1hr we stopped for a walk up a ‘little’ hill. I declined. The air was so cold that I was sounding like a 60 per day smoker every time I started to walk up any incline. Mr L managed it with ease and saw the remains of the ox killed by the wolves, as well as the circling vultures, Eagles and other birds. The dogs too got stuck into the ‘treat’.
When they came back down we saddled up and continued our trek before heading back to the homestead where Ama prepared a hearty lunch of noodles, meat and vegetables- very tasty (once I separated the fat out) then we were invited into the family home to watch them make the vodka and of course sample the goods! Even more delicious hot! A couple of cupfuls and our body temperatures were bubbling nicely. We also sampled some dried milk which tasted similar to parmesan cheese with less flavour. Nice though. Then it was time to load up and head out.
Out of the valley the more exposed areas had plenty of snow and ice which made the cross country part of the journey more of a challenge but Dando took it in his stride – even taking a phone call as he crossed the wide river. Mr L has a video I am sure he will share with you.
On the journey back to UB we stared out the window enjoying the scenery, when Ama asked if I would sing. To put in context the Mongolian’s like to sing. I scanned my repertoire. What should/could I sing; no place I'd rather be’?‘ reach for the stars’? I settled for ‘leaving on a jet plane’ . It was a surreal experience, singing in a car to strangers but Mr L smiled encouragingly and I got a round of applause at the end.
So tomorrow we say goodbye to Mongolia and hopefully to the cold as we head to Hong Kong.
Sleep had been fitful not least because one of pesky dogs kept barking and spoiling the otherwise soundless environment we were in. We discovered later that there were wolves in the area and an ox had been killed. Good doggie!
After breakfast of eggs, some indiscernible meat and Mongolian tea –warm milk with sugar and salt - the horses were saddled up for us. Now it may surprise you to know I'm not a natural horse rider, or particularly horsey, so you may wonder what an earth we were up to. But this setting was so beautiful it was the most natural & traditional way to explore our surroundings. My athleticism was quickly challenged when I was required to put my foot into the stirrup which was set at a height my leg had not achieved in sometime. However with some helpful hands, I was unceremoniously dumped into the saddle. Mr L got up without too much trouble although that was an achievement considering he was at this point wearing 7 layers of clothing!
We set off through the valley in the glorious sunshine (still well below freezing) occasionally passing other nomad homesteads with cattle, goats and horses roaming freely and the dogs running alongside us. Ama singing the occasional song as we rode. After about 1hr we stopped for a walk up a ‘little’ hill. I declined. The air was so cold that I was sounding like a 60 per day smoker every time I started to walk up any incline. Mr L managed it with ease and saw the remains of the ox killed by the wolves, as well as the circling vultures, Eagles and other birds. The dogs too got stuck into the ‘treat’.
When they came back down we saddled up and continued our trek before heading back to the homestead where Ama prepared a hearty lunch of noodles, meat and vegetables- very tasty (once I separated the fat out) then we were invited into the family home to watch them make the vodka and of course sample the goods! Even more delicious hot! A couple of cupfuls and our body temperatures were bubbling nicely. We also sampled some dried milk which tasted similar to parmesan cheese with less flavour. Nice though. Then it was time to load up and head out.
Out of the valley the more exposed areas had plenty of snow and ice which made the cross country part of the journey more of a challenge but Dando took it in his stride – even taking a phone call as he crossed the wide river. Mr L has a video I am sure he will share with you.
On the journey back to UB we stared out the window enjoying the scenery, when Ama asked if I would sing. To put in context the Mongolian’s like to sing. I scanned my repertoire. What should/could I sing; no place I'd rather be’?‘ reach for the stars’? I settled for ‘leaving on a jet plane’ . It was a surreal experience, singing in a car to strangers but Mr L smiled encouragingly and I got a round of applause at the end.
So tomorrow we say goodbye to Mongolia and hopefully to the cold as we head to Hong Kong.
Take a walk on the wild side...
Ulaanbaatar (UB as it's known) is a young city where the first apartment block only went up about 40 years ago and with new shopping malls, stands alongside the traditional nomadic tents known as gers. The vast majority of Mongolians live here and the roads are so busy they try to control it by restricting access to certain cars on certain days of the week. There is nothing of any specific note other than the rather random discovery of a Beatles monument. So we decided to get out of town and see some real Mongolia.
We booked a guide and driver for a few days. We were hoping to get one of the swanky BMW’s parked outside the hostel. What we go was a beaten up a Russian jeep where the design of the interior was clearly not considered a priority.. Our driver – a 70 something man called Dando was fearless on the road and our guide 27yr old Ama, was out of season, a dentist.
We took in a few sights then broke free of the city. Our first stop was the giant stainless steel monument of Chinggis Khaan. Located about 50km out of UB in the middle of nowhere, it's worth a visit for the views alone and, set against a brilliant blue sky it was a stunning sight. We took an elevator up inside the statue. We exited from what is essentially his ‘private’ area to views across the vast empty plains and distant hills.
Back on the road and after another 100km,as the flat plains were consumed by the mountains so the tarmac disappeared and became dirt road. Then the dirt road became a track and then disappeared as we drove through wooded areas, several streams and rivers – one about 30 meters wide. Now I understood why we had not gone in the fancy BMW. Eventually after a very bumpy journey the truck navigated a steep hill, where we were met with the most spectacular sight – mountains, trees, land, all around us, golden and lit by the sun. At the bottom of the hill was where we were staying; a small homestead of a nomadic family and nothing else. For miles. Its hard to describe or do justice to this area and the views, but to say Mr and L and I were both really moved by it.
There were 5 gers – 3 for the family, 1 for us and 1 for the driver & guide. Inside what is essentially a padded tent with a wooden structure were four beds and the centre piece a wood burning stove. The ‘facilities’ were 40m from our ger- a hole in the ground with a ‘modesty’fence. I had no intention of exposing any body parts in temperatures well below freezing, so I am extremely grateful to F&M for the ‘she-pee’. I won't go into detail but can assure you that all my parts remained safely protected from the elements and prying eyes!
As night fell we moved into Ama’s tent where he cooked a Mongolian BBQ of mutton, potatoes and vegetables. Dando said Mr L ate like a Mongolian- wrestling meat from the bone, whilst I did my best to avoid the fat that they love.
Someone commented that there has not been enough talk of Vodka on this trip. Well that was put right after dinner when the man of the family introduced us to his home brewed milk vodka. It's softer tasting than other vodka but still as strong and apparently aids digestion. All good reasons to sample one or three. It certainly warmed us up!
As we stepped outside to go to our ger the clear black night gave us a view of the stars we had rarely seen. The log burning stove was maximum as we entered the ger and Mr L resolved to keep a night vigil to ensure it didn't go out. Needless to say he would not make a good cowboy. ………
To be continued
We booked a guide and driver for a few days. We were hoping to get one of the swanky BMW’s parked outside the hostel. What we go was a beaten up a Russian jeep where the design of the interior was clearly not considered a priority.. Our driver – a 70 something man called Dando was fearless on the road and our guide 27yr old Ama, was out of season, a dentist.
We took in a few sights then broke free of the city. Our first stop was the giant stainless steel monument of Chinggis Khaan. Located about 50km out of UB in the middle of nowhere, it's worth a visit for the views alone and, set against a brilliant blue sky it was a stunning sight. We took an elevator up inside the statue. We exited from what is essentially his ‘private’ area to views across the vast empty plains and distant hills.
Back on the road and after another 100km,as the flat plains were consumed by the mountains so the tarmac disappeared and became dirt road. Then the dirt road became a track and then disappeared as we drove through wooded areas, several streams and rivers – one about 30 meters wide. Now I understood why we had not gone in the fancy BMW. Eventually after a very bumpy journey the truck navigated a steep hill, where we were met with the most spectacular sight – mountains, trees, land, all around us, golden and lit by the sun. At the bottom of the hill was where we were staying; a small homestead of a nomadic family and nothing else. For miles. Its hard to describe or do justice to this area and the views, but to say Mr and L and I were both really moved by it.
There were 5 gers – 3 for the family, 1 for us and 1 for the driver & guide. Inside what is essentially a padded tent with a wooden structure were four beds and the centre piece a wood burning stove. The ‘facilities’ were 40m from our ger- a hole in the ground with a ‘modesty’fence. I had no intention of exposing any body parts in temperatures well below freezing, so I am extremely grateful to F&M for the ‘she-pee’. I won't go into detail but can assure you that all my parts remained safely protected from the elements and prying eyes!
As night fell we moved into Ama’s tent where he cooked a Mongolian BBQ of mutton, potatoes and vegetables. Dando said Mr L ate like a Mongolian- wrestling meat from the bone, whilst I did my best to avoid the fat that they love.
Someone commented that there has not been enough talk of Vodka on this trip. Well that was put right after dinner when the man of the family introduced us to his home brewed milk vodka. It's softer tasting than other vodka but still as strong and apparently aids digestion. All good reasons to sample one or three. It certainly warmed us up!
As we stepped outside to go to our ger the clear black night gave us a view of the stars we had rarely seen. The log burning stove was maximum as we entered the ger and Mr L resolved to keep a night vigil to ensure it didn't go out. Needless to say he would not make a good cowboy. ………
To be continued
Monday, 24 October 2016
On the border....
For this the last leg of our train journey we were on the trans-Mongolian railway. This meant a different train – much grander than the previous ones - or it would have been about 20 years go. Wooden panelled cabins with a shower room (actually it was a sink with a hose attachment that we shared with the cabin next door) with carpeted cabins and corridors. There were only four cabins occupied including us – all travellers. An Australian couple and an Icelandic man going from St Petersburg to Beijing, a Belgium couple travelling from St.Petersburg to Mongolia and us. It was nice to talk to other people about their adventures and what they were doing next, but for the most part we kept ourselves to ourselves.
At 8.45pm local time we reached the Border town of Naushki which marked the end of our journey across Russia. 5902 km from Moscow. A good time to reflect on our experiences.
Sergei who we met on one of our train journeys asked us, “why do the English and Americans not like us – we are nice people”. He is right. The people we encountered were nice, friendly and helpful. Apart from the odd lad in the bar in Tyumen there were no ‘shifty’ or ‘shady’ characters and we never felt in danger. Many of the cities are too polluted and many of the places we visited have destroyed older parts of the city in their haste to develop. The countryside we saw still retains the old wood houses and unspoilt landscapes. Definitely worth further exploration. Lake Baikal is definitely worth a visit and in better weather it deserves longer time than we gave it.
Things that I could have done without – musical lampposts – several places had music piped out of them – completely unnecessary. Mr L disagrees. He particularly enjoyed ‘strangers on the shore’! Also, an irritation for me – stairs, or more specifically steps. They are never the same size – randomly varying in depth and catching you out every time.
At the border, The guidebook had warned us to be prepared for a long wait. What we weren't prepared for was the explosion of activity that commenced when the guards boarded the train. Everything was opened and subjected to inspection –bags, panels, heating ducts – even our en suite shower room! Then it was our turn. We were required to stand, in turn and be inspected by the guard who shone her torch into our faces and examined them in great detail before walking off and returning with our passports stamped. Then they moved to the other cabins whilst we sat perfectly still, just in case. When the guards finally left the train we pulled off into the night and into Mongolia, so decided to settle down and get some sleep. How foolish we were as about 20 mins later the train stopped and we went through the whole process again this time with the Mongolian border guards. I was so tempted to advise them that if they stopped working in silos and were more collaborative they could make better/more efficient use of their resources but I felt it was perhaps not the time. Maybe I will drop the appropriate departments an email.
As the sun rose over the mountains our train pulled into Ulaanbaatar.
At 8.45pm local time we reached the Border town of Naushki which marked the end of our journey across Russia. 5902 km from Moscow. A good time to reflect on our experiences.
Sergei who we met on one of our train journeys asked us, “why do the English and Americans not like us – we are nice people”. He is right. The people we encountered were nice, friendly and helpful. Apart from the odd lad in the bar in Tyumen there were no ‘shifty’ or ‘shady’ characters and we never felt in danger. Many of the cities are too polluted and many of the places we visited have destroyed older parts of the city in their haste to develop. The countryside we saw still retains the old wood houses and unspoilt landscapes. Definitely worth further exploration. Lake Baikal is definitely worth a visit and in better weather it deserves longer time than we gave it.
Things that I could have done without – musical lampposts – several places had music piped out of them – completely unnecessary. Mr L disagrees. He particularly enjoyed ‘strangers on the shore’! Also, an irritation for me – stairs, or more specifically steps. They are never the same size – randomly varying in depth and catching you out every time.
At the border, The guidebook had warned us to be prepared for a long wait. What we weren't prepared for was the explosion of activity that commenced when the guards boarded the train. Everything was opened and subjected to inspection –bags, panels, heating ducts – even our en suite shower room! Then it was our turn. We were required to stand, in turn and be inspected by the guard who shone her torch into our faces and examined them in great detail before walking off and returning with our passports stamped. Then they moved to the other cabins whilst we sat perfectly still, just in case. When the guards finally left the train we pulled off into the night and into Mongolia, so decided to settle down and get some sleep. How foolish we were as about 20 mins later the train stopped and we went through the whole process again this time with the Mongolian border guards. I was so tempted to advise them that if they stopped working in silos and were more collaborative they could make better/more efficient use of their resources but I felt it was perhaps not the time. Maybe I will drop the appropriate departments an email.
As the sun rose over the mountains our train pulled into Ulaanbaatar.
Friday, 21 October 2016
Lake, liver and Lenin...
The stretch of the trans-Siberian railway between Irkutsk and Ulan Ude is said to be the most scenic and we have to agree. A substantial part of the 7hr journey, in which we had the cabin to ourselves, runs alongside the clear blue waters of Lake Baikal and, with the snow along its shores and the occasional fir tree capped with snow, it was hard to take your eyes off it.
So why did we chose to stop in Ulan Ude? Well originally we thought it was in Mongolia and so it would be our first taste of Mongolia, when in fact it will be our last taste of Siberian Russia. We also thought it would give us another opportunity to explore Lake Baikal. The reality is visiting Lakes is a summer pursuit and our visit/adventure with Jack was enough to satisfy us for this journey at least.
We arrived in Ulan Ude to bright sunshine, little snow but plenty of ice and below zero temperatures. Our accommodation – the prestigiously named ‘Clean Hostel’ - a stones throw from the train station and a 10 min walk from the centre. These are probably its best assets. After we checked in we took a stroll around town to visit the Lenin memorial. As this will be our last Lenin it was great to go out on a high. This town didn't waste valuable stone on legs, arms or even a body. This statue is just a giant Lenin head. It's the sort of thing you can probably see from space.
So, then we did something I have been trying to do since we arrived in Russia – we went to the theatre. We actually tried to buy tickets for a one hour ballet production the following day but ended up with tickets for a two and a half hour opera & ballet ‘extravaganza’ event that evening. I really enjoyed it & Mr L only nodded off twice which is quite impressive.
The following day we visited a few churches and museums – the staff got very excited to have tourists from London and wanted to show us everything which was sweet but exhausting – once you have seen one rock/stuffed animal/bone etc they start to look a bit samey. We also made two food faux-pas. We stopped for a cuppa and ordered what we thought was a cake. It turned out to be a liver and onion pie/ cake in white sauce. I can't tell you what that did to my taste buds. The second was we bought what we thought were seeded bread rolls to have with cheese and they turned out to be jam filled sweet bread. We should have used Mr L’s latest discovery – a Google translate app that works off line. You hold the phone to the words and press the camera on the app and it reads and translates them into English. It's brilliant and is highly recommended.
Today we ventured out of town to a Buddhist Temple on a local mini bus (no.130) which seats 14 but there were at least 22 on our outward journey. The temple was interesting as was the canteen we took shelter in from the cold and had tea, stew & mash which was delicious.
When we returned to Ulan Ude we found a bar on the 12th floor of a hotel with 270 degree views of the city and decided it was a more civilised way to explore the rest of the city on a cold day.
We have enjoyed Ulan Ude. It's where East meets Far East. The buildings, food and people are influenced by so many different cultures but they integrate well and make it a richer more diverse city than we have experienced so far on our trip.
Tomorrow we get back on the train and head for Mongolia.
So why did we chose to stop in Ulan Ude? Well originally we thought it was in Mongolia and so it would be our first taste of Mongolia, when in fact it will be our last taste of Siberian Russia. We also thought it would give us another opportunity to explore Lake Baikal. The reality is visiting Lakes is a summer pursuit and our visit/adventure with Jack was enough to satisfy us for this journey at least.
We arrived in Ulan Ude to bright sunshine, little snow but plenty of ice and below zero temperatures. Our accommodation – the prestigiously named ‘Clean Hostel’ - a stones throw from the train station and a 10 min walk from the centre. These are probably its best assets. After we checked in we took a stroll around town to visit the Lenin memorial. As this will be our last Lenin it was great to go out on a high. This town didn't waste valuable stone on legs, arms or even a body. This statue is just a giant Lenin head. It's the sort of thing you can probably see from space.
So, then we did something I have been trying to do since we arrived in Russia – we went to the theatre. We actually tried to buy tickets for a one hour ballet production the following day but ended up with tickets for a two and a half hour opera & ballet ‘extravaganza’ event that evening. I really enjoyed it & Mr L only nodded off twice which is quite impressive.
The following day we visited a few churches and museums – the staff got very excited to have tourists from London and wanted to show us everything which was sweet but exhausting – once you have seen one rock/stuffed animal/bone etc they start to look a bit samey. We also made two food faux-pas. We stopped for a cuppa and ordered what we thought was a cake. It turned out to be a liver and onion pie/ cake in white sauce. I can't tell you what that did to my taste buds. The second was we bought what we thought were seeded bread rolls to have with cheese and they turned out to be jam filled sweet bread. We should have used Mr L’s latest discovery – a Google translate app that works off line. You hold the phone to the words and press the camera on the app and it reads and translates them into English. It's brilliant and is highly recommended.
Today we ventured out of town to a Buddhist Temple on a local mini bus (no.130) which seats 14 but there were at least 22 on our outward journey. The temple was interesting as was the canteen we took shelter in from the cold and had tea, stew & mash which was delicious.
When we returned to Ulan Ude we found a bar on the 12th floor of a hotel with 270 degree views of the city and decided it was a more civilised way to explore the rest of the city on a cold day.
We have enjoyed Ulan Ude. It's where East meets Far East. The buildings, food and people are influenced by so many different cultures but they integrate well and make it a richer more diverse city than we have experienced so far on our trip.
Tomorrow we get back on the train and head for Mongolia.
Tuesday, 18 October 2016
Where the wind goes right through you it's no place for the old.
Irkutsk is known as the Paris of Siberia. I am not sure why and the only evidence we saw was a pink plastic effigy of the Eiffel Tower dangling at a jaunty angle from the ceiling of the shopping mall in the town centre. Anyway it matters not because we like Irkutsk. It's got character and not too many fumes .
It's a university town and tourism is something they are very keen to encourage. They have a green painted line around town that tourists can follow which takes you to all the historic buildings and places of interest without having to get your guide book out. Lazy tourism some might say but a great idea nonetheless.
No snow here yet but the thing about Siberia is the wind. It's cold. Very very cold. it laughs at your base layers and Uniqlo down-filled jackets and when you breathe in it freezes your lungs. Even when the sun is out as it was for most of the time we were here.
This time we are staying in a hotel (2 star) in the town with mod cons such as your own toilet/shower, two chairs - one each - and slippers. We even had towel swans on the bed when we arrived. You know you are in a great place when that sight greets you.
For the first few days we decided to kick back, get the travel washing line out and do a 'big wash'. We read and watched some films (YouTube). We ventured out on Sunday to visit the obligatory Lenin Statue and visit an area called District 130th which is a collection of wooden buildings they have either preserved or recreated to house shops and restaurants. We found some great bars - one called the Library that did excellent DIY gin and tonics and a few beer cellars some with more character than others.
We decided it was time to get out of town so we booked a trip to Lake Baikal. I know from things friends had told us that it was a fabulous place to visit and they weren't wrong. We were joined on our tour by the first English speaking people we have met in 3 weeks - Cynthia and Tony from San Francisco. In their mid seventies but extremely well travelled and great company. Our guide Jack was great too (sorry - spending time with Amercians makes me over enthusiastic).
Our tour started on the outskirts of Irkustsk where we visited a monastery and church that has been beautifully restored and then onto the lake. We hiked up a trail for about 30 mins where we had a great view of the lake and then later after we had eaten lunch at a local restaurant we walked along another trail at the side of the Lake itself.
It was at this point I wondered if Jack's mission was to dispense with us, as on several occasions I came near to death. The trail was at points as wide as the balance beam with a sharp drop down to the sea and took us to a viewing point - a jutting out piece of rock balanced precariously above the sea. It was a good view. A very good view. However Jack wanted us to see an even better one 'just up the hill' a bit further. The 'hill' was an almost sheer rock face. Mr L says I'm exaggerating here but it was very steep and rocky. The only thing that kept me from bottling it was the fact that there were two seventy something's wearing inappropriate footwear not far behind me. Thankfully we all made it up to the next level and Jack was right it was an amazing view. Jack told us that the Lake freezes every year and the ice gets to approx 80cm thick. Then they open up an ice road to the island and in March they hold a Marathon event when the temperature is still around -20. Anyone interested?
We got down from the trail in one piece & back to Irskutsk to pack. Tomorrow we are back on the train.
It's a university town and tourism is something they are very keen to encourage. They have a green painted line around town that tourists can follow which takes you to all the historic buildings and places of interest without having to get your guide book out. Lazy tourism some might say but a great idea nonetheless.
No snow here yet but the thing about Siberia is the wind. It's cold. Very very cold. it laughs at your base layers and Uniqlo down-filled jackets and when you breathe in it freezes your lungs. Even when the sun is out as it was for most of the time we were here.
This time we are staying in a hotel (2 star) in the town with mod cons such as your own toilet/shower, two chairs - one each - and slippers. We even had towel swans on the bed when we arrived. You know you are in a great place when that sight greets you.
For the first few days we decided to kick back, get the travel washing line out and do a 'big wash'. We read and watched some films (YouTube). We ventured out on Sunday to visit the obligatory Lenin Statue and visit an area called District 130th which is a collection of wooden buildings they have either preserved or recreated to house shops and restaurants. We found some great bars - one called the Library that did excellent DIY gin and tonics and a few beer cellars some with more character than others.
We decided it was time to get out of town so we booked a trip to Lake Baikal. I know from things friends had told us that it was a fabulous place to visit and they weren't wrong. We were joined on our tour by the first English speaking people we have met in 3 weeks - Cynthia and Tony from San Francisco. In their mid seventies but extremely well travelled and great company. Our guide Jack was great too (sorry - spending time with Amercians makes me over enthusiastic).
Our tour started on the outskirts of Irkustsk where we visited a monastery and church that has been beautifully restored and then onto the lake. We hiked up a trail for about 30 mins where we had a great view of the lake and then later after we had eaten lunch at a local restaurant we walked along another trail at the side of the Lake itself.
It was at this point I wondered if Jack's mission was to dispense with us, as on several occasions I came near to death. The trail was at points as wide as the balance beam with a sharp drop down to the sea and took us to a viewing point - a jutting out piece of rock balanced precariously above the sea. It was a good view. A very good view. However Jack wanted us to see an even better one 'just up the hill' a bit further. The 'hill' was an almost sheer rock face. Mr L says I'm exaggerating here but it was very steep and rocky. The only thing that kept me from bottling it was the fact that there were two seventy something's wearing inappropriate footwear not far behind me. Thankfully we all made it up to the next level and Jack was right it was an amazing view. Jack told us that the Lake freezes every year and the ice gets to approx 80cm thick. Then they open up an ice road to the island and in March they hold a Marathon event when the temperature is still around -20. Anyone interested?
We got down from the trail in one piece & back to Irskutsk to pack. Tomorrow we are back on the train.
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