"Conan, what is good in life?"
New Continent: ASIA - Mongolia
9/28/2008 4:45:12 PM - Day 195 - Terelj National Park, Mongolia
Eagles look a lot bigger when they are in range of you face.
It was a long, eventful train ride from Irkutsk into Ulan Bator, Mongolia. First off, some Mongolian guy opens the door to my cabin before we departed, threw a bag on one of the top bunks and then disappeared. I figured he was staying in my cabin until I hear the girls in the next cabin over asking why he put a bag in there room as well. I thought it was strange that a guy would put a bag in both of our rooms then disappear, when after a few moments the light clicked in my head. Smuggler. I opened the bags up and sure enough, there were a ton of bullets in them. Fuck that. I didn't know where the Mongolian guy was, so I went to go tell the carriage attendant to do something with his bags when low and behold, who I do I see having a drink with the carriage attendants, the Mongolian smuggler! It was like a scene from a movie where you're going to the authorities to report a crime and when you arrive, you see the criminals you're going to report schmoozing it up with the authorities at which point you cue the dramatic "duh duh DUHHHH" music, while the person who is going to report it stands there staring in disbelief as everything goes into "slow-mo". This carriage I was in wasn't a Russian one, therefore it wasn't like the last couple of trains I was in that were super clean and professional. This one was a Mongolian one, and came with a corrupt carriage attendant and a couple of smugglers. After the initial shock, I told the smuggler he needed to get his bag out of my cabin right away. I didn't want any part of whatever crazy shit he had planned. He quickly obliged, took the bag out of my cabin and put it god knows where. I heard from other passengers that Mongolians were spotted hiding bags underneath the train carriage itself. No wonder the Russian customs kept the train at the border for like 4 hours as they searched all the Mongolians and carriages. When they saw that I and the other guy in my cabin were not Mongolians (he was English) they simply asked to see our passport and went on to the next cabin which was full of Mongolians, and got searched thoroughly (which is probably why he wanted to store his bags in our cabin). As far as I know, the smugglers never got caught which I could care less about as long as they don't involve me.
One other thing to note for any of you who plan on visiting Russia, do not, do not, DO NOT overstay your Visa. I can't tell you the number of times I read that or heard that from other travelers and locals. Don't even cut it close because if you're even one minute over your allotted Visa stay, you are in a world of shit. I got off the train at the border and who do I see? The same Dutch guys I went to Baikal with who had left a couple days prior to me on their journey to Mongolia. I asked them what the hell they were doing at the train station at which point they tell me a long tale involving angry Russian customs, day long journeys to the nearest major city and back and about $1500 extra each in fines and what not in order to sort everything for having overstayed their Visa.
Finally after a long stop at the border, a bunch of beer, vodka, wine and cheese with some fellow travelers and some brush-ins with smugglers and corrupt carriage attendants I was in Mongolia and on my way to Ulan Bator. A lot of people were asking me what the fuck I was doing in Mongolia. Fact is, Mongolia has got some great places to rough it at, some fantastic scenery and a storied history of the largest contiguous empire in the history of the world, the empire of the Mongol Hordes of Genghis Khan. Hell, there was no way I was going to miss out on Mongolia! However, besides all that, there was one additional reason as to why I was here.
I needed to disconnect. Working with computers, I find myself "jacked in" quite often. In fact, since I am working as I travel, I still spend a great deal of time in front of a computer. Add to that keeping up with friends and family via emails, as well as updating a travel BLOG with blogs, photos, reviews, videos, etc., and you can imagine how much time I spend staring at a computer screen. The good thing is that I like being "connected". I enjoy being in front of a computer and having a wealth of information at my fingertips thanks to the "World Wide Web", which is probably why I find myself in the profession I am in today. However, every now and then I feel the need to "reset", start fresh and get away from technology to simply live life at a more basic level, and that's just what I did so far here in Mongolia. I have spent some time now camping out in the middle of some of the most beautiful natural scenery I have ever seen, riding horses and relaxing by campfires in Terelj national park. I just got back today. It was great being away from laptops, cell phones and all forms of technology for awhile.
I got into Ulan Bator, told the hostel managers I wanted to get out into the countryside to stay in a Ger hut and they said that I would have to wait until someone else wanted to do it as well, otherwise I would have to go by myself which wouldn't be very fun or cheap. They said that I could be waiting for some time, but that they would let me know as soon as someone else asked about staying in the Ger huts. As luck would have it, the next morning when I awoke they told me another guy has asked about the Ger huts and I was soon on my way to Terelj with a hardy Australian named Luke. This guy was a true outdoorsman and he showed me a lot of things about how to survive out in the middle of nowhere (like starting a fire, without that, I would have frozen my ass off).
The only people at the camp were me and Luke. It was a small camp with about 4 Gers that was run by a small Mongolian family that consisted of two teenage sons, a daughter who had a young daughter of her own, her husband who was almost never around and the old mother and father who would come check in from time to time. Each day Luke and I would head out with one of the sons on the horses to ride around the steppe. It was awesome. I have never been on a horse at full gallop and let me tell you, it is exhilarating! Also, the fact that we were riding around on the open steppe of Mongolia made the experience that much more wonderful. Towards the end of our stay, Luke and I had gotten good enough on the horses that the Mongolian guide had us help him round up the horses that were far off in the valley grazing (they don't use fences out here). Also, these Mongolians are tough! I can see how they wreaked havoc centuries ago. They were all expert horse riders (they even somehow had the tiny girl on a horse by herself), extremely rugged and had a certain air and confidence about them that gave you the impression that if shit went down, they would be ready. That is one of the reasons (there are many) that Genghis Khan's Mongol hordes did so well in battle. Almost every single one of his Mongolian soldiers was a B.A.M.F. (Bad Ass Mother Fucker).
At night, we would start a campfire, have some homemade Mongolian food (they eat a ton of mutton out here so it was either mutton and rice or mutton and pasta with a couple pieces of vegetables) and just chill out talking about life, or anything that came to mind. After it started to get too cold, we would go crash out in the Ger. A Ger is a circular hut that Mongolian's have used for quite some time to compliment their nomadic heritage. Supposedly you can put one up in a very short amount of time. There are six beds that encircle a Mongolian stove in the middle of the tent which also doubles as a heater, the only thing is that you have to keep the fire in the stove going all night long with a constant supply of wood otherwise you'll wake up late at night freezing your nuts off. We had it set up so that if either one of use would wake up in the middle of the night, we would check on the fire. Also, the fire does a good job of keeping the creepy crawlers away. A couple of times when the fire went out I could hear mice running around the tent (I saw them when I turned a flashlight on) since the tent wasn't completely sealed at the bottom perimeter of the hut, so mice and other small critters could get in by scurrying in underneath the tent. Mongolia is one of the only countries in the world which still has cases of the "Black Plague" which just so happens to be spread by rodents, so I did everything I could to keep that fire going at night.
After spending many days riding horses thru spectacular Mongolian scenery, exchanging stories over campfires and hiking across the steppe, it was about time for me to go. I felt "reset" and quite ready to get re-connected. The whole trip was a ton of fun and it was good to get out in the middle of nowhere for awhile and enjoy nature. As a final bonus, on the way back we came upon a Mongolian who was riding a horse with an eagle on his arm. He said we could hold it for a dollar, so you can guess what I did next. I have to say, having an eagle right up next to your face is a very, very wild time. The beak on the eagle was huge and razor sharp! It could have pecked my eyes out in a second! Luckily the eagle didn't, and I got some good pictures out of it.
|
Omul, one of the best things I have ever eaten!
Finishing Up Russia at Lake Baikal
9/22/2008 8:30:21 PM - Day 189 - Lake Baikal and Irkutsk, Russia
Lake Baikal. I thought the lampost, clouds with the rays of sunlight, boat and remote setting gave the photo an almost surreal quality. One of my favorite pics from my entire trip.
After a long journey, I finally arrived in Irkutsk early in the morning. My first order of business was to buy my train ticket into Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia since the only place you could do that at inside Russia (without going to a travel agency, and even then, some of them weren't any help) was here in Irkutsk. A little tip, once you get into the train station, the office to buy international train tickets is on the second level of the station. After dealing with an especially unfriendly ticket lady, I had my train ticket to Mongolia and one less headache to worry about for the rest of my stay in Russia.
I made my way on the tram into downtown Irkutsk to my hostel aptly named "Downtown Irkutsk Hostel" (Irkutsk Downtown Hostel Review and Information). The place was decently nice and had some great people working there. They gave me info on how to get to Lake Baikal from the hostel. For those of you that don't know, Lake Baikal is the largest lake in the world with some amazing scenery. The best place to reach it from is Irkutsk. There are two ways to get there, take a mini-bus or a hydrofoil. I wanted to take the hydrofoil because I thought it would be much more enjoyable than being crammed into a small bus, thing was that the last hydrofoil for the year was leaving the day after I arrived. Since the weather is starting to get very cold, the hydrofoil services are coming to an end because soon enough, the entire Lake Baikal is going to freeze over so much that you could drive a car over it (and some people do).
I grouped up with a couple cool Dutch guys (there sure are a lot of Dutch people traveling) and an English girl and we were soon on our way to Baikal. Getting there was fun since it involved taking a local minibus. You hop onto this tiny little minibus which has a fixed route, wait until you get to your stop then yell in Russian at the driver to stop. It was fast and cheap. Soon we were on the hydrofoil making our way to Lake Baikal and treated to some amazing natural scenery. The trees all around here have begun to change color, and I thought it was beautiful. Being from Southern California, I don't really get a chance to experience the "seasons" since it is pretty much nice and sunny all year around (not complaining here), so it was extra special for me to see the trees changing color like this and I hope in the future to head out to the East Coast in the United States where I hear the trees in the Fall are amazing.
We got off in the small town of Listvyanka which is located at the mouth of Lake Baikal. I considered staying there for a couple of days, but truth is the place was fucking freezing so there was no way I was going to be able to do any hiking since I didn't have the right clothes for this weather. Due to this, I decided to spend only the day here in Listvyanka, enjoy Baikal and then head back to Irkutsk. The rest of the people who came with me had the same idea. Man, let me tell you, Baikal is fucking enormous! To give you an idea, Lake Baikal has more water in it than all the Great Lakes in the United States combined. It was quite the site.
Listvyanka itself was a quaint little town. It only had one main road running alongside the lake with a couple hotels, bars, houses and restaurants on it. The best part was the local fish and crafts market. I didn't care so much about the crafts, but the fish were fucking SPECTACULAR! Yes folks, I said spectacular and I fucking mean it. The local fish is the "Omul" fish. It is a somewhat slender fish about a foot long. You can buy a couple of these fellas steamed with a nice piece of fresh bread for two dollars. If you go to towns more entrenched in the lake you can buy Omul by the dozen for a dollar. This fish was seriously one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten in my life. They give you the entire fish, already steamed and still warm, and you put it on its side and begin to pick away eating the meat. When you are done with one side of meat, you pick up the tail, lift it up and it nicely separates from the other half of meat which you can then dig right into. Thinking about it now is making my mouth water. I also couldn't help thinking about how much more something like this would cost back home in California. I guarantee that it would be a lot, lot more.
After a couple heaping helpings of Omul, a walk around town and a few beers at the local bar, it was time for a nice nap on the ride back to Irkutsk. Getting onto the Hydrofoil, the ticket lady took our tickets and let us on. When we got off, it looked as if everyone was giving her there tickets or money. When it was my turn, I told her that we had already given her our tickets. She conveniently didn't know English and demanded I either give her money or tickets. I told the people I was with to go on ahead and that I would deal with this. Eventually a girl who was getting off the boat spoke some English and I had her tell the lady that she already had my tickets and that I wasn't paying her anything. When everyone had finally gotten off, I was the only one left with the crew along with a Russian police officer on the shore. They lead me into the passenger area, I told them I wasn't giving them anything and that I had already given that lady our tickets when another lady told me "its ok, you can go. Thank you!" Sneaky fuckers! Let this be a lesson to any of you who ride the hydrofoil in Irkutsk, make sure to hold on to your ticket or be very clear if you need to give it up to ride the hydrofoil.
I got one more day here in Russia before I end my current foray into Europe. It blows my mind sometimes to think about how far I have gone and everything I have seen thus far. When I started this trip I was in South Africa, now I am about to head into Mongolia. Fucking shit man, that is a long way. I'm really looking forward to the drastic change of culture in Asia to keep me on my toes, as well as some Asian food! I love me some rice and noodles! Until next time!
|
Train #10 "Baikal Express" from Moscow to Irkutsk
The Trans-Siberian Railway
9/19/2008 6:03:51 AM - Day 186 - Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia
Good times on the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Taking the Trans-Siberian railway is a "must-do" thing that everyone needs to add to their list. It has been one hell of an experience. You meet tons of characters, get to sample some delicious homemade Russian food at many of the train stops and you have a never ending supply of beer and vodka to purchase for the long, cold ride across Siberia. Top that all off with a fast, clean train with efficient service and a solid staff and you have a recipe for a very fulfilling and enjoyable experience.
I ended up booking my ticket across Russia at the train station in Moscow a couple of days before my scheduled journey. My train was departing close to midnight, so when I arrived at the train station, it was pitch black and very cold, yet somehow the place was still packed. It seems that in Moscow, trains are running at all hours of the night. I found my cart and was soon packed into my cabin with an Old Dutch guy (I got lucky because I was in a second class cabin that is for 4 people, but it ended up only being the two of us for the entire trip) who was there along with a bunch of other Dutch tourists whom were all on a package tour across Russia and parts of North Asia.
I took train #10 on the Trans-Siberian Railway, also known as the "Baikal Express" (Trans Siberian Railway Baikal Express #10 Review and Information) which takes about 3 1/2 days to get from Moscow to Irkutsk. Irkutsk is a major stopping point because it is where the largest lake in the world is, Lake Baikal, and it is also where the Trans-Siberian branches off into the Trans-Mongolian for those of you who want to go into Mongolia (such as myself). I was expecting the worst for Russian Trains, but I found out that my expectations were completely off base. Russia has one of the most efficient and well run train systems in the world. The carriage was always clean, we were always on time and for the most part, everyone who worked on the train was very professional and courteous.
It is a very long journey, especially being cupped up in a train for 3 1/2 days, but even so, it ended up being pretty damn enjoyable. I spent a lot of time working on my computer while occasionally staring at the endless Russian scenery that was right outside my window to the rhythmic and gentle beat of the train as it sped on towards Irkutsk. Getting lost in thought and day dreaming is a favorite pastime of mine that I don't get to enjoy much these days thanks to the sensory and cultural overload one experiences traveling the world, but for once, I was able to do just that here on the Trans-Siberian. At some point in my life, something changed inside of me to where I felt the need to always be doing "something", it didn't matter what it was, as long as I wasn't sitting around with my thumb up my ass. Sometimes though, you need just that (not literally of course). You need to simply relax, take a breather and absorb everything life has thrown you way (and life has thrown a lot my way thus far) and I was able to do just that on the Trans-Siberian. Stare at the endless Russian scenery as I contemplated life to the hypnotic hum of the train as it moved along the train tracks.
When I wasn't lost in thought, or working away on my laptop (I made sure to bring an extension cord so I could plug myself into the electric socket in the hallway) I was doing what any man would do to stay sane on a three day train ride across Siberia, I was drinking! …As well as eating, and eating some really good Russian homemade food. You are given a schedule upon boarding the train that lists all the stops and how long you'll be at that stop for. At pretty much any stop that you are at for more then 10 minutes (which are quite a few, usually one every 2 - 4 hours), there is a whole line of Babushkas waiting on the train platform selling all sorts of goodies. They always had the usual: water, juices, packaged snacks like chips and candy bars, tons of beer to stock back up on (I'm talking everything from tall cans to giant gallon jugs of brew for you Ogres) and vodka. What really made each stop exciting though was that various Babushkas would have all types of homemade Russian treats like Russian dumplings, grilled sandwiches, dried fish and all manners of Russian fare. It turned each stop into a scavenger hunt because you never knew what kind of food and drink you were going to come across, and if someone from your carriage found something extra good, the information would be relayed amongst the rest of the people in the carriage down the platform at which point everyone would scurry along to see what the big find was. Also, for the most part the babushkas would never try to rip you off always giving you the same price for their goods as they would give any local so you didn't have to worry about having to haggle over prices.
It was a lot of fun, and you never ran out of a supply of inexpensive beer if you felt like turning the train ride into a bit of a party with whomever you were sharing your carriage with. I was on there with a bunch of Dutch people, and man let me tell you, they can drink! The old guy I was sharing my cabin with would be up with the rest of the carriage drinking until the wee hours of the night, come back and sleep for a couple of hours only to get up early in the morning feeling like a million bucks. Shit, I can't even do that!
All in all, this was an amazing experience and like so many other times on my trip, I couldn't help but think how cool this particular adventure would have been to share with a bunch of my friends from back home. I could only sigh at the thought. That's the lonely road I walk. Understandably, not everyone has the time, money or conviction to travel like this and I am thankful every day for having this opportunity. To see the world and experience everything it has to offer, and doing so on my own hard earned dollar, making the journey that much more fulfilling. Its experiences like the Trans-Siberian Railway that make me look back and think "wow".
This is living.
A video tour of the Trans-Siberian Express Train #10 also know as the "Baikal Express" from Moscow to Irkutsk.
|
|
The weather is crap-ola.
Moscow is Alive!!!
9/14/2008 3:45:10 PM - Day 181 - Moscow, Russia
Busting the Pose at Red Square in Moscow. In the background is the Kremlin, Lenin's Mausoleum and St Basil's Cathedral.
Moscow (Moscow, Russia City Review and Information) breathes with an intensity for life that is very rare in the world. I can see why it is the home base for one of the world's super powers. Everywhere you go, you see bustling activity belying all kinds of economic development and progress but at the same time not so overwhelming and chaotic that simply walking around the city was exhausting and frustrating. They seem to have order to their chaos here in Moscow, and I suppose you would have to in order to have the world influence that they currently do, as well as the largest concentration of billionaires on the planet (I am sure the large reserves of privatized oil helps as well).
Speaking about billionaires, Moscow wasn't as expensive as I had been led to believe. I heard from many people about how Moscow was listed as the "Most Expensive City in the World". Sure, the place wasn't cheap, but for buying things like food at eateries or groceries, it wasn't that bad. Hell, I found some countries in Europe to be more expensive than Moscow. The only time I got raped on the prices was the couple of times I went out in Moscow, but it was worth every penny (or Ruble in Russia's case).
Moscow's nightlife was something else. Sure, it was fucking expensive, but the prices weren't outrageous. Once again, the Russian people that I have met out and about have amazed me with their kindness and warmth towards myself and other foreigners. As soon as you broke the ice with them, they would treat you like a friend they had known for years laughing, cracking jokes and taking shots of vodka. To be honest, I rarely come across such a friendly culture in the nightlife scene (they were super friendly in the Middle East, but except for Lebanon, there is little to no nightlife). I didn't get any attitude about not knowing the local language, no questions about the foreign policy of my government (probably because I could have shot right back with some questions of my own) and no resentment about the fact that I was an American, which is ironic considering that I was in Russia, a country my government historically has butted heads with on many occasions. All the Russians were concerned with was having a good time and a good drink, and that is something that I can deal with!
One thing I noticed however going out as well as walking around the city was there were close to zero Black, Middle Eastern, Asian, etc. people around. In fact, almost everyone I saw was white. I mean almost EVERYONE. I asked other travelers if they noticed the same thing and they all agreed. I thought this was pretty strange, but from what I read, saw on the news and heard from others, is that Russia, particularly Moscow has a serious problem with racism with a very strong and growing right wing movement. The US government travel website even says that if you aren't white, you can expect to get hassled by the local police regularly and to be extra vigilant walking the streets. I have to say that I personally didn't hear or see any racism, but if the stories and news reports are true, I think that it is too bad that some people (I know it isn't all, and may not be even close to all) feel the need to hate others simply because of the color of their skin. Hate is only a waste of energy and will never help anyone progress in any facet of their life.
Getting around the city itself was pretty easy since Moscow has a very interconnected metro system. If you can't get to where you need to go with the metro, what most Muscovites do is stand on the side of the road and hail a taxi, however, not a "taxi" in the way that we are used to, but simply anyone who is willing to stop and give you a ride for a bit of extra cash. I was staying at a place called the Napoleon Hostel (Napoleon Hostel in Moscow, Russia Review) and when I asked the hostel staff about getting around the city in this way, and if it was normal, they said yes, people do it very often in Moscow and it is very safe. Simply go to a busy street, put your hand out and shortly thereafter someone (who knows who) will pull up to give you a ride to where you need to go. The first time I did it, I was a bit apprehensive since I had never been to a city where this was the norm, but sure enough, I put my hand out and within 30 seconds a little black car pulled up to taxi me to my destination at a pretty good price. I did it a couple of times more while I was there and thanks to this system, I can honestly say getting a "taxi" is Moscow is pretty damn easy.
When I wasn't taxiing around the city figuring out train tickets and travel plans for the coming Trans-Siberian journey, or spending my time touring Moscow's pubs and nightlife, I was touring the city of Moscow itself and its wealth of sites, the majority of which are located at or near to Red Square at the very heart of Moscow itself. Every time pictured Red Square in my head, I would imagine battalions of troops marching in formation alongside nuclear warheads. Those days are gone however with the soldiers being replaced by tourists along with a scattering of police officers and hawkers. At Red Square you have a lot of sites, with the most famous being St Basil's Cathedral, the Kremlin and Lenin's Mausoleum. Out of those three, I think the coolest one to check out was the mausoleum. Wow, is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about it. What they have done is taken Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the first head of the U.S.S.R and one of its leading founders, and put his body on display (he died awhile back) in a mausoleum (contrary to his wishes to being buried in St Petersburg). In order to enter the mausoleum, you first have to go thru a metal detector to make sure you don't have any weapons (or cameras) and after that you walk down a pathway alongside the Kremlin wall where many other Russian heroes and revolutionaries are buried which eventually leads to the mausoleum entrance. The cool thing is that they only let a couple of people thru the metal detector at a time, so that when you enter the mausoleum, you won't be with a herd of other people. In fact, when I got there, it was only me and another guy from the hostel I came to check the place out with. As you walk inside, you realize just how big the place is. From the outside, the mausoleum looks as if it is only one room at ground level, but it the entrance actually leads down a corridor, down some bends and turns with a fully uniformed, solemn Russian guard at each corner and down a couple of flights of stairs until you get into the inner sanctum where Lenin's body is housed. The outside and inside of the mausoleum is made of what looks to be black and red marble architecturally designed with many hard angles giving the place a strong, resolute yet almost cold feeling. The room that houses the body is very large with an extremely high ceiling and a couple Russian guards standing at attention. In the middle is a large glass container containing the body of Lenin. His entire body is covered up to the mid of his chest with a cloth, so you can't see too much of him. He is wearing a black suit and his skin has a very "waxy" look, not even looking as lifelike as a wax statue, but almost with the same texture and look as what a giant cake of Lenin's body would look like. I read this is because the process of embalming his body to be able to put it on display for all these years involves actually infusing his body with wax, and this mixture of wax and flesh gives his body this very "cakey" look. You are only allowed to spend a couple of moments in the main chamber before a guard tells you to move along at which point you follow a symmetrical path up the other side of the mausoleum to its exit. The whole experience was made that much more intense and awe inspiring due to the fact that the only people in the mausoleum was me and a friend. It was also very interesting to see the corpse of a man who has changed the history of the world. Seeing his body, I couldn't help but wonder how, this man who made such an important and substantial world impact in the last century, would be remembered 100, 200, 500 years from now.
|
"Hello comrade, welcome to Mother Russia".
Behind the "Iron Curtain"
9/9/2008 7:11:59 AM - Day 176 - St Petersburg, Russia
The onion domes of the "Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood" in St Petersburg, Russia. Cool name huh?
Getting into Russia was a lot smoother than I had imagined. I took a morning train from Helsinki into St Petersburg (St Petersburg, Russia Review and Travel Information) and from what I gathered from other travelers, the Russian border was a nightmare. However, passing thru for me was a breeze. On the train, it stopped at the Russian border where the Russian customs got on and started collecting passports, the train shortly started back up (I'm talking minutes) and within half an hour I had my passport back and that was that, no nightmare at all. It looks like the Russian border can be a nightmare depending on where you enter and your mode of transport. If you take the express train from Helsinki, chances are you'll have a smooth entrance (at least I did).
As the train passed the first of the border cities I couldn't help but notice that I was now in "Russia". All the Soviet era blocks make that fact quite apparent. I was excited. I had waited a long time in Tallinn to get the chance to enter Russia and now here I was riding a train into one of the most renowned cities in the world, St Petersburg. I didn't really know what to expect. I heard differing stories about safety in Russia, corruption and the friendliness of the locals (along with all the misconceptions about their attitudes towards Americans), but most of these stories were second hand so it was hard to take them for anything but face value. The one thing I was aware of however was the police corruption towards tourists. I read that this was starting to die down a bit, but it widely known amongst the backpackers community that if you travel into Russia make sure to carry a photocopy of your passport on you leaving the original at your hotel/hostel because if a Russian police officer asks for it (which they tend to do quite often of tourists in Russia) you have to give them the original or a copy, and if you give them the original there is a good chance you are going to have to pay a little something to get it back. If you don't have anything, then there is also a good chance you will have to pay a little something to avoid going to the police station. I also read that threatening to call your Embassy when they try these strong arm tactics can sometimes work, but if you don't have your passport or a copy on you then you are pretty much in a no-win situation since by Russian law you always have to be carrying your "papers" on you. Welcome to Russia.
I've been here for a week now and haven't had any problems myself. I always try to keep a low profile and blend in as much as possible with the locals wherever I go. As for the Russians that I personally met, I found them to be quite friendly contrary to stereotypes I hear back home. A lot of people were worried about me going into Russia right now because of the crisis in Georgia and South Ossetia, but like I thought, the average Russian doesn't give a shit that I'm American, at the end of the day it's all politics and they, like most people realize this. After a bit of conversation I told many of them to go visit America and see what it is like over there, and ironically they said they thought it might be dangerous for them to visit America since they were Russian, and that they would be worried about their safety. Funny huh?
St Petersburg itself was a bustling Metropolis that was bristling with energy. Walking around I definitely got a sense that I was in Russia because although it still seemed somewhat European here, you could tell that it was also very Russian by the people's manner and dress, numerous potholes in the sidewalk and occasional Soviet Era monument. I think this makes St Petersburg a great first stop for any trip into Russia. You'll get a good taste of what Russian culture is like, but you won't experience culture shock like you might by starting a trip into Russia at Moscow. I'd have to say that one of the biggest differences however is figuring out the Cyrillic alphabet. Within hours of being here trying to figure out which metro stop was mine, I learned that if I wanted to get around Russia, I was going to have to learn the Cyrillic alphabet. Once you learn it, a lot of words sound pretty familiar once you sound out the letters since the Russian Cyrillic alphabet is very phonetic. I wish I would have known the alphabet when I was looking for my hostel "Nevsky Hostel" (Nevsky Hostel in St Petersburg, Russia Review and Information) since that too ended up taking me forever to find. Another hiccup is the poor customer service that Russians are notorious for. If you meet a Russian out and about at a pub or restaurant, they'll be one of your best friends, however, many times when you meet them at work, watch out because the level of customer service definitely isn't up to par with what is the norm in most Western Countries. This is especially true with government workers. Also, don't expect anyone to speak a lick of English. I didn't find the customer service to be too horrible in St Petersburg, but I heard many firsthand accounts about the nightmares of service in Moscow and Siberia. It looks like I have something to look forward to!
During my stay in St Petersburg I saw and did some pretty cool stuff. I met a cool Dutch guy named Koen who I ended up checking out some of the sites with. He was on the tail end of a 14 month trip of his own, and had just come from the other side of Russia so he had some good tips for me since I was headed in that direction (like dress warm). We checked out a couple of sites, most notably the town of Peterhof which houses one hell of a garden with a ton of fountains along with your typical European styled palace, and we even decided to get a bit of culture in by watching the ballet "Swan Lake" at one of the grand theatres here in the city. I figured what place was better to watch Swan Lake at than in St Petersburg? To be honest, I've never been a ballet person, and wasn't sure how I would like it, Koen was in the same boat so to help ease our introduction into ballet we got one of the best bottles of Vodka we could find (and let me tell you, super high end "Russian Standard" vodka purchased in Russia has few peers) for a little pre-drinking before the show.
The ballet was pretty impressive, and I definitely can appreciate the skill and athleticism involved with the performers, but after seeing Swan Lake I have to say that ballet simply isn't my thing (surprise surprise). I'm glad that I saw it though and it felt good to do something cultural on the trip (I'm always telling myself that I should be going to more plays and the like back home), however every cultural outing needs to be balanced out, so we made sure to hit up the famed Russian nightlife that night with a few other people that we met at the hostel. The clubs in St Petersburg were awesome and Russian people were super friendly! One thing I learned is that you can't get away from a Russian guy who you have befriended at the club without taking a shot of vodka! This can lead to a rough, rough night. Also, Russian women seem to find foreigners such as myself quite interesting, so the night there was definitely a good boost to the ego. A few too many vodka shot though with my new Russian friends led to me making an early exit from the club and walking back home late at night. All in all, it was a good day, visited Peterhof, saw Swan Lake and had a blast partying in the Russian nightlife.
The weather in St Petersburg was generally cold and rainy, always overcast and unwelcoming outside. When the weather did clear up a bit the cafes would be jammed pack with locals drinking pints of beer or talking over coffee as they watched the passersby's. I tried to do my sightseeing on the days that it wasn't pouring rain and it ended up working out. I saw some interesting sites, a cool Kazak Cathedral and a really interesting Russian style church called the "Church of the Savoir of Spilled Blood" that had some magnificent onion domes and was covered from floor to ceiling inside with murals. The coolest place I visited however was the Hermitage. Wow, what an art gallery. The Hermitage had an amazing gallery of paintings, sculptures and artifacts and I spent an entire day there (which isn't enough for true art connoisseurs, but enough for me).
Other than that, I spent some time wandering around the city, meeting fellow travelers, sampling some fun-fucking-tabulous Vodka and getting some work done. My first stop into Russia has proven to be a good introduction into Russian culture and the locals I have met have shattered the stereotype of the "cold" Russian that I once had. They are quite friendly if you don't catch them working (and have a bit of Vodka with you). I'm really looking forward to diving deeper into Russia at my next stop, Moscow.
|
Damn Helsinki is expensive!
Old Friends in New Places
9/1/2008 8:30:54 PM - Day 168 - Helsinki, Finland
Great time in Finland partying with my boy from back home named Cam.
I was excited to go to Helsinki (Helsinki, Finland Travel Review and Information), Finland because I was finally going to see a familiar face. My good friend Cameron "Cam" who I knew from back home in San Diego has been playing football in the American Football League of Finland (who would've guessed they played American Football in Finland). He was recruited by the "Helsinki Wolverines" and from our prior talks said he was having a blast out there. Cam told me that when I came into the area to hit him up so that he could show me around the town.
Getting into Helsinki from Tallinn was easy enough. I caught a high speed ferry from Tallinn that took about a couple of hours to reach Helsinki. I was dropped off right on the edge of the downtown area of Helsinki and it was a short walk to my hotel named "Hotel Anna" (Hotel Anna in Helsinki, Finland Review and Information). One thing about accommodation in Helsinki is that you really need to book ahead. For whatever reason, I checked almost three weeks prior to coming here and most of the hotels/hostels were all fucking booked. I couldn't believe it! Also, it seems that a lot of places shut down at the end of summer. Thanks to this, I had to pay a bit more than I would have liked, but the hotel was nice so it wasn't that big of a deal.
I planned on meeting Cam at his game that was being played at the "Velodrome" of Helsinki. It was his team, the "Helsinki Wolverines" vs. the "Helsinki Roosters". Watching a game of American football overseas was a fucking trip. I saw a bunch of older ex-players walking around in letterman styled jackets for their old team, the crowd of fans was really getting into the game and the players on the field were playing their hearts out. Sure, a couple of plays here and there looked to not make much sense to me, but this was the Finnish Football League and not the NFL. Cam's team won and since it was such a big game, all the fans and players were super excited. All in all it was fun to watch and nice to be able to get good ole' American Football all the way over hear in Finland.
Thanks to the big win, plans were made to party it up that night in Helsinki. I was ready to rock, so Cam and I headed back to his place so that he and some of the other players could get ready. The Wolverine's management set him and some other players that were recruited from overseas up in a decent apartment in what some Fins consider the "rough" part of town. Cam and I laughed about it because the "rough" part of town to the Fins looked like a walk in the park back home. We had some food, Cam and his boys got ready and we were soon on our way to meet up with the rest of the team at a popular bar in Helsinki named "Baker's Square".
The bar itself was pretty nice and coming in, it was one of the first times in my travels that I had seen someone get carded outside of the United States. Like most things in Helsinki, the beers were somewhat expensive, but because of the big win, the owner of the Wolverine's got a huge VIP area with a ton of free booze so we all ended up drinking like champs! The locals were all super nice, the girls were very pretty and the guys were super friendly. One thing that I thought was funny was that the local Fins I met told me that simply being an "American" would really work in my favor over here with the ladies. Looks like Finland is one of the few places in Europe that being an American might actually be a benefit. That, or maybe because from what I heard from Cam and the other foreigners playing Football here in Finland is that Finnish guys generally look at sex in an almost "robotic" manner, only doing it for a short amount of time (5 minutes was the norm that a lot of Finnish girls told Cam) before saying that was enough pleasure for the girl and finishing. Cam said this was why Finnish girls flocked to foreigners. I thought it was all pretty amusing. By the end of the night we were all thrashed and Cam and a bunch of other people from the bar were headed to an after party at his place that he invited me to, but I was pretty drunk and tired at that point so I decided to call it a night and head back to my hotel.
The rest of my time in Finland was spent nursing the crazy hangover I had from partying with Cam, seeing some of the sites around the city (which really isn't much), getting work done, hanging out in my hotel watching a lot of Dragon Ball Z since it was raining so damn much over here, and getting pages added to my passport at the United States consulate. I thought this was a really cool service that my government has for US passport holders. Essentially, when you start running out of pages in your passport for stamps (as I was), you can go to the nearest US Consulate and they will add a bunch of pages to your passport and have it finished for you usually that same day. The cool part is that this is all done for free! They do a really good job too and you can barely tell that extra pages were added to the passport. Now I should be good to go for some time with all the extra pages.
Tomorrow I leave for Russia. Once again, I can feel an "excitement" building up inside of me at the coming departure, something that I rarely feel these days during my travels. Russia is a land of mystery for most of us in the West, and I am really looking forward to seeing just what is on the other side of what was once the "Iron Curtain".
|