Year: 2019
The Decembrists and Their Impact on Irkutsk
Rolling back to our time in Russia…Now for a bit of history. My fuzzy recollection was that the Decembrists were early Russian revolutionaries. What I’d forgotten was how early. (I was never good at memorizing dates.) Their strike for change was in 1825, nearly a century before the violent revolutionary times beginning in 1917. This … Continue reading “The Decembrists and Their Impact on Irkutsk”
We See Takhi Wild Horses in Hustai National Park
We’re in the lovely valley, full of rich herby, floral scent, alert for a sighting. Surrounded by steep hillsides, softened with eons of extremes, it’s green and, due to the lack of trees, the views are endless. We squinted and strained to see two small groups of Takhi. These horses are the only truly wild … Continue reading “We See Takhi Wild Horses in Hustai National Park”
First Night in a Ger
We’re pleasantly surprised! Atlas Obscura, via World Expeditions, our tour company, set our expectations rather low for the country ger (AKA ‘yurt’) accommodations. We were not expecting flush toilets or electrical outlets in our our ger, or cell coverage. But, we are happily checking the day’s email and downloading a smattering of news. Our ger … Continue reading “First Night in a Ger”
Day One in Mongolia
[Updated 14 July 2019] Ulan-Bator (UB) is a bustling city in a pause after strong expansion due to a faded mining boom. There are still hundreds of high rises under construction, but many are paused. It’s not a handsome or affluent city. Modern buildings sprout in the central city, surrounded by aging relics of Soviet … Continue reading “Day One in Mongolia”
Moscow Surprises Us
We really can’t say what we expected in Moscow, but we were amazed and impressed by its energy, modernity and yet its respect for a long and complex history. In the city center are skyscrapers gleaming bright and mirroring one another. Yet just yards away, one can glimpse the ‘seven sisters’ architectural stars from the … Continue reading “Moscow Surprises Us”
The Big Plan and Train Life
Well, we kinda forgot to explain our trip plan. Visiting St. Petersburg and Moscow were just the start. Our real destination is Ulan-Bator, Mongolia, where we have a twelve day tour of Mongolia planned. Connecting those locations, we ride the Trans Siberian Railway, with a few days to feel dwarfed by the gargantuan Lake Baikal … Continue reading “The Big Plan and Train Life”
Travel Support Technology
One of the first things we did on arrival in St. Petersburg was buy SIM cards for our phones. Of three reasonable carrier choices we chose MTC as they had the best national coverage. All the carriers were great bargains compared with AT&T. For $8 we got one month of unlimited data / text and … Continue reading “Travel Support Technology”
Sunday Morning on the TSR
It’s Day Two. That was a bucking bronco of a night train! We’d occasionally wake when the G-forces got extreme. Amazingly, though, we both slept well, even with the rocking of what Fred called a demonic nanny! We awoke near the town of Tyumen, shown on the map above. At our noon stop at Isham, … Continue reading “Sunday Morning on the TSR”
St. Petersburg and Moscow First Impressions
We arrived St. Petersburg in the evening, checked-in to the Corinthia hotel. The above view is from our room at 3am that morning. The standard of living here is quite high. Lots of positive emotions in the crowds of St. Petersburg and even more so in Moscow. People’s day to day lives look busy and … Continue reading “St. Petersburg and Moscow First Impressions”