After the saga of my journey I arrived in Kolkata...
So far (1 1/2 days) I really love the place. It has the bustle of India, including amazing markets but still feels chilled out.
After catching up on my sleep on arrival I went out and about to explore the Kolkata nightlife. It seams to consist of hotel bars, decent but expensive and local bars, full of blokes listening to all girl groups singing live Bengali music! Yes it is as seedy as it sounds....
1st full day I visited the Indian Museum, a crumbling museum with natural history, geology and archaeological exhibits. I was a bit disturbed in the geological gallery to discover a cabinet displaying asbestos... It's fine in it's raw form I though. Next cabinet, asbestos in its processed dust form.... Nice
Next up was the Victoria Memorial a stunning colonial building, the last built in the old Calcutta before the Raj capital moved to New Delhi. It also contained a fascinating museum detailing Calcutta/Kolkata's development over the last 300 years. It also had a really interesting gallery of late 18th early 19th century oil paintings, painted by British artist's who arrived in India with the East India Company. It was the most interesting snapshot of pre colonial India I've seen so far.
Kolkata is a strange mixture of the glory of colonial India and the squaller of modern India. For me though it demonstrated the damage the empire building has caused and continues to cause in this part of the world. Yes I mean you, the USA!!
2nd full day, I've had a wander around the former colonial centre of Kolkata, including St Johns Church built in the 18th century
I've also discovered there is a race meeting at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club on new years day. Hopefully it will make up for missing Cheltenham next year...
Thursday 30 December 2010
Wednesday 29 December 2010
Dust and Fog
So having got Christmas out of the way it was time to hit the trains again.
God knows what made me think that trains in India would be as efficient as China.... My train to Agra was 4 hours late arriving at New Delhi station and then was further delayed by an hour and a half between Delhi and Agra!!! That meant instead of arriving at 18.30 I arrived at 23.30. Try getting a nice hotel at that time! That's right, I didn't.....
But that's all forgotten now. Today I visited the Taj Mahal, although undoubtedly a beautiful building I found it lacked historical context. It seemed to me that most people were just be there for the photo, which I found a bit of a shame.
Anyway to go with the trend here are a couple of pictures...
After the obligatory visit to Agra Fort, which I found very interesting and in much better context, I decided to check on my train booked for that evening....
You probably guessed it, cancelled!!
So after much research in an Internet cafe (where I discovered I'd lost my bank card, another saga) I found out my best option was a train back to Delhi and flight to Calcutta. An agency matched my price including overnight stop in Delhi, so far so good....
Feeling happy again, I Went to watch the sun set over the Taj and then back to agency only to find.... Train delayed by 6 hours!! With risk of flight being missed.
At this point I have to admit I lost my rag! The agency boss after I long row agreed to get me to Delhi airport by car.
So as I write I'm sat in the car on route with fog all around us.... I think I offended the driver when I put on the seatbelt but hey!
...
Just to finish off this post, I made it safely to New Delhi. Spent the whole night in the Airport. And caught my flight to Kolkata with no further problems. (Other than sleep deprivation!)
I'll update you on my Kolkata adventures anon
God knows what made me think that trains in India would be as efficient as China.... My train to Agra was 4 hours late arriving at New Delhi station and then was further delayed by an hour and a half between Delhi and Agra!!! That meant instead of arriving at 18.30 I arrived at 23.30. Try getting a nice hotel at that time! That's right, I didn't.....
But that's all forgotten now. Today I visited the Taj Mahal, although undoubtedly a beautiful building I found it lacked historical context. It seemed to me that most people were just be there for the photo, which I found a bit of a shame.
Anyway to go with the trend here are a couple of pictures...
After the obligatory visit to Agra Fort, which I found very interesting and in much better context, I decided to check on my train booked for that evening....
You probably guessed it, cancelled!!
So after much research in an Internet cafe (where I discovered I'd lost my bank card, another saga) I found out my best option was a train back to Delhi and flight to Calcutta. An agency matched my price including overnight stop in Delhi, so far so good....
Feeling happy again, I Went to watch the sun set over the Taj and then back to agency only to find.... Train delayed by 6 hours!! With risk of flight being missed.
At this point I have to admit I lost my rag! The agency boss after I long row agreed to get me to Delhi airport by car.
So as I write I'm sat in the car on route with fog all around us.... I think I offended the driver when I put on the seatbelt but hey!
...
Just to finish off this post, I made it safely to New Delhi. Spent the whole night in the Airport. And caught my flight to Kolkata with no further problems. (Other than sleep deprivation!)
I'll update you on my Kolkata adventures anon
Saturday 25 December 2010
Friday 24 December 2010
Hurrah
I finally feel better!!!!
To celebrate I went to the cinema last night to watch Tron Legacy. Which I surprised myself by really enjoying (particularly the Daft Punk score)
Today I visited the Indian Parliament district. The buildings themselves were spectacular. I also took in the parliamentary museum and the Nehru museum, as I'm interested in the independence movement.
Keep forgetting it's Christmas Eve so not sure on my plans for tonight yet...
To celebrate I went to the cinema last night to watch Tron Legacy. Which I surprised myself by really enjoying (particularly the Daft Punk score)
Today I visited the Indian Parliament district. The buildings themselves were spectacular. I also took in the parliamentary museum and the Nehru museum, as I'm interested in the independence movement.
Keep forgetting it's Christmas Eve so not sure on my plans for tonight yet...
Wednesday 22 December 2010
Anish Kapoor
Even though I am still ill and as such have been stuck in Delhi, I have been trying to do some stuff the last couple of days.
Yesterday I jumped on the metro and went to have a look at the Commonwealth Games stadium (which was surrounded by a ten foot wall and so impossible to see anything) and then onto the Lotus Temple. A fascinating temple given over to use by all faiths for the own prayer or meditation.
Today after a nice stroll through New Delhi, I visited the National Museum of Modern Art to view the first Indian exhibition of Anish Kapoor's work.
It was superb and also free, which was a pleasant surprise when compared to how much you have to pay to see one of his exhibitions back in the UK.
Here's a quick pic I managed to sneak in....
Yesterday I jumped on the metro and went to have a look at the Commonwealth Games stadium (which was surrounded by a ten foot wall and so impossible to see anything) and then onto the Lotus Temple. A fascinating temple given over to use by all faiths for the own prayer or meditation.
Today after a nice stroll through New Delhi, I visited the National Museum of Modern Art to view the first Indian exhibition of Anish Kapoor's work.
It was superb and also free, which was a pleasant surprise when compared to how much you have to pay to see one of his exhibitions back in the UK.
Here's a quick pic I managed to sneak in....
Monday 20 December 2010
Sunday 19 December 2010
India
After a fairly simple flight from Kathmandu to Delhi and a (surprisingly easy) taxi ride to my hotel I arrived in Delhi. I decided to stay in the cheap pahaganj area between New and Old Delhi. I should have known thing we're never going to turn out easy though...
On arrival I went for a meal at a restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet and then a few beers, so far so good. That night it all went wrong as I woke up feeling as sick as a dog and had to spend the whole of Saturday in bed!! Today (after a trip to buy some antibiotics) I have been at least feeling like I could leave the hotel.
After all of these troubles Ive had a pretty sucessful day. I booked the train tickets for the next part of my trip, 3 days in Jodhpur returning to Delhi for Christmas. I managed to get my iPhone fixed and then visited the National Museum.
Tonight I'm going to take it easy so I can enjoy my day in Delhi tomorrow before catching the train in the evening
On arrival I went for a meal at a restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet and then a few beers, so far so good. That night it all went wrong as I woke up feeling as sick as a dog and had to spend the whole of Saturday in bed!! Today (after a trip to buy some antibiotics) I have been at least feeling like I could leave the hotel.
After all of these troubles Ive had a pretty sucessful day. I booked the train tickets for the next part of my trip, 3 days in Jodhpur returning to Delhi for Christmas. I managed to get my iPhone fixed and then visited the National Museum.
Tonight I'm going to take it easy so I can enjoy my day in Delhi tomorrow before catching the train in the evening
Wednesday 15 December 2010
The last few days
The last week has been a pretty busy one really
On Saturday and Sunday I went off white water rafting which was a great laugh. Certainly something I will look to do again and on a bright note I even managed to get through the two days without falling out of the raft!!
Since then I've been back in Kathmandu, although I took the decision to hire a mountain bike for a few days to get out and explore the suburbs, which has certainly been interesting.
I hope everybody is enjoying the festive season!! I'm certainly feeling a lack of turkey roasts :o(
On Saturday and Sunday I went off white water rafting which was a great laugh. Certainly something I will look to do again and on a bright note I even managed to get through the two days without falling out of the raft!!
Since then I've been back in Kathmandu, although I took the decision to hire a mountain bike for a few days to get out and explore the suburbs, which has certainly been interesting.
I hope everybody is enjoying the festive season!! I'm certainly feeling a lack of turkey roasts :o(
Wednesday 8 December 2010
Kathmandu 2
The last couple of day have been pretty relaxing chilling out in Kathmandu.
Yesterday I went and sat in a Edwardian style English walled garden sat just of the crazy main road. I was amazing how peaceful it was.
Next door was a colonial style building housing the Kathmandu Library. I was one of the strangest libraries I've ever seen. Complete with stuffed animals, suits of armour and ancient globes! The books were all dated from pre 1950 and included mostly British military and political history! I did find a dictionary of sport from 1930 that had an entry for Spurs though so I was happy...
I've booked a two day rafting trip in a couple of days so I'm going to stay in Kathmandu until then, before flying onto Delhi for Christmas...
Yesterday I went and sat in a Edwardian style English walled garden sat just of the crazy main road. I was amazing how peaceful it was.
Next door was a colonial style building housing the Kathmandu Library. I was one of the strangest libraries I've ever seen. Complete with stuffed animals, suits of armour and ancient globes! The books were all dated from pre 1950 and included mostly British military and political history! I did find a dictionary of sport from 1930 that had an entry for Spurs though so I was happy...
I've booked a two day rafting trip in a couple of days so I'm going to stay in Kathmandu until then, before flying onto Delhi for Christmas...
Tuesday 7 December 2010
Pictures
The first batch of pictures are now up. The address is: http://picasaweb.google.com/tumbridge
Monday 6 December 2010
Kathmandu
31 today and I don't feel a day over 30!!
I treated myself yesterday by buying a guitar (30 quid) and attending a football match in the British Gurkha Cup at the Nepal national stadium (90p for two matches) today I will be mostly chilling out!
Anyway back to the travels:
Kathmandu is a crazy busy city, its certainly a different experience compared with Tibet! The main tourist of town (Thamel) is full of shops, bars and restaurants aiming at westerners. But if you walk 10 minutes away from this area you don't see a western face. Very strange how people visit a place then never try to actually see it!
Later today I'm going to head own to the old part of Kathmandu to see the mixture of original Buddhist and Hindu temples.
Further plans for Nepal include 3 days rafting and a short trek.... If I can tare myself away from Kathmandu!!
I treated myself yesterday by buying a guitar (30 quid) and attending a football match in the British Gurkha Cup at the Nepal national stadium (90p for two matches) today I will be mostly chilling out!
Anyway back to the travels:
Kathmandu is a crazy busy city, its certainly a different experience compared with Tibet! The main tourist of town (Thamel) is full of shops, bars and restaurants aiming at westerners. But if you walk 10 minutes away from this area you don't see a western face. Very strange how people visit a place then never try to actually see it!
Later today I'm going to head own to the old part of Kathmandu to see the mixture of original Buddhist and Hindu temples.
Further plans for Nepal include 3 days rafting and a short trek.... If I can tare myself away from Kathmandu!!
Saturday 4 December 2010
Xining and Tibet
This will be a long post as I am going to continue to write it until my access to my blog is back.
So since watching the glorious victory by the mighty Spurs in Xi'an, I've moved onto Xining a city on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau.
Xining is pretty typical of a Chinese town although the population is a mixture of Muslim, Han Chinese and Tibetans.
My main reason for visiting Xining was to arrange a Tibetan tour. Luckily I managed to sort that on my first day, as a couple I met were planing on an identical tour to mine so I'm going to tag along (making it cheaper for everyone).
With my main objective accomplished I've had a bit of time to explore Xining. Although it doesn't have a huge amount of sights I've enjoyed the place. The Tibetan and food markets have made the stay worthwhile on there own.
....
There are two Buddhist monastery's near Xining. We were advised by locals to visit the less well known one, which is still a working monastery rather than a museum. It was well worth the trip with the various temples set into the mountains. The first of what I'm sure will be many monasteries I'll visit in the next few days...
The visit to the birthplace of the Dalai Lama was a bit of a disappointment, as when we arrived were weren't allowed in. That said the journey through the mountains was spectacular. He was certainly born in a pretty place!
....
Now onto Tibet. The train is one of the nicest I've been on so far on the trip. Lucky really as it's my home for the next 30 hours!!
(added at 03.18am)
I am now very high up:
Its has given me a headache so when I should be asleep I'm lying awake listening to the Smiths.
The train peaks at an altitude of 5072m apparently! Something to look forward to
....
A quick response to mostly self imposed criticism of my decision to go to Tibet.
Firstly, the Dalai Lama himself has encouraged people to visit Tibet, as he believes it is the best way to ensure Tibet's unique culture is preserved as the Han continue to flock in.
Secondly, like most responsible travellers, I have gone out of my way to ensure that the tour company, tour guides, and all restaurants I have used in Tibet are owned and run by actual Tibetans so I can be sure my money is getting to those that need it most!
Ok rant over...
That said I have found Lhasa a strange place so far. It is an amazing mix of medieval and modern. It is certainly very oppressive with armed Chinese solders on every street corner! Political discussion is a big no no.
....
Today on the first proper day of our trip we visited the Jokhang Temple and Sera Monastery. Both were amazing primarily because they are still working temples in-spite of the controlling Chinese. Certainly a very moving and spiritual experience.
....
Tonight I went into a bar in Tibet and played my entire acoustic guitar set (4 songs) to a bunch of locals! What a buzz!!!
....
Today was a trip to the Potela palace, although spectacular it felt dead with the Chinese guards everywhere.
That said we were to see first hand the repression of the Tibetan people when we attended a big religious festival in the main square outside the Jokhang Temple. I'm not joking when I say than armed police and solders outnumbered the pilgrims by 10 to 1 and there were a lot of pilgrims! It was still well worth attending though to see religion in action.
....
Today was the first day in our Land Cruiser on route to Nepal. We stopped today at several magnificent scenic spots.
The afternoon was spent at a famous buddhist monastery. It was probably the mist interesting monastery so far as it was full of monks and pilgrims preying as part of the festival I mentioned previously.
Tonight the monks perform a special ceremony.
....
Ok so after a day of two more (admittedly interesting) monasteries we got our first sighting of Mount Everest, just as the sun was setting! An unforgettable experience.
We then spent the night in a great Tibetan hotel. Although it had no heating and on a couple of hours of electricity, the cafe area was heated by a traditional yak dung stove which was more than cosy. We then whiled away the evening playing cards.
....
We've made a brief stop in Old Tingri at the foot of the Himalayas.
....
Ok last few days in Tibet were a bit special as the scenery turned from dusty desert to lush green valleys. I'll update the remainder later!!
After 11 days JT returns!!
So since watching the glorious victory by the mighty Spurs in Xi'an, I've moved onto Xining a city on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau.
Xining is pretty typical of a Chinese town although the population is a mixture of Muslim, Han Chinese and Tibetans.
My main reason for visiting Xining was to arrange a Tibetan tour. Luckily I managed to sort that on my first day, as a couple I met were planing on an identical tour to mine so I'm going to tag along (making it cheaper for everyone).
With my main objective accomplished I've had a bit of time to explore Xining. Although it doesn't have a huge amount of sights I've enjoyed the place. The Tibetan and food markets have made the stay worthwhile on there own.
....
There are two Buddhist monastery's near Xining. We were advised by locals to visit the less well known one, which is still a working monastery rather than a museum. It was well worth the trip with the various temples set into the mountains. The first of what I'm sure will be many monasteries I'll visit in the next few days...
The visit to the birthplace of the Dalai Lama was a bit of a disappointment, as when we arrived were weren't allowed in. That said the journey through the mountains was spectacular. He was certainly born in a pretty place!
....
Now onto Tibet. The train is one of the nicest I've been on so far on the trip. Lucky really as it's my home for the next 30 hours!!
(added at 03.18am)
I am now very high up:
Its has given me a headache so when I should be asleep I'm lying awake listening to the Smiths.
The train peaks at an altitude of 5072m apparently! Something to look forward to
....
A quick response to mostly self imposed criticism of my decision to go to Tibet.
Firstly, the Dalai Lama himself has encouraged people to visit Tibet, as he believes it is the best way to ensure Tibet's unique culture is preserved as the Han continue to flock in.
Secondly, like most responsible travellers, I have gone out of my way to ensure that the tour company, tour guides, and all restaurants I have used in Tibet are owned and run by actual Tibetans so I can be sure my money is getting to those that need it most!
Ok rant over...
That said I have found Lhasa a strange place so far. It is an amazing mix of medieval and modern. It is certainly very oppressive with armed Chinese solders on every street corner! Political discussion is a big no no.
....
Today on the first proper day of our trip we visited the Jokhang Temple and Sera Monastery. Both were amazing primarily because they are still working temples in-spite of the controlling Chinese. Certainly a very moving and spiritual experience.
....
Tonight I went into a bar in Tibet and played my entire acoustic guitar set (4 songs) to a bunch of locals! What a buzz!!!
....
Today was a trip to the Potela palace, although spectacular it felt dead with the Chinese guards everywhere.
That said we were to see first hand the repression of the Tibetan people when we attended a big religious festival in the main square outside the Jokhang Temple. I'm not joking when I say than armed police and solders outnumbered the pilgrims by 10 to 1 and there were a lot of pilgrims! It was still well worth attending though to see religion in action.
....
Today was the first day in our Land Cruiser on route to Nepal. We stopped today at several magnificent scenic spots.
The afternoon was spent at a famous buddhist monastery. It was probably the mist interesting monastery so far as it was full of monks and pilgrims preying as part of the festival I mentioned previously.
Tonight the monks perform a special ceremony.
....
Ok so after a day of two more (admittedly interesting) monasteries we got our first sighting of Mount Everest, just as the sun was setting! An unforgettable experience.
We then spent the night in a great Tibetan hotel. Although it had no heating and on a couple of hours of electricity, the cafe area was heated by a traditional yak dung stove which was more than cosy. We then whiled away the evening playing cards.
....
We've made a brief stop in Old Tingri at the foot of the Himalayas.
....
Ok last few days in Tibet were a bit special as the scenery turned from dusty desert to lush green valleys. I'll update the remainder later!!
After 11 days JT returns!!
Tuesday 23 November 2010
No more from China
I can't access blog any more while I am in China. Going to Tibet for 8 days on 27th November, reach Nepal on 4th Dec (2 days before my birthday!!!!!).
See you on the other side!!!!
See you on the other side!!!!
Sunday 21 November 2010
Terracotta Warriors
I quick update with a few pics from the Terracotta Warriors:
It was amazing:
Now off to find a pub to watch the North London Derby
COYS
Could manage to post that before the match but here is me in the bar street Xian after the match (taken by a Gooner..)
It was amazing:
Now off to find a pub to watch the North London Derby
COYS
Could manage to post that before the match but here is me in the bar street Xian after the match (taken by a Gooner..)
Friday 19 November 2010
Xian
This morning I arrived in Xian.
My last couple of days in Beijing were pleasant involving wandering about and chilling out. The last night was a bit crazy as I went drinking with the owner of a Beijing Irish bar and his mates which led to a hungover train journey to Xian.
The train ride itself was fine, I went hard sleeper this time (as opposed to soft sleeper in Russia). Hard sleeper meant that I was in a six bed open compartment with three levels of bunks. I was on the top bunk which gave me about two foot of headroom I.e. None!! The journey took 12 hours, I slept through most of it.
Tomorrow I'm booked on a tour to see the Terracotta Warriors....
My last couple of days in Beijing were pleasant involving wandering about and chilling out. The last night was a bit crazy as I went drinking with the owner of a Beijing Irish bar and his mates which led to a hungover train journey to Xian.
The train ride itself was fine, I went hard sleeper this time (as opposed to soft sleeper in Russia). Hard sleeper meant that I was in a six bed open compartment with three levels of bunks. I was on the top bunk which gave me about two foot of headroom I.e. None!! The journey took 12 hours, I slept through most of it.
Tomorrow I'm booked on a tour to see the Terracotta Warriors....
Tuesday 16 November 2010
Touristy stuff
I've spent the last couple of days in Beijing on the tourist trail.
Yesterday I went for an explore of old Beijing by foot. It was really nice to wonder down the hutong alleys and get a taste of the real place.
Today I went to the summer palace and gardens. Based around a huge lake, these parklands and temples were probably the nicest I've seen in Beijing. Here a few pics:
On another note Mike and Pete have headed off to Shanghai. With me going on to Xi'an its the end of our two week adventures. It's been a blast, all the best guys!!! Watch out for them pesky taxi drivers....
Yesterday I went for an explore of old Beijing by foot. It was really nice to wonder down the hutong alleys and get a taste of the real place.
Today I went to the summer palace and gardens. Based around a huge lake, these parklands and temples were probably the nicest I've seen in Beijing. Here a few pics:
On another note Mike and Pete have headed off to Shanghai. With me going on to Xi'an its the end of our two week adventures. It's been a blast, all the best guys!!! Watch out for them pesky taxi drivers....
Sunday 14 November 2010
The Great Wall
Today we went on a tour to the Jinshanling stretch of the Great Wall of China. It was a 3 hour drive and meant a 5.30am start, but was well worth it.
Jinshanling is one of the less touristy parts of the wall and also one of the most authentic as little restoration has been done so far.
The walk along the wall itself was tough going, I considered it practice for the Himalayas. The views from the higher towers made it worth the climb though:
Anyway I'll leave you with a few pictures:
Even with a dodgy iPhone camera you certainly get the idea!!
Jinshanling is one of the less touristy parts of the wall and also one of the most authentic as little restoration has been done so far.
The walk along the wall itself was tough going, I considered it practice for the Himalayas. The views from the higher towers made it worth the climb though:
Anyway I'll leave you with a few pictures:
Even with a dodgy iPhone camera you certainly get the idea!!
Saturday 13 November 2010
More Beijing
Time for a quick update on my doings in Beijing since we last spoke...
I started off by visiting the Forbidden City. Although it was amazing to see, I was a little bit disappointed that Roger Moore wasn't doing the audio guide commentary as promised in the Lonely Planet!! That said it was really interesting and certainly huge! I ran out of time walking around so missed the treasures :o(
I also happened to be leaving as the sun set and the Chinese Army marched across Tainanmen Square and lower the Chinese Flag. Which reminds me, it was weird at the start of the week to see the Union Flag flying alongside the Chinese flag from all the government buildings when Cameron was in Beijing! Anyway I digress....
A trip to Beijing zoo was worthwhile for seeing the Pandas. It was certainly a depressing zoo though with, in particular, the Lions, Tigers and Elephants in tiny cages. It reminded me of London Zoo when I last went in the late 80's before the new animal cruelty standards came in.
Last night was again a night out clubbing and again it was expensive, full of westerners and okay, no better. It was call Vics though which I found funny... As it's my Sisters name)
Today started in the afternoon so I thought it would be a wasted day but we actually managed to achieve a lot. We stared off by visiting the Temple of Heaven Park which was really peaceful with some stunning temples and lovely grounds.
The lads I'm with had always planned to go and see a Chinese Acrobat show. This wasn't really something I was worried about but but I went along anyway. I was really glad I did, I was blown away! It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. In my life not just on my travels! I can't really explain how great it was. Have a look at their website to get an idea:
http://www.tianqiaoacrobatictheater.com/
We topped of the day by going to a local restaurant for some Peking Duck... Great day
Tomorrow we've got an early (5.30am) start for a trip to the great wall, so no staying up for the footy for me (not that I'd be able to watch it anyway)
So all that's left to say is COYS
Hopefully some pictures from the wall tomorrow...
I started off by visiting the Forbidden City. Although it was amazing to see, I was a little bit disappointed that Roger Moore wasn't doing the audio guide commentary as promised in the Lonely Planet!! That said it was really interesting and certainly huge! I ran out of time walking around so missed the treasures :o(
I also happened to be leaving as the sun set and the Chinese Army marched across Tainanmen Square and lower the Chinese Flag. Which reminds me, it was weird at the start of the week to see the Union Flag flying alongside the Chinese flag from all the government buildings when Cameron was in Beijing! Anyway I digress....
A trip to Beijing zoo was worthwhile for seeing the Pandas. It was certainly a depressing zoo though with, in particular, the Lions, Tigers and Elephants in tiny cages. It reminded me of London Zoo when I last went in the late 80's before the new animal cruelty standards came in.
Last night was again a night out clubbing and again it was expensive, full of westerners and okay, no better. It was call Vics though which I found funny... As it's my Sisters name)
Today started in the afternoon so I thought it would be a wasted day but we actually managed to achieve a lot. We stared off by visiting the Temple of Heaven Park which was really peaceful with some stunning temples and lovely grounds.
The lads I'm with had always planned to go and see a Chinese Acrobat show. This wasn't really something I was worried about but but I went along anyway. I was really glad I did, I was blown away! It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. In my life not just on my travels! I can't really explain how great it was. Have a look at their website to get an idea:
http://www.tianqiaoacrobatictheater.com/
We topped of the day by going to a local restaurant for some Peking Duck... Great day
Tomorrow we've got an early (5.30am) start for a trip to the great wall, so no staying up for the footy for me (not that I'd be able to watch it anyway)
So all that's left to say is COYS
Hopefully some pictures from the wall tomorrow...
Thursday 11 November 2010
Birdsnest
I've "borrowed" a VPN connection so I'm back for the time being.
Quick pics from the last blog:
Birdsnest stadium:
Quick pics from the last blog:
Birdsnest stadium:
Beijing
A quick update as I've managed to get on a computer that bypasses the Chinese block on social networking...
Beijing is a great city. It combines a modern capital with the bustle of an Asian city, or so I'm led to believe anyway, I'll confirm when I've been to another Asian city :o)
It's been pretty busy since I arrived which is all good.
The first night after we arrived we again hooked up with a load of the guys we stayed in Mongolia with and went out to few bars and a club called Mix. It was western style and played charty RnB... in spite of that it was a good night!!
The next day we (Me, Mike and Pete that is) went to the Olympic park and had a look around the Birdsnest Stadium and the Water Cube. We were a bit disappointed that we couldn't go for a swim but was well worth the trip. Not so sure about the absolutely packed metro system though!!
Yesterday we went on a trip around the markets, this turned into a bit of an ordeal with much excessive haggling, but in the end I brought a China national football shirt for 5 quid. Why I hear you ask? China are playing a friendly match in Beijing next Wednesday against Latvia and I'm hopefully going to go along....
Then on to Xi'an
Beijing is a great city. It combines a modern capital with the bustle of an Asian city, or so I'm led to believe anyway, I'll confirm when I've been to another Asian city :o)
It's been pretty busy since I arrived which is all good.
The first night after we arrived we again hooked up with a load of the guys we stayed in Mongolia with and went out to few bars and a club called Mix. It was western style and played charty RnB... in spite of that it was a good night!!
The next day we (Me, Mike and Pete that is) went to the Olympic park and had a look around the Birdsnest Stadium and the Water Cube. We were a bit disappointed that we couldn't go for a swim but was well worth the trip. Not so sure about the absolutely packed metro system though!!
Yesterday we went on a trip around the markets, this turned into a bit of an ordeal with much excessive haggling, but in the end I brought a China national football shirt for 5 quid. Why I hear you ask? China are playing a friendly match in Beijing next Wednesday against Latvia and I'm hopefully going to go along....
Then on to Xi'an
Tuesday 9 November 2010
Banned!!!
Just realised that Blogger, facebook and twitter are all blocked in China so none of my Blog updates have been getting through! As such there is unlikely to be anymore updates until I leave China for Nepal in a month or so!!
See you on the other side....
Friday 5 November 2010
Playing cards in a Ger..
So this has been my home for the last two nights
It's been a chilled out couple of days but not exactly activity filled...
Mongolia is great, the Golden Gobi hostel has a real traveller vibe, with everyone sat around having a drink, playing or listening to some music. Makes a real change from Russia.
So far before the trip I had a good explore of Ulaanbaator visiting the only Buddhist monastery to survive the 1930 soviet cull. It was worth seeing for it's 26 meter Buddha statue alone!
That evening I got up at 3.45 to watch the Spurs v Inter game, which was well worth it!! What a amazing result!!!
So far the trip has not been great, that said we played a lot of shithead last night.. I pretty much maintained my winning streak!!
Hopefully by the time I can post this we will have actually done some horse riding....
So to update, in the end we got a grand total of 1.5 hours of our 4 hours horse riding. Oh well, the place is stunning though! This is the view taking this morning after I climbed up tot the top of a nearby rock formation:
Tonight we're planning on a night out at the only major club in Ulaanbaator. Should be fun...
JT out
It's been a chilled out couple of days but not exactly activity filled...
Mongolia is great, the Golden Gobi hostel has a real traveller vibe, with everyone sat around having a drink, playing or listening to some music. Makes a real change from Russia.
So far before the trip I had a good explore of Ulaanbaator visiting the only Buddhist monastery to survive the 1930 soviet cull. It was worth seeing for it's 26 meter Buddha statue alone!
That evening I got up at 3.45 to watch the Spurs v Inter game, which was well worth it!! What a amazing result!!!
So far the trip has not been great, that said we played a lot of shithead last night.. I pretty much maintained my winning streak!!
Hopefully by the time I can post this we will have actually done some horse riding....
So to update, in the end we got a grand total of 1.5 hours of our 4 hours horse riding. Oh well, the place is stunning though! This is the view taking this morning after I climbed up tot the top of a nearby rock formation:
Tonight we're planning on a night out at the only major club in Ulaanbaator. Should be fun...
JT out
Tuesday 2 November 2010
Prohabition!!
Last night we discovered that on the 1st of each month you can't by booze in Mongolia!! After recovering from the shock we persuaded a local restaurant to sell us some, crisis over. Spent the evening in the hostel chatting with the other guys staying there and listening to some guitar.
Today I spent the day walking around Ulaanbaator visited the monastery with the 26 meter Buddha, very impressive it was to!! Sorry no pictures, not aloud unless you bribed the guard for $5.... which I thought was not really right.
I then went for a wonder to have a look at the Mongolian national stadium, where I watched some amazing archers practicing!
Time to chill out for the rest of the day to get myself ready for the footy tonight
COYS!!!!
Today I spent the day walking around Ulaanbaator visited the monastery with the 26 meter Buddha, very impressive it was to!! Sorry no pictures, not aloud unless you bribed the guard for $5.... which I thought was not really right.
I then went for a wonder to have a look at the Mongolian national stadium, where I watched some amazing archers practicing!
Time to chill out for the rest of the day to get myself ready for the footy tonight
COYS!!!!
Monday 1 November 2010
Ulaanbaator
So after 2 weeks without seeing a sole other than Russians. I'm back in a full travellers hostel, which is a really nice change. Hopefully go out for a beer tonight without having to sit on my own getting strange looks (not that that ever stops me!)
Also nice to finally be in a cheap country, only $5 per night for a room $1 for a good meal.
Booked onto a tour staying two nights in a ger camp including horse riding (not sure how I'll get on with that) along with other activities.
The hostel I'm staying at is great, really friendly and more importantly will have the Spurs v Inter game on one of their channels! It's not kicking off until 3.45am Wednesday morning which will make the 9am start for the tour a bit tough!! (obviously won't stop me watching though)
I thinking going to enjoy Mongolia...
Also nice to finally be in a cheap country, only $5 per night for a room $1 for a good meal.
Booked onto a tour staying two nights in a ger camp including horse riding (not sure how I'll get on with that) along with other activities.
The hostel I'm staying at is great, really friendly and more importantly will have the Spurs v Inter game on one of their channels! It's not kicking off until 3.45am Wednesday morning which will make the 9am start for the tour a bit tough!! (obviously won't stop me watching though)
I thinking going to enjoy Mongolia...
Sunday 31 October 2010
Lake Baikal, Ulan Ude and boarder crossing
Sat on the train as I write this looking out over an endless pine forest, with a light covering of snow. Spectacular!
(Rubbish picture from the train)
Any minute now the first sight of the great lake...
Again rubbish train pic
The lake is reflecting the sun, obviously...
And an hour and a half later here's the lake in it's full glory.
And many hour after that crossing the River Selenga shortly before arriving at Ulan Ude for my last night in Russia (boarder crossing permitting)
See you joined me for my entire 7 and a half hour journey!
JT out.
Ok so no wi-fi access in Ulan Ude at all so I'll just keep going with this entry....
Ulan Ude was just one evening, but met a couple of cool guys from home and went for a beer, hopefully going to catch up for the footy in Ulaanbaator!
I took the slow train to Mongolia, so a 24 hour trip most of which was spent at boarder controls.
So just arrived in Ulaanbaator its 7.30am time for some kip!!!
(Rubbish picture from the train)
Any minute now the first sight of the great lake...
Again rubbish train pic
The lake is reflecting the sun, obviously...
And an hour and a half later here's the lake in it's full glory.
And many hour after that crossing the River Selenga shortly before arriving at Ulan Ude for my last night in Russia (boarder crossing permitting)
See you joined me for my entire 7 and a half hour journey!
JT out.
Ok so no wi-fi access in Ulan Ude at all so I'll just keep going with this entry....
Ulan Ude was just one evening, but met a couple of cool guys from home and went for a beer, hopefully going to catch up for the footy in Ulaanbaator!
I took the slow train to Mongolia, so a 24 hour trip most of which was spent at boarder controls.
So just arrived in Ulaanbaator its 7.30am time for some kip!!!
Friday 29 October 2010
Irkutsk
So Irkutsk... Nice hostel and my third visiting to a football stadium (my new obsession!!). Its a nice enough place buy I'm not too bothered that I'm only here for one night though. Seems a typical Siberian town to me.
It's a shame I haven't got time to go for a trip up to Lake Baikal. I'll get to see plenty of it tomorrow though. as my train journey (7 hours to Ulan Ude, during the day this time) spends most of the time skirting around the lake.
Interesting Lake Baikal facts: 1. 80% of the flora and fauna around the lake is unique. 2. It contains one fifth(!!) of the worlds entire unfrozen fresh water. 3. It will eventually become the earths fifth ocean splitting the Asian continent.
It's a shame I haven't got time to go for a trip up to Lake Baikal. I'll get to see plenty of it tomorrow though. as my train journey (7 hours to Ulan Ude, during the day this time) spends most of the time skirting around the lake.
Interesting Lake Baikal facts: 1. 80% of the flora and fauna around the lake is unique. 2. It contains one fifth(!!) of the worlds entire unfrozen fresh water. 3. It will eventually become the earths fifth ocean splitting the Asian continent.
Wednesday 27 October 2010
Finally some sleep...
My journey from Novosibirsk to Krasnoyarsk was a 12 hour trip (including crossing another time zone) which allowed me to catch up with my sleep and in the morning gaze out on a snowy Siberian landscape:
This is a bit of a first as the Siberian weather has been so nice that I've not seen a hint of snow!!
Again it took me four attempts to find a hotel. I don't think they like the hassle of having to register a foreign guest!! Luckily the place a found this time is only £15 for the night so it's the cheapest non hostel so far!
Krasnoyarsk is a nice enough Siberian city with plenty of bars (always a priority) but the most bizarre thing about it so far is that on the main street through the town there are speakers piping out easy listening music at high volume... It would drive me crazy if I was on my way to work!!
Anyway back to my beer....
This is a bit of a first as the Siberian weather has been so nice that I've not seen a hint of snow!!
Again it took me four attempts to find a hotel. I don't think they like the hassle of having to register a foreign guest!! Luckily the place a found this time is only £15 for the night so it's the cheapest non hostel so far!
Krasnoyarsk is a nice enough Siberian city with plenty of bars (always a priority) but the most bizarre thing about it so far is that on the main street through the town there are speakers piping out easy listening music at high volume... It would drive me crazy if I was on my way to work!!
Anyway back to my beer....
Tuesday 26 October 2010
Sleep depravation and Novosibirsk
I thought when planning my Trans-Mongolian stops it would make sense to stop off in the odd place for the day and travel at night to avoid accommodation costs, sounds logical. Well I've gone on enough about my Kirov 20 hour mistake, but today it has dawned on me that the main problem has been that I'm only on the train for 7 hours at a time, meaning on those nights I only get about 5 hours broken sleep. When you follow that by 12 hours in a place on my feet no wonder I'm knackered all the time!!!
I'd also be interested to know if anyone else who's done the Trans-Mongolian stopped off in any of the places I have. I can't believe I'm the only traveller following this route in October! But I haven't met anyone other than (admittedly nice) Russians.
Anyway Novosibirsk.... It has lots of big squares and a top flight Russian football team and er....a big theatre...
I managed to sneak into the stadium to have a snoop about It is what i would call a classic Soviet style stadium. I reckon it was about 15,000 capacity with a running track around the middle and only had seating on 3 sides with the 4th side being a monument / scoreboard / place for dignitaries to sit and be seen. Well I found it interesting anyway....
My train to Krasnoyarsk leaves in 5 hours which I intend to spend in this bar drinking very slowly....
I'd also be interested to know if anyone else who's done the Trans-Mongolian stopped off in any of the places I have. I can't believe I'm the only traveller following this route in October! But I haven't met anyone other than (admittedly nice) Russians.
Anyway Novosibirsk.... It has lots of big squares and a top flight Russian football team and er....a big theatre...
I managed to sneak into the stadium to have a snoop about It is what i would call a classic Soviet style stadium. I reckon it was about 15,000 capacity with a running track around the middle and only had seating on 3 sides with the 4th side being a monument / scoreboard / place for dignitaries to sit and be seen. Well I found it interesting anyway....
My train to Krasnoyarsk leaves in 5 hours which I intend to spend in this bar drinking very slowly....
Monday 25 October 2010
Anne Frank and Angry Birds
Today I have mostly been sitting in the Siberian sun reading my book and playing Angry Birds Halloween edition.
I managed to see the footy last night, typical lucky Gooners!!
As I said yesterday Omsk is nice but not really much else to report other than the weather is great and that there a A LOT of statues of Lenin!!
I managed to see the footy last night, typical lucky Gooners!!
As I said yesterday Omsk is nice but not really much else to report other than the weather is great and that there a A LOT of statues of Lenin!!
Sunday 24 October 2010
Omsk
I seem to have settled into a bit of a routine now on the Trans-Mongolian. Catch train in the evening > arrive am and find cheapest possible place to stay (usually a hotel as no hostels) > sleep for a couple of hours > wonder round to find food >
return to hotel and chill (maybe a bag if one nearby) > sleep > get up and check out > explore sites of said city > head to station > couple of beers > catch train > repeat.
Not that it's a bad routine! I am looking forward to reaching the tourist areas again though so I can meet up with some fellow travellers. I haven't seen a sole other than Russians for days (not that that should be a surprise!!).
So Omsk... Is a really nice place the hotel room I've got has a lovely river view and the attached bar/bowling alley downstairs has free wi-fi.
Spoke to Sacha earlier on skype which was cool if anyone else wants to skype me my user id is JT-Spurs. It's nice to be able to communicate for a bit!!
For my train journey a couple of nights ago I had the whole compartment to myself here is a pic so you can get the idea of my nightly sleeping quarters:
Here's one for Matt if he's reading... I found a dartboard!!
Laters....
return to hotel and chill (maybe a bag if one nearby) > sleep > get up and check out > explore sites of said city > head to station > couple of beers > catch train > repeat.
Not that it's a bad routine! I am looking forward to reaching the tourist areas again though so I can meet up with some fellow travellers. I haven't seen a sole other than Russians for days (not that that should be a surprise!!).
So Omsk... Is a really nice place the hotel room I've got has a lovely river view and the attached bar/bowling alley downstairs has free wi-fi.
Spoke to Sacha earlier on skype which was cool if anyone else wants to skype me my user id is JT-Spurs. It's nice to be able to communicate for a bit!!
For my train journey a couple of nights ago I had the whole compartment to myself here is a pic so you can get the idea of my nightly sleeping quarters:
Here's one for Matt if he's reading... I found a dartboard!!
Laters....
Saturday 23 October 2010
Irish Bar and U2
To be honest i haven't updated the old blog because Tyumen has not really been particularly interesting.
I spent most of my day today wondering around waiting for the football to kick off, which I knew was being shown on Russian TV.
I did learn while in Tyumen that the likely Glastonbury headliners next year will be U2, Coldplay and Prince.
Now normally this wouldn't bother me in the slightest but.... I've always wanted to see Prince and to honest have never made any secret of my love of Coldplay.
So I found an Irish bar to watch the match (in which I think we were unlucky but on the other hand desperately miss a cutting edge striker...)
Once the football finished a band came on who among other numbers played both Coldplay and Prince. Just when I thought they couldn't rub it in anymore the music channel, put on once the band had finished, had a U2 night. Just showing how great they are live :o(
Roll on Glasto 2013....
I spent most of my day today wondering around waiting for the football to kick off, which I knew was being shown on Russian TV.
I did learn while in Tyumen that the likely Glastonbury headliners next year will be U2, Coldplay and Prince.
Now normally this wouldn't bother me in the slightest but.... I've always wanted to see Prince and to honest have never made any secret of my love of Coldplay.
So I found an Irish bar to watch the match (in which I think we were unlucky but on the other hand desperately miss a cutting edge striker...)
Once the football finished a band came on who among other numbers played both Coldplay and Prince. Just when I thought they couldn't rub it in anymore the music channel, put on once the band had finished, had a U2 night. Just showing how great they are live :o(
Roll on Glasto 2013....
Thursday 21 October 2010
The Romanov's
On my wonderings I just visited the point where the last Tsar Nicolas II and his family (of 7 plus their staff) we're executed by the Bolshevik's.
The house itself was demolished in 1975 and this wooden chapel built in it's place
It us also now the site of two modern cathedrals.
The Tsar and his family have since been canonised by the Russian Orthodox church and so the site is a holy place for Russians.
There you go a bit of a history lesson!!
The house itself was demolished in 1975 and this wooden chapel built in it's place
It us also now the site of two modern cathedrals.
The Tsar and his family have since been canonised by the Russian Orthodox church and so the site is a holy place for Russians.
There you go a bit of a history lesson!!
Spurs and Sun
Having had a lie in until midday following on from an exciting late night session of listening to the Spurs on a BBC London stream, tweeting, watching the Bale goals via Sacha's emails (cheers dude, you know I'll be expecting this every match now). By the sound of it we were appalling and saved single handedly by Bale.... Same old same old.
Anyway back to the travels....
So after a relaxing night last night reading my latest hostel rescued book (The Diary of Anne Frank currently) with a can of the lovely Baltika, I'm out out about exploring Yekaterinburg. Which incidentally is the first city I've ever been to in Asia being just 17km over the Europe Asia border.
The weather today is superb! Its still chilly in the shade but there are blue skys and bright sunshine. (glad to hear its freezing in London)
Yekaterinburg is very pleasant with many post soviet buildings and a lovely main square.
The hostel I'm staying in is on the 7th floor of a soviet housing block but is actually really cosy and friendly inside.
My train leaves at 4.50am so I've booked a cab and will be attempting to have an early night to try and get some sleep in.
Next stop Tyumen, the first Russian fort in Siberia!
Anyway back to the travels....
So after a relaxing night last night reading my latest hostel rescued book (The Diary of Anne Frank currently) with a can of the lovely Baltika, I'm out out about exploring Yekaterinburg. Which incidentally is the first city I've ever been to in Asia being just 17km over the Europe Asia border.
The weather today is superb! Its still chilly in the shade but there are blue skys and bright sunshine. (glad to hear its freezing in London)
Yekaterinburg is very pleasant with many post soviet buildings and a lovely main square.
The hostel I'm staying in is on the 7th floor of a soviet housing block but is actually really cosy and friendly inside.
My train leaves at 4.50am so I've booked a cab and will be attempting to have an early night to try and get some sleep in.
Next stop Tyumen, the first Russian fort in Siberia!
Wednesday 20 October 2010
Perm and Yekaterinburg
Since the stress that was 20 hours in Kirov I've had an interesting couple of days
The next stop along from Kirov was Perm, which I had been told was a pretty dry and boing place.... It turned out to be the most tourist friendly place I've been in Russia so far. It had a really interesting tourist walk marked on the street taking you around all of the sights of interest, the commentary was in Russian and English which made a pleasant change from endless attempts to translate!! The station was also quite nice and I seem to have settled into a routine for hanging round the stations which basically involves drinking beer...
I also bumped into two girls from London who had apparently been informed that I was in town by the Left Luggage guy!!
Perm also had a great state art gallery which got me out of the cold!!
Today I arrived in Yekaterinburg where I actually have a bed booked for two nights. The hostel wasn't the easiest to find but I made it without too much trouble.
Today I'm just going to chill maybe grabbing a beer later. Then I'm going to attempt to listen to the football which doesn't start until 12.45 am here!!
Keep me updated on any score just in case I can't.....
The next stop along from Kirov was Perm, which I had been told was a pretty dry and boing place.... It turned out to be the most tourist friendly place I've been in Russia so far. It had a really interesting tourist walk marked on the street taking you around all of the sights of interest, the commentary was in Russian and English which made a pleasant change from endless attempts to translate!! The station was also quite nice and I seem to have settled into a routine for hanging round the stations which basically involves drinking beer...
I also bumped into two girls from London who had apparently been informed that I was in town by the Left Luggage guy!!
Perm also had a great state art gallery which got me out of the cold!!
Today I arrived in Yekaterinburg where I actually have a bed booked for two nights. The hostel wasn't the easiest to find but I made it without too much trouble.
Today I'm just going to chill maybe grabbing a beer later. Then I'm going to attempt to listen to the football which doesn't start until 12.45 am here!!
Keep me updated on any score just in case I can't.....
Monday 18 October 2010
Kirov
Today I learnt something new... 20 hours is a long time to hang around anywhere, let alone a place where you don't speak the language!!!
That said I had a nice wonder around Kirov and went for a coffee with Olya who I met on the train last night which was cool
My train to Perm doesn't leave for 5 1/2 hours so I have two options... drink or sleep. I can taste that beer already....
Sunday 17 October 2010
Hanging about
I'm in a much happier place today even though my morning started abruptly with the hotel waking me up as I'd overslept in a windowless room missing my check out time! To be fair to them though they did let me leave my bag there all day...
Today has been all about walking about Nizhny Novgorod viewing the sights (including an impressive array of Soviet Military machinery in the Kremlin) and hanging about I'm the cinema drinking beer and making use of the free wifi... I can think of worse ways to spend my day!!
My train doesn't leave until 23.00 but I'm going to go and pick my bag up in a bit. I'm not sure the hotel realise quite how long I wanted to leave it there for!!
I've also booked all the hostels I could up until Beijing to try and avoid yesterdays fiasco! I'm sure I'll still have some troubles along the way though, especially if there is no left luggage at my next station (Kirov)
Today has been all about walking about Nizhny Novgorod viewing the sights (including an impressive array of Soviet Military machinery in the Kremlin) and hanging about I'm the cinema drinking beer and making use of the free wifi... I can think of worse ways to spend my day!!
My train doesn't leave until 23.00 but I'm going to go and pick my bag up in a bit. I'm not sure the hotel realise quite how long I wanted to leave it there for!!
I've also booked all the hostels I could up until Beijing to try and avoid yesterdays fiasco! I'm sure I'll still have some troubles along the way though, especially if there is no left luggage at my next station (Kirov)
Saturday 16 October 2010
Traveling stress
Things have not exactly as I planned in the last couple of days to say the least.
The train was not a problem, bar the issues I had getting into the top bunk! A very helpful Russian guy who wanted to practice his English translated for me.
The problems began when I arrived in Nizhny Novgorod... Of the cheap hotels listed in my two guides, one was closed down, the other full. I then tried all the expensive hotels they were also full!! All of this was while lugging my 20kg pack with me. I was tired and stressed out to say the least!!!
This is when the generosity of the Russian people stood out. The receptionist at hostel that was also a student halls phoned around different hotels until she found one for me. All without speaking any English. So I ended up in a hotel room, which was more than I intended to spend but hey, it's better than sleeping in the station and my faith in human nature (particularly that of the Russian people) is restored!!!
The train was not a problem, bar the issues I had getting into the top bunk! A very helpful Russian guy who wanted to practice his English translated for me.
The problems began when I arrived in Nizhny Novgorod... Of the cheap hotels listed in my two guides, one was closed down, the other full. I then tried all the expensive hotels they were also full!! All of this was while lugging my 20kg pack with me. I was tired and stressed out to say the least!!!
This is when the generosity of the Russian people stood out. The receptionist at hostel that was also a student halls phoned around different hotels until she found one for me. All without speaking any English. So I ended up in a hotel room, which was more than I intended to spend but hey, it's better than sleeping in the station and my faith in human nature (particularly that of the Russian people) is restored!!!
Friday 15 October 2010
Last day in Moscow
Having had a quiet night last night I tootled off to the Kremlin today. The Armoury was well worth the 700R it cost to get in, the treasures are up there with the crown jewels in how spectacular they are and the amount of pieces is astonishing. The Faberge Eggs are an obvious highlight but I was equally impressed with the state finery including carriages and regal dress.
'Real Russia' have come up trumps and organised all of my rail tickets with two days notice and so tonight at 11.30 I head off on my great Siberian adventure....
I'm not sure how much wifi access I'll have during the next couple of weeks as Ive planned my schedule sleeping on the trains. As ever i'll keep the blog as updated as and when I can.
Next stop Nizhny Novgorod!!
Thursday 14 October 2010
Today I have been mostly hungover....
I also walked about 10 miles to see a park full of Lenin statues and tools of photos of the Kremlin at night.
Tonight I will be mostly sleeping
I also walked about 10 miles to see a park full of Lenin statues and tools of photos of the Kremlin at night.
Tonight I will be mostly sleeping
Location:Hungover
Freaked out
Last Thursday at La's gig in Dalston I very briefly chatted to an Aussie guy called Michael who told me he was going to Moscow this week.
I'm not shitting you when I say that I randomly bumped onto him tonight on a bar in Moscow. It was the most degrading shite bar ever but hey it's a small world....
I'm not shitting you when I say that I randomly bumped onto him tonight on a bar in Moscow. It was the most degrading shite bar ever but hey it's a small world....
Wednesday 13 October 2010
ДРАНК
This afternoon has mainly been dominated by wondering around Moscow translating Cyrillic names into English. My first big success was translating souvenir shop (although to be honest looking at the shop it wasn't really rocket science).
I also visited the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was was spectacular!!!! and the wondered the streets of Moscow looking for bars, success none.
Saying that, I'm quite taken with Moscow, I've found the people friendly as cities go and the place itself is certainly grand in its scale. Tomorrow I'll visit the Kremlin.... Hangover permitting.
This evening so far has consisted of drinking the cheapest beer I could find (70p a bottle) and cheap vodka (2 quid a bottle) off out tonight with the Aussie, Canadian and American contingent from the hostel, who are all lovely. Vodka hazed eyes
3 things I've learnt today
1. Don't cross the road and walk along the river in Moscow... There is no return crossing
2. Russian cakes are the best in the world!!!
3. Moscow does not have any street visible bars
Day 2 Evening and Day 3
To be honest pretty much all I've done since my last update is sleep....
Ok thats a bit of a lie. I went out last night to find a bar to watch the football. this was an abject failure, I found an Irish bar where I brought an extortionately priced beer and watched a bizarre Russian bluesy rock band before heading back to the hostel to listen to talksport on my iPhone. Thats a lesson in how to immerse yourself in a new culture...
Today I decided in a panicked moment that my Russian was never going to hold up to buying all these random Trans-Siberian tickets in advance so I cheated by booking through an agency... On the bright side as I've chosen to spend most of my time travelling by night I should have saved a fair bit of cash (thats what I keep telling myself anyway)
Anyway off out to take pictures of the the things I forgot to photograph yesterday. I don't think I'll ever get used to this photography lark...
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Day 2 Dead communists
So the first full day of the next 11 months started badly with me being unable to find anywhere to buy butter (crisis I know). I also made the school boy error of going out without layers and layers of clothes on when on my search.
Half an hour into this I gave up and returned with my tail between my legs to the hostel, this was all good though as I then met a couple of cool people one of which, Uri an Israeli, appears later in my tale...
So now looking like the Michelin man I wondered off towards Red Square to be a tourist for the day. First stop St Basil Cathedral, which was spectacular from the outside. Inside it was a mixed bag with some of the chapels fully restored and amazing but some work in progress...
Next up I bumped into Uri (see how I worked that) and went along to see Lenin's Mausoleum. It was certainly a surreal experience with much shushing and marshalling from the Russian Military Guards. When actually seeing Lenin for the first time all I could think of was Jeremy Bentham's auto-icon at UCL which I'm sure was not the effect they were aiming to achieve...
Later I am going to attempt to find somewhere to watch the England game. Not holding out much hope though
Three things I've learned today.
1. Cheep trainer/boots from TKmax are not waterproof or indeed even damp proof.
2. Moscow is cold!!!
3. Knowledge of the Cyrillic alphabet is vital for navigating Russia
Laters!!
Monday 11 October 2010
Day 1 evening
So after a flight delayed by 1 hour I finally arrived in Moscow at 9pm local time. By the time I cleared security and caught the train into the town, it meant I did get to my hostel until 11.30pm!
Since then I've been on an (unsuccessful) mission to find beer and food in the middle of the night.... Depressingly the only open place I could find was McDonalds. Deciding to avoid surrendering to that, I brought a cake for a 24hr shop and will resume the search for beer tomorrow!!
Since then I've been on an (unsuccessful) mission to find beer and food in the middle of the night.... Depressingly the only open place I could find was McDonalds. Deciding to avoid surrendering to that, I brought a cake for a 24hr shop and will resume the search for beer tomorrow!!
Day 1
So today is the big day....
On route to the airport. My last experience of the tube for 11 months has not left me feeling like I'll miss it!
It has just dawned on me that I arrive in Moscow at 8pm and have no idea where the hostel I'm staying in is. I don't think I'll be attempting to navigate the Moscow metro at that time of night so a cab it is... So much for budgeting
Keep me up to date with the footy tonight... (through a comment, twitter or facebook obviously)
This is JT checking out until I next have a wifi connection...
On route to the airport. My last experience of the tube for 11 months has not left me feeling like I'll miss it!
It has just dawned on me that I arrive in Moscow at 8pm and have no idea where the hostel I'm staying in is. I don't think I'll be attempting to navigate the Moscow metro at that time of night so a cab it is... So much for budgeting
Keep me up to date with the footy tonight... (through a comment, twitter or facebook obviously)
This is JT checking out until I next have a wifi connection...
Sunday 10 October 2010
Testing blogging from iphone
Just thought I'd try and post a blog update from the old iPhone....
I could get used to this blogging lark. It's like twitter with unlimited characters!!
I could get used to this blogging lark. It's like twitter with unlimited characters!!
Big day tomorrow
This is the first of what I hope will be many blog updates while I'm away on my travels.
I set off at 1 p.m. tomorrow from London Heathrow to Moscow Domodedovo, where I will attempt to bumble my way to the hostel I've booked in advance.
Thanks to everyone who came along to drinks last week and to those that have been so great the last few weeks
I'll miss you all :o(
For reference I will also be attempting to keep my facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/JTSpurs) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/JTSpurs) up to date. I am also on skype (JT-Spurs) and on email (tumbridge@gmail.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)