Across Russia to Japan and Malaysia - Part 6/12 (Trains and Views)

Travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railway the way we did was very relaxing. Our time was spent watching the scenery go by, dozing, reading, trying to converse with fellow passengers with the help of a dictionary and smiles, and eating.

Dividing our journey into short-ish stretches of a couple of days at a time was a good idea. The final section from Irkutsk to Vladivostok was a little long, and doing the whole line from Moscow to Vladivostok in one go would have been too much of a good thing.

When planning the trip I was a little worried that the train might be full of young westerners drinking and carousing across Russia but in fact we met very few western tourists - one Chinese American going from Kazan to Ekaterinburg and a group of elderly Australian tourists from Adelaide, who were returning from Mongolia to Australia via Korea. Most of our fellow travellers were families with young children and the retired. People we shared our cabin with included a renal specialist from Moscow, a police communications technician from Barnaul in the Altai area (somewhere, based on photos we were shown, probably worth visiting), a retired welder, who thought we'd run out of money and phoned his daughter so she could act as a translator and ask whether he should lend us some cash, and a silent lady, who said hello and goodbye and nothing else for nearly three days.

I wondered a little where the western tourists had gone but I suspect that we didn't meet them partly because of our choice of route and partly because we didn't frequent the restaurant car. We ate there once - the food was terrible - and on the last stretch to Vladivostok went there twice for a drink to alleviate the boredom. 

Before setting off, some of my friends were a little worried about safety. However, the train felt very safe, the carriage attendants are there to make sure everything is ok, and when visiting the towns I didn't drink strong alcohol nor go out to the bars. I suspect that many of the problems young travellers face in Russia are a result of over-indulgence. 

Below are a few photos from the train.

 Such a long trip places some strain on your 'sitting muscles'.

Train 002 'Tatarstan' arrives in Kazan.

Typical Scene 1.

 Typical Scene 2.

The western part of our trip was mainly birch forest and the shocking thing, for people from Finland, is how poorly kept the forests are. The trees are left standing in water, which means that they rot,  snap in storms and are generally useless for anything other than firewood. If Russia wants to develop its forest industry, the first thing would be to start a massive programme of drainage.

There is a great difference in attitudes to the environment in Russia and in Finland, most probably because Russia is so huge. The way of thinking seems to be that there is no need to worry about litter because you are unlikely to come across it again and there is no need to look after the forest because there is plenty to spare.

The eastern part of Siberia was more grassland, and one could easily imagine Genghis Khan charging across the land with his Mongol hordes.

Perhaps one of the most imporatant lessons of our trip was getting some understanding of how big Russia really is. There is more to Russia than Moscow and St. Petersburg, and going by plane gives a false impression. One of the spurs for this trip was Yuko pointing out that there was only one country between Finland and Japan, even though they are on different sides of the globe.

Typical Scene 3.

Trains, trains, trains...

 Diesel engine moving carriages into position.

 A typical engine.

 The Russian railways never sleep...

... unlike the 'kvass' sellers.

 Typical Station 1.

 Typical Station 2 (Chita).

 An orthodox cathedral in Chita.

Soldiers leaving the train, equipped with that most important piece of military gear, a yellow plastic bucket.

One of the more interesting moments on our train journey was when the train stopped in the middle of nowhere. We looked out of the window and saw that the carrriage was surrounded by armed men. We looked on but didn't dare take any photos. After about ten to fifteen minutes the train continued on its way. I don't really know what was happening but suspect that prisoners were being transferred by train, what with Siberia having a long tradition of being the home of prison camps.

Across Russia to Japan and Malaysia - Part 5/12 (Irkutsk and Lake Baikal)

The start to our railway journey from Tomsk to Irkutsk was enlivened by my noticing that my mobile phone had disappeared. Luckily, it was in Jakov's car and he kindly brought it next time he was in Lappeenranta.

On the positive side, I quickly got used to life without a mobile - no need to reply to text messages, no need to check the web, and no stress.

Our train arrived in Irkutsk quite early, so when we went to our hotel, Hotel Empire, our room wasn't ready. We were put in a suite to wait a couple of hours until all was fixed, which we thought was rather nice, until we saw that they had charged us. But never mind, it was their right as we'd arrived too early and we were sorely in need of a rest.

Henry resting in our suite.

 The view from the window of the suite - the Church of the Epiphany.

The view from our 'real' room was much less charming.

 A sign warning guests not to keep fish in their room. Omul, a local delicacy, is a tasty fish but rather pungent.

 Flowers on Kirov Square.

And the square looking in the other direction.

Some people seemingly missing the 'good old days'.

I should add that Irkutsk left a bit of a mixed impression. The driving was absolutely lethal - I feared for my life whenever I had to cross a road, and somehow it didn't seem to be my kind of place. Of course, the weather was not as nice as before, and we were perhaps getting the first symptons of travel fatigue.

On our second day we went to visit Lake Baikal. The normal buses were full so we took a minibus to Listvyanka. The driver's attitude to the rules of the road was somewhat idiosyncratic, but we got there safely, although not without my getting a few additional grey hairs. The minibus journey back was completely different - the bus was so decrepit that we had to worry more about the thing falling apart than the driver speeding into oblivion.

We didn't really have time to do much in Listvyanka, so on our day out we only dipped our toes in the cold, clear waters of Lake Baikal and strolled up and down the shore before returning back to Irkutsk. For travellers with more time Lake Baikal probably has much to offer. 

Lake Baikal is home to the 'nerpa', one of the world's few freshwater seals. Our home lake, Lake Saimaa, has one of the other species of freshwater seals, the Saimaa seal. As a souvenir, Henry bought a little 'nerpa', who has adapted very well to living with his cousins on this side of the Ural mountains.

 Henry with his feet in the clear waters of Lake Baikal.

 Even I overcame my fear of cold water.

 Fishing boat in Listvyanka harbour.

And a boat out on the lake.

On our final day in Irkutsk visited the ice-breaker Angara. The vessel was built in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1899 and now operates as a most interesting museum. 

Museum ice-breaker SS Angara.

Irkutsk, too, has its fair share of sculptures and statues.

 Henry with engineers in the rain.

 It's that man again! Lenin in need of another drink.

 Yuri Gagarin, the first human into space. In the background, a wedding party is arriving for a photo session.

 A statue of Emperor Alexander III.

The next part of our journey was the longest stage of our rail trip, from Irkutsk to Vladivostok.

Henry ready to board the train to Vladivostok.

Across Russia to Japan and Malaysia - Part 4/12 (Tomsk)

Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. It was formerly the capital city of the area but the Trans-Siberian Railway passed it by and development became concentrated in Novosibirsk. Tomsk is an educational centre of Siberia with a number of universities and institutes of higher education.

You might be wondering why we took a detour off the main Trans-Siberian line to visit Tomsk. There are two reasons; firstly, Jakov, of Tomsk Polytechnic University, is a friend, and secondly, because Tomsk is the name of one of The Wombles. As Wombles fans we couldn't just pass by.

Tomsk is a surprisingly pretty little town, at least during the summer, during the Siberian winter things might be a little different.

Jakov met us off the bus and made sure that we were settled in and ready for our sight-seeing. 

Henry and Jakov on Resurrection Hill, the site of the original Cossack fortress of Tomsk.

 The bell tower of the Voznesenskaya church.

Tomsk is over 400 years old.

Jakov and family took us to visit a reconstructed historical settlement on the outskirts of the city - a most enjoyable trip.

 The chapel at the centre of the settlement.

 A wooden statue.

 Our host explaining some of the ideas of the Old Believers.

 Jaroslavl practising his archery.

 Our host preparing tea.

While visiting the settlement we naturally rang the bell, which we were told means that we have to return.

The plan for the late afternoon was to have a picnic by the river but the weather had other thoughts.

In Siberia, everything is big - the vistas, the rivers, and even the storms.

 Siberian thunderstorm with leaping locals (Irina, Jaroslavl, Jakov and Peter).

 Storm clouds overhead.

 Bolt of lightning.

Tomsk is famous for its wooden architecture with ornately decorated window trimming being a particular hallmark. An example is given below, but unfortunately not many of the houses have been fully renovated and many of them are in a state of disrepair.

Example of Tomsk wooden architecture.

On a slightly more serious note, we found time to visit the Museum for the History of Political Repression Tomsk NKVD.

A symbolic exhibit in the NKVD museum.

Tomsk, like all the Russian cities we visited on our route, has its fair share of statues and monuments. Although, as yet there is no statue of Tomsk Womble - a hint, should anyone from the Tomsk city administration read this.

 A child arriving into the world in a cabbage.

In the west, the stork delives babies but in Russia they arrive in a cabbage patch, which might explain Russians' fondness for cabbage soup.

 A statue of Chekhov as seen from the perspective of a drunk.

Chekhov did not enjoy his stay in Tomsk; he felt that the town was dull and dirty, the men drunk and the women ugly.

 Chekhov with a couple of visitor who are definitely sober.

As in all the Russian cities we visited, Tomsk has a large war memorial. The extent of Russian casualties in World War Two or from the Russian perspective the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 is unimaginable. The brutality of military conflict is something that political leaders should dwell upon before sowing seeds of animosity and discontent.

 Tomsk War Memorial.

Henry and Peter near the eternal flame of the war memorial.

View of the River Tom from the Lagerny Sad war memorial garden.

A few street views of Tomsk.

 An administration building.

 Street scene with minibuses ('marshrutka') powered by gas.

Lenin Square with the Epiphany Cathedral.

Lenin, as usual, has his hand up, probably asking for another beer. On the subject of which...

Peter and Henry enjoying a 'business lunch'.

Before anyone gets too upset, Henry is not drinking beer but the Russian drink 'kvas'.

I don't know what was troubling Chekhov, but we had a great time in Tomsk.

All too soon it was time to get back on the train and head off to our next destination, Irkutsk.

Across Russia to Japan and Malaysia - Part 3/12 (Novosibirsk)

Novosibirsk is a working town and not picturesque at all. It owes its existence to the Trans-Siberian Railway and the bridge over the River Ob. The most well-known buildings in Novosibirsk are the Opera House and the peppermint-green railway station.



Siberia is famous for its cold climate, but not when we were there.

View across the skyline of Novosibirsk.

 

Summer in Siberia.

 

One of the town's fountains.

 The Chapel of St. Nicholas, once the geographical centre of Russia.

One of the Russian wedding traditions is that the bride and groom go on a tour to take photos in front of various landmarks.

A bride about to have her photo taken in front of the Chapel of St. Nicholas.

Lenin looking east, with the Opera House in the background.

We stayed in the Hotel Sibir, a Soviet era hotel that is now part of a Russian hotel chain. It seems that the western consultants have done a good job in teaching them all the tricks to squeeze money out of their clients and to provide a service-by-numbers experience.

 Hotel Sibir in Novosibirsk.

The famous Novosibirsk railway station.

For the next part of our journey we were not taking the train but the bus, a five-hour bus ride to Tomsk.