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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Aug 31, 2016 06:00 PM Sailing down the Irtysh river
Our junk ship has capacity of 197 passengers and 35 crew, but it is taking aboard much more. People seat and sleep in the corridors and public areas. Why? This is Siberia. They still did't built the roads to many settlements alond the big rivers and the ship calling every 2 weeks is the only mean of transport for the people living so far from thebig cities. No wonder that on the decks of our "old lady" there are piles of boxes, bars of steel, barrels, furnitures and baskets of potatoes.We are sailing days and nights the wide river. The coast ir rather flat and forrested. Weather is very changeable. In the afternoon we reached the little town of Khanty- Mansijsk - the capital city of okrug- like a province. We had half an hour to go ashore and to explore the town which is located just steps from the nice river terminal. There is piramide-like monument of the Siberians explorers on the hill and nice orthodox church at the main square. UnfUnfortunately it was raining. But I took few pictures anyway. 1,5 h sailing down the river we reached the conjunction of Irtysh and much wider Ob River...
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Aug 30, 2016 06:00 PM On the 60 years old "Rodina" ship
Early in the morning my friend Alla took me to the unimpressing river jetty in Tobolsk. In fact it is the walking distance from the Kremlin. "Rodina" was already there. The ship does not look very impressive - it is 60 years old! Young lady at the gangway showed me the way to my 6-bed cabin. There were already 3 local ladies and 2 boys coming back from the vacations to their homes in Salekhard. Lucky me! They will not push me to drink vodka! The cabin is very cramp with 3 lower and 3 upper beds. But is has a big window. The only addition is little table below the window - like in the train. Shared toilets Asian-style are 20 m out. You have to pay extra 100 roubles for sheets and little towel. They were playing the Slovyanki waltz when we were departing at 7 am local time. I have 4 days/ 3 nights journey ahead!
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Aug 29, 2016 06:00 PM Tobolsk, lovely Tobolsk!
It is my second time in this historic Siberian town and I am enchanted again. Maybe because the sun is shining in the morning. But it is only 9 degrees Celsius! I took the walk to the pictiresque Kremlin, enjoying the golden domes of the orthodox churches. Tobolsk is empty - school vacations are over, no tourists at all... I went down to the bottom of the Kremlin walls to check if the Polish church built by the Poles deported here by tsars is open. Sorry, not open... Great architecture and sleepy atmosphere of the old Russia. I visited also the museum on the Kremlin to see old maps of Siberia and the cabinet of the last Tsar (Nicolas II and his family spent here their last months).
Tomorrow at 4.30 am Moscow time I should board the ship, heading only twice a month to Salekhard. I bought some food to take it aboard: three little breads 20 roubles each, 10 eggs for 41 rou, bar of butter 200g for 55 rou. (1USD =64 rou).
There will be lack of internet on the junk ship so please do not panic if there will not be a message from me during next 3 days. I expect next wifi connection only in Salekhard!
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Aug 29, 2016 06:00 PM "Rodina" river boat
This will be my home for next 4 days/3 nights
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Aug 28, 2016 06:00 PM 10 hours in "platskartny"
At 8.30 local time I boarded long distance train. Passport is always checked while boarding - your name is always printed on the Russian Railways ticket. "Platskartny" car category is like a 3rd class similar to the europen couchettes but not divided into compartments. There are also extra 2 tiers of bunks along the aisle. Upper berths are little cheaper. sheets, pillow and little towel are included.
Siberian flat plains on the other side of the window. Wild country, huge unused areas... Birch forests. In the corner of every car there is distributor of free "kipyatok" - boiling water - people use it to prepare tea, coffee, instant soup...
Soon we started a talk with local people - they are very friendly and courious that the foreigner speaks their language.
After 7 hours I left the train in Tyumen. Soon I boarded another train for 3-hours trip to Tobolsk. Society in the car was completly different: rude, noisy, drunk people. The weather changed, it was already raining when in the dark we reached Tobolsk. My friend Alla was waiting for me at the platform - soon in her flat I was enjoying hot tea with honey and bliny with cottage cheese. It is so good to have such a friend!
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Aug 27, 2016 06:00 PM Ship departed, but without me...
Omsk. I took a walk around the city centre enjoying again well known places. They just finished the renovation the best preserved street in the Old Omsk. The name of the street is still... Lenin Street. Old brigh, stylish buidings houses now Subway and many elegant shops. Western brand names are very common. Funny monument of Liubochka - daughter of the rich merchant from the past has Irish Pub in the background.
Rechnoy Vokzal (River Passenger Terminal) do not exist any more. I recognized that the only ship cruising Irtysh and Ob - 50-years old "Rodina" is departing now from the distant jetty on the outskirts of the city. There should be a free bus from the former Rechnoy Vokzal to this place 3 hours before sailing but it did not arrive. With the other passengers we shared the taxi to be on time at the jetty.
I was filming the ship departing at 6 pm local time (in the timetables they use Moscow time, which is very confusing).
Why I did not boarded the ship? Well, living out of Russia it is not easy to buy the ticket for "Rodina" Online sale does not exist. You have to be in Omsk a month before sailing when they open the ship for ticket sale. Or you must have Russian friend to do it for you. I did not find friends in Omsk, people from Couchsurfing simply refused to help me. But I was lucky anyway to have the friend in Tobolsk, which is the next port on "Rodina"'s route. I will follow the ship by train to board it in Tobolsk.
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Aug 26, 2016 06:00 PM Omsk in Siberia
Aeroflot - Russian flag carrier - do not use their Tupolev, Yak or Iliushin planes but airbuses. On the flight to Moscow I got a sandwich and a cup of coffee. Then I was waiting an hour in Sheremetyevo airport for connection. They advertise that they offer free wifi there but today it was broken. You still need your Russian mobile number to write down and to receive access code...
On the second flight to Omsk (3,5 hours) we received hot meal and tea. Omsk time is 3 hours ahead of Moscow and 4 hours ahead of Kaliningrad so my night was very short. We landed well after sunrise. Bus took us to the little, poor terminal. Taxi drivers will bother you since the first moment. No bus stops in front of the terminal, no info - you are in Asia! Once you exit the terminal building cross the little car park and go straight - the tiny street will leads you to "Aviatsyonnaya" bus stop. A choice of junk buses here. I took no 414 to my Hertsen Street. You pay 25 rou to the driver as you enter. People are friendly - ask them, where to get off!
I booked my room through booking.com Institution called "Akademia Uyuta" (something like Cozy Academy) stands in the street without pavement reminding rather countryside then the city. It is just extended private house with tiny walls and doors. For just 1000 roubles (like 15 USD) you have little but clean room with bath, two towels and surprisely good wifi connection. Dogs are barking around - bring your earplugs!
Hot, sunny day. In the afternoon I took the downtown walk. Why the people do not smile? Welcome to Siberia!
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Aug 25, 2016 06:00 PM Bla bla to Kaliningrad
There is Russian bus going daily from Gdansk to Kaliningrad, but it goes early in the morning and sometimes is cancelled so I de idet to try for the second time Bla Bla car institition. Russian drivers are bringing people to Gdansk airport an they are ready to take you back to Kaliningrad for the price of the bus or even lower. My driver -Victor was 30 min late and he arrived to railway station instead bus station but fortunately We contacted by mobile. For the first time I was crossing the border in Grzechotki crossing point -recently opened, but completly empty. No waiting at all!
Once in sunny Kaliningrad I left my backpack in the junk left luggage locker box at the bus station (buy tokens for 150 rou in the information window) and went to the city for the long walk. I found the money changer giving the best rate for USD - 64,40 roubles. I enjoyed adain well-know places - cathedral on the river island converted to museum (entry fee), nice parks and new sobor on the central square.
In the evening I took the bus to the Khabrovo airport (buy 80 rou ticket in advance in the window) and pay extra 20 rou for the luggage to the driver). Normally it takes 40 min to the airport, but due traffic jams wecwrere traveling 70 minutes. KGD airport terminal is still miserable. No space, crowd, long line tomthe only security stand -allow a lot of time! But the fares from here are domestic fares - that' why I use this route!
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Aug 23, 2016 06:00 PM I pack my backpack again!
Summer is not over yet, but I already start a new journey. This is because the route leads up to the Arctic Circle, where it is cold now, and later it will be VERY cold. I want to sail on the old river boat down Irtysh and Ob to Salekhard - lying on the Arctic Circle, and from there - the next boat will take me even further north - to the regions inhabited by Nenets tribe. After returning train take me to the infamous Vorkuta, V. Ustiug and Arkhangelsk. Then I will fly back to Kaliningrad. This will be another interesting trip - to the areas in which I have not been yet.
It was not easy to prepare this expedition. The main problem was how to book the space on the ship. Russians do not allow to book the tickets online! You must be there and stay in the line in front of the ticket office exactly the month before departure! Fortunately my friend helped me...
I hope that you will keep fingers crossed for me! :) Short messages from this route you will find in my travel log.
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Jul 31, 2016 06:00 PM Travellers in Wojtkówka
June, July and August I always spend in my dacha located close to Gdansk airport. I have plenty of visitors this summer, including my friends and guests from international organizations. That's because this is exactly the time when you can find me in Poland. In June, for the first time I hosted in Wojtkówka friendly Russians from Moscow: Katia, Kristina, Maja and Misha. Imagine that they came from Kaliningrad by bikes, checking by the way, that the border crossing Mamonowo - Gronowo do not accept pedestrians, but cyclists are allowed to cross the border. I offered them "what Wojtkówka is rich". We talked about travel, about Russian music, I like so much and about their plans. All of this group were in Gdansk for the first time so I had the opportunity to show them the most interesting objects in the city, to tell about its history and today. Few hours walk around the Old Town required fitness, because it was an extremely hot day and the temperature exceeded 30 degrees. Tight schedule did not allow them to stay longer, which is a pity, because we had a lot more to talk about.
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