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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Sep 03, 2016 06:00 PM Russian Far North...
Salekhard - Yamal. After 4 days on the old river ship I can connect to the internet. The city in the Arctic looks very nice with lovely painted buildings and wide streets. They built nice arport (see picture). The money comes from the deposits of gas :) My new friend - Katya prepared for me great meal, including bortch and big fried fish. I bought some food for my next ship journey and in the evening I reported to river terminal in Salekhard to board my second river ship - "Kalashnikov" - famous name , isn'it? You have to kow tat before boarding the junk ship you have to go to the elegant building of the terminal - some 100 m away and uphill to be weighted. I got there my "carry on" badge for my backpack and returned to the ship 5 m7nutes before departure. Stupid procedure, but what you can do? We are sailing north again!
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Sep 02, 2016 06:00 PM Fourth day on the river boat
Last night we were stopping several times in the small settlements and the captain was announcing that through the loudspeakers so I slept very bad. But the weather is improving! No rain, even little sunshine. On the shore there is already tundra - limited trees are little but it is already autumn here so they are in tho lovely, bright colours... I am spending hours walking along the short deck. We are sailing north and north. For the locals it is normal, but I am courious that I am getting closer and closer to the Polar Circle. The distance that "Rodina" is sailing on its way from Omsk to Salekhard is 2783 kms!
Everybody was already tided and waiting for the moment when the houses of Salekhard will appear on the horizon. At 2 pm we reached the Salekhard landing just in front of the new, elegant terminal. Katya was waiting for me ashore. I did not see her before but she regnized me by the picture from my website. So nice, so friendly! First of all we bought the ticket for my next ship - going further north. Then he took me out of the town to be photograpthed at the Polar Circle Monument. Welcome to the Arctic!
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Sep 01, 2016 06:00 PM Down the huge Ob River
My knowledge of Russian gives me a chance to make many friendships. I met aboard few Russian travellers: Tonya from Chelabinsk, Dima, Gosha and Natasha from Moscow. We have a lot of time to share our traveller's knowledge - they are explaining some parts of Russian history... Nice people! Also my cabin mates are nice and quiet. Everybody uses free "kipyatok" - boiling water to prepare coffee, tea and instant soups. There is also "stolovaya" -a kind of the restaurant on the ship, but the waiting lines are long and the typical meal costs 400-500 roubles. The budget traveller can try mashed potatoes just for 50 rou. Ob River has many branches and shallows so the navigation is not easy. I met the captain Nicolai Agaki, he told me that within 2 years they are expecting a new ship with a toilet attached to every cabin and a/c (the lack of a/c is the nightmare of this boat). They allowed me to visit the bridge and see all the navigational equipment.
In the late afternoon we reached Berezovo. Here we had again 30 minutes stay, but the ship arrived 15 min after the scheduled time and I was able to see only from the distance the hill where the settlement is located with the golden spires of the church - it is about 700 m from the landing.
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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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