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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Sep 05, 2009 02:00 PM Montreal once again...
I spent a day in Montereal. Travel by rail gives you a chance to land just in the middle of the town. There is no need to take and pay an airport bus to get to the center...
In Montereal old part of the town located near the historic harbor is very compact so you It was nice to take a walk through the cobbled streets, and to enjoy the atmosphere of the cosmopolitan city.
I was surprised that they charge 5 dollars entry fee to get into the basilica Notre Dame - the most important Montreal's church.
The old harbor was converted into a big playground: there are cinemas, exhibitions and yacht marina...
Half a day is enough to see Montreal's attractions. Next train is waiting for me...
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Sep 04, 2009 02:00 PM 4468 kms by rail across Canada..
After another dwo days spent on the TransCanadian train (a lot of forests and lakes, very few settlements) I reached Toronto in the province of Ontario.
My friend Mietek was waiting for me at the Union Station - it was very pleasant meeting - we know each other from the school. Mietek is also outstanding traveller.
The strong sun was shining and we decided to drive together to Niagara Falls. Mietek knows that I am waterfall's fan. I saw Niagara for the first time in the 80's... It was so nice to enjoy again the panoramic view from the Canadian side of the border again.
From Vancouver I travelled already 4486 kms by rail. Tomorrow in the morning next train will wait for me - to Montreal...
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Sep 01, 2009 02:00 PM Walking around Winnipeg...
Canada is expensive country for the backpacker. They have here reliable city bus system, but you have to pay 2.30 dollars per ride - compare it to 1 yuan in China!
I like Winnipeg - this was the good choice to stop here. At The Forks - place where two rivers meet they have info center and plenty of shops and eateries offering the meals from many countries - Canada is a mixture of many nationalities. Here they have very strong Italian and Ukrainian presence...
I walked around French Quarter of St Boniface on the other side of the Red River, passed by downtown to the huge Legislative buildings and visited great park on the riverside full of flowers and sculptures. Great day except... the mosquitoes. They are present and very nasty here - especially in the parks...
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Aug 31, 2009 02:00 PM Canada by rail... to Manitoba
Sorry, dear Canadians your rail tracks in Alberta province are bumpy like a Russian roads... I did not sleep well last night.
In the morning after a hot shower (yes, they have hot showers on the train!) I saw through the window flat landscape of the central Canada. Wide fields, pastures - it is the harvest time and there are yellow, gold and brown colors dominating the landscape.
Well... In my country passengers trains have the priority over the cargo, but not in Canada.
The transcanadian rail track is a single track. We were waiting many times today for the cargo trains to pass by...
As a result I arrived to Winnipeg - the capital city of Manitoba 40 min after the scheduled time. I disembark the no.2 train after 49 hours ride.
It is good to have the friends in different countries. I knew her only from the internet. Now we got a chance to meet each other... She is charming, warm person. I will be happy to spend here two days...
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Aug 30, 2009 02:00 PM Colors of Canada... Rockies...
Rail travel gives you great opportunity to enjoy the scenery... Our train no.2 - "The Canadian" have special observation cars with glass domes... You can get there any time and enjoy the landscape.
Today we passed through the Rocky Mountains. I have been here few years ago but the weather wan not so clear and the viev from the train gives you quite different perspective...
We stopped for 1,5 hour in Jasper - little town surrounded by the snowy ranges. Railway staff cleaned up the windows from the bugs - they care about us... Once on the route they announce the attractions we will see in next few minutes. I did not miss Pyramid Falls - I got a great picture!
Long railway travel gives also opportunity to meet interesting people - in my compartment I have an Australian, in the next one travels girl from Japan. But I like most the couple from Ottawa - we were singing together the song from "Cosablanca" (Do you remember? - Time goes by...)
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Aug 29, 2009 02:00 PM Sunny Vancouver. Ready for transcanadian train.
It fact there were two Sundays August 30th: one in China, in Beijing where in the huge airport they were searching for the long time for my backpack. I was seriously stressed - happilly after 1,5 hour I got is and registered it again for the flight to Canada.
Then again in the morning of Sunday 30th I landed in Vancouver on the Canadian Pacific coast. (We crossed date line at night) Transport from the Vancouver airport to the center is smart and inexpensive: for just 2.50 CAD you can take the light train to the Waterfront in the middle of tourist area.
I have been already twice in Vancouver, but it was worth to walk again to the Stanley Park, the Gastown and to take new pictures of Canada Place. Now it is evening and I use busy internet at the Central Station (former glory dissapeared but it is still the begining of this fantastic railroad built across Canada)
I bought upper berth couchette (it is cheaper then lower one).
We are departing in an hour - the first stopover I plan after 48 hours in Winnipeg. The dream of the young boy is coming true... It is worth to dream...
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Aug 28, 2009 02:00 PM Harbin, China - where the tigers are...
I am already in Manchuria. Harbin - the capital of the province is a big, neat city, full of modern skycrapers and friendly locals speaking rather some Russian then some English. Communication is poor, but they smile - and this helps...
In the past on my trail I slept already in the former jail, in the church and even in the former Mormon temple. Here I sleep in the former synagogue. Local family converted it to the basic hostel... The single without window cost just 50 RMB
The quarter I live has all charm of oriental city - especially in the evenings where eateries appear in the sidewalks and the street smells so nice...
I spent half of my day in the tiger park - some 15 km out of the town. Take bus 85 to get there and walk about 3 kms. City transport is dirty cheap - 1 RMB per ride - keep ready 1-yuan notes and pay on entry.
In the park pay 65 RMB - no discounts and they will put you in the luttle bus with bars in the windows. The you go to the Siberian tigers. Wow! They say there is about 800 of them in this safari park (I saw about 150 - still impressive!) It is the only place like that in the world - I think. I got nice pictures, But I did not like that local people buy live animals (from chicken to the cow) to throw them and see how the tigers fight for them and eat them... That's China!
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Aug 26, 2009 02:00 PM Vladivostok - and what now?
They call this nice port "Russian San Francisco". It has beautiful location in the long bay called Golden Horn - like in Istanbul.
Whole day I spent wondering around and taking pictures.
I have to decide, where to go now from Russia...
My Russian visa period is almost over...
It is hard to believe, but Internet gives me a chance to book from here: in Russian Far East cheap flights China to Canada and also last-minute trains in Canada:
http://www2.viarail.ca/expressdeals/
I decided to cross soon the border to China - to Manchuria and then to take cheap flight to Vancouver- Canada
Then my next dream .will come true: a long rail journey through all Canada - coast to coast...
Lets work on it now!
Do not you think that this voyage is converting into my 9th round-the-world expedition?... :)
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Aug 23, 2009 02:00 PM Drink! ...or you are not a friend....
I did not see so far any foreign tourist in Petropavlovsk...
I share my room with locals. This give me a chance to save half of the room rate... but...
He was very nice Russian - we were speaking about our countries and families. And then - in the evening he brought o big bottle of vodka, meat, bread, smoked fish...
"Ugoshtchaytyes, pozhauysto!" - I have been invited for the dinner! There was a problem because I do not drink vodka...
We are friends, lets drink for friendship!
What should I do?
Fortunately for the next night I got a guy from Kyrgyzstan - he was a muslim and did not press me to drink...
It is raining again - I an visiting local bazaars - one kilo of red caviar costs 600-700 roubles... Better then vodka!...
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Aug 22, 2009 02:00 PM Petropavlovsk on Kamchatka
Only once per week the junk Antonov-26 turbo-prop is flying from Magadan to Kamchatka. Can you imagine our luggage on the first few rows of seats and then about 20 pax trying to find unbroken seat in the back. I found one for me!
From the plane and on arrival I saw those famous volcanos of Kamchatka. But now it is raining...
It is hard to say that rainy Petropavlovsk is a nice place. Bud close to the airport I found a new, nice and inexpensive hotel *Privokzalnaya* phone 8-961-960-90-81 (Russian only). They charge 750 rou per bed in the double with comunal shower. But... Since 3 days there is no tap water in all Petropavlovsk. Can you imagine???. Sorry, no hotel discounts for that - you can have a cold bucket shower instead... I have to survive...
Keep you fingers crossed for the better weather, please...
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