Day 13 - Novosibirsk, Berdsk and the train

4.08.09
Tonight is my departure for Vladivostok, so I need to get back reasonably early to pack and prepare my things. We wake up reasonably early in the morning feeling a bit fuzzy and after our bed sharing experience.

Another walk around Novosibirsk centre and a trip to give Sasha back her keys as she is already at work when we rouse from our slumbers. We take a trip towards home on the bus, but make a stop off at the Railway museam, which is an open air camp filled with Russian locomotives. Some of the older steam models are ridiculously big and a comomon theme with Russian trains seem to be that they are about a mile high and sit so far off the ground. The tracks are also a lot wider then any other country and if you travel to or from Russia by train they have to change the wheels at the border to match the track size.

We eventually get home and I have to rapidly pack and grab a shower before leaving for the train station. Igor's dad gives me a old traditional Russian glass from Berdsk old town that is now flooded and a mosquito nead net as I seem to have tasty blood. He also gives me a special gift, a blue and white striped top, which is the trademark clothing that the Russian Airbourne Forces wear and his Russia SAS. It's not an imitation and is one of his own ones, I am so touched and my gifts of chocolate and food that I bought from the supermarket seem to have no value, but I make a promise to myself to send the family something special from my travels.

It's been an eye opening and fantastic week and their hospitability has left a mark.

Onto the train and a 4 day journey awaits.

Day 12 - Novosibirsk Centre

3.08.09
Planning day, I get my route through the north of China sorted to Beijing and decide to risk it at Vladivostok for the adventure and don't book a hotel. I will arrive at about 6.30am, so it will be enough time to jump on a bus to China or if not get a hotel sorted.
In the afternoon we head to Novosibirsk centre to meet Andrey and Anya who are going to show us around.

We take in all the main attractions among which are Lenin square and the opera

house named after him and a small Russian church in the middle of a road. In one of the parks we are joined by Sasha (Alexandria), who studies advertising part time with with Anya.

After Sushi for dinner, we realise that we have missed the last train and bus back to Berdsk and Andrey and Anya have missed their last link to Akamdemgorodok. In this situation there is only one answer, several litres of beer, lots of snacks and we camp out in Sasha's flat for the night.

Me, Igor and Andey sharing a single sofa bed, all in just boxer shorts, it was what can only be described as an intimate male experience.

After speaking to Sasha about what she's up to and her asking about my travels, she gives me the short stories of Ernest Hemingway to read on the train. It's a long journey and she said I will need something to do. Andrey and Anya also give me and Igor small Novosibirsk Crests carved out of wood I make some origami models and give them to everyone as it's the only thing I can give, and am touched by people's generorsity once again.

Day 10,11 - The Dacha

1.09.09 - 2.09.09

A 5 min train journey, a walk down a dirt road that has become a mud pool in some areas with the heavy rain. At the end of the road a blue picket fence surronding a garden/alotment, at one end a small two level building with two bedrooms and a kitchen/living room, at the other end an outhouse and a traditional Russian sauna called a Banya. This is the Dacha, which is roughly Russian for a country house.

Waking up in the morning and picking fresh Raspberries, Gooseberries, Strawberries, Redcurrants and Blueberries; for dinner and lunch having meat skerwers grilled over an open flame called a shashlyk, accompanied by a salad just picked and young potatoes just boiled with a touch of butter, nearlly all the ingredients apart from the bread were grown at the Dacha and picked just before they were eaten.

Walking through the fields to do pier jumps into the River that I have now seen almost day for a variety of activities. We laze on the beach and have another swim, try some fishing from the end of the pier and end up losing more than we take.

Sitting in the Banya, me, Igor, his dad and older brother all stark naked pouring water onto hot stones, the temperature apparently hits 90-95C at it's hottest and at times is an overwhelming burning sensation, but it's not painfull. whipping each other with a Venik, which is the dreid branches and leaves of a young birch tree. After each 'sweat' we run outside and into the cold plunge pool and fully imerse ourselves in the water so we cool off. The Banya was built by Igor's Dad and his elder son a few summers ago and is a wonderfull experience, you feel so fresh and clean after.

It's a phenomenal weekend and the Dacha is a truly amazing place. It's so simple, quiet, peacefull and a different way of life. It's definitely the way forward.

Day 9 - Berdsk and Novosibirsk

31.07.09



 Row row row your boat gently down the stream is today's motto. We take a short walk down to the river banks with the rubber dinghy, a homemade life jacket which is quality and a pair or oars. Igor's dad takes him out first and explains a bit of river safety, then we head out together and end up towing Nikolaj around the river.It's quite a small dinghy for two tall people and so if you relax too much you deform the boat and let water in, we also manage to pop the seating boards out of their position, which creates a small moment of panic. Both decked out in aviators in a rubber dinghy, we look like real tourists! On the way back from the lake, we also stumble upon some more mushrooms randomly growing next to the path, my newly learnt scavenging skills come into play and we harvest some fantastic fungi.

The evening excursion was into the academic part of Novosibirsk called Akademgorodok, where we meet some ex students who Igor's dad used to teach, Andrey, his wife Anya and their friend Katia. Andrey's English is almost flawless, although like most people I have met he is adamant he can't speak very well. The special thing about Russia is that you can walk into shops with 1,2,3 or even 4 litre plastic bottles, pick a beer from a list of about 30 and get it filled with live beer straight from the keg. Absolutely amazing!
We go to a subterranean joint that seems to be a beer shop combined with a pub, meet an ex police major who was fired due to corruption, a massive Russian guy who tries to teach me various informal language and a guy who spent several years in Texas and has the accent to match. A lot of beer and cured seafood saw us away until the early hours.

Unfortunately for both activities today I deemed it too risky to take my camera and so no photographic evidence exists.