[slideshow]Arriving at a bustling Irkutsk station at 10.45am we were ready for a decent breakfast (which did not consist of noodles), a healthy dose of fresh air and a good wash! Met at the platform by an enthusiastic “Costa”, who was to be our guide for the next few days, we marched across the crowded…
After a gruelling four day stretch on the Trans Siberian Express from Moscow to Irkutsk we had quick conflab in the carriage to offer fellow travellers some survival tips: MUST DO’s: Pack Baby Wipes – ESSENTIAL for every eventuality and main source of washing (as no shower on board and toilets are locked at illogical interludes for…
[slideshow]It shouldn’t have worked…a Lawyer and a Fishmonger from London, a special needs Teacher from Bristol, a trainee Solicitor from Newcastle, a Scottish Care worker and Oil rig assistant from Aberdeen, a Hospitality Manager from Melbourne and a PR Exec from Nottingham…but as it turned out, I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of…
Expecting to board my first overnight train with my new found friends, I was somewhat put out to find that I was on the half an hour earlier train…by myself. Fortunately their guide was kind enough to let me join their transfer to the station and to take me to the relevant carriage, but after…
[slideshow] Although not overtly welcoming to tourists during the winter season, St Petersburg or “Piter” as its affectionately know by the locals (and previously known as Petrograd and Leningrad), has plenty on offer for avid sightseers such as myself! Few of the descriptions at main attractions and museums are in English, but the architecture, alley ways…
Arriving in Russia, during winter, as an unseasoned traveller is a daunting experience. Many of the well travelled people I’ve met recently have said Russia is the hardest place they’ve ever visited, so as a first timer I was comforted to know that I wasn’t alone in finding the going tough. It is however a…
After a very smooth transit on the luxury National Express coach to Heathrow, an overnight stay in the very nearby and reasonable Thistle London then the hotel hoppa to terminal 5, I arrived in St Petersburg three and a half flying hours later at the start of rush hour. And, without wanting to sound like a self obsessed…
I’m due to start the big trip during the Russian Winter at around -20 degrees celsius and then travel to Mongolia with temperatures dropping below -30. I’ll be arriving in China at the start of Spring and heading through South East Asia through the warm, yet rainy, season ready to arrive in Australia for the scorchin’…
The relief I felt when signing for my special delivery package containing the long-awaited Russian Visa was indescribable. Granted it doesn’t compare to the relief of the passing pain after childbirth (so I’m told) or the relief of being given the all clear after a turmoil ridden wait for test results (I can luckily only imagine),…
Well at first it starts with a burning desire and then it snowballs into something that might just, only just, become a possibility. Then you start to dream….you could leave the stressful 9 to 5 (ish), you could never have to deal with that tricky client call ever again, you could visit all the places on…