Dad and Dave in Siberia Dad and Dave in Siberia A father-son adventure - Bruce and David will ride the Trans-Siberian Railway in July 2007. Via Japan to Vladivostok, west to St Petersburg via Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and Moscow, stopping in Riga, and finishing in Barsinghausen Articles
Photos of 3 days aboard Trans-Siberian
2007-07-19 01:48:00 Here??is a selection of photos of our journey on the train from Vladivostok to Irkutsk More About: Photos , Days , Trans , Iberia , Tran
Photos of 3 days aboard Trans-Siberian
2007-07-19 01:48:00 Here is a selection of photos of our journey on the train from Vladivostok to Irkutsk More About: Photos , Days , Siberia , Trans , Iberia
It’s a Long Way to Irkutsk
2007-07-19 00:40:00 We have been in the Siberian city of Irkutsk for a day and two nights now. It’s time to take stock of our travel distance. The total distance from Vladivostok to Moscow is 9288 kms. Add on another 900 kms to St Petersburg and we’ll travel by train for around 10,100 kms. Our flight from Sydney to Osaka in Japan was 7,200 kms and the length of the Indian Pacific railway across Australia is 4,300 kms. We have spent 72 hours on the train and have so far travelled 4106 kms. We are still over 6,000 kms from St Petersburg! Irkutsk is the city to where people who were banished to Siberia were originally sent. The dissidents who opposed the Tsar and the Soviets were sent to the prisons in this area because it was far enough away from Moscow (the centre of administration for Russia) for them to be out of sight and away from further attention. Irkutsk was founded as a military fort over 200 years before the settlement of Australia. It is located 70 kms down the Angura River which ... More About: Long
It?s a Long Way to Irkutsk
2007-07-19 00:40:00 We have been in the Siberia n city of Irkutsk for a day and two nights now. It’s time to take stock of our travel distance. The total distance from Vladivostok to Moscow is 9288 kms. Add on another 900 kms to St Petersburg and we’ll travel by train for around 10,100 kms. Our flight from Sydney ... More About: Long
Irkutsk
2007-07-18 08:58:00 After 3 days on the train, we’ve arrived in the East Siberian city of Irkutsk.?? We might have described Vladivostok as having a “decaying charm”, but Irkutsk is under renewal, and has an elegant grandeur.????Tree-lined boulevards and the broad Angara River flowing from Lake Baikal, together with grand old Russian architecture, give this city a real unexpected charm. After arriving last night, we had dinner of kebabs along the riverfront, watching Irkutskians go about their lives.?? It was a sunny evening, and people were out late, drinking along the river, playing table tennis in a public square, or out for a walk. Being mid-summer, it didn’t get dark until after 11pm. This morning, we had a stroll around the commercial area of the city, the central market, then caught a local tram back.?? We then took a walking tour through some historical museums and along to see more sights, finishing up by the war memorial, a newly restored grand Orthodox church, and the...
Irkutsk
2007-07-18 08:58:00 After 3 days on the train, we’ve arrived in the East Siberia n city of Irkutsk. We might have described Vladivostok as having a “decaying charm”, but Irkutsk is under renewal, and has an elegant grandeur. Tree-lined boulevards and the broad Angara River flowing from Lake Baikal, together with grand old Russian architecture, give this city a ...
First glimpse of Lake Baikal
2007-07-17 07:38:00 Last night was our third on the train, and our last before stopping in Irkutsk. We passed through some beautiful broad river valleys last night, and woke this morning to find ourselves approaching Ulan Ude, the city where the Trans-Mongolian line splits off. Ulan Ude is a city of around 380,000, and the first major ... More About: Siberia , Lake , Glimpse
First glimpse of Lake Baikal
2007-07-17 07:38:00 Last night was our third on the train, and our last before stopping in Irkutsk. We passed through some beautiful broad river valleys last night, and woke this morning to find ourselves approaching Ulan Ude, the city where the Trans-Mongolian line splits off. Ulan Ude is a city of around 380,000, and the first major town we have seen in a few days. We had 20 minutes to get off and stretch our legs. Somewhere in town is Russia’s biggest statue of Lenin’s head. Despite many other railway stations having a statue of some famous revolutionist prominently out front, this mighty Lenin statue was not on the platform. The first glimpse of Lake Baikal had everyone rushing to the windows. It’s a huge expanse of fresh water, containing 20% of the world’s fresh water. Our guide, Kostya, speaks almost reverentially about the Lake. He’s from Irkutsk and knows everything to know about it. In the old days, before the train line was built around the southern sho... More About: Glimpse
Across the Plains of Siberia
2007-07-16 08:35:00 We were awake at 7.30 am this morning and we were at this location: Current Location map This total trip from Vladivostok to Moscow is 9259 km and as I write this (20 hours after our commencement) we still have 8143 kms to travel. Our train has one very large and strong looking Russian electric locomotive. Behind it are four baggage / freight cars and then 13 passenger csrs. Next comes the restaurant car and a few last carriages at the back. Each carriage has nine compartments. We have reserved ours just for the two of us and it is just about OK in size for me. It is a bit of a squeeze with four people in the same compartment. At the end of each carriage is a little office for the attndents. They clean the train, sell drinks and provide bedding. Nearby is a samovar (or urn) with boiling water for tea and coffee. At the each end of the carriage is a toilet with a wash basin and mirror. There are no showers on the train. The name “Siberia n Railway” refers to the t... More About: Ross , Plains , Iberia , Acro
Across the Plains of Siberia
2007-07-16 08:34:00 We were awake at 7.30 am this morning and we were at this location: Current Location map This total trip from Vladivostok to Moscow is 9259 km and as I write this (20 hours after our commencement) we still have 8143 kms to travel. Our train has one very large and strong looking Russian electric locomotive. Behind it are four baggage / freight cars and then 13 passenger csrs. Next comes the restaurant car and a few last carriages at the back. Each carriage has nine compartments. We have reserved ours just for the two of us and it is just about OK in size for me. It is a bit of a squeeze with four people in the same compartment. At the end of each carriage is a little office for the attndents. They clean the train, sell drinks and provide bedding. Nearby is a samovar (or urn) with boiling water for tea and coffee. At the each end of the carriage is a toilet with a wash basin and mirror. There are no showers on the train. The name “Siberia n Railway” refers to the t... More About: Ross , Plains , Iberia , Acro
Provodnitsa Paradise
2007-07-16 08:32:00 The Provodnitsa on a Russian train is a carriage attendant. Ours is a woman of about 40 with short bleached blonde hair and of a rubinesque appearance. She looks after the carriage and its passengers very well. Her job is to clean the train twice each day - sweep floors, clean windows, hose out the toilets and remove garbage from the bin at the end of the carriage. She makes sure everyone is back on the carriage at each stop. Ocassionally she even smiles (Russians are very serious people). Yesterday she was kind enough to plug the charger for my camera battery into the powerpoint in her little cubicle / office to recharge. I offered her a chocolate from the small box we bought in Vladivostok to say thankyou and instead of taking just one or two, she took the whole box. This time, I smiled! We have three compartments between our little group on the train. David & I reserved one between just the two of us. Pat, Margaret and Tony are in another with a man who works for the railwa... More About: Paradise , Arad , Paradis
Provodnitsa Paradise
2007-07-16 08:31:00 The Provodnitsa on a Russian train is a carriage attendant. Ours is a woman of about 40 with short bleached blonde hair and of a rubinesque appearance. She looks after the carriage and its passengers very well. Her job is to clean the train twice each day - sweep floors, clean windows, hose out the toilets and remove garbage from the bin at the end of the carriage. She makes sure everyone is back on the carriage at each stop. Ocassionally she even smiles (Russians are very serious people). Yesterday she was kind enough to plug the charger for my camera battery into the powerpoint in her little cubicle / office to recharge. I offered her a chocolate from the small box we bought in Vladivostok to say thankyou and instead of taking just one or two, she took the whole box. This time, I smiled! We have three compartments between our little group on the train. David & I reserved one between just the two of us. Pat, Margaret and Tony are in another with a man who works for the railwa... More About: Paradise , Arad , Paradis
Provodnitsa Paradise
2007-07-16 08:31:00 The Provodnitsa on a Russian train is a carriage attendant. Ours is a woman of about 40 with short bleached blonde hair and of a rubinesque appearance. She looks after the carriage and its passengers very well. Her job is to clean the train twice each day - sweep floors, clean windows, hose out the toilets and remove garbage from the bin at the end of the carriage. She makes sure everyone is back on the carriage at each stop. Ocassionally she even smiles (Russians are very serious people). Yesterday she was kind enough to plug the charger for my camera battery into the powerpoint in her little cubicle / office to recharge. I offered her a chocolate from the small box we bought in Vladivostok to say thankyou and instead of taking just one or two, she took the whole box. This time, I smiled! We have three compartments between our little group on the train. David & I reserved one between just the two of us. Pat, Margaret and Tony are in another with a man who works for the railwa... More About: Paradise , Arad , Paradis
Across the Plains of Siberia
2007-07-15 13:21:00 We were awake at 7.30 am this morning and we were at this location: Current Location map This total trip from Vladivostok to Moscow is 9259 km and as I write this (20 hours after our commencement) we still have 8143 kms to travel. Our train has one very large and strong looking Russian electric locomotive. Behind it are four baggage / freight cars and then 13 passenger csrs. Next comes the restaurant car and a few last carriages at the back. Each carriage has nine compartments. We have reserved ours just for the two of us and it is just about OK in size for me. It is a bit of a squeeze with four people in the same compartment. At the end of each carriage is a little office for the attndents. They clean the train, sell drinks and provide bedding. Nearby is a samovar (or urn) with boiling water for tea and coffee. At the each end of the carriage is a toilet with a wash basin and mirror. There are no showers on the train. The name “Siberia n Railway” refers to the total tr... More About: Ross , Plains , Iberia , Acro
Across the Plains of Siberia
2007-07-15 13:21:00 We were awake at 7.30 am this morning and we were at this location: Current Location map This total trip from Vladivostok to Moscow is 9259 km and as I write this (20 hours after our commencement) we still have 8143 kms to travel. Our train has one very large and strong looking Russian electric locomotive. Behind ... More About: Siberia , Ross , Plains , Iberia , Acro
Our First Night on the Trans Siberian
2007-07-15 00:50:00 Our train left Vladivostok on time at 9:35 last night. We are on the number 2 train “Rossiya”, which is bound for Moscow, arriving in 7 days. We’re getting off at Irkutsk, 3 days away. From Vladivostok, the line runs north, skirting along the Chinese border, before swinging west at the city of Harbarovsk. We’ve just arrived in Harbarovsk now, and since we’ve got a GPRS signal, can send this post. The compartments are comfortable, and the berths just long enought to lie straight on. They are just like any other sleeping car that we’ve been on. There are four berths to a cabin, and around 8 cabins per carriage. This train is one of the deluxe long distance trains running across Russia. We woke this morning to find the train passing through birch forests, interspersed with open plains. We’ve passed through small villages, with huts and vegie patches. we’ve noticed that bridges have sentry posts at each end. At the moment, we’... More About: Night , Trans , Iberia , Tran
Our First Night on the Trans Siberian
2007-07-15 00:50:00 Our train left Vladivostok on time at 9:35 last night. We are on the number 2 train “Rossiya”, which is bound for Moscow, arriving in 7 days. We’re getting off at Irkutsk, 3 days away. From Vladivostok, the line runs north, skirting along the Chinese border, before swinging west at the city of Harbarovsk. ... More About: Night , Siberia , Trans , Iberia , Tran
Glad to be in Vlad
2007-07-13 15:08:00 For our last night in Japan, we stayed with Akiyo and her family in Takarazuka, close to Osaka Airport.?? We were treated to “kaiten-zushi” (conveyer belt??sushi) for dinner the night before we left, which was probably even more popular with Akiyo’s kids than it was with us. Our departure from Osaka on Thursday morning was straightforward - David’s Japanese mum & dad (who also stayed in Takarazuka) took us to the airport and our flight left on time.?? We had to catch a domestic flight to Niigata, on the north coast of Japan, to connect with our international flight to Vladivostok.?? Due to bad weather, our flight over the Japanese Alps to Niigata was quite rough, and our plane was struck by lightning. There was quite a bright flash outside and a loud bang.?? This may not be such??an unusual event, but this was the first time we had experienced it. We had four hours to fill in before our flight to Vladivostok and we became very good at making up imaginary ... More About: Glad
Glad to be in Vlad
2007-07-13 15:08:00 For our last night in Japan, we stayed with Akiyo and her family in Takarazuka, close to Osaka Airport. We were treated to “kaiten-zushi” (conveyer belt sushi) for dinner the night before we left, which was probably even more popular with Akiyo’s kids than it was with us. Our departure from Osaka on Thursday morning was straightforward ... More About: Siberia , Glad
Osaka & Kyoto photos
2007-07-13 15:05:00 Here are some photos of Osaka and Kyoto that we didn’t have the time to upload the other day. Dotonbori - the giant crab is still waving its arms along this entertainment area Kyoto Station Building - about to celebrate its 10th birthday, but still looking impressive Kiyomizudera - in the Higashiyama area of Kyoto, with its impressive ... More About: Photos , Siberia
Osaka & Kyoto photos
2007-07-13 15:05:00 Here are some photos of Osaka and Kyoto that we didn’t have the time to upload the other day. Dotonbori - the giant crab is still waving its arms along this entertainment area Kyoto Station Building - about to celebrate its 10th birthday, but still looking impressive Kiyomizudera - in the Higashiyama area of Kyoto, with its impressive balcony More About: Photos
Big announcement!!
2007-07-11 13:28:00 Many of our readers know that my sister, Cathy, has been expecting her baby any day now. From Takarazuka, Dad & Dave are very proud to announce that they now have a granddaughter/niece. Audrey Jae arrived into the world at 6:43pm (AEST) this afternoon (11 July 2007), weighing 8 pounds, 11 ounces. For those of you who work ... More About: Announcement , Siberia , Anno
Osaka Namba One & Classic Kyoto
2007-07-11 08:31:00 [Joint post by Dad & Dave] We continued the theme of continuous food on Monday when we started by going out to breakfast, before visiting the farm property where David?s mother & father borrow a bit of space to lovingly maintain their vegetable patch. They grow pretty much the same things that we would grow in ... More About: Classic , Osaka , Siberia , Kyoto
Highlights of Nara
2007-07-09 03:31:00 David has posted?a detailed post of our climb up the mountain and our day in Nara in our Siberia n blog, but these are the highlights for me: Meeting David’s host family again and watching his mother happliy cook more food than an army could eat for dinner (we have nicknamed her as the Takemoto Army cook), Ther is enough ... More About: Highlights
Scaring off the bears on Mt Takami
2007-07-08 17:31:00 On Sunday, in a double-header father/son combination, Masashi & Oto-san took Dad & Dave on a hiking trip to Mt Takami, on the border between Nara and Mie Prefectures. To get there, it’s an hour’s drive from Nara city through narrow mountain valleys and through rural villages. The main road from Nara to Mastsuzaka now ... More About: Bears , Siberia , Ears , Kami , Bear
The awe of King Emmao, the Big Buddha and Dragon King Mountain
2007-07-08 17:25:00 Dad and Dave’s first full day in Japan (Saturday) saw a good mix of visiting off-the-beaten-path places and as well as Nara tourist hotspots. We started off by walking all the way from the Takemoto family’s house, in a semi-rural suburb of Nara called Fujiwaradai, along country back lanes through to the town. This is a ... More About: Buddha , King , Siberia , Mountain , Emma
Impressions of Jetstar Star Class
More articles from this author:2007-07-07 11:49:00 As I am writing this, we are five hours into our nine and a half hour flight to Osaka (about half way) and I am writing this post for something to do as much as anything else. The Star Class cabin in this Airbus looks rather neat with five rows of leather covered seats ... More About: Siberia , Impressions , Impress 1, 2, 3 |
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