4 Jacks and a Turtle...

Just arrived back from the countryside. Quite different then the madness of the city - quite beautiful in fact. The landscape tends to look fake for some reason - probably all of the vodka.

Spent the night in a traditional ger camp. I am quite anxious to convince Julia into purchasing some land and building a yurt. I can grow potatoes and grow a beard. sounds lovely in theory - except for the beard part. Rode horseback (yes i piloted the mighty steed - make your own jokes) for 2 hours to Turtle Rock, quite an experience. I was invited into one of the local yurts by some elder who shared his cookie crumbs and broke out a bottle of vodka - i was a little scared as the dirty cup kept being filled over and over. No worse for wear i managed to get my horse back to the camp in on piece.

I was lucky enough to particiapte in some archery this morning - archery, wrestling and horse racing are the 3 biggest sports here. I wasn't able to wrestle anyone which was probably for the best. There are some big lads here, most of which could put me in their pocket. I pretend to be injured - or slightly dim and they take pity.

2 hour journey back into the city for a quick clean up and to pick up some groceries for the next leg of the train ride. 40hrs by train to Irkustk, Russia. The stories are endless about this leg of the trip, told not to expect much but wonder how much less there can be then the 'regular' train. I guess i shall find out this evening. There is however hot water on the train so noodle soup it will be for the next couple of days. We are more concerned about how much beer to bring - its a slippery slope here. You don't dare drink too much, it would be similar to spending a night in hell, as a few have already found out. I politely smile and nurse my drink and watch the younger guys on the train spend an evening in a toilet that most prisoners would choose not to use. I guess it's all part of the charm.

See you in Russia...

Where is my hat?

I am even at more of a loss today. Trying to explain this city is not an easy task. Unsettling, Cold, Hot, Chaotic and so on. I have been warned multiple times about my safety (more about my stuff) and there are certainly no lack of 'suspicious' folk walking the streets. Taking pictures has not been easy as flashing my large camera around is like waving a salmon in an Alaskan forest. But i venture on.

Spent most of today seeing the sights. Lots of broken down 1930's Russian built apartment blocks and stores with signs that don't really reflect their business - but they look nice i guess. Going to go to a traditional Mongolian music show tonight - not entirely excited about it, but figure there might be some interesting parts.


The weather here is also hard to describe but even harder to believe. The weather can change 35 degress during a day, and so far today i have had intense heat and two snowfalls. Just plain crazy. I was going to dump all of my warm clothes in Beijing thinking i would never need them, thank god for the voice in my head telling me 'don't you dare!' - that voice being Julia's.

Tomorrow morning i am heading out to the ger camp and will spend the day and night there. Back on the following day as i wait for the evening train which will cross the Russian border (which i am sure will be brutal) and head towards Lake Baikal - the largest freshwater lake in the world.

Off for a nap.

Train 1 - Man 0

I bid a fond farewell to Beijing the other night, sad to see it go, but excited about what was approaching. I had a ticket for a 7:45am train to Ulan Bataar. I would share a berth with 3 others, a room that is about 4.5ft x 7ft x 10ft (high) - so basically, small. The initial train ride would be 30hrs, plus stopping to chat with Chinese customs officials, which as some of you know can be a VERY 'pleasent' experience.

There was a pretty good feeling on the train as most people were making the trek to Moscow as well as a large number of Chinese stopping on various points on the route. Now 30hrs is a long time to spend in a small cell with people that you like, so the concern about how things were going to go with my new found 'friends' was valid. Concern changed to relief a couple of hours in. Beers flowed and descriptions about peoples diverse lives came out. I brought a can of chewing tobacco to cut the tension if need be - I am now reffered to as 'The Devil'. A poor fellow from London is still throwing up.

Anyway, after about 36hrs (most of which was through the Gobi desert) we have just arrived in Ulan Bataar. The city is hard to describe. A mix of soviet influence and 'Kenny Rogers Roasters' restaurants - possibly the most bizarre city i have been in. I am sure once i am able to explore a little further i will discover the 'charm' that i have read about.

I checked into my hotel, cleaned up and walked across to this cafe where i am currently writing. I am going to go for Mongolian BBQ tonight and then maybe to a Karaoke bar (which there seems to be an incredible amount of) with some people that are also on the train. Going to explore the city tomorrow before heading out for a homestay in a Ger (Yurt) which should be quite interesting.
Maybe I'll bring my chewing tobacco....

I see the Wings are playing the Penguins. I am sure i will find somewhere to watch it, no one loves hockey like the mongols love hockey.

Again, apologies for the lack of content, but my head is still spinning from the last 2 days.

Safe and happy, missing you all. (well not all of you, mostly just Julia and Ava).

A bicycle built for 3 billion.....

I remember two things from the last time i was in China - when it's hot it's hot. Not the 'wow, what a lovely summer day' hot, but a 'i need to change my underpants again', hot. That and when something smells bad, it smells really bad. Other then that, pretty much everything else is bang on.

I am sorry for the lack of updates (if anyone is even reading this anymore) but China doesn't like blogspot, so i was blocked access. I guess i can add that to my list mentioned previously.

Beijing was great. Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, Great Wall - and so forth. I spent the first couple of days exploring trying to get handle on the layout. The city is massive - and what looks like a couple of blocks on a map, usually turns out to be a couple of miles. After learning my lesson i turned to the metro and public buses - both of which are dead simple to use.

My lack of internet use didn't allow me to capture my daily routines which i am now at a loss for. It was all incredibly overwhelming and once i get a little more time, will be able to recall exactly what happened over the course of 5 days.

So again, i apologize for the lack of 'wit' in this post, but am now hopeful i can keep the updates coming a little more regularly.

p.s. i did have an encounter with a large snake on the great wall. 'large' and 'snake' are often a bad combination. it was good thing it was so hot as i something to blame the need for an underwear change on....

Cough gently my friend...

I am scheduled to arrive in Beijing at 4:15pm, May 22nd. There have been some online posts about quarantine 'issues' with planes landing in Beijing - i am hoping they are false. If you don't see this blog updated for a while you can guess i am holed up in a room with two guys in rubber suits, or i have been quarantined....stay tuned.

If you need me....

22-May-09 Beijing China
23-May-09 Beijing China
24-May-09 Beijing China
25-May-09 Beijing China
26-May-09 Beijing China
27-May-09 Ulaan Baatar Mongolia
28-May-09 Ulaan Baatar Mongolia
29-May-09 Ulaan Baatar Mongolia
30-May-09 Ulaan Baatar Mongolia
31-May-09 Train Mongolia
01-Jun-09 Train Russia
02-Jun-09 Irkutsk Russia
03-Jun-09 Lake Baikal Russia
04-Jun-09 Train Russia
05-Jun-09 Train Russia
06-Jun-09 Yekaterinburg Russia
07-Jun-09 Train Russia
08-Jun-09 Moscow Russia
09-Jun-09 Moscow Russia
10-Jun-09 Moscow Russia
11-Jun-09 St. Petersburg Russia
12-Jun-09 St. Petersburg Russia
13-Jun-09 St. Petersburg Russia
14-Jun-09 Helsinki Finland
15-Jun-09 Helsinki Finland