Trans-Siberian Railway

[nuts]

Well, it's been a while since I posted.
Embarking on the Trans-Siberian Rail journey has always been one of my goals, and I've finally done it. And after stopping over 8 towns/cities, traveling on 7 overnight trains, visiting 6 World Heritage sites, spanning 5 timezones, stretching over 4 weeks, couchsurfing with 3 hospitable hosts, straddling across 2 continents, it has indeed been 1 hell of a Trans-Siberian Rail journey.

Here's sharing just a snippet of the journey in images - I'm still on the road... For those who know me, I've a personal website and blog, but I've also started another blog to document my ongoing journey, including this rail journey. You can drop by when you're free
http://rrr.roving-light.com/

The journey started in Beijing, on the K3 Beijing-Moscow train. There are many people who do the journey (whether east-bound or west-bound) in a single trip of 6-7 nights which is a shame, really. There are actually quite alot of stops along the way to enjoy.

For those who break their journey, Mongolia is a certainly a worthy stop. But I've been to Mongolia few years ago, so I decided to skip it. But the Mongolian blue skies is as blue as I remembered it...

The train along the Mongolian steppes

After 2days and 2nights on the train, my 1st stop - Ulan-Ude, capital of the Buryat Replublic.

 

[nuts]

The Buryats are of Mongolian descent, and for those who are on the eastbound route, Ulan-Ude makes an interesting transition from European Russia to Asian Russia! The streets have a good mix of Asian and European features.

And one of the attractions of Ulan-Ude? The biggest statue head of Lenin in the world!

 

[nuts]

You can also reach one of the major attractions of the Trans-Siberian Rail journey from Ulan-Ude - Lake Baikal. However, most people visit it from the city of Irkutsk, which is my next stop. However, I was unlucky as the 2 days I'm at Lake Baikal, it was grey, cloudy and raining

And only on the day I am leaving, the sun came out and throw the lake in a different light...

 

[nuts]

My next stop, Krasnoyarsk, feature a nature reserve known as Stolby Nature Reserve, where the "stolby" rocks amidst taiga forests are the main draw. Lots of Siberians come here for the outdoors, and for climbing the rocks!!

And when you reach the top, the autumn view is stupendous!!

 

[travelsnapper]

Awesome!

 

[asterixsg]

Bro, you never fail to amaze me. With your pictures, with your tales and your courage to do the unthinkable (for most of us...)

Really proud of you. Have a good one, this one, and come back to share more travel stories.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[stevepow]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:looking forward on your continuation of the series
Thanks for taking the time off to share

 

[sinned79]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Taurean]

Looking forward to see more.

 

[SurrealDreamWalker]

Very nice :thumbsup:

Enjoy see your exoctic adventure/journey photogs.

Do post more. Cheers

 

[nuts]

Thanks for the comments and appreciation guys!

 

[zoossh]

how much time did u spend on train vs on land?

The Buryats are of Mongolian descent, and for those who are on the eastbound route, Ulan-Ude makes an interesting transition from European Russia to Asian Russia! The streets have a good mix of Asian and European features.

it is always interesting to look at human facial features. i find environmental portraits (not the model types) most enticing, and of cos engaging street shots. i think the above girl does have very strong northern asiatic look. it sort of reminds me of a recent picture i saw comparing jomon and yayoi origin in japan (of cos these are mixed in today's case), in which they got two models, and obviously the jomon girl (supposedly having more malay-polynesian features) got a lot more attention.

just google jomon vs yayoi images, or click the below for an example
http://www.google.com.sg/imglanding...s=isch:1&start=0#tbnid=2aDTbTsL-O3IKM&start=0

 

[nuts]

how much time did u spend on train vs on land?

Eh, 6x overnight train, 1x day train, 1x two-day train
total days in russia 28d

it is always interesting to look at human facial features. i find environmental portraits (not the model types) most enticing, and of cos engaging street shots. i think the above girl does have very strong northern asiatic look. it sort of reminds me of a recent picture i saw comparing jomon and yayoi origin in japan (of cos these are mixed in today's case), in which they got two models, and obviously the jomon girl (supposedly having more malay-polynesian features) got a lot more attention.

just google jomon vs yayoi images, or click the below for an example
http://www.google.com.sg/imglanding...s=isch:1&start=0#tbnid=2aDTbTsL-O3IKM&start=0

Wow, thats interesting... I'm never that observant into so details ;p

 

[nuts]

Not quite on the main Trans-Siberian rail (there are many rail lines branching off from the main line), I made a stop at Tomsk. A university city, it feels young and in the city centre, cafe culture is apparent.
More writeup on http://blog.roving-light.com/2010/10/tomsk-siberia.html

Old architecture, still inhabited!

Strolling in one of the many of the canopy-lined streets

Or stroll by the Toms river

Or even in the parks! (Effects courtesy of the Canon S95)

 

[nuts]

Onto my next stop, Yekaterinsburg. Like many of the Russian cities, there are cathedrals, statues, parks in the city.

Again, effects courtesy of the Canon S95

But one of the special attractions in Yekaterinsburg is that it is close to the Europe-Asia border!
More info here :
http://blog.roving-light.com/2010/10/europe-asia-continental-divide.html
The monument marking the border...

 

[RezzShaz]

planning for the same trip, starting in Beijing and in Moscow....hope to take picture as nice as yours...

 

[sinned79]

how much does this trip (expenses, transport+air tix, accomodation etc) cost you btw?

 

[daredevil123]

Strolling in one of the many of the canopy-lined streets

Nice tilt-shift pics from the S95. So was it repairable?

Already seen the photos as I have been following your trip on your blog. Just to say again, awesome pics bro!

 

[nuts]

You mean starting in Beijing and ending in Moscow?...
Good for u! All the best!
You can email me qns although answers may not come as quickly depending on where I am. And thanks for your compliment!

planning for the same trip, starting in Beijing and in Moscow....hope to take picture as nice as yours...

 

[nuts]

how much does this trip (expenses, transport+air tix, accomodation etc) cost you btw?

I think figures will vary widely depending on your style of travel. I find food the most expensive part relative to accomm and transport.
Also, since its part of a longer trip, I'll exclude airfares, although my 1-way tix from SG to Beijing cost S$495
My total expenditure, including the international trains/bus for 28D is abt S$2200