I'm not talking abou the kind that say 'boo' on Halloween. I'm talking about the kind that lurk in the far corners of your mind. That remind you of stories you care not to remember. That rehash tales that have been told and played out but not fully resolved. China has too many of these ghosts for me. I see them in the corners of alleys. I smell them coming from the street stalls. I hear them in the endless banter of the people on the streets. And it haunts me. And I'm looking forward to escaping the oppression of the past, my past.
Tonight I will board a train to Tibet.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Sitting by Ugii Lake
Tuesday, August 21st 5:30pm At Ugii Lake
I'm sun burned and wind swept after a full day outside by the lake. Instead of camping in the steppe last night, we decided to drive a little farther and stay two nights at the lake. We had to ditch some monastery ruins tht was on our itinerary because the river was running too high and we couldn't cross it. We had been warned by a local farmer who had tried to cross on his horse but couldn't. But our driver had to see for himself, and indeed, we couldn't cross it. So we gave up and drove to the lake earlier than scheduled for a bit of R&R.
Today I read, walked around, swam and took pictures of a horse drive. A few hundred horses camp through our camp on the way to the UB butchers. But what a beautiful scene to see so many horses running free. Speaking of horses...the local speciality at this time of year is fermented horse milk. It has a little alcohol in it from the fermentation process which involves a goat skin. But it won't get you drunk. It kind of tastes like buttermilk.
Sitting by this little lake, or the ocean, as the locals call it...life is calm! There is a light breeze that threatens to become a strong wind. There are a few ducks diving for fish. The sun is dipping lower and will soon be behind potential rain clods. There is a ger and homestead across the lake from where I sit and where the sun will soon set. I can smell the pasta concoction our cook and guide, Navcha, has created for us tonight. And JP is cooking it while she changes and sings "What a Wonderful World" in her tent. At her request, I wrote down the lyrics for her and she has listened over and over to it on JP's MP3 player. She is so funny!
She told me a story similar to that of the Weeping Camel (a great movie!). If a Mongolian mother doesn't accept her baby immediately, they will put it down on the ground in the way of a herd of horses. Seeing her child in danger she wil want to hold it and care for it. But in reality, the horses will never trample the baby. Never!
I'm sun burned and wind swept after a full day outside by the lake. Instead of camping in the steppe last night, we decided to drive a little farther and stay two nights at the lake. We had to ditch some monastery ruins tht was on our itinerary because the river was running too high and we couldn't cross it. We had been warned by a local farmer who had tried to cross on his horse but couldn't. But our driver had to see for himself, and indeed, we couldn't cross it. So we gave up and drove to the lake earlier than scheduled for a bit of R&R.
Today I read, walked around, swam and took pictures of a horse drive. A few hundred horses camp through our camp on the way to the UB butchers. But what a beautiful scene to see so many horses running free. Speaking of horses...the local speciality at this time of year is fermented horse milk. It has a little alcohol in it from the fermentation process which involves a goat skin. But it won't get you drunk. It kind of tastes like buttermilk.
Sitting by this little lake, or the ocean, as the locals call it...life is calm! There is a light breeze that threatens to become a strong wind. There are a few ducks diving for fish. The sun is dipping lower and will soon be behind potential rain clods. There is a ger and homestead across the lake from where I sit and where the sun will soon set. I can smell the pasta concoction our cook and guide, Navcha, has created for us tonight. And JP is cooking it while she changes and sings "What a Wonderful World" in her tent. At her request, I wrote down the lyrics for her and she has listened over and over to it on JP's MP3 player. She is so funny!
She told me a story similar to that of the Weeping Camel (a great movie!). If a Mongolian mother doesn't accept her baby immediately, they will put it down on the ground in the way of a herd of horses. Seeing her child in danger she wil want to hold it and care for it. But in reality, the horses will never trample the baby. Never!
Camping in a ger
Monday, August 20th Ger house, Little Gobi
I'm sitting in a ger house near the little gobi, or the end of the gobi and next to a tourist camp. But we are staying at the worker's house. I'm not sure if he gets paid or not, but he got dinner last night and he played cards with us for awhile. His wife is away in another village waiting to give birth. He was so busy with the tourist camp, we had the ger to ourselves, both a blessing and a bit of a dissapointment. It would have been fun to get to know an entire family, but you take what you can get I guess. I slept on this couch/bed that seems to be dedicated to a lama or God. That was a little strange, maybe sacreligious--not sure! But everyone else seemed to think it was ok.
I was worried there wouldn't be enough light in here because there are no windows. But when the sun camp up, he opened up the top and the morning light poured in! When we arrived yesterday afternoon, it was sunny and warm but everyone predicted a thunderstorm was coming, so we asked this guy if we could stay with him. Good thing too...it poured REALLY hard that night! Thunder, lightning and then an amzing starry sky! It was so wide and open and expansive! The milky way was brighter than even at Lake Baikal or our work site in the jungle. At one point we were playing cards and had the door open, which always faces south. The lightning bolts were striking right out in front of us--perfectly framed in the door way!
I'm sitting in a ger house near the little gobi, or the end of the gobi and next to a tourist camp. But we are staying at the worker's house. I'm not sure if he gets paid or not, but he got dinner last night and he played cards with us for awhile. His wife is away in another village waiting to give birth. He was so busy with the tourist camp, we had the ger to ourselves, both a blessing and a bit of a dissapointment. It would have been fun to get to know an entire family, but you take what you can get I guess. I slept on this couch/bed that seems to be dedicated to a lama or God. That was a little strange, maybe sacreligious--not sure! But everyone else seemed to think it was ok.
I was worried there wouldn't be enough light in here because there are no windows. But when the sun camp up, he opened up the top and the morning light poured in! When we arrived yesterday afternoon, it was sunny and warm but everyone predicted a thunderstorm was coming, so we asked this guy if we could stay with him. Good thing too...it poured REALLY hard that night! Thunder, lightning and then an amzing starry sky! It was so wide and open and expansive! The milky way was brighter than even at Lake Baikal or our work site in the jungle. At one point we were playing cards and had the door open, which always faces south. The lightning bolts were striking right out in front of us--perfectly framed in the door way!
Leaving Russia
Friday, August 17th 3:10 Naushiki, Russia
We've been sitting here at the border station for over two hours. It is possible it might take another 9 hours--nobody knows. Everyone is just wandering aimlessly, wondering where to go, what to do and when we will get through! And why is this process so inefficient?
We left Irkutsk last night at about 8:45pm after saying good-bye to M, going to Moscow, at about 4pm and then Andrei and Zheniya at 8:10, going to Omsk. We had to say our good-byes to Roma, Julia and Masha from the street, in a quick good-bye. It is better that way. It was sad to see our GBT and Russia experience come to an end. It was two fabulous weeks full of hard labor and hard laughter. There were group bonding games that made me pee my pants, food that filled me to the brim, and endless hours of conversation, story-telling and jokes. There was a week-long killer game. I was killed on day three by a bomb at dinner. Then the second week we had special friends. Everyday we got a little flower bouquet, a candy, a present, or a note! It was fun and always brought a smile to everyone's face knowing someone was secretly sneaking around preparing gifts.
But even without the games and songs, people connected--stereotypes were broken and friendships were forged!
We've been sitting here at the border station for over two hours. It is possible it might take another 9 hours--nobody knows. Everyone is just wandering aimlessly, wondering where to go, what to do and when we will get through! And why is this process so inefficient?
We left Irkutsk last night at about 8:45pm after saying good-bye to M, going to Moscow, at about 4pm and then Andrei and Zheniya at 8:10, going to Omsk. We had to say our good-byes to Roma, Julia and Masha from the street, in a quick good-bye. It is better that way. It was sad to see our GBT and Russia experience come to an end. It was two fabulous weeks full of hard labor and hard laughter. There were group bonding games that made me pee my pants, food that filled me to the brim, and endless hours of conversation, story-telling and jokes. There was a week-long killer game. I was killed on day three by a bomb at dinner. Then the second week we had special friends. Everyday we got a little flower bouquet, a candy, a present, or a note! It was fun and always brought a smile to everyone's face knowing someone was secretly sneaking around preparing gifts.
But even without the games and songs, people connected--stereotypes were broken and friendships were forged!
Back to Irkutsk
Wednesday, August 15th Writing in an internet cafe in Irkutsk
Sitting and waiting for internet to come back up...back in a city, back in civilization, and about to check-in with the world after two weeks. Being away in the Siberian jungle made me more present, our concerns were simple and day to day. My concerns were left behind, they had to be because there was nothing I could do about them in the depths of the jungle. I just had to be and it was a wonderful thing. That didn't mean my mind didn't wander or I didn't think about the outside world, but it wasn't all consumming. No email, internet or contact with the media for two weeks, it was a great break from 'life'. But now I'm waiting to make contact and I'm waiting to see if anyone has been waiting for me. But I'm not sure what I'll tell them and what I will feel inspired to write when I'm pressured to report in. How can I communicate the experiences of the last two weeks?
Sitting and waiting for internet to come back up...back in a city, back in civilization, and about to check-in with the world after two weeks. Being away in the Siberian jungle made me more present, our concerns were simple and day to day. My concerns were left behind, they had to be because there was nothing I could do about them in the depths of the jungle. I just had to be and it was a wonderful thing. That didn't mean my mind didn't wander or I didn't think about the outside world, but it wasn't all consumming. No email, internet or contact with the media for two weeks, it was a great break from 'life'. But now I'm waiting to make contact and I'm waiting to see if anyone has been waiting for me. But I'm not sure what I'll tell them and what I will feel inspired to write when I'm pressured to report in. How can I communicate the experiences of the last two weeks?
Train from Tanhoy to Slutyanka
Tuesday, August 14th, On the train from Tanhoy to Slutyanka
We packed up and left our camp yesterday. After a grueling 1 1/2 hour hike out with a pack weighted down with two tents and two loppers plus all my crap, we got to the national park center near the lake. The afternoon was lazy but disappeared quickly--unpacking, walking to town and a little store, the banya, lunch and then dinner prep.
The banya, or traditional Russian sauna and beating, was fabulous! Partly because it was my first time and in part because I was doing it with Russians in Russia near Lake Baikal! The general idea is much like a sauna or steam bath: wood, fire, water, rocks and a wooden house. There are two large buckets of cold water that have to be filled by hand. And there is a large tub of water connected to the fire stove that gets heated to boiling. There are pails and buckets that can be filled with either hot or cold water or a combo for bathing. You can bring soap and shampoo inside and do all your washing in the HOT HOT room. But the really unique feature of the banya is the ritualistic beating! It is supposed to stimulate your blood.
To be beaten you need branches from a pine or birch tree or some other tree gathered fresh! I was the only one of the three of us bathing together that wanted a beating. The Russian girls said they didn't like it. So down I went. I laid down (fully nude) on the upper bench to be beaten by pine branches. The branches were dipped in water first, and then Zheniya started the beating. She bet me first on my backside for 3-5 minutes covering every last inch. She didn't hit hard, just a light tap or touch, enough to feel the scratch of the pine needles on my skin. Then I flipped over and she did the same on my front side. It felt great and smelled wonderful--like x-mas trees! After the beating I was covered in pine needles! I ditched my warm water intended for bathing and filled up on cold. By this point I was about to suffocate in sauna. And I did run out to escape a few times, putting my head out the front door for fresh air. Much at M's amuzement!
It did feel amazing to sweat out the dirt and get a deep cleaning after two weeks. My nails are almost clean again. But it will be awhile before all my mosquito bites heal and the general conditions of my skin is back to normal. And who knows if my clothes or socks will ever fully recover.
At the moment, sitting on the train, we are stopped at some po-dunk town next to the lake. We seem to be on a commuter train, lots of people getting on and off at all these really little stops that don't look like much more than a few houses and a train platform. Tanhoy, where we got on, was just that--a few roads, a few houses, many of them abandon and a few cows. The houses looked like they mostly rely on fire for heat and the people were collecting water from a common water pump, so no indoor plumbing either. Many houses have metal or corrugated metal roofs with seemingly little or no insulation--remarkable given the winter temps and the amount of snow they must get. But each houe has beautiful window framed in bright blue designs. And there are almost always flowers in the window--quaint beauty amidst a harsh landscape.
We packed up and left our camp yesterday. After a grueling 1 1/2 hour hike out with a pack weighted down with two tents and two loppers plus all my crap, we got to the national park center near the lake. The afternoon was lazy but disappeared quickly--unpacking, walking to town and a little store, the banya, lunch and then dinner prep.
The banya, or traditional Russian sauna and beating, was fabulous! Partly because it was my first time and in part because I was doing it with Russians in Russia near Lake Baikal! The general idea is much like a sauna or steam bath: wood, fire, water, rocks and a wooden house. There are two large buckets of cold water that have to be filled by hand. And there is a large tub of water connected to the fire stove that gets heated to boiling. There are pails and buckets that can be filled with either hot or cold water or a combo for bathing. You can bring soap and shampoo inside and do all your washing in the HOT HOT room. But the really unique feature of the banya is the ritualistic beating! It is supposed to stimulate your blood.
To be beaten you need branches from a pine or birch tree or some other tree gathered fresh! I was the only one of the three of us bathing together that wanted a beating. The Russian girls said they didn't like it. So down I went. I laid down (fully nude) on the upper bench to be beaten by pine branches. The branches were dipped in water first, and then Zheniya started the beating. She bet me first on my backside for 3-5 minutes covering every last inch. She didn't hit hard, just a light tap or touch, enough to feel the scratch of the pine needles on my skin. Then I flipped over and she did the same on my front side. It felt great and smelled wonderful--like x-mas trees! After the beating I was covered in pine needles! I ditched my warm water intended for bathing and filled up on cold. By this point I was about to suffocate in sauna. And I did run out to escape a few times, putting my head out the front door for fresh air. Much at M's amuzement!
It did feel amazing to sweat out the dirt and get a deep cleaning after two weeks. My nails are almost clean again. But it will be awhile before all my mosquito bites heal and the general conditions of my skin is back to normal. And who knows if my clothes or socks will ever fully recover.
At the moment, sitting on the train, we are stopped at some po-dunk town next to the lake. We seem to be on a commuter train, lots of people getting on and off at all these really little stops that don't look like much more than a few houses and a train platform. Tanhoy, where we got on, was just that--a few roads, a few houses, many of them abandon and a few cows. The houses looked like they mostly rely on fire for heat and the people were collecting water from a common water pump, so no indoor plumbing either. Many houses have metal or corrugated metal roofs with seemingly little or no insulation--remarkable given the winter temps and the amount of snow they must get. But each houe has beautiful window framed in bright blue designs. And there are almost always flowers in the window--quaint beauty amidst a harsh landscape.
My Hat Has Three Corners
While many many songs were sung, mostly by the Russians, there were two songs that became 'our' camp songs over the course of two weeks:
1) Donna Nobis Pachem--sang in a round! Beautiful around the campfire at night, but only for the strong of heart at train stations!
2) My Hat Has 3 Corners (translated into 5 languages) and sang with a harmonica.
English:
My hat it has 3 corners
Three corners has my hat
And has it not 3 corners
Then it is not my hat
German:
Mein hut der hat drei ecken
drei ecken hat mein hut
und hat er nicht drei ecken
so ist es nicht mein hut
Japanese (an unofficial translation):
Watashi no boshi sankado
sankado no boshi watahsi
to moshi sankado janakattara
kore watashi no boshi jyanai
French (copied from M's unique handwriting, sorry for mistakes):
Mon chapeau ila trois coins
trois coin a mon chapeau
et si il n' a pas trois coins
pais il r'est pas mon chapeau
Russian--I have it, but it is in Russian, so can't type it here
Mongolian (yep, I got it translated for you Christian!):
Mini malgai gurvan untsugtei
gurvan untsugt malgaatai bi
kherev ter min gurvan untsugt bish bol
terel lav minii malgai bish ee!
Can anyone add anymore translations??
1) Donna Nobis Pachem--sang in a round! Beautiful around the campfire at night, but only for the strong of heart at train stations!
2) My Hat Has 3 Corners (translated into 5 languages) and sang with a harmonica.
English:
My hat it has 3 corners
Three corners has my hat
And has it not 3 corners
Then it is not my hat
German:
Mein hut der hat drei ecken
drei ecken hat mein hut
und hat er nicht drei ecken
so ist es nicht mein hut
Japanese (an unofficial translation):
Watashi no boshi sankado
sankado no boshi watahsi
to moshi sankado janakattara
kore watashi no boshi jyanai
French (copied from M's unique handwriting, sorry for mistakes):
Mon chapeau ila trois coins
trois coin a mon chapeau
et si il n' a pas trois coins
pais il r'est pas mon chapeau
Russian--I have it, but it is in Russian, so can't type it here
Mongolian (yep, I got it translated for you Christian!):
Mini malgai gurvan untsugtei
gurvan untsugt malgaatai bi
kherev ter min gurvan untsugt bish bol
terel lav minii malgai bish ee!
Can anyone add anymore translations??
G.B.T. (Goodness Beneath Tin)
This article was written for the Khamar-Dhaban Camp Report (featured in a picture below):
A few potatos, carrots, onions, some oil, a can of meat and pasta or rice--that's the staple meal of GBT volunteers in the Khamar-Dhaban. It is a hearty diety for the volunteer trail builders who spend hours unearthing rocks, lopping branches and moving soil. When they return to camp they are rewarded with bottomless bowls of hot soup and cups full of steaming tea. Volunteer Bach from Germany commented, "The salad is always good and I found the fish soup good for me...everytime I'm full."
However, a recent poll found that sweetened condensed milk by the heaping spoonful in tea, on bread, with cookies or alone is addicting and absolutely necessary to maintaining a health happy work camp. "Without the gooey goodness, I'm not sure I could survive each day" commened a blonde Russian volunteer. Even after multiple projects, Sally from Bostom is almost speechless about her obsession, "what can you say about something that is so perfect?"
At the end of the day, when all the soup is gone and everyone is sitting by the campfire, ther eis just one thing they all speak of, that Goodness Beneath Tin (GBT). "I don't care if each spoonful is plugging my arteries, it's delicious," said Johnny from Portland, OR. In ten years when I remember my two weeks in the Khamar-Dhaban, I'll remember spoonfuls of sticky sweet milk with every meal--the real reward after a hard day's work.
A few potatos, carrots, onions, some oil, a can of meat and pasta or rice--that's the staple meal of GBT volunteers in the Khamar-Dhaban. It is a hearty diety for the volunteer trail builders who spend hours unearthing rocks, lopping branches and moving soil. When they return to camp they are rewarded with bottomless bowls of hot soup and cups full of steaming tea. Volunteer Bach from Germany commented, "The salad is always good and I found the fish soup good for me...everytime I'm full."
However, a recent poll found that sweetened condensed milk by the heaping spoonful in tea, on bread, with cookies or alone is addicting and absolutely necessary to maintaining a health happy work camp. "Without the gooey goodness, I'm not sure I could survive each day" commened a blonde Russian volunteer. Even after multiple projects, Sally from Bostom is almost speechless about her obsession, "what can you say about something that is so perfect?"
At the end of the day, when all the soup is gone and everyone is sitting by the campfire, ther eis just one thing they all speak of, that Goodness Beneath Tin (GBT). "I don't care if each spoonful is plugging my arteries, it's delicious," said Johnny from Portland, OR. In ten years when I remember my two weeks in the Khamar-Dhaban, I'll remember spoonfuls of sticky sweet milk with every meal--the real reward after a hard day's work.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Adventures in Mongolia
Mongolian National Orchestra! Throat singing and all! I am in love with throat singing! 
Happy Birthday JP!
Mongolia Desert lunch with our Japanese 4WD, Japanese speaking driver and English speaking guide!
Staying in a ger! Loving life!
The travel buddies found sand dunes!! A happy happy couple (of friends)!Saying Good-bye to GBT
A big piva in Irkutsk before final good-byes! 
Matt left first! Everyone shed a tear...there were even a few kisses if I remember correctly!
Roma, our GBT leader, carried my bag! Wow! Andrei had carried it earlier that day! Thanks guys!
Waving good-bye to Zheniya & Andrei! Come visit us in the US!!
And then there were only two...off to Ulaanbaatar!Camping by Lake Baikal
Russian Village Life--I love the blue window trim!
A night by the lake--so idyllic!
On the shores of Lake Baikal! Crystal clear water you can drink! Delicious!
Team GBT bids 'paka' to Lake Baikal and to all our new friends!
Hiking out from our Lake Camp spot! Why can't I learn to pack lighter??GBT: In the Jungles of Khamar-Dhaban
Packing up van #2. Bring on the jungle!
A pit stop on the shores of Lake Baikal--waiting for van #3
Our GBT Team! Day #1 at work! What a crew: 4 countries represented!
One of our tasks: Make a newspaper about camp for the Russians! They loved it. The drew pictures of all of us! It was hilarious! Note: our cooking pot in the foreground!
We built a bridge! And carved a sign so all future hikers will know: GBT 2007 built this!!Vladivsotok-Irkutsk Train Journey
Here we go: Vladivostok to Irkutsk! 
Nappy Nappy!!
All boys do is sleep!
A happy (but dirty) train family!
Food stops! Delicious homemade goodies! Photos from the Ferry
Saying Good-bye in Fushiki!
Please, please don't leave me!!
There WAS a swimming pool at once upon a time!
The reason for the hangover through immigration--cheap beer!
Vladivostok Train Terminal with our Ferry in the background! And our new friend, a JET from Gunma!Sunday, August 26, 2007
GBT Day #4
Sunday, August 5th 10:35 6km from Lake Baikal's south-eastern shore
Let's see, I think this is day 4 with GBT, the Great Baikal Trail. We arrived in Irkutsk on Wednesday a little after 5pm. Tanya, the GBT coordinator, Sally and Georgia, two other project volunteers were waiting for us at the station. They got us on a tram, bought our tickets and took us to the Downtown Irkutsk Hostel which is just across the river one stop from the station. It was lucky that Georgia was also staying there because there are no big obvious signs. The entrance is on the backside of a non-descript building. Next to the door is spray painted, grafitti style, 'Hostel'. We were thrilled to shower and change after 5 days of travel, 2 nights on the ferry and 3 nights on the train. For our first proper sit down meal since our farewell meal at the Fushiki ferry terminal, we met up with our JET cohorts from Gunma that were on the same ferry and train and went for pizza and then internet--some things you just can't live without.
The next AM we were up early and over to the GBT office just a few blocks away. It is also located around the back of a building, up a dark and dilapitated staircase. After a special knock on an unmarked door, we were welcomed into GBT headquarters and offered tea and our first priyaniky (sweet Russian donughty goodness)! The office is a cramped space full of tents, boxes, camping gear, maps and arriving volunteers. After brief introductions, a name game and tea, we loaded up our replacement van (the first broke enroute) and headed out of town. About 1/2 there we stopped for a snack break at some roadside stalls overlooking the Southern tip of the lake. This pit stop offered up smoked fish, dried fish, potato donughts, cabbage donughts and sour cherries. We taste tested it all except the dried fish because our leader, Roma, advised it might be dangerous--full of deadly bacteria! But the donughts and smoked fish were fabulous. Plus we bought them from little old ladies, the kind I expected to see in Russia!
An hour later, van #2 broke down and we were stranded on the side of the road waiting for a replacement. Lucky for us, the side of the road was also lakeside. And it was hot and sunny, so we climbed down the hill, across the tracks, and dipped our feet in the crystal clear blue waters of Lake Baikal. The German among us, however, went for a full dip in full nude! Some stereotypes are hard to break!
The third van worked long enough to get us to our destination, a national park center, where we would be working for the next two weeks. The center was our base camp. There was a room full of food, tools and tents that we would need to haul to our real base camp, about 5km up river! We loaded our packs with additional gear and food, enough to get us set-up and fed for the next day until we could return with empty packs to bring the rest of it up to camp. Almost two hours later, sweaty, tired and hot we unloaded at our camp.
A brief overview of the players:
Roma- team leader, a Russian bear with very little English but an infectious laugh. He installs air conditioning units when he isn't leading GBT projects.
Andrei-Russian man from Omsk (2 day train journey), wears Army fatigues and came with his friend he met on the internet two years ago. Works with computers when he isn't chopping down trees for GBT.
Zheniya-Russian woman also from Omsk, came with Andrei. Studied English and speaks well when there aren't too many around. Strong personality and plays a great game of mofia. Works in the travel industry when she isn't creaing a fabulous meal over an open fire.
Christian- German man with three kids, speaks German, Russian and English. Programs computer systems on ships when he isn't swimming naked in cold Siberian streams!
Julia-Our Russian/English translator. She studies at the Irkutsk Linguistics University and wants to be a manager someday. She initiates all the group bonding games and successfully keeps us all communicating. Someday she will visit me with her two kids and husband.
Masha- Russian University student and Julia's best friend. She doesn't speak much English, but has a huge smile that does all her communicating...she is a big flirt with everyone!
Aliona- Russian University student from Ulan Ude. She only speaks English while playing mofia narrator. She is in charge of our menu and our food rations...more sweet milk, PLEASE!!
Sally- is an American intern working at GBT. She just graduated from Oberlin and speaks Russian. But she is only staying one week...oh no!!
Georgia-also an American student from Oberlin studying Russian. And also leaving a week early...oh no!
JP-a crazy American who has lived in Japan and breaks hearts everywhere he goes!
Matt-a wild Canadian who also lived in Japan and also breaks hearts!
Me-an American girl who also lived in Japan and is super excited to be in Siberia for two weeks without being able to contact the outside world!
Currently, as I write, I am on cooking duty with Zheniya. Lucky for me she knows the Russian camping cooking system and what needs to be done and when. Plus she speaks some English which I really appreciate because my Russian is still limited to the most basic greetings. Today for lunch we made a rice potato fish soup, potato carrot sausage mayo salad, bread with spreadable cheese, and tea. Basically, we have two big pots that hang over the fire that we can boil water in. This water can either be used to make soup, pasta or porridge, and for tea. And sometimes we make a salad to add to the hot food, depending on our rations.
Right now, it is just me and the fire. The little cabin/winter hut has all our food plus the three male foreigners staying in it and lots of mice. Our camp has a large laundry line for all our clothes--washed or just soaked in the rain. It seems to rain every afternoon, a bit like being in the tropics. I think we have one more full day of work before our weekend when we will go back into the city, or small town, for a bath and musuem tour. But I've actually only worked 1/2 day shift of trail building so far because of cooking duty which lasts three meals. It was fun to pull out plants, throw rocks around, and snap branches. But I also got stung by a wasp--that sucked. Not to sound like a wimp, but it really hurt, I could feel the poison up my arm as it swelled and it hurt to bend at the elbow for about an hour.
It is cloudy today, but it is the perfect temperature and humidity that makes you forget you are outside, except for the bugs...they are that constant reminder of life in the forest. And there is a river just below our camp that provides the perfect running water backdrop. A bit chilly, but I've dipped in it a few times. Other than the water, the fire, the bugs and sometimes the chipmunks, it is very quiet and very still. There is no wind, nothing is moving. It is a beautiful beautiful place! I'm so so happy to be where I am in the world right at this moment.
Let's see, I think this is day 4 with GBT, the Great Baikal Trail. We arrived in Irkutsk on Wednesday a little after 5pm. Tanya, the GBT coordinator, Sally and Georgia, two other project volunteers were waiting for us at the station. They got us on a tram, bought our tickets and took us to the Downtown Irkutsk Hostel which is just across the river one stop from the station. It was lucky that Georgia was also staying there because there are no big obvious signs. The entrance is on the backside of a non-descript building. Next to the door is spray painted, grafitti style, 'Hostel'. We were thrilled to shower and change after 5 days of travel, 2 nights on the ferry and 3 nights on the train. For our first proper sit down meal since our farewell meal at the Fushiki ferry terminal, we met up with our JET cohorts from Gunma that were on the same ferry and train and went for pizza and then internet--some things you just can't live without.
The next AM we were up early and over to the GBT office just a few blocks away. It is also located around the back of a building, up a dark and dilapitated staircase. After a special knock on an unmarked door, we were welcomed into GBT headquarters and offered tea and our first priyaniky (sweet Russian donughty goodness)! The office is a cramped space full of tents, boxes, camping gear, maps and arriving volunteers. After brief introductions, a name game and tea, we loaded up our replacement van (the first broke enroute) and headed out of town. About 1/2 there we stopped for a snack break at some roadside stalls overlooking the Southern tip of the lake. This pit stop offered up smoked fish, dried fish, potato donughts, cabbage donughts and sour cherries. We taste tested it all except the dried fish because our leader, Roma, advised it might be dangerous--full of deadly bacteria! But the donughts and smoked fish were fabulous. Plus we bought them from little old ladies, the kind I expected to see in Russia!
An hour later, van #2 broke down and we were stranded on the side of the road waiting for a replacement. Lucky for us, the side of the road was also lakeside. And it was hot and sunny, so we climbed down the hill, across the tracks, and dipped our feet in the crystal clear blue waters of Lake Baikal. The German among us, however, went for a full dip in full nude! Some stereotypes are hard to break!
The third van worked long enough to get us to our destination, a national park center, where we would be working for the next two weeks. The center was our base camp. There was a room full of food, tools and tents that we would need to haul to our real base camp, about 5km up river! We loaded our packs with additional gear and food, enough to get us set-up and fed for the next day until we could return with empty packs to bring the rest of it up to camp. Almost two hours later, sweaty, tired and hot we unloaded at our camp.
A brief overview of the players:
Roma- team leader, a Russian bear with very little English but an infectious laugh. He installs air conditioning units when he isn't leading GBT projects.
Andrei-Russian man from Omsk (2 day train journey), wears Army fatigues and came with his friend he met on the internet two years ago. Works with computers when he isn't chopping down trees for GBT.
Zheniya-Russian woman also from Omsk, came with Andrei. Studied English and speaks well when there aren't too many around. Strong personality and plays a great game of mofia. Works in the travel industry when she isn't creaing a fabulous meal over an open fire.
Christian- German man with three kids, speaks German, Russian and English. Programs computer systems on ships when he isn't swimming naked in cold Siberian streams!
Julia-Our Russian/English translator. She studies at the Irkutsk Linguistics University and wants to be a manager someday. She initiates all the group bonding games and successfully keeps us all communicating. Someday she will visit me with her two kids and husband.
Masha- Russian University student and Julia's best friend. She doesn't speak much English, but has a huge smile that does all her communicating...she is a big flirt with everyone!
Aliona- Russian University student from Ulan Ude. She only speaks English while playing mofia narrator. She is in charge of our menu and our food rations...more sweet milk, PLEASE!!
Sally- is an American intern working at GBT. She just graduated from Oberlin and speaks Russian. But she is only staying one week...oh no!!
Georgia-also an American student from Oberlin studying Russian. And also leaving a week early...oh no!
JP-a crazy American who has lived in Japan and breaks hearts everywhere he goes!
Matt-a wild Canadian who also lived in Japan and also breaks hearts!
Me-an American girl who also lived in Japan and is super excited to be in Siberia for two weeks without being able to contact the outside world!
Currently, as I write, I am on cooking duty with Zheniya. Lucky for me she knows the Russian camping cooking system and what needs to be done and when. Plus she speaks some English which I really appreciate because my Russian is still limited to the most basic greetings. Today for lunch we made a rice potato fish soup, potato carrot sausage mayo salad, bread with spreadable cheese, and tea. Basically, we have two big pots that hang over the fire that we can boil water in. This water can either be used to make soup, pasta or porridge, and for tea. And sometimes we make a salad to add to the hot food, depending on our rations.
Right now, it is just me and the fire. The little cabin/winter hut has all our food plus the three male foreigners staying in it and lots of mice. Our camp has a large laundry line for all our clothes--washed or just soaked in the rain. It seems to rain every afternoon, a bit like being in the tropics. I think we have one more full day of work before our weekend when we will go back into the city, or small town, for a bath and musuem tour. But I've actually only worked 1/2 day shift of trail building so far because of cooking duty which lasts three meals. It was fun to pull out plants, throw rocks around, and snap branches. But I also got stung by a wasp--that sucked. Not to sound like a wimp, but it really hurt, I could feel the poison up my arm as it swelled and it hurt to bend at the elbow for about an hour.
It is cloudy today, but it is the perfect temperature and humidity that makes you forget you are outside, except for the bugs...they are that constant reminder of life in the forest. And there is a river just below our camp that provides the perfect running water backdrop. A bit chilly, but I've dipped in it a few times. Other than the water, the fire, the bugs and sometimes the chipmunks, it is very quiet and very still. There is no wind, nothing is moving. It is a beautiful beautiful place! I'm so so happy to be where I am in the world right at this moment.
Vladivostok-Irkutsk Train #7
Tuesday, July 31st 6:30pm Day #2 on the Trans-Siberian
The LP warned that third class would start to look like a refugee camp after a few days, but so far so good. Although we look a bit like refugees--dirty, greasy, smelly, haven't changed or bathed in days. But we are well fed, entertained, and I wouldn't be anywhere else in the world except where I am. A few times a day the train makes a 30 minute stop in a po-dunk town literally in the middle of Siberia. We can get out and stretch our legs, buy fresh bread, sausage, hard boiled eggs, potato-dill salad and fresh berries. So far everything has agreed with me. Our American neighbors in the next carriage over weren't so lucky with the train stop food and there was a puke incident between the carriages, but he seems fully recovered now.
There was much pre-Russia speculation and warnings about sketchy men and vodka parties that we would be required to join. But so far it has been a quiet trip minus the disco fever on the ferry that resulted in a painful hangover while clearing customs and immigration the next day.
The big surprises thus far in no particular order:
1. Listening to the "blue" dance song being piped into the train carriages on repeat for hours!
2. Arriving in Vlad on a national holiday with the Navy out in the bay shooting off fireworks.
3. Siberia is rolling green hills, meandering streams and birch forests.
4. Finding 3 cars in the swimming pool on the ferry.
5. Crocs haven't hit Eastern Russia yet--they turn lots of heads (I eventually left them in Irkutsk with my new Russian friends to start the trend)
6. Russians don't speak or understand Japanese, but it's all that comes out of my mouth.
7. Instant coffee tastes great on a 3 day train.
8. We are 3 of 5 foreigners on teh train that we have seen! Maybe the others are in 1st class.
9. 3rd class is classy! We get pillows, futons, blankets, sheets and a towel--luxury!
10. I barely miss my cell phone or internet....it is so freeing to be out of touch!
But I miss showering. I think it is time to devise a system! Desperate times call for desperate measures--water bottle showers in a 3rd class bathroom! It never felt so good to be clean!
The LP warned that third class would start to look like a refugee camp after a few days, but so far so good. Although we look a bit like refugees--dirty, greasy, smelly, haven't changed or bathed in days. But we are well fed, entertained, and I wouldn't be anywhere else in the world except where I am. A few times a day the train makes a 30 minute stop in a po-dunk town literally in the middle of Siberia. We can get out and stretch our legs, buy fresh bread, sausage, hard boiled eggs, potato-dill salad and fresh berries. So far everything has agreed with me. Our American neighbors in the next carriage over weren't so lucky with the train stop food and there was a puke incident between the carriages, but he seems fully recovered now.
There was much pre-Russia speculation and warnings about sketchy men and vodka parties that we would be required to join. But so far it has been a quiet trip minus the disco fever on the ferry that resulted in a painful hangover while clearing customs and immigration the next day.
The big surprises thus far in no particular order:
1. Listening to the "blue" dance song being piped into the train carriages on repeat for hours!
2. Arriving in Vlad on a national holiday with the Navy out in the bay shooting off fireworks.
3. Siberia is rolling green hills, meandering streams and birch forests.
4. Finding 3 cars in the swimming pool on the ferry.
5. Crocs haven't hit Eastern Russia yet--they turn lots of heads (I eventually left them in Irkutsk with my new Russian friends to start the trend)
6. Russians don't speak or understand Japanese, but it's all that comes out of my mouth.
7. Instant coffee tastes great on a 3 day train.
8. We are 3 of 5 foreigners on teh train that we have seen! Maybe the others are in 1st class.
9. 3rd class is classy! We get pillows, futons, blankets, sheets and a towel--luxury!
10. I barely miss my cell phone or internet....it is so freeing to be out of touch!
But I miss showering. I think it is time to devise a system! Desperate times call for desperate measures--water bottle showers in a 3rd class bathroom! It never felt so good to be clean!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Blogging from Beijing
JP and I finally made it to Beijing. It is really hard to believe that the Russia and Mongolia parts of our journey are but a distant memory now. We kept pinching ourselves this afternoon as we walked around Tiananmen Square and sat eating chicken and peanuts fried with red chilis in a small restaurant with no other foreigners. It is hard to believe we have already made it this far. I think I calculated that we have traveled about 10,000+ km since leaving Japan. We will be here about a week before we leave for Tibet (fingers crossed). I hope to post more stories and maybe upload some pictures while we call Beijing home for 7 days!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
A Blessing In Disguise
I am currently sitting in an internet cafe in Irkutsk, Russia after returning from two weeks in the Khamar-Dhaban Jungle with Great Baikal Trail (www.greatbaikaltrail.org) and I am weeks behind on my blogging and stories I would like to tell. So I am going to start from the beginning and hopefully in the next few weeks be able to catch up a bit. So here goes....back to July 28th, Ferry from Fushiki to Vladivostok:
We boarded the ferry bound for Russia just after noon yesterday. Mihoko, Yuko, Shu, Linea and Owen came to see us off. And thank goodness they did. For some unknown reason they were given special permission to board the boat with us. We found our cabin with four beds, bunk-style, and a private bathroom and shower. And we all explored the ship a little--ooing and aawing at everything 'russian'. At about 230 they called us in to do immigration in the disco hall. The Japanese immigration/customs officer had set up his desk and computer just below the disco ball on the dance floor, next to the stage. I handed over my passport and gaijin card. No problem. JP handed over his passport and the immigration officer handed it back and said his visa had expired and he would need a new stamp. I went out and alerted our entourage. The team started brainstorming and putting the pieces together. After consulting with a few crew members and the Japanese staff, we collected JPs bags, I handed him his trans-siberian ticket (worse case scenario) and Mihoko, Shu and JP ran to the car and headed to the Toyama airport--the ONLY place he would be able to file for an extension. The airport office had been warned and was waiting. In the meantime, Linea, Yuko, Matt and I sat waiting in the ferry reception lounge texting friends and waiting for updates. That was at 320. We got a call from the airport crew at just after 400 that they had completed the paperwork and were headed back. The ferry was scheduled to depart at 600. Hurray!
At about 445, the immigration officer called for JP over the loudspeaker. I went in and told them he was on the way and they said they would wait--amazing! The Japanese worker on board said he had never seen anything like this before, they never waited for anyone! And apparently the boat had finished loading all the cars early and was ready to depart EARLY!
At about 450 JP and the gang came running in! The guard had been given instructions to let them in and the front gate and they were allowed to drive right up to the boat! Three minutes later JP returned having satisfied the visa requirements! He was free to leave the country! An announcement was made in English that all visitors (ie our friends) were requested to leave.
There was a lot of crying and hugging and laughing after the stress of the afternoon and getting JP to the airport and back on time...not to mention the reality of saying good-bye. Linea and I held each other for a long time and cried. I thanked Shu profusely for his amazing driving and navigation skills. And without Mihoko and her travel agent connections, Im not sure we would have pulled it off. And Yuko remained calm and helped keep us sane through the entire thing. What an amazing team and group of friends! JP could not have gotten on the boat without them. And we would have had to leave him behind!
After our teary good-byes we ran to the top deck and yelled good-bye. We made a paper airplane and weighted it down with a safety pin. We took photos and a little after 530 we pushed off. For all the people on the boat, we were the only ones with an entourage and our friends were the only bon voyage party on the docks. Not only did many other passengers already know our story from the crying and chaos in the lobby, but now we had a good-bye party too!
As the boat turned around and left port, we lost sight of everyone, but quickly ran to the other side and resumed waving. As they all faded from view, I called Linea from one final choked up good-bye. We were both crying.
I stayed on the deck awhile texting last good-byes to friends all over Japan. Before leaving Toyama bay the dinner announcement was made and we were seated for our first Russian meal--meat and potatos, soup, cold fish, and an apple roll. JP was seated at a seperate table for an unknown reason but quickly made friends with the other foreigners seated there--a Brit, two Americans (ex-JETS), 3 Fins, and an Australian couple. Next to our table was a Ukrainian family that introduced themselves in broken Japanese that ended with the husband asking if I had a boyfriend and the wife laughingly requesting that he stand up because it was time to go. Between the three of them they had finished a bottle of vodka at dinner. Astounding!
After living in Toyama for 3 years, I have too easily and complacently adopted the common stereotypes of Russians as unapproachable, loud drunks, only tied to the used car business. But I have have no Russian friends and I have never really talked to any before, at least not in my three years in Toyama. I know my stereotypes are not fair but they are there, and I felt them all surface when I saw the ferry and realized the adventure I had just signed up for. They were reinforced when we saw big burly bare-chested Russian men loading car parts onto ALL the decks of the ferry and saw trucks parked outside the docks selling car stereos, tires and other misc. goods. I sat and had lunch with my friends and cried. What had I decided to do? This was not Japan anymore. But surviving the little setback of JP and his visa situation required asking Russian crew and staff for help and interacting with all sorts of people onboard. The end result: they were all so helpful and friendly! The pursur on board that spoke English kept walking by us all afternoon as we waited for JP to return and said, "Dont worry, be happy." And they kept telling us they would wait! In the end it all worked out and it helped me see people for people: helpful and friendly!
The two night journey ended too quickly if you ask me! We barely had time to catch up on some much needed sleep and crack open a book...oh and visit the Disco and try some Russian beer, before we arrived in Vladivostok and had to deal with customs, luggage storage, finding food, and making our train!
And now...I am going to sleep! I will continue the tales from the trans-siberian and from Siberia from another exotic location...tomorrow I board a two night train to Mongolia! My goal: see some sumo!
Love from Siberia!
We boarded the ferry bound for Russia just after noon yesterday. Mihoko, Yuko, Shu, Linea and Owen came to see us off. And thank goodness they did. For some unknown reason they were given special permission to board the boat with us. We found our cabin with four beds, bunk-style, and a private bathroom and shower. And we all explored the ship a little--ooing and aawing at everything 'russian'. At about 230 they called us in to do immigration in the disco hall. The Japanese immigration/customs officer had set up his desk and computer just below the disco ball on the dance floor, next to the stage. I handed over my passport and gaijin card. No problem. JP handed over his passport and the immigration officer handed it back and said his visa had expired and he would need a new stamp. I went out and alerted our entourage. The team started brainstorming and putting the pieces together. After consulting with a few crew members and the Japanese staff, we collected JPs bags, I handed him his trans-siberian ticket (worse case scenario) and Mihoko, Shu and JP ran to the car and headed to the Toyama airport--the ONLY place he would be able to file for an extension. The airport office had been warned and was waiting. In the meantime, Linea, Yuko, Matt and I sat waiting in the ferry reception lounge texting friends and waiting for updates. That was at 320. We got a call from the airport crew at just after 400 that they had completed the paperwork and were headed back. The ferry was scheduled to depart at 600. Hurray!
At about 445, the immigration officer called for JP over the loudspeaker. I went in and told them he was on the way and they said they would wait--amazing! The Japanese worker on board said he had never seen anything like this before, they never waited for anyone! And apparently the boat had finished loading all the cars early and was ready to depart EARLY!
At about 450 JP and the gang came running in! The guard had been given instructions to let them in and the front gate and they were allowed to drive right up to the boat! Three minutes later JP returned having satisfied the visa requirements! He was free to leave the country! An announcement was made in English that all visitors (ie our friends) were requested to leave.
There was a lot of crying and hugging and laughing after the stress of the afternoon and getting JP to the airport and back on time...not to mention the reality of saying good-bye. Linea and I held each other for a long time and cried. I thanked Shu profusely for his amazing driving and navigation skills. And without Mihoko and her travel agent connections, Im not sure we would have pulled it off. And Yuko remained calm and helped keep us sane through the entire thing. What an amazing team and group of friends! JP could not have gotten on the boat without them. And we would have had to leave him behind!
After our teary good-byes we ran to the top deck and yelled good-bye. We made a paper airplane and weighted it down with a safety pin. We took photos and a little after 530 we pushed off. For all the people on the boat, we were the only ones with an entourage and our friends were the only bon voyage party on the docks. Not only did many other passengers already know our story from the crying and chaos in the lobby, but now we had a good-bye party too!
As the boat turned around and left port, we lost sight of everyone, but quickly ran to the other side and resumed waving. As they all faded from view, I called Linea from one final choked up good-bye. We were both crying.
I stayed on the deck awhile texting last good-byes to friends all over Japan. Before leaving Toyama bay the dinner announcement was made and we were seated for our first Russian meal--meat and potatos, soup, cold fish, and an apple roll. JP was seated at a seperate table for an unknown reason but quickly made friends with the other foreigners seated there--a Brit, two Americans (ex-JETS), 3 Fins, and an Australian couple. Next to our table was a Ukrainian family that introduced themselves in broken Japanese that ended with the husband asking if I had a boyfriend and the wife laughingly requesting that he stand up because it was time to go. Between the three of them they had finished a bottle of vodka at dinner. Astounding!
After living in Toyama for 3 years, I have too easily and complacently adopted the common stereotypes of Russians as unapproachable, loud drunks, only tied to the used car business. But I have have no Russian friends and I have never really talked to any before, at least not in my three years in Toyama. I know my stereotypes are not fair but they are there, and I felt them all surface when I saw the ferry and realized the adventure I had just signed up for. They were reinforced when we saw big burly bare-chested Russian men loading car parts onto ALL the decks of the ferry and saw trucks parked outside the docks selling car stereos, tires and other misc. goods. I sat and had lunch with my friends and cried. What had I decided to do? This was not Japan anymore. But surviving the little setback of JP and his visa situation required asking Russian crew and staff for help and interacting with all sorts of people onboard. The end result: they were all so helpful and friendly! The pursur on board that spoke English kept walking by us all afternoon as we waited for JP to return and said, "Dont worry, be happy." And they kept telling us they would wait! In the end it all worked out and it helped me see people for people: helpful and friendly!
The two night journey ended too quickly if you ask me! We barely had time to catch up on some much needed sleep and crack open a book...oh and visit the Disco and try some Russian beer, before we arrived in Vladivostok and had to deal with customs, luggage storage, finding food, and making our train!
And now...I am going to sleep! I will continue the tales from the trans-siberian and from Siberia from another exotic location...tomorrow I board a two night train to Mongolia! My goal: see some sumo!
Love from Siberia!
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