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Yep. I'm just about to start the longggggg train ride (52 hours) tonight. It sounds terrible on paper, but I've found the overnight trains here to be my zen place so far. Very clean and orderly, and the beds are very comfortable. Even on my platzcart budget.
Actually I'm in Siberia right now in the far West. In Tyumen. It's 4PM and my train doesn't leave until 10:16......Moscow time.
OK Jesse, so you were in Tyumen couple of days ago...
From what I see here...- Tyumen actually has been recognized as #1 city in Russia in 2015. Not Kazan ( although I hear a lot of positive reviews about it) but Tyumen ( I didn't know that.) Kazan is in the third place, after Moscow. And from what they are saying here, after Kazan it's Krasnodar AND... ( listen to this) the fifth place instead of St. Petersburg it's GROZNY now))))) That's a total BS if someone asks me, but since no one will, back to your trip.
Overnight trains in Russia were always a zen I think - I used them a lot back in the day, because of my job plus quite a few trips to St. Pet visiting friends. Platzcart was never a problem; in fact I'd rather had a platzcart overnight than more expensive "Red Arrow," which was making to St. Pet in five hours, but with no beds. Hated it. Long trips with comfy sleeping places were always a zen, because people would talk a lot, share home-made food and the rest. So no, I didn't fear long trips on trains and neither should you.
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The first person I had to speak to here spoke English. I thought that was funny - here I am in Siberia, but yesterday in *very relatively* touristy Kazan, I was passing a translator app back and forth with a Russian hostel mate.
Expect unexpected when in Russia, lol.
So how your trip is progressing and when are you going to reach Irkutsk ( Baikal and all?)
This is not a stereotype, some my friends bought their driving license for ~$200, probably in Moscow driving license is more expensive, but still many people can to buy it without any troubles.
Is that correct ?
How to sell your driving license and it has a name and personal information and personal picture?
I'm in Irkutsk right now. Just got back from a day around Listvyanka, actually. I hiked around the first 3-4 km of the Great Baikal Trail and got some great views of the lake from some high cliffs. The area is totally virgin and you can't hear or see any of Listvyanka's crazy beach scene. Perfect.
Tomorrow I have one more full day in the area. I'm thinking maybe I'll check out Port Baikal and maybe hitch back up to the area just before the road reaches Listvyanka. There's lots of roadside stalls selling berries that I want to check out. The ride here was not too bad actually. A lot of people hanging bags of raw or smoked fish on their coat racks for a couple of days straight, but it was manageable with some breaks in the restaurant car. I can't believe I'm doing this all the way back to Tyumen in two days lol.
And, regarding Tyumen, I had read it was oil-rich and I definitely got that feeling. It's probably a nice place to live but I would never recommend someone spend tourist time there.
I wonder how FIFA will influence tourism in Kazan after 2018. It definitely has potential.
I'm in Irkutsk right now. Just got back from a day around Listvyanka, actually. I hiked around the first 3-4 km of the Great Baikal Trail and got some great views of the lake from some high cliffs. The area is totally virgin and you can't hear or see any of Listvyanka's crazy beach scene. Perfect.
What's Listvyanka Jesse? Is it a town? a village?...
Tomorrow I have one more full day in the area. I'm thinking maybe I'll check out Port Baikal and maybe hitch back up to the area just before the road reaches Listvyanka. There's lots of roadside stalls selling berries that I want to check out. The ride here was not too bad actually. A lot of people hanging bags of raw or smoked fish on their coat racks for a couple of days straight, but it was manageable with some breaks in the restaurant car. I can't believe I'm doing this all the way back to Tyumen in two days lol.
Ha-ha, I read on FB a lot of jokes from Russians, that are saying "since we starve so much because of the sanctions, and we can't get Spanish jamon any longer or French cheese, we headed to such and such river yesterday, and got back to our boring Russian food; such and such smoked fish, shashlyk, chicken-tabaka ( and then they post the pictures, and I am like; "I WANT THAT FISH!!!!" )
But... I hope you survived all that hanging fish in your "platzcart," lol)))) ( And by the way how was food in wagon - restaurant on that train? )
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And, regarding Tyumen, I had read it was oil-rich and I definitely got that feeling. It's probably a nice place to live but I would never recommend someone spend tourist time there.
What was good and bad about Tuymen? Yes, it's one of those "oil cities," but I was talking to someone from Surgut for quite some time; it's yet another "oil city," but it's nowhere as nice as Tuymen for some reason.
P.S. Note to myself; the music in the first video is a remake of an older song, and the original was actually better.
So here it is, enjoy it while you are moving alone in Siberia))))
It looks like a new tourism center/resort facility, or maybe a tiny fishing village that was turned into a resort spot.
I just checked in Wiki - it's an "urban type settlement" lol, I finally learned after all these years what "посёлок городского типа" exactly means. So Listvyanka is that "urban type settlement" and it actually dates back to 1726.
I just checked in Wiki - it's an "urban type settlement" lol, I finally learned after all these years what "посёлок городского типа" exactly means. So Listvyanka is that "urban type settlement" and it actually dates back to 1726.
Well, in view of the video, I have no idea what it means. How do you have an "urban-type village"? It makes no sense. I'm sure it dates back that far, but the big apartment/hotel-type buildings are new.
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That's a total BS if someone asks me, but since no one will, back to your trip. 
)
( And by the way how was food in wagon - restaurant on that train? 
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