Eurasia 2010 log
Below is the log I built up during my travels, in reverse chronological order. I've also posted my status updates from Facebook while travelling, which can summarise the entries quite nicely. Enjoy!
Date and time: Tuesday 31st August 2010, 19:37 BST
Location: Bath, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew is finally back in Bath, much poorer, a stone lighter and with 8 hours of jetlag, but also with 17 new passport stamps, some 4000 pictures, and an experience of a lifetime.
So I'm finally back in Bath after an enjoyable day yesterday and a very, very long day today. With the sightseeing in Tokyo, I certainly saved the best until last. Yesterday I visited Oedo Onsen (Japanese bathhouse), which pipes up heated water from some 1400m underneath Tokyo Bay. The experience was probably my most authentic Japanese one - inside, as well as the baths themselves, there were relaxation rooms, loads of Japanese restaurants which were wonderfully decorated, and everyone inside (including me) were wearing yakatas! Spent a good few hours there before returning to the hostel to grab some food, and then in the evening I went out to see the Tokyo Tower. Timed my arrival perfectly so that I got there at dusk, and so once I climbed the tower, I was able to watch the city transform from a sea of not-so-pretty buildings to a beautiful sea of lights. I spent a good hour there just admiring the view and taking pictures, which I will obviously put up when I get chance! Today, by comparison, has just consisted of coming home. Had to rise at 04:30 (Japan time) to get to the airport in time to catch my flight. Fortunately the flight was 11 rather than 12 hours due to favourable winds, and it didn't feel all that long thanks to the individual entertainment systems - I spent most of it watching movies. Train journey back to Bath was not quite so good - a signal failure somewhere was causing trains all over the First Great Western network to be running late - such a contrast to where I was this morning where they all run on time! Starting to feel the jetlag now that it's around 03:30 in Japan, but going to try and stay up until around 11pm in the hope that going to bed then might start to reset my system...
Location: Bath, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew is finally back in Bath, much poorer, a stone lighter and with 8 hours of jetlag, but also with 17 new passport stamps, some 4000 pictures, and an experience of a lifetime.
So I'm finally back in Bath after an enjoyable day yesterday and a very, very long day today. With the sightseeing in Tokyo, I certainly saved the best until last. Yesterday I visited Oedo Onsen (Japanese bathhouse), which pipes up heated water from some 1400m underneath Tokyo Bay. The experience was probably my most authentic Japanese one - inside, as well as the baths themselves, there were relaxation rooms, loads of Japanese restaurants which were wonderfully decorated, and everyone inside (including me) were wearing yakatas! Spent a good few hours there before returning to the hostel to grab some food, and then in the evening I went out to see the Tokyo Tower. Timed my arrival perfectly so that I got there at dusk, and so once I climbed the tower, I was able to watch the city transform from a sea of not-so-pretty buildings to a beautiful sea of lights. I spent a good hour there just admiring the view and taking pictures, which I will obviously put up when I get chance! Today, by comparison, has just consisted of coming home. Had to rise at 04:30 (Japan time) to get to the airport in time to catch my flight. Fortunately the flight was 11 rather than 12 hours due to favourable winds, and it didn't feel all that long thanks to the individual entertainment systems - I spent most of it watching movies. Train journey back to Bath was not quite so good - a signal failure somewhere was causing trains all over the First Great Western network to be running late - such a contrast to where I was this morning where they all run on time! Starting to feel the jetlag now that it's around 03:30 in Japan, but going to try and stay up until around 11pm in the hope that going to bed then might start to reset my system...
Date and time: Sunday 29th August 2010, 18:50 JT (10:50 BST)
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Status update: Matthew is, 12 hour flight aside, looking forward to going home on Tuesday.
Although Tokyo remains my least favourite city in all of Japan, it hasn't all been quite as bad as my first impressions. The city certainly is crowded and pretty much packed with skyscrapers, but there are a few places where it's possible to escape it all. The best of these places I've found so far was probably the Imperial Palace gardens, which were free (always a bonus here) and large to the extent that it didn't feel quite so claustrophobic. Yesterday I also had a wander to the Senso-ji temple (very nice, though starting to feel I've seen them all now...), the Ginza shopping area (went to the Sony building, where they were showing off all their lastest high-tech gizmos, including a 3D cinema) and the Hamarikyuteien gardens (again, a nice place to escape the rest of the city). Today I really don't feel like I've done much at all, been up local government building for a (free!) view over the city, got sidetracked by a festival of sorts happening in a nearby park, and had a wander around the Shibuya shopping area (and also walked across the Shibuya crossing, probably one of the more famous images of Tokyo). Planning a trip out into the Tokyo bay area tomorrow and hoping to go up the Tokyo tower tomorrow evening before waking around 5am on Tuesday in order to catch my flight back to London...although all the travelling has been fun, I'm really looking forward to getting back to the UK...
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Status update: Matthew is, 12 hour flight aside, looking forward to going home on Tuesday.
Although Tokyo remains my least favourite city in all of Japan, it hasn't all been quite as bad as my first impressions. The city certainly is crowded and pretty much packed with skyscrapers, but there are a few places where it's possible to escape it all. The best of these places I've found so far was probably the Imperial Palace gardens, which were free (always a bonus here) and large to the extent that it didn't feel quite so claustrophobic. Yesterday I also had a wander to the Senso-ji temple (very nice, though starting to feel I've seen them all now...), the Ginza shopping area (went to the Sony building, where they were showing off all their lastest high-tech gizmos, including a 3D cinema) and the Hamarikyuteien gardens (again, a nice place to escape the rest of the city). Today I really don't feel like I've done much at all, been up local government building for a (free!) view over the city, got sidetracked by a festival of sorts happening in a nearby park, and had a wander around the Shibuya shopping area (and also walked across the Shibuya crossing, probably one of the more famous images of Tokyo). Planning a trip out into the Tokyo bay area tomorrow and hoping to go up the Tokyo tower tomorrow evening before waking around 5am on Tuesday in order to catch my flight back to London...although all the travelling has been fun, I'm really looking forward to getting back to the UK...
Date and time: Friday 27th August 2010, 18:24 JT (10:24 BST)
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Status update: Matthew has arrived at his final stop: Tokyo, the most crowded and claustrophobic city he's visited.
At long last, I've arrived at my final stop on this trip: Tokyo. Although I have to admit, first impressions haven't been very positive as it's incredibly crowded, full of huge concrete buildings, and has a metro system that is ridiculously complicated in terms of ticketing. The past two days have been a little more enjoyable, though, yesterday I did a day trip to Nara from Kyoto, which was well worth it. Journey there felt a little slow (since it wasn't on the shinkansen), but the city was lovely, plenty of parks and green space and lots of lovely temples and shrines to visit - although I have to admit, having seen so many in Kyoto, they all do start to look very similar after a while. This morning I left Kyoto and made a stop off in Nagoya en-route to Tokyo. Visited Nagoya's main attraction which is it's castle - certainly very different to any castles I've seen back at home or anywhere in Europe! The main building was open, and had all sorts of exhibits inside it, but much of the compound is still under construction - much of it was made of wood and was destroyed in air-raids in 1945, so they're trying to reconstruct it as it was before. Had my final ride on the Shinkansen this afternoon, which has finally brought me to Tokyo. Planning to explore the city itself tomorrow and then have plans for a couple of day-trips before catching my flight back to London on Tuesday morning...
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Status update: Matthew has arrived at his final stop: Tokyo, the most crowded and claustrophobic city he's visited.
At long last, I've arrived at my final stop on this trip: Tokyo. Although I have to admit, first impressions haven't been very positive as it's incredibly crowded, full of huge concrete buildings, and has a metro system that is ridiculously complicated in terms of ticketing. The past two days have been a little more enjoyable, though, yesterday I did a day trip to Nara from Kyoto, which was well worth it. Journey there felt a little slow (since it wasn't on the shinkansen), but the city was lovely, plenty of parks and green space and lots of lovely temples and shrines to visit - although I have to admit, having seen so many in Kyoto, they all do start to look very similar after a while. This morning I left Kyoto and made a stop off in Nagoya en-route to Tokyo. Visited Nagoya's main attraction which is it's castle - certainly very different to any castles I've seen back at home or anywhere in Europe! The main building was open, and had all sorts of exhibits inside it, but much of the compound is still under construction - much of it was made of wood and was destroyed in air-raids in 1945, so they're trying to reconstruct it as it was before. Had my final ride on the Shinkansen this afternoon, which has finally brought me to Tokyo. Planning to explore the city itself tomorrow and then have plans for a couple of day-trips before catching my flight back to London on Tuesday morning...
Date and time: Wednesday 25th August 2010, 17:20 JT (09:20 BST)
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Status update: Matthew thinks burning his Yen would be a slower way of using them than spending them.
Kyoto has certainly lived up to its reputation as Japan's must see city for me, although I must admit I was having my doubts at first. Sightseeing here has basically consisted of nothing but temples and shrines, which, as I found yesterday morning, can get a little monotonous after a while. However, since there are so many to choose from (and I don't have anywhere near enough time to see them all), I've managed to pick out those which have something different about them in order to keep it all interesting. My JR rail pass has proved useful too, since I've been able to use the suburban rail network for free, which really helps when you're dealing with such a big city. Anyway, shrine and temple wise, I can't remember all the names (they all seem so similar to me anyway), but some highlights include seeing a temple which is one of the world's largest buildings (which had some huge but beautiful beams supporting it all), a shine which had pathways going up into the nearby mountains covered in the distinctive torii shine gates forming a sort of tunnel, the gold pavillion (set by a lake, and probably one of the more famous images of Kyoto), and several pagoda buildings, some five storeys high, as well as lots of lovely gardens, which have been lovely to wander around and good places for attempting to escape the heat of the day! I admit my words here aren't brilliant descriptions, but I'm sure when I get around to putting up some pictures, exactly what I'm talking about will become a little more clear. Heading off to Nara for a day trip tomorrow (more shines to see), before a brief stop in Nagoya en-route to my final destination this year...Tokyo!
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Status update: Matthew thinks burning his Yen would be a slower way of using them than spending them.
Kyoto has certainly lived up to its reputation as Japan's must see city for me, although I must admit I was having my doubts at first. Sightseeing here has basically consisted of nothing but temples and shrines, which, as I found yesterday morning, can get a little monotonous after a while. However, since there are so many to choose from (and I don't have anywhere near enough time to see them all), I've managed to pick out those which have something different about them in order to keep it all interesting. My JR rail pass has proved useful too, since I've been able to use the suburban rail network for free, which really helps when you're dealing with such a big city. Anyway, shrine and temple wise, I can't remember all the names (they all seem so similar to me anyway), but some highlights include seeing a temple which is one of the world's largest buildings (which had some huge but beautiful beams supporting it all), a shine which had pathways going up into the nearby mountains covered in the distinctive torii shine gates forming a sort of tunnel, the gold pavillion (set by a lake, and probably one of the more famous images of Kyoto), and several pagoda buildings, some five storeys high, as well as lots of lovely gardens, which have been lovely to wander around and good places for attempting to escape the heat of the day! I admit my words here aren't brilliant descriptions, but I'm sure when I get around to putting up some pictures, exactly what I'm talking about will become a little more clear. Heading off to Nara for a day trip tomorrow (more shines to see), before a brief stop in Nagoya en-route to my final destination this year...Tokyo!
Date and time: Monday 23rd August 2010, 19:50 JT (11:50) BST
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Status update: Matthew has arrived in Kyoto, and is dreaming of some cooler, less humid weather...
I'm now in Kyoto, which is reputed to be Japan's must see city, having come on the Shinkansen from Hiroshima this morning. I did the journey in two hops though (the joys of having a rail pass), and spent the day having a look around Kobe. Kobe didn't have any particularly must-see attractions, as it's a city that attracts mostly Japanese tourists due to the large number of 'foreigner houses' - houses built in Western European styles which are obviously fascinating to the locals, but not to someone who comes from that area! Instead I had a wander down to the port, intending to have a look at the maritime museum, but finding it closed (it's Monday!) and going up the Kobe tower instead (which have a lovely view over the port, and had some fantastic air-conditioning - something that I appreciate wherever I can find as it's just so hot and humid here!) Yesterday was a little more interesting in terms of what I did - did a day trip from Hiroshima to Miyajima island, a short train and ferry ride away. Miyajima is most famous for it's 'floating shrine' which is one of the most famous sights in Japan. Had a good wander around the shrine itself, enjoying the view out to the floating 'torii' (shine gate) just off the island. Also had a good wander around the various shops and other temples there, got pestered by the wild deer who made several attempts to grab bites of my lunch, and climbed the highest mountain on the island (528 metres above sea level - not easy with the heat) for an absolutely fantastic view over the island and also back towards Hiroshima on the mainland. Looking forward to the next two days exploring Kyoto, and also have a meet-up with a friend from school on Wednesday evening, which might actually give me an opportunity to try some proper Japanese food!...
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Status update: Matthew has arrived in Kyoto, and is dreaming of some cooler, less humid weather...
I'm now in Kyoto, which is reputed to be Japan's must see city, having come on the Shinkansen from Hiroshima this morning. I did the journey in two hops though (the joys of having a rail pass), and spent the day having a look around Kobe. Kobe didn't have any particularly must-see attractions, as it's a city that attracts mostly Japanese tourists due to the large number of 'foreigner houses' - houses built in Western European styles which are obviously fascinating to the locals, but not to someone who comes from that area! Instead I had a wander down to the port, intending to have a look at the maritime museum, but finding it closed (it's Monday!) and going up the Kobe tower instead (which have a lovely view over the port, and had some fantastic air-conditioning - something that I appreciate wherever I can find as it's just so hot and humid here!) Yesterday was a little more interesting in terms of what I did - did a day trip from Hiroshima to Miyajima island, a short train and ferry ride away. Miyajima is most famous for it's 'floating shrine' which is one of the most famous sights in Japan. Had a good wander around the shrine itself, enjoying the view out to the floating 'torii' (shine gate) just off the island. Also had a good wander around the various shops and other temples there, got pestered by the wild deer who made several attempts to grab bites of my lunch, and climbed the highest mountain on the island (528 metres above sea level - not easy with the heat) for an absolutely fantastic view over the island and also back towards Hiroshima on the mainland. Looking forward to the next two days exploring Kyoto, and also have a meet-up with a friend from school on Wednesday evening, which might actually give me an opportunity to try some proper Japanese food!...
Date and time: Saturday 21st August 2010, 19:42 JT (11:42 BST)
Location: Hiroshima, Japan
Status update: Matthew is now in Hiroshima, and loved his ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train) this morning!
If you were to ask me right now which city has been my favourite on my trip so far, I would probably answer Beijing. But if you were to ask for my favourite country, it would have to be Japan. And more than anywhere else, it's been the little things here that have made me smile, from the toilets with all sorts of strange functions, to the pillows and mattresses in the hostel in Fukuoka which moulded to suit the position you were sleeping in, to the general helpfulness and friendliness of the locals - something that you really learn to appreciate when you've spent two weeks traversing Russia! Yesterday I spent wondering around Hakata, hadn't exactly expected there to be huge amounts to do, but I managed to make a day out of it. Had a wonder around several shopping centres, coming across 'Robosquare' in the process - a shop selling all sorts of robots, and they even gave a demonstration of some of the dancing robotic dogs which I'm sure a certain few sisters would have loved. Also visited one of the shrines there, which was rather beautiful, and went up the 234m high Fukuoka tower for a stunning view over the city (and I stayed there for a while, too, since it had fantastic air-conditioning which allowed me to cool off after a good wander around in the oppressive heat outside!) This morning I had my first ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima which was seriously impressive - wonderfully wide carriages with loads legroom, and the ride was incredibly smooth despite going at tremendous speed - Hakata to Hiroshima in just over an hour. Today I've spent doing Hiroshima's main sights, which, as you might expected, are all related to the atomic explosion that took here at the end of World War II 65 years ago. The most striking sight is the A-bomb dome, the closest building to the centre of the blast still to survive, which has been preserved as a reminder of what happened here. Most moving, though, was the Hiroshima Peace Museum, which chronicled the events leading up to the explosion and the after-effects, with some graphic photographs and models of what happened to the people living here. There was also a nearby centre where you could read testimonies of the survivors, and I ended up spending nearly 2 hours there without realising it as I got so absorbed in some of the accounts. I'm now back at my hostel, and planning to do a day trip to one of the nearby offshore islands here tomorrow (since I can get there by train and ferry with my Japan Rail pass for free), and on Monday it'll be Kobe, and hopefully arriving into Kyoto, the country's prettiest city, on Monday evening...
Location: Hiroshima, Japan
Status update: Matthew is now in Hiroshima, and loved his ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train) this morning!
If you were to ask me right now which city has been my favourite on my trip so far, I would probably answer Beijing. But if you were to ask for my favourite country, it would have to be Japan. And more than anywhere else, it's been the little things here that have made me smile, from the toilets with all sorts of strange functions, to the pillows and mattresses in the hostel in Fukuoka which moulded to suit the position you were sleeping in, to the general helpfulness and friendliness of the locals - something that you really learn to appreciate when you've spent two weeks traversing Russia! Yesterday I spent wondering around Hakata, hadn't exactly expected there to be huge amounts to do, but I managed to make a day out of it. Had a wonder around several shopping centres, coming across 'Robosquare' in the process - a shop selling all sorts of robots, and they even gave a demonstration of some of the dancing robotic dogs which I'm sure a certain few sisters would have loved. Also visited one of the shrines there, which was rather beautiful, and went up the 234m high Fukuoka tower for a stunning view over the city (and I stayed there for a while, too, since it had fantastic air-conditioning which allowed me to cool off after a good wander around in the oppressive heat outside!) This morning I had my first ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima which was seriously impressive - wonderfully wide carriages with loads legroom, and the ride was incredibly smooth despite going at tremendous speed - Hakata to Hiroshima in just over an hour. Today I've spent doing Hiroshima's main sights, which, as you might expected, are all related to the atomic explosion that took here at the end of World War II 65 years ago. The most striking sight is the A-bomb dome, the closest building to the centre of the blast still to survive, which has been preserved as a reminder of what happened here. Most moving, though, was the Hiroshima Peace Museum, which chronicled the events leading up to the explosion and the after-effects, with some graphic photographs and models of what happened to the people living here. There was also a nearby centre where you could read testimonies of the survivors, and I ended up spending nearly 2 hours there without realising it as I got so absorbed in some of the accounts. I'm now back at my hostel, and planning to do a day trip to one of the nearby offshore islands here tomorrow (since I can get there by train and ferry with my Japan Rail pass for free), and on Monday it'll be Kobe, and hopefully arriving into Kyoto, the country's prettiest city, on Monday evening...
Date and time: Thursday 19th August 2010, 20:54 JT (12:54 BST)
Location: Fukuoka/Hakata, Japan
Status update: Matthew has arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun.
I've had rather a long day today, but I've made it from Seoul to Hakata (or Fukuoka if you prefer, this city seems to go by two names!) Left Seoul at 9am this morning on the phenomenally fast KTX train which took me down to Busan, on the south coast of Korea. Had a bit of a wait at the ferry terminal for the next available hydrofoil over here, as there were only spaces on the last one of the day, so in a way I guess I'm quite lucky I made it! The crossing took about 3 hours, and being one of the few foreigners on the ferry I got through immigration very quickly. It's incredibly hot and humid here, despite me arriving after sunset - so goodness knows what it's going to be like during the day tomorrow. Looking forward to exploring Japan though, I have to admit that after three days I was beginning to get a little bored of Seoul, as I was running out of things to do. In the end I resorted to going up the N Seoul Tower again (this time during the day), as well as visiting what felt like almost every museum in the capital, so a change of scenery is rather welcome. Very much looking forward to riding the Shinkansen (bullet train) in due course as well as seeing all the sights here...though at the same time it feels strange to think that this is the last country on my trip and that (all being well) I'll be home in less than 2 weeks...
Location: Fukuoka/Hakata, Japan
Status update: Matthew has arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun.
I've had rather a long day today, but I've made it from Seoul to Hakata (or Fukuoka if you prefer, this city seems to go by two names!) Left Seoul at 9am this morning on the phenomenally fast KTX train which took me down to Busan, on the south coast of Korea. Had a bit of a wait at the ferry terminal for the next available hydrofoil over here, as there were only spaces on the last one of the day, so in a way I guess I'm quite lucky I made it! The crossing took about 3 hours, and being one of the few foreigners on the ferry I got through immigration very quickly. It's incredibly hot and humid here, despite me arriving after sunset - so goodness knows what it's going to be like during the day tomorrow. Looking forward to exploring Japan though, I have to admit that after three days I was beginning to get a little bored of Seoul, as I was running out of things to do. In the end I resorted to going up the N Seoul Tower again (this time during the day), as well as visiting what felt like almost every museum in the capital, so a change of scenery is rather welcome. Very much looking forward to riding the Shinkansen (bullet train) in due course as well as seeing all the sights here...though at the same time it feels strange to think that this is the last country on my trip and that (all being well) I'll be home in less than 2 weeks...
Date and time: Monday 16th August 2010, 16:49 KT (08:49 BST)
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Status update: Matthew is being slowly murdered by the humidity in Seoul.
I'm now in Seoul, in South Korea, which simply could not be more different to North Korea's capital of Pyongyang. Here the locals are friendly and used to the sight of Westerners, speak much more English than I was expecting, the streets are packed with cars and people, the city is lit up incredibly at night, and there are shops, bars and restaurants everywhere. Which when you compare with Pyongyang, where foreigners attract attention, and which has hauntingly empty, dark streets without a single shop in sight, it really makes you wonder why this country is so pointlessly divided. Anyway, I arrived here yesterday afternoon on a flight with Korean Air from China - impressive service on board considering how little I paid for the flight, got through immigration incredibly quickly (first country since leaving Poland where I haven't required a visa) and caught the train into the city, which was fast and cheap (less than 2.50 sterling for an hour's ride). Yesterday evening I went up the N Seoul Tower which gave a fantastic panoramic view over the city - and it looks incredible when lit up at night. Today, however, I've been somewhat less successful, since most attractions in Seoul seem to be closed on a Monday. Still, I've had a good wander around one of the many (reconstructed) Palaces in the city, and also saw the changing of the guard (in their rather fancy costumes) at noon. Also seen the Seoul World Cup stadium, but have since decided to come back to the guesthouse as it's incredibly humid outside which makes all the sightseeing incredibly tiring. Planning to cook up my first decent meal in a while here (as the guesthouse actually has a kitchen) and may venture out again this evening when it (hopefully!) cools off a little!
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Status update: Matthew is being slowly murdered by the humidity in Seoul.
I'm now in Seoul, in South Korea, which simply could not be more different to North Korea's capital of Pyongyang. Here the locals are friendly and used to the sight of Westerners, speak much more English than I was expecting, the streets are packed with cars and people, the city is lit up incredibly at night, and there are shops, bars and restaurants everywhere. Which when you compare with Pyongyang, where foreigners attract attention, and which has hauntingly empty, dark streets without a single shop in sight, it really makes you wonder why this country is so pointlessly divided. Anyway, I arrived here yesterday afternoon on a flight with Korean Air from China - impressive service on board considering how little I paid for the flight, got through immigration incredibly quickly (first country since leaving Poland where I haven't required a visa) and caught the train into the city, which was fast and cheap (less than 2.50 sterling for an hour's ride). Yesterday evening I went up the N Seoul Tower which gave a fantastic panoramic view over the city - and it looks incredible when lit up at night. Today, however, I've been somewhat less successful, since most attractions in Seoul seem to be closed on a Monday. Still, I've had a good wander around one of the many (reconstructed) Palaces in the city, and also saw the changing of the guard (in their rather fancy costumes) at noon. Also seen the Seoul World Cup stadium, but have since decided to come back to the guesthouse as it's incredibly humid outside which makes all the sightseeing incredibly tiring. Planning to cook up my first decent meal in a while here (as the guesthouse actually has a kitchen) and may venture out again this evening when it (hopefully!) cools off a little!
Date and time: Saturday 14th August 2010, 12:37 BJ (05:37 BST)
Location: Beijing, China
Status update: Matthew is (briefly!) back in Beijing after a fascinating, eye-opening visit to the most bizarre and secretive country on Earth.
Ok, so as you may be able to guess from my status update, I've just got back from a brief visit to North Korea. Admittedly I didn't put it in my itinerary as I wasn't sure whether or not I'd go in the end, but given that the political situation was relatively quiet with the recent Cheonan ship sinking, I decided to go. Due to my agreement with Regent Holidays (who arranged things there for me), I'm not, strictly speaking, allowed to publish any text relating to my trip there (for good reasons which I shall explain when I get home). So if you want to hear about this part of my trip, don't forget to ask me once I'm back in the UK. I'm now back in Beijing for a day, planning to go to the Summer Palace this afternoon, and tomorrow I'm flying onto Seoul - first country for which I won't need a visa since leaving Poland almost a month ago!
Location: Beijing, China
Status update: Matthew is (briefly!) back in Beijing after a fascinating, eye-opening visit to the most bizarre and secretive country on Earth.
Ok, so as you may be able to guess from my status update, I've just got back from a brief visit to North Korea. Admittedly I didn't put it in my itinerary as I wasn't sure whether or not I'd go in the end, but given that the political situation was relatively quiet with the recent Cheonan ship sinking, I decided to go. Due to my agreement with Regent Holidays (who arranged things there for me), I'm not, strictly speaking, allowed to publish any text relating to my trip there (for good reasons which I shall explain when I get home). So if you want to hear about this part of my trip, don't forget to ask me once I'm back in the UK. I'm now back in Beijing for a day, planning to go to the Summer Palace this afternoon, and tomorrow I'm flying onto Seoul - first country for which I won't need a visa since leaving Poland almost a month ago!
Date and time: Monday 9th August 2010, 15:14 BJ (08:14 BST)
Location: Beijing, China
(Intended*) status update: Matthew wonders how many days of life he's lost to the Beijing smog.
After my first few hours of properly exploring Beijing, I would happily have summed up the city in three words: huge, crowded, and polluted. But although all those words still can be used to describe the city, they don't reflect my overall impression of the place so far - it's probably been my favourite since leaving Bath simply because it has been so amazing and so different to anywhere else I've been thus far. The people here are friendly too - very welcome after two weeks of traversing Russia and dealing with the coldest people on Earth - and they know a surprising amount of English. And it helps that pretty much all street/metro signs are given in English as well as Chinese. On Saturday I packed in a full day of sightseeing, visiting Tianamen square (which was interesting to compare and contrast with Red Square - at least the latter wasn't covered in smog when I visited), the Forbidden City (lots of Chinese architecture and temples), the Temple of Heaven (similar to the Forbidden City, only much less of it), and the Olympic park, where I visited the Water Cube (which was lit up in loads of different colours using LEDs as it got dark) and the Olympic Stadium (though sadly was too late to go inside). Yesterday I did a day trip from Beijing to Badaling, to see the Great Wall. The journey there was cheap (only 12 yuan or 1.20 pounds) and the visit was definitely worth it to say I've been, but the section of the wall was absolutely packed with tourists. To avoid the crowds I walked as far as was possible, which was hard work in the heat (plus the wall got very steep at times), but did pay off as it got quiter and allowed for some spectacular views. Today I've been out this morning to the Llama Temple (the most important Buddhist temple in China outside Tibet) and the Bell & Drum tower. The latter was awesome in that I also got to see a performance on the drums, which certainly felt very Chinese. Been back at the hostel enjoying the air conditioning this afternoon as the humidity, temperature and Beijing smog are rather intense today, so here's hoping it cools off a little tomorrow!
*Access to Facebook is somewhat intermittent when you're behind the Great Firewall of China.
Location: Beijing, China
(Intended*) status update: Matthew wonders how many days of life he's lost to the Beijing smog.
After my first few hours of properly exploring Beijing, I would happily have summed up the city in three words: huge, crowded, and polluted. But although all those words still can be used to describe the city, they don't reflect my overall impression of the place so far - it's probably been my favourite since leaving Bath simply because it has been so amazing and so different to anywhere else I've been thus far. The people here are friendly too - very welcome after two weeks of traversing Russia and dealing with the coldest people on Earth - and they know a surprising amount of English. And it helps that pretty much all street/metro signs are given in English as well as Chinese. On Saturday I packed in a full day of sightseeing, visiting Tianamen square (which was interesting to compare and contrast with Red Square - at least the latter wasn't covered in smog when I visited), the Forbidden City (lots of Chinese architecture and temples), the Temple of Heaven (similar to the Forbidden City, only much less of it), and the Olympic park, where I visited the Water Cube (which was lit up in loads of different colours using LEDs as it got dark) and the Olympic Stadium (though sadly was too late to go inside). Yesterday I did a day trip from Beijing to Badaling, to see the Great Wall. The journey there was cheap (only 12 yuan or 1.20 pounds) and the visit was definitely worth it to say I've been, but the section of the wall was absolutely packed with tourists. To avoid the crowds I walked as far as was possible, which was hard work in the heat (plus the wall got very steep at times), but did pay off as it got quiter and allowed for some spectacular views. Today I've been out this morning to the Llama Temple (the most important Buddhist temple in China outside Tibet) and the Bell & Drum tower. The latter was awesome in that I also got to see a performance on the drums, which certainly felt very Chinese. Been back at the hostel enjoying the air conditioning this afternoon as the humidity, temperature and Beijing smog are rather intense today, so here's hoping it cools off a little tomorrow!
*Access to Facebook is somewhat intermittent when you're behind the Great Firewall of China.
Date and time: Saturday 7th August 2010, 07:46 BT (00:46 BST)
Location: Beijing, China
Status update: Matthew's 12,334km rail journey is at an end - he's made it to Beijing!
So, perhaps at long last, the days of spending 30 hours on a train are behind me (though I still have some shorter rail journeys to make in Japan in around 2 weeks). Not too much to report since I last updated since the rail journey itself has occupied most of my time. The train itself was one of the best I've seen, though, very modern, plush compartments, with carriage attendants who spoke some English, toilets that actually worked and stayed clean, and even a TV at the bedside for each passenger (even though all the channels were Russian or Mongolian). The border crossing was quite exciting too, since it involved the changing of wheels on the train once again (Mongolia and China run on different rail gagues), though sadly we had to stay on the train to watch it happen. Company on the train was also good - I shared a compartment with the two Australians whom I did most of my tour in Mongolia with, and next door we had a British family also doing the Trans-Siberian, so for once, no shortage of English speakers about! The scenery as we got closer to Beijing was absolutely fantastic - there was a sighting of the great wall to be had, and thereafter there were lots of mountains very close to the winding rail track, much reminded me of Slovenia, although the rivers in the valleys were certainly a lot less blue! Arrived in Beijing at 14:04 yesterday afternoon and took a (nice and cheap) taxi to my hostel. Spent most of yesterday afternoon catching up on sleep (never seem to do to well at that on the trains) so have a full day of sightseeing planned today and am hoping to head out of the city to visit the Great Wall tomorrow...
Location: Beijing, China
Status update: Matthew's 12,334km rail journey is at an end - he's made it to Beijing!
So, perhaps at long last, the days of spending 30 hours on a train are behind me (though I still have some shorter rail journeys to make in Japan in around 2 weeks). Not too much to report since I last updated since the rail journey itself has occupied most of my time. The train itself was one of the best I've seen, though, very modern, plush compartments, with carriage attendants who spoke some English, toilets that actually worked and stayed clean, and even a TV at the bedside for each passenger (even though all the channels were Russian or Mongolian). The border crossing was quite exciting too, since it involved the changing of wheels on the train once again (Mongolia and China run on different rail gagues), though sadly we had to stay on the train to watch it happen. Company on the train was also good - I shared a compartment with the two Australians whom I did most of my tour in Mongolia with, and next door we had a British family also doing the Trans-Siberian, so for once, no shortage of English speakers about! The scenery as we got closer to Beijing was absolutely fantastic - there was a sighting of the great wall to be had, and thereafter there were lots of mountains very close to the winding rail track, much reminded me of Slovenia, although the rivers in the valleys were certainly a lot less blue! Arrived in Beijing at 14:04 yesterday afternoon and took a (nice and cheap) taxi to my hostel. Spent most of yesterday afternoon catching up on sleep (never seem to do to well at that on the trains) so have a full day of sightseeing planned today and am hoping to head out of the city to visit the Great Wall tomorrow...
Date and time: Wednesday 4th August 2010, 16:19 MNT (09:19 BST)
Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Status update: Matthew loved staying in a Mongolian ger, and has also been horseriding for the first time in 15 years!
Mongolia has given me both the highlight and lowlight of my trip so far, and has certainly been a real travel experience. That experience started when I boarded the train in Irkutsk; the train's passengers were essentially Mongolian smugglers, with (mostly European) tourists filling the remaining places. One compartment at the end of my carriage had just one woman in it; the remaining three sleeping berths were stacked with merchandise - food, coffee, tea, clothes, vases, cables - you name it, it was there. As we approached the Russian/Mongolian border, all the Mongols in the other compartments proceeded to help spead all this merchandise throughout the carriage in order to hide it from the customs officials, making an awful lot of noise while doing so. The border crossing was long (2 hours on each side for checks, though the customs officials didn't really care about the activities of the Mongols), and once we were through, the smugglers then proceeded to move all the stuff back into the end compartment, which meant getting sleep was near impossible with the noise they were making! Anyway, arrived into Ulaanbaatar at 6:30 where I was expecting to be met by my guide in Mongolia, who didn't turn up. Not exactly promising. The staff at the train station 'information centre' were absolutely no help despite being able to speak English, so in the end I trekked into town and to the tourist office to make a few phone calls. They were very apologetic when they found out their mistake, and fortunately it wasn't too long before I was picked up. I was taken to Terelj national park, a place of stunning beauty, to a ger camp (a ger is a traditional Mongolian hut) for two nights. Really enjoyed my stay there, loads to do (archery, tours of nearby temples and the so called 'Turtle rock' formation, assembling/disassembling a ger, trying traditional Mongolian foods (once of which nearly broke my teeth), and horseriding - first time in 15 years I've done that - and no broken bones this time!) Today I've been back in Ulaanbaatar and given a tour of the city, taking in the main square, the natural history museum (where they had some incredible dinosaur skeletons) and a Buddist monastry - beautiful place, obviously first time I've seen one so absolutely fascinating to visit. Now back at my hotel, got a folklore concert to look forward to this evening, and at 07:15 tomorrow it's the final long train ride - destination: Beijing!
Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Status update: Matthew loved staying in a Mongolian ger, and has also been horseriding for the first time in 15 years!
Mongolia has given me both the highlight and lowlight of my trip so far, and has certainly been a real travel experience. That experience started when I boarded the train in Irkutsk; the train's passengers were essentially Mongolian smugglers, with (mostly European) tourists filling the remaining places. One compartment at the end of my carriage had just one woman in it; the remaining three sleeping berths were stacked with merchandise - food, coffee, tea, clothes, vases, cables - you name it, it was there. As we approached the Russian/Mongolian border, all the Mongols in the other compartments proceeded to help spead all this merchandise throughout the carriage in order to hide it from the customs officials, making an awful lot of noise while doing so. The border crossing was long (2 hours on each side for checks, though the customs officials didn't really care about the activities of the Mongols), and once we were through, the smugglers then proceeded to move all the stuff back into the end compartment, which meant getting sleep was near impossible with the noise they were making! Anyway, arrived into Ulaanbaatar at 6:30 where I was expecting to be met by my guide in Mongolia, who didn't turn up. Not exactly promising. The staff at the train station 'information centre' were absolutely no help despite being able to speak English, so in the end I trekked into town and to the tourist office to make a few phone calls. They were very apologetic when they found out their mistake, and fortunately it wasn't too long before I was picked up. I was taken to Terelj national park, a place of stunning beauty, to a ger camp (a ger is a traditional Mongolian hut) for two nights. Really enjoyed my stay there, loads to do (archery, tours of nearby temples and the so called 'Turtle rock' formation, assembling/disassembling a ger, trying traditional Mongolian foods (once of which nearly broke my teeth), and horseriding - first time in 15 years I've done that - and no broken bones this time!) Today I've been back in Ulaanbaatar and given a tour of the city, taking in the main square, the natural history museum (where they had some incredible dinosaur skeletons) and a Buddist monastry - beautiful place, obviously first time I've seen one so absolutely fascinating to visit. Now back at my hotel, got a folklore concert to look forward to this evening, and at 07:15 tomorrow it's the final long train ride - destination: Beijing!
Date and time: Saturday 31st July 2010, 14:17 IRKST (06:17 BST)
Location: Listvyanka (near Irkutsk), Russia
Status update: Matthew is finally enjoying some sunshine again, and is loving the idyllic surroundings of Lake Baikal.
I'm now in the lovely little village of Listvyanka by the shores of Lake Baikal, around 70km from the city of Irkutsk. Getting to Irkutsk from Tomsk, as I mentioned last time, involved a 32.5 hour train journey, which thankfully wasn't as bad as it sounds! The first night I was very lucky in that I got some English speaking company in the form of a British/Swiss family also doing the Trans-Siberian. The following morning they got off and were replaced by two very friendly Russian women who gave me plenty of food (pancakes stuffed with tuna, egg and salad) and some very sweet red wine, too! Spending a whole day on the train was a little disorientating, not helped by the fact I jumped through another two time zones (now eight hours ahead of the UK!), which made alighting at Irkutsk at 6am rather unpleasant. Still, got a taxi down to Listvyanka, and checked into my homestay - a beautiful wooden building right by the shore of Lake Baikal. Spent much of yesterday asleep (due to a lack of it on the train and the rather lousy weather - cloud and drizzle all day), but been up and about today now that the sun has well and truly come out. Lake Baikal (the world's deepest freshwater lake) looks absolutely fabulous in the sunshine - incredibly blue water and with the clear skies, today it's possible to make out the far shoreline over 60km away. The village where I'm based (Listvyanka) is quite small, but there's been enough to keep me entertained - seen the Baikal seal show this morning, tried some Russian cuisine ("Plov" - rice with carrots and lamb) this lunchtime, and have just been enjoying the stunning scenery and also a paddle in the lake itself. Tomorrow I'll be leaving Russia at long last as I board the train and head into Mongolia...can't wait!
Location: Listvyanka (near Irkutsk), Russia
Status update: Matthew is finally enjoying some sunshine again, and is loving the idyllic surroundings of Lake Baikal.
I'm now in the lovely little village of Listvyanka by the shores of Lake Baikal, around 70km from the city of Irkutsk. Getting to Irkutsk from Tomsk, as I mentioned last time, involved a 32.5 hour train journey, which thankfully wasn't as bad as it sounds! The first night I was very lucky in that I got some English speaking company in the form of a British/Swiss family also doing the Trans-Siberian. The following morning they got off and were replaced by two very friendly Russian women who gave me plenty of food (pancakes stuffed with tuna, egg and salad) and some very sweet red wine, too! Spending a whole day on the train was a little disorientating, not helped by the fact I jumped through another two time zones (now eight hours ahead of the UK!), which made alighting at Irkutsk at 6am rather unpleasant. Still, got a taxi down to Listvyanka, and checked into my homestay - a beautiful wooden building right by the shore of Lake Baikal. Spent much of yesterday asleep (due to a lack of it on the train and the rather lousy weather - cloud and drizzle all day), but been up and about today now that the sun has well and truly come out. Lake Baikal (the world's deepest freshwater lake) looks absolutely fabulous in the sunshine - incredibly blue water and with the clear skies, today it's possible to make out the far shoreline over 60km away. The village where I'm based (Listvyanka) is quite small, but there's been enough to keep me entertained - seen the Baikal seal show this morning, tried some Russian cuisine ("Plov" - rice with carrots and lamb) this lunchtime, and have just been enjoying the stunning scenery and also a paddle in the lake itself. Tomorrow I'll be leaving Russia at long last as I board the train and head into Mongolia...can't wait!
Date and time: Tuesday 27th July 2010, 12:55 OMSST (06:55 BST)
Location: Tomsk, Russia
Status update: Matthew loves the predictability of Russian weather. Blue skies and 35°C in Omsk on Sunday, 10°C and nothing but rain in Tomsk today.
I'm currently in an Internet cafe in Tomsk, if anything just to shelter from the annoyingly persistent rain that has been going since I got up this morning - makes a huge difference from my brief stopover in Omsk on Sunday, where there was nothing but blue skies! I only had an afternoon in Omsk as I'd just included it as a transit point coming from Kazakhstan, but quite frankly it was one of the least interesting Russian city I've yet been to - a few pretty buildings and churches up by the river, and then just streets and streets of ugly apartment blocks - so I don't regret not staying longer. Caught a really nice train from Omsk to Tomsk on Sunday evening, air conditioned and the ticket included a meal, too (which was rather bland Russian potatoes and meat full of bones - but it was nice to be cooked for all the same!) Interesting company on the train too, two young Russian police officers(!) who despite their general reputation, were actually rather friendly, and an older man (Igor). All were naturally fascinated by me (makes you wonder how many foreigners most Russians have seen...) and we communicated quite well with the help of pen and paper. Igor also invited me to play tennis with him and some of his friends last night, which I did (random, but fun! - and I've been invited to come out bowling this evening). Had a brief wonder around Tomsk itself during the day yesterday, seen quite a lot of the 'wooden lace' architecture that the city is famous for - beautiful buildings made entirely of wood which are fantastically decorated, with all the wood having patterns carved into it by hand (photos to follow when I return). Had a wander down to the river, too, fantastic views into the surrounding countryside. Hoping to explore the main shopping street today or tomorrow (depending on when the rain stops), and tomorrow evening I'll be embarking on the longest train ride of my trip: 1700km and 32.5 hours (i.e. two nights and a full day) to Irkutsk and the small village of Listvyanka by Lake Baikal. Given that the train journeys are getting quite long at this point and that Internet access may be a little more patchy in the places I'm going, don't be surprised if I'm updating this a little less frequently over the next week or two!
Location: Tomsk, Russia
Status update: Matthew loves the predictability of Russian weather. Blue skies and 35°C in Omsk on Sunday, 10°C and nothing but rain in Tomsk today.
I'm currently in an Internet cafe in Tomsk, if anything just to shelter from the annoyingly persistent rain that has been going since I got up this morning - makes a huge difference from my brief stopover in Omsk on Sunday, where there was nothing but blue skies! I only had an afternoon in Omsk as I'd just included it as a transit point coming from Kazakhstan, but quite frankly it was one of the least interesting Russian city I've yet been to - a few pretty buildings and churches up by the river, and then just streets and streets of ugly apartment blocks - so I don't regret not staying longer. Caught a really nice train from Omsk to Tomsk on Sunday evening, air conditioned and the ticket included a meal, too (which was rather bland Russian potatoes and meat full of bones - but it was nice to be cooked for all the same!) Interesting company on the train too, two young Russian police officers(!) who despite their general reputation, were actually rather friendly, and an older man (Igor). All were naturally fascinated by me (makes you wonder how many foreigners most Russians have seen...) and we communicated quite well with the help of pen and paper. Igor also invited me to play tennis with him and some of his friends last night, which I did (random, but fun! - and I've been invited to come out bowling this evening). Had a brief wonder around Tomsk itself during the day yesterday, seen quite a lot of the 'wooden lace' architecture that the city is famous for - beautiful buildings made entirely of wood which are fantastically decorated, with all the wood having patterns carved into it by hand (photos to follow when I return). Had a wander down to the river, too, fantastic views into the surrounding countryside. Hoping to explore the main shopping street today or tomorrow (depending on when the rain stops), and tomorrow evening I'll be embarking on the longest train ride of my trip: 1700km and 32.5 hours (i.e. two nights and a full day) to Irkutsk and the small village of Listvyanka by Lake Baikal. Given that the train journeys are getting quite long at this point and that Internet access may be a little more patchy in the places I'm going, don't be surprised if I'm updating this a little less frequently over the next week or two!
Date and time: Saturday 24th July 2010, 18:17 KZT (13:17 BST)
Location: Astana, Kazakhstan
Status update: Matthew thinks Astana has to be the wackiest city he's ever visited.
I'm currently sitting in an Internet cafe in Astana, a city which easily ranks as the wackiest I've ever visited. Getting here involved a 24 hour train ride from Yekaterinburg which wasn't exactly the best fun I've ever had. Got through the border without any problems, although they were somewhat surprised to see someone travelling on a British passport. As the train headed south towards the capital, the scenery became very different from the forested areas I've been passing through in Russia, instead it was just vast, vast plains, as far as the eye could see. Eventually reached Astana at around 8pm last night, and went and checked into my hotel (no hostels here!) which was very nice; it was certainly pleasant to have some air conditioning for the first time in a while! Today been out exploring the Kazakh capital - one of the wackiest cities I've ever visited due to the architecture. The president of Kazakhstan (can't remember or pronounce his name) moved the capital here from Almaty (in the south of the country) in 1997, and since has spent billions of pounds transforming it from a small town into a huge city. First visited the President's museum, which gave a glimpse into the life of the man himself - full of mock-ups of cabinet rooms/offices used by the president, as well as a showcase of all the various awards and decorations he's received - he's not exactly a humble person, to say the least. Then wondered a little further south, visited Astana's aquarium, whose claim to fame is that it's the only aquarium in the world to be more than 3000km from the nearest coast! Then headed on to what has to be the highlight of this city and what makes it so unusual - Nurzhol Bulvar. This is a 2km street with the presidential palace at one end and a massive tent-like structure housing a shopping centre at the other (designed by none other than Norman Foster), which loads of wacky, futuristic buildings in between. The strangest of these, and arguably Astana's icon, is the Bayterek monument (Google image it), which commemorates a legend where a mythical bird laid a golden egg out of human reach, hence the shape. Went up to the top which gave some spectacular views over the city, and also into the vast plains beyond the city limits. Train on to Omsk this evening, where I'll just be spending an afternoon before taking another overnight train to Tomsk...after the wonders of Kazakhstan, I almost don't want to go back into Russia...
Location: Astana, Kazakhstan
Status update: Matthew thinks Astana has to be the wackiest city he's ever visited.
I'm currently sitting in an Internet cafe in Astana, a city which easily ranks as the wackiest I've ever visited. Getting here involved a 24 hour train ride from Yekaterinburg which wasn't exactly the best fun I've ever had. Got through the border without any problems, although they were somewhat surprised to see someone travelling on a British passport. As the train headed south towards the capital, the scenery became very different from the forested areas I've been passing through in Russia, instead it was just vast, vast plains, as far as the eye could see. Eventually reached Astana at around 8pm last night, and went and checked into my hotel (no hostels here!) which was very nice; it was certainly pleasant to have some air conditioning for the first time in a while! Today been out exploring the Kazakh capital - one of the wackiest cities I've ever visited due to the architecture. The president of Kazakhstan (can't remember or pronounce his name) moved the capital here from Almaty (in the south of the country) in 1997, and since has spent billions of pounds transforming it from a small town into a huge city. First visited the President's museum, which gave a glimpse into the life of the man himself - full of mock-ups of cabinet rooms/offices used by the president, as well as a showcase of all the various awards and decorations he's received - he's not exactly a humble person, to say the least. Then wondered a little further south, visited Astana's aquarium, whose claim to fame is that it's the only aquarium in the world to be more than 3000km from the nearest coast! Then headed on to what has to be the highlight of this city and what makes it so unusual - Nurzhol Bulvar. This is a 2km street with the presidential palace at one end and a massive tent-like structure housing a shopping centre at the other (designed by none other than Norman Foster), which loads of wacky, futuristic buildings in between. The strangest of these, and arguably Astana's icon, is the Bayterek monument (Google image it), which commemorates a legend where a mythical bird laid a golden egg out of human reach, hence the shape. Went up to the top which gave some spectacular views over the city, and also into the vast plains beyond the city limits. Train on to Omsk this evening, where I'll just be spending an afternoon before taking another overnight train to Tomsk...after the wonders of Kazakhstan, I almost don't want to go back into Russia...
Date and time: Thursday 22nd July 2010, 13:42 YEKST (08:42 BST)
Location: Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia
Status update: Matthew never knew you could get jetlagged travelling by train - and will be losing yet another hour when he leaves Yekaterinburg tonight...
The fact that I've now lost 4 hours in the space of half a week is now playing havoc with my body clock - still can't quite believe I'm now 5 hours ahead of the time in the UK - and Astana (where I'm heading next) is another hour ahed still! But despite feeling tired at odd times, I'm still very much enjoying things - as I hinted at in my previous entry, I got a guided tour of Kazan on Tuesday with the the person I met on the train, which was fantastic - you get so much more out of a city when you're not just relying on your guidebook! Visited the small but pretty Kazan Kremlin (including its recently buit mosque), saw parks, statues and churches galore, and even got to go inside two of Kazan's (many) universities and met Sergei's English teacher - amazing! Train on to Yekaterinburg was enjoyable too, no English speaking company this time but one old Russian man took very well to me and communicated as best he could, asking where I was from, and most memorably, telling me what he thought of the goal in the England-Germany match in the world cup (I didn't know they followed it here!) He also shared his food and vodka with me - I stopped after two shots as it was very strong, but he proceded to finish the entire bottle - and was still absolutely fine the next morning! Crazy. Made it to my hostel in Yekaterinburg (which wasn't easy to find, but is very nice, particularly as there has been some friendly English-speaking company). Did a brief tour of the main city sights yesterday evening (although there wasn't much), and saw the memorial on the site where the Romanov family were murdered by the Bolsheviks following the Russian Revolution. Been to a couple of museums this morning, the mineral museum (which was cheap and really good - featured several bits of jewellery made out of different coloured minerasls) and the railway museum (a little more expensive - though the woman on the desk noticed I wasn't Russian and then proceeded to give me a guided tour, which was rather nice). Now back at the hostel cooking up some pasta before catching my train to Kazakhstan this evening...it's a 24 hour ride so I've made sure I'm well stocked up on supplies...fingers crossed I get through the border ok!
Location: Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia
Status update: Matthew never knew you could get jetlagged travelling by train - and will be losing yet another hour when he leaves Yekaterinburg tonight...
The fact that I've now lost 4 hours in the space of half a week is now playing havoc with my body clock - still can't quite believe I'm now 5 hours ahead of the time in the UK - and Astana (where I'm heading next) is another hour ahed still! But despite feeling tired at odd times, I'm still very much enjoying things - as I hinted at in my previous entry, I got a guided tour of Kazan on Tuesday with the the person I met on the train, which was fantastic - you get so much more out of a city when you're not just relying on your guidebook! Visited the small but pretty Kazan Kremlin (including its recently buit mosque), saw parks, statues and churches galore, and even got to go inside two of Kazan's (many) universities and met Sergei's English teacher - amazing! Train on to Yekaterinburg was enjoyable too, no English speaking company this time but one old Russian man took very well to me and communicated as best he could, asking where I was from, and most memorably, telling me what he thought of the goal in the England-Germany match in the world cup (I didn't know they followed it here!) He also shared his food and vodka with me - I stopped after two shots as it was very strong, but he proceded to finish the entire bottle - and was still absolutely fine the next morning! Crazy. Made it to my hostel in Yekaterinburg (which wasn't easy to find, but is very nice, particularly as there has been some friendly English-speaking company). Did a brief tour of the main city sights yesterday evening (although there wasn't much), and saw the memorial on the site where the Romanov family were murdered by the Bolsheviks following the Russian Revolution. Been to a couple of museums this morning, the mineral museum (which was cheap and really good - featured several bits of jewellery made out of different coloured minerasls) and the railway museum (a little more expensive - though the woman on the desk noticed I wasn't Russian and then proceeded to give me a guided tour, which was rather nice). Now back at the hostel cooking up some pasta before catching my train to Kazakhstan this evening...it's a 24 hour ride so I've made sure I'm well stocked up on supplies...fingers crossed I get through the border ok!
Date and time: Tuesday 20th July 2010, 10:12 MST (07:12 BST)
Location: Kazan, Russia
Status update: Matthew is seriously regretting not booking plazkartsky train tickets all the way on his trip, having had a memorable evening on the train to Kazan last night.
I'm now in Kazan, enjoying some true Russian hospitality after a memorable train ride from Moscow last night. Having seen much of Moscow when I visited in 2008, I ventured a little further out the city yesterday to find a few more things to do. With the metro being so efficient there, it was fairly easy, and I found myself at the Ishmailov Kremlin - a real find - incredibly pretty buildings, churches with decorated, patterned roofs (not unlike St Basil's) and the place was fairly compact and actually had a theme park feel about it - obviously I'll post some photos when I get back. Visited the Vodka Museum there (which included free samples at the end!) and spent the afternoon at the State History Muesum (which I missed on my visit 2 years ago). Boarded my train in the evening to Kazan - finding the correct station, let alone the correct platform was incredibly challenging given that one metro station serves three separate railway stations, but I made it in the end. Travelled third class (plazkartsky) which meant it was like a sauna until the train got moving (not good), but there was plenty of company (better - you don't always get that in kupe/second class) - I was fortunate enough to be sat near a guy of my age (Sergei) who could speak English (and so translate for me), and when others heard a foreigner was on the train, all the children were coming over trying to practise their English which was really sweet. Most of them only knew a few phrases such as "How old are you?" (save Sergei and another 14 year old girl whose name I forget), but were really friendly and seemed fascinated by me - I'm guessing they don't see many tourists. I felt somewhat like a celebrity with all the attention they were giving me, particularly when I told them where I was travelling around Russia and showed them my British passport. Eventually got some sleep, and Sergei, who lives in Kazan has offered to show me around today. I'm currently back at his brother's flat, and we'll be heading out soon - looking forward to being able to tour a place with someone who speaks both my language and the local one!
Location: Kazan, Russia
Status update: Matthew is seriously regretting not booking plazkartsky train tickets all the way on his trip, having had a memorable evening on the train to Kazan last night.
I'm now in Kazan, enjoying some true Russian hospitality after a memorable train ride from Moscow last night. Having seen much of Moscow when I visited in 2008, I ventured a little further out the city yesterday to find a few more things to do. With the metro being so efficient there, it was fairly easy, and I found myself at the Ishmailov Kremlin - a real find - incredibly pretty buildings, churches with decorated, patterned roofs (not unlike St Basil's) and the place was fairly compact and actually had a theme park feel about it - obviously I'll post some photos when I get back. Visited the Vodka Museum there (which included free samples at the end!) and spent the afternoon at the State History Muesum (which I missed on my visit 2 years ago). Boarded my train in the evening to Kazan - finding the correct station, let alone the correct platform was incredibly challenging given that one metro station serves three separate railway stations, but I made it in the end. Travelled third class (plazkartsky) which meant it was like a sauna until the train got moving (not good), but there was plenty of company (better - you don't always get that in kupe/second class) - I was fortunate enough to be sat near a guy of my age (Sergei) who could speak English (and so translate for me), and when others heard a foreigner was on the train, all the children were coming over trying to practise their English which was really sweet. Most of them only knew a few phrases such as "How old are you?" (save Sergei and another 14 year old girl whose name I forget), but were really friendly and seemed fascinated by me - I'm guessing they don't see many tourists. I felt somewhat like a celebrity with all the attention they were giving me, particularly when I told them where I was travelling around Russia and showed them my British passport. Eventually got some sleep, and Sergei, who lives in Kazan has offered to show me around today. I'm currently back at his brother's flat, and we'll be heading out soon - looking forward to being able to tour a place with someone who speaks both my language and the local one!
Date and time: Sunday 18th July 2010, 19:12 MST (16:12 BST)
Location: Moscow, Russia
Status update: Matthew is heading east tomorrow. Further east than he's ever been before...
So I'm now in an incredibly Moscow after a 17.5 train journey from Warsaw last night. Yesterday Tom and I saw the more pleasaant side of Warsaw, the Old Town and Royal Way, with quite a few stops for water and food en-route. Also got to hear a rather impressive organ concert at one of the churches in the Old Town - program included Bach's Toccata and Fugue, Spring from the Four Seasons and the Halleluja chorus - personally 'Spring' was my favourite. Tom and I went our separate ways in the afternoon, with me taking the train on to Moscow. The train itself was air conditioned (vary welcome), though I was sharing a compartment with two rather large Polish men (not so welcome), though despite the language barrier they were very friendly and kept offering me some of their food and drink. Crossing the border into Belarus was easy (since I have done it before), a couple more stamps whacked on my passport with no problem. Also got to witness the changing of the wheels at Brest station (Poland and Belarus/Russia run on different rail gauges), which was quite something as they jacked up the carriages one-by-one in order to remove the old wheels and slot the new ones in - all with us still on board! Arrived into Moscow around midday today, eventually found a cash machine that had instructions in English and made it to my hostel by metro. Since been out and re-visited Red Square et all, though a lot of streets were blocked off today due to some rally driving going on in the centre of Moscow - I got a peek, and it was basically lots of rally cars skidding around the huge Moscow highways for the amusement of the assembled crowds - they certainly seemed to love it! Also seen the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (all very impressive Russian Orthodox decoration, and learned my lesson from 2 years ago when they refused me entry as I was wearing shorts!) Had a wonder around the Muzeon sculpture park too - lots of old statues of Lenin and Stalin without their pedastals, which wasrather amusing. A few more things planned for tomorrow, and then it's back on the train again - this time heading further east than I've been before...to Kazan...
Location: Moscow, Russia
Status update: Matthew is heading east tomorrow. Further east than he's ever been before...
So I'm now in an incredibly Moscow after a 17.5 train journey from Warsaw last night. Yesterday Tom and I saw the more pleasaant side of Warsaw, the Old Town and Royal Way, with quite a few stops for water and food en-route. Also got to hear a rather impressive organ concert at one of the churches in the Old Town - program included Bach's Toccata and Fugue, Spring from the Four Seasons and the Halleluja chorus - personally 'Spring' was my favourite. Tom and I went our separate ways in the afternoon, with me taking the train on to Moscow. The train itself was air conditioned (vary welcome), though I was sharing a compartment with two rather large Polish men (not so welcome), though despite the language barrier they were very friendly and kept offering me some of their food and drink. Crossing the border into Belarus was easy (since I have done it before), a couple more stamps whacked on my passport with no problem. Also got to witness the changing of the wheels at Brest station (Poland and Belarus/Russia run on different rail gauges), which was quite something as they jacked up the carriages one-by-one in order to remove the old wheels and slot the new ones in - all with us still on board! Arrived into Moscow around midday today, eventually found a cash machine that had instructions in English and made it to my hostel by metro. Since been out and re-visited Red Square et all, though a lot of streets were blocked off today due to some rally driving going on in the centre of Moscow - I got a peek, and it was basically lots of rally cars skidding around the huge Moscow highways for the amusement of the assembled crowds - they certainly seemed to love it! Also seen the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (all very impressive Russian Orthodox decoration, and learned my lesson from 2 years ago when they refused me entry as I was wearing shorts!) Had a wonder around the Muzeon sculpture park too - lots of old statues of Lenin and Stalin without their pedastals, which wasrather amusing. A few more things planned for tomorrow, and then it's back on the train again - this time heading further east than I've been before...to Kazan...
Date and time: Friday 16th July 2010, 17:44 CEST (16:44 BST)
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Status update: Matthew is melting in the Warsaw heat and thus dreading arriving in Moscow at midday on Sunday.
Arrived in Warsaw at around midday today after a 6 hour train ride from Berlin. The weather seems to be getting increasingly hot as I've headed east, thus I'm dreading arriving in Moscow at around midday on Sunday - though thankfully I believe the train there from Warsaw should be air conditioned. Our full day in Berlin yesterday was very enjoyable - basically spent most of the day on one of the 'free' tours run by a company called New Europe who do similar tours at lots of cities around the continent. Started at the Brandenburg gate and within three hours had covered pretty much everything of interest within walking distance - the Reichstag, holocaust memorial, book burning memorial, museum quarter, Berlin cathedral, the location of Hitler's bunker, Checkpoint Charlie and loads more. Very tired at the end of it as you might imagine, and went out to a rather nice (and very cheap!) Italian restaurant with some of the people we were sharing a dorm with. Very early start this morning (5am) in order to catch the 06:29 train from Berlin to Warsaw - which was rather annoyingly late by 30 minutes - time I would much have preferred to spend in bed given how little sleep I got last night due to the heat and the noise. Arrived in Warsaw and since been to the Warsaw uprising museum (which had lovely air conditioning - very useful given how hot it is here) and seen the view from Stalin's 'Palace of Culture', the communist monstrosity that partly domincates Warsaw's skyline. Planning to see the reconstructed Old Town and Royal Mile tomorrow, before Tom head's back to the UK and I head on to Moscow!
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Status update: Matthew is melting in the Warsaw heat and thus dreading arriving in Moscow at midday on Sunday.
Arrived in Warsaw at around midday today after a 6 hour train ride from Berlin. The weather seems to be getting increasingly hot as I've headed east, thus I'm dreading arriving in Moscow at around midday on Sunday - though thankfully I believe the train there from Warsaw should be air conditioned. Our full day in Berlin yesterday was very enjoyable - basically spent most of the day on one of the 'free' tours run by a company called New Europe who do similar tours at lots of cities around the continent. Started at the Brandenburg gate and within three hours had covered pretty much everything of interest within walking distance - the Reichstag, holocaust memorial, book burning memorial, museum quarter, Berlin cathedral, the location of Hitler's bunker, Checkpoint Charlie and loads more. Very tired at the end of it as you might imagine, and went out to a rather nice (and very cheap!) Italian restaurant with some of the people we were sharing a dorm with. Very early start this morning (5am) in order to catch the 06:29 train from Berlin to Warsaw - which was rather annoyingly late by 30 minutes - time I would much have preferred to spend in bed given how little sleep I got last night due to the heat and the noise. Arrived in Warsaw and since been to the Warsaw uprising museum (which had lovely air conditioning - very useful given how hot it is here) and seen the view from Stalin's 'Palace of Culture', the communist monstrosity that partly domincates Warsaw's skyline. Planning to see the reconstructed Old Town and Royal Mile tomorrow, before Tom head's back to the UK and I head on to Moscow!
Date and time: Wednesday 14th July 2010, 21:02 CEST (20:02 BST)
Location: Berlin, Germany
Status update: Matthew wonders whether his hostel in Berlin being cheap has anything to do with it being right next to the North Korean embassy.
I'm now in Berlin, after a 4 hour train ride over from Cologne this morning. Cologne itself was very nice, though probably only really worth the half day I planned for it in terms of sights and things to do. The train in from Paris was very nice (and fast too - the 300kph/186mph appear very common around here) and got us into Cologne in the early afternoon. Spent the rest of the day exploring Cologne Cathedral (absolutely incredible due to its vast, vast size and strikingly dark colour), climbing the 533 steps to the top of the south tower (knew all that Abbey-stair climbing would come in useful!) and also visiting the chocolate museum on the banks of the river Rhine (which included a free sample of the stuff made there). Train over to Berlin this morning, long-ish ride at over 4 hours, but again very fast and comfortable - the seats even had enough legroom for Tom, which is saying something. Arrived in a very hot Berlin at around 3pm, dumped bags at the hostel (which is located right by the North Korean embassy - I thought it was cheap...) and headed out into central Berlin. Got to climb the Reichstag building this time - though like the last time I was here, almost three years ago, the dome was closed! Looks like I may have to come back again... Also seen the Brandenburg gate, Berlin Wall victims memorial and Holocaust memorial, all for the second time. Nice meal out this evening, planning to do the free walking tour tomorrow amongst other things and then on Thursday it's a train at 06:29 to Warsaw...not exactly looking forward to such an early start...
Location: Berlin, Germany
Status update: Matthew wonders whether his hostel in Berlin being cheap has anything to do with it being right next to the North Korean embassy.
I'm now in Berlin, after a 4 hour train ride over from Cologne this morning. Cologne itself was very nice, though probably only really worth the half day I planned for it in terms of sights and things to do. The train in from Paris was very nice (and fast too - the 300kph/186mph appear very common around here) and got us into Cologne in the early afternoon. Spent the rest of the day exploring Cologne Cathedral (absolutely incredible due to its vast, vast size and strikingly dark colour), climbing the 533 steps to the top of the south tower (knew all that Abbey-stair climbing would come in useful!) and also visiting the chocolate museum on the banks of the river Rhine (which included a free sample of the stuff made there). Train over to Berlin this morning, long-ish ride at over 4 hours, but again very fast and comfortable - the seats even had enough legroom for Tom, which is saying something. Arrived in a very hot Berlin at around 3pm, dumped bags at the hostel (which is located right by the North Korean embassy - I thought it was cheap...) and headed out into central Berlin. Got to climb the Reichstag building this time - though like the last time I was here, almost three years ago, the dome was closed! Looks like I may have to come back again... Also seen the Brandenburg gate, Berlin Wall victims memorial and Holocaust memorial, all for the second time. Nice meal out this evening, planning to do the free walking tour tomorrow amongst other things and then on Thursday it's a train at 06:29 to Warsaw...not exactly looking forward to such an early start...
Date and time: Monday 12h July 2010, 19:28 CEST (18:28 BST)
Location: Paris, France
Status update: Matthew is in Paris, and can't quite believe that the moment he leaves the country, he recieves an offer of a job interview in Bath! :-/
So we (me and Tom) arrived in Paris yesterday evening, where it's been incredibly hot - much more so that back in Bath at the moment. The journey over was relatively easy, train from Bath ran to time, had to improvise a little using the London underground (since the line we wanted to use was closed completely), and the Eurostar from St Pancras International was very impressive - I quite enjoyed the ride, particular seeing how fast we were going compared to the cars on the motorways running parallel to the track! Checked into our hostel (right by he Sacre-coeur), and had a wander up there yesterday evening, as well as heading into town to see the outside of the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. Didn't get particularly much sleep last night due to the oppressive heat, but thankfully there was a rain shower this morning which has cooled things down quite a lot. Spent today doing the main tourist sites of Paris (some for the third time for me - though the first for Tom) - Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame (where I climbed the belltower for the first time - for free, too!) and La Grande Arche (also for the first time - though I wasn't exactly pleased to discover the lifts up to the top are out of action for the time being. Fourth time lucky, perhaps? Now back at the hostel having had a shower to cool off and will shortly be heading out for what will probably be my first decent meal since Thursday night. Also received an e-mail from IPL in Bath today offering me a job interview - typical luck for them to respond as soon as I leave the country! They've asked for availability over the next few weeks, though, so I'm hoping that means they're willing to be flexibile... Cologne tomorrow...can't wait!
Location: Paris, France
Status update: Matthew is in Paris, and can't quite believe that the moment he leaves the country, he recieves an offer of a job interview in Bath! :-/
So we (me and Tom) arrived in Paris yesterday evening, where it's been incredibly hot - much more so that back in Bath at the moment. The journey over was relatively easy, train from Bath ran to time, had to improvise a little using the London underground (since the line we wanted to use was closed completely), and the Eurostar from St Pancras International was very impressive - I quite enjoyed the ride, particular seeing how fast we were going compared to the cars on the motorways running parallel to the track! Checked into our hostel (right by he Sacre-coeur), and had a wander up there yesterday evening, as well as heading into town to see the outside of the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. Didn't get particularly much sleep last night due to the oppressive heat, but thankfully there was a rain shower this morning which has cooled things down quite a lot. Spent today doing the main tourist sites of Paris (some for the third time for me - though the first for Tom) - Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame (where I climbed the belltower for the first time - for free, too!) and La Grande Arche (also for the first time - though I wasn't exactly pleased to discover the lifts up to the top are out of action for the time being. Fourth time lucky, perhaps? Now back at the hostel having had a shower to cool off and will shortly be heading out for what will probably be my first decent meal since Thursday night. Also received an e-mail from IPL in Bath today offering me a job interview - typical luck for them to respond as soon as I leave the country! They've asked for availability over the next few weeks, though, so I'm hoping that means they're willing to be flexibile... Cologne tomorrow...can't wait!
Date and time: Saturday 10th July 2010, 22:00 BST
Location: Bath, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew will tomorrow be embarking on an epic 12,000 km rail journey to Beijing (and beyond)!
After a very busy week (quarter peal outings and graduations), I'm finally just about ready and packed for tomorrow. My efforts at packing lightly have been somewhat successful this year, which I hope will pay off when carrying luggage around, even if it means me taking a few less things. It really hasn't sunk in just how far I'm going - probably only will as I go along as it usually does! Despite things looking rather uncertain when I get back to Bath, I'm determined to make the most of this trip, particularly since I anticipate it being the last time I'll be away for so long...
Location: Bath, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew will tomorrow be embarking on an epic 12,000 km rail journey to Beijing (and beyond)!
After a very busy week (quarter peal outings and graduations), I'm finally just about ready and packed for tomorrow. My efforts at packing lightly have been somewhat successful this year, which I hope will pay off when carrying luggage around, even if it means me taking a few less things. It really hasn't sunk in just how far I'm going - probably only will as I go along as it usually does! Despite things looking rather uncertain when I get back to Bath, I'm determined to make the most of this trip, particularly since I anticipate it being the last time I'll be away for so long...
If that's not enough, why not go back and read my Europe 2009 log?
