The reason why I am visiting Russia is to experience taking the Trans-Siberian train. The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway in the world and the journey can take as many as 7 days to go from Moscow all the way through its branch lines to the Far East countries into Mongolia, China, and North Korea.
My intent was to take the train from Moscow to somewhere in Central Russia, then fly south into Kazakhstan and Tajikistan; Russia is so vast that I was not even attempting to see a lot of things with the one week that I planned on spending here. Instead, I took it slow: Rather than going out exploring every day like when I was in the Middle East, I took time to rest, recharge, and reflect – My week in Russia was an opportunity to re-adjust my pace before heading to the mountainous countries in Central Asia.
Saint Basil’s Cathedral, probably the most famous landmark of Russia. The building is shaped as a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky. Right next to it in the Red Square is Lenin’s tomb, the preserved body of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin.
@Moscow
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, a Russian Orthodox church in Moscow and the tallest Orthodox church in the world.
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Mandatory selfie before getting on the Trans-Siberian train.
@Moscow
The Trans-Siberian train consists of three classes: 1st class has 2 beds in each cabin, sometimes with a small sofa. 2nd class (the one I took) has 4 beds in each cabin, arranged in a bunk-bed alignment. 3rd class has 54 beds per coach in an open-plan dormitory arrangement.
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2nd-class life? Not too shabby. I had three Russian cabin-mates and none of them spoke a word of English. The guy below me was probably in his 50s. He kept having conversation with me in Russian, even though he knew that I had no clue what he was talking about. Funny guy.
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The train had no shower or wifi. Limited electrical outlets were only available at each end of the coach. First world problem 🙂
@Moscow
The Trans-Siberian train consists of three classes: 1st class has 2 beds in each cabin, sometimes with a small sofa. 2nd class (the one I took) has 4 beds in each cabin, arranged in a bunk-bed alignment. 3rd class has 54 beds per coach in an open-plan dormitory arrangement.
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2nd-class life? Not too shabby. I had three Russian cabin-mates and none of them spoke a word of English. The guy below me was probably in his 50s. He kept having conversation with me in Russian, even though he knew that I had no clue what he was talking about. Funny guy.
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The train had no shower or wifi. Limited electrical outlets were only available at each end of the coach. First world problem 🙂
@Moscow
Buying train tickets is always a challenge, as most Russians do not speak English. Instead of going back and forth using Google Translate, I found it easier to just write everything down in Russian on a piece of paper and hand it over when buying ticket.
@Moscow
I was taking metro everyday to get around while in Moscow. At first I looked up and thought the signs might be written in English. Then I realized that they were all in Russian and I didn’t understand any of them.
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Russian doll, a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. The one on the upper left is wooden doll of President Putin.
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My 1st time seeing Russian dolls was a couple of years ago in the movie “Trans-Siberian”, where drugs were being smuggled inside the dolls through the Trans-Siberian train from the Far East to Moscow. Of course, that was fiction and there is no evidence that Russian dolls are being used for that purpose.
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Kul Sharif Mosque.
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Kul Sharif Mosque.
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Church of the Savier on Spilled Blood, a Russian Orthodox church in Saint Petersburg.
@SaintPetersburg
Church of the Savier on Spilled Blood, a Russian Orthodox church in Saint Petersburg.
@SaintPetersburg
Saint Basil’s Cathedral, probably the most famous landmark of Russia. The building is shaped as a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky. Right next to it in the Red Square is Lenin’s tomb, the preserved body of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin.
@Moscow
Russian soldiers at the Moscow Kremlin.
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Peter the Great, tsar of the Russian Empire who was famously known for founding and developing the city of Saint Petersburg.
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Muzeon Park of Arts.
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Russian ice-cream. President Putin brought a box of this ice-cream as a gift to Chinese president Xi Jinping at the G20 summit last year. I joined a walking tour in Moscow and the guide took us to try the ice-cream.
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Cost of living in Russia is incredibly cheap. There were times where I didn’t want to eat out, so I went to the supermarket and bought a bunch of food (including Russian cavier) – How much was the bill? A grand total of $3 USD!
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At the hostel I met a guy from Uzbekistan studying in Russia. He didn’t speak much English but he shared with me his Russian dessert – Not sure what it is called but it tasted like marshmallow.
@Kazan
Church of the Savier on Spilled Blood, a Russian Orthodox church in Saint Petersburg.
@SaintPetersburg
I was taking metro everyday to get around while in Moscow. At first I looked up and thought the signs might be written in English. Then I realized that they were all in Russian and I didn’t understand any of them.
@Moscow
I have previously experienced having my hair cut in different countries, from a $2 haircut in Ukraine to a $22 one in Germany.
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I was having my hair cut in Kazan, Russia. My haircut is pretty easy to do and it can easily be done in 15 minutes. I told my hairdresser I wanted a line on both sides. He went all out, was super-meticulous, and ended up spending 1.5 hour on my haircut. Not only did I get a line on one side, but also a V-line on the other! I really appreciated his effort and tipped him for it at the end.
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However I wasn’t sure why he purposely shaved off a layer of hair on the forehead and made it looked like receding hairline. So if I am not taking any selfie in the next two weeks, you know why.
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