I am in Siberia (Irkutsk) and it is snowing!!! Well, it was yesterday. Today it is just cold.
Back to Mongolia for a moment. You know how I mentioned that I went and saw a Mongolian band? Well, I later met the band and got a signed CD. You can be a groupie in any country. BUT only in Mongolia can you meet the band on a street corner, buy the CD out of a pram and have to be quick about it because a band member was actually on the way to thh hospital.
Russian border crossing wasn't too painful - about 7 hours. The scariest/funniest bit was when we got off the train and we were literally the only carriage there. Just perched on the railway. By ourselves. Anyway, we got our passports back from the customs officials and roamed the town. Surreal moment when, on a concrete wall in graffiti, there was a massive lot of spray painitn gthat said 'Kurt Cobain: Nirvana". Weird. Also found crazy Russian pastries thanks to Skye's nose for baked goods. I fed some of mine to a starving dog on the station platform.
Back on the train, drank Vodka and played word association games. Arrived in Irtkusk on the 24th (I think) and went out to Lake Baikal. We stayed in this AMAZING Swiss chalet style cabin with a wonderful view.
Went out to walk on Lake Baikal - I managed not to go arse up but I wasn't as keen as sliding on it as the boys. We did have a snowball fight though. I also dipped my hand in the water, which according to legend will give me a year extra life. Will and Pete actually fell in an we decided that for two hands and two feet that was 6 years extra life.
Then I went DOG SLEDDING. I actually stood on the back of a sled with dogs that pulled it. Apparently the smart ones are up the front and the brawny ones are up the back. It was absolutely freezing but sublime. I was a bit nervous when the dog handler said 'Stand like you are skiing and bend like you do when you ski." I wanted to yell "It was 40 degrees when I left home and this is only the second time I've seen snow. What do I knwo about skiing?" but by then we were moving. I managed to stay on - Adam and Matt both fell off a couple of times on their go so I felt a little smug.
Woke up yesterday and it was SNOWING!!! Opted to avoid hiking and instead tried out a local pastry shop and went to the market. And Daylight saving time started. I am losing all this time and not getting it back! Then in the late afternoon we had the most awesome sauna. 2 hours worth. We even did the hitting each other with birch branches thing. You get so hot and then rub yourself with snow. Brilliant! On the down side, the sheets were were wearing were kinda see through. Hmmmmm....
Next up is 4 days on the train which we are all pretty psyched for. At least there are no more annoying customs checks in the wee hours of the morning.
I can't wait to post some photos - probably won't be until London though. Sorry. You'll juts have to put up with all my boring writing a bit longer.
From Russia with Love.
PS. Sarah M - you totally know you're getting ripped off when the saleswoman says to your friend "You friend is good at bargaining". BUT I really couldn't get het up over what is essentially $2. Bought a couple of cool necklaces though. And I am loving the big red sunglasses I've got.
PPS. Paying real prices for things now which is annoying. Exceot for Vodka and beer which is still dead cheap.
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9 comments:
Who are these strange boys you are consorting with? Hmmmmm....! Mum read your blog and got quite worried about the amount you appear to be drinking. More vulnerable to the white slave doo dads. :) Sounds like you're doing some crazy stuff Katie P. It's raining here in Perth, not as cool as snowing. Keep doing your bit for the animals in russia - though isn't pastry bad for dogs? I'm sure it appreciated it! Love you!
Multifaceted Multicultural Kate - definitely hitting the alcohol hard in super crazy NE Asia. Who'd have thunk you'd be there this time a year and a half ago? Not I, surely!
Sounds like you're having a wild time of things! I wish that I could have a birch branch snow-auna. Sounds positively invigorating!
Keep up the vodka, tyke.
Only you could manage to be a mongolian band's groupie kate. I just said aloud - "kate is in siberia" and it cracked me up because it suddenly hit me that you're in SIBERIA! i feel like you you've been exiled or something, except a wildly fun exile with vodka and word association games. Prehaps not much different to our port hedland exile (we're about to get hit by another cyclone). xox
I am most impressed at your ability to remain upright while dog sledding. I most certainly would have completely stacked it... is "stacked it" the correct term when referring to dog sledding? Hmmm.
A saw a baby called Darcy in clinic today, and guess what? His mum didn't even know the character of Mr Darcy existed! I was shocked, and appalled.
at least you got a sheet, see through or otherwise, its not on the agenda in finland or estonia!
On another note, I was almost called Darcy (yes, even as a girl). Think i prefer it to Jane actually....
Heya Kate - you've done well to make me even more jealous of your cavorting through Mongolia and Russia... not fair at all :P
While you're in Russia, try catching one of the birthday celebration performances for Mstislav Rostropovich - almost certainly one of the most famous conductors and cellists in the world, and it will be a guaranteed way to catch some quality Russian 20th-century works. However, if you manage to do this, I may cease talking to you, since that will cause me to reach the epitomy of my jealousy :D
hi Kate, sounds like you're having a block-rockin' good time at the moment. just to put a slight downer on things and because it’s hard to know what’s going down at home when you’re travelling, they've found that the Esperance dead bird fiasco was in fact due to the Esperance Port Authority's poor handling of lead and nickel and has contaminated the water and air around the town and in the sea. Given this new light on the situation, I think it's probably fair to deduce that the Esperance Port Authority are dodgy buggers and christ only knows how long this has been going on for. I thought it probably best, that i alert you to some of the signs of lead posioning, just do you can be on the lookout, given your prior residency there. The signs include: listlessness, altered mood, irritability, anorexia, and sleep disturbances. Abdominal pain, constipation, arthralgia, headaches, and vomiting may present as the disease progresses. Headache, vomiting, clumsiness, staggering, and drowsiness may presage the onset of encephalopathy, which is ushered in by stupor, coma, and convulsions. Unfortunately most of these occur anyway during or post drunken states, so it sounds like you might have a bit of trouble differentiating. It's probably best to err on the side of caution and just come home if you have any concerns (this would also resolve my current ailment of sickening jealousy every time I read about the cool stuff you've been doing. Also, I miss you. There was an Augie March live at the wireless the other day when i was driving back from South. Obviously, it made me think of you, so I pretended you were there and had a chewing gum snapping competition. Of course I won or it just wouldn't have been realistic).
sorry about the stupidly long comment and inevitable spelling/ grammatical mistakes.
keep on rockin' in the free (or not so free, depending on where you are now) world.
love Rom
Sounds like you are having quite a lovely time - I am getting visions of Anna Karenina...or Dr Zhivago (that is probably not how you spell it...)
Messages from other people - Kate and Pia send their love and hope you are having a great time! Andd Kate's stunt in Port is now only 2 years!!!
And Sippe is insulted that he wasn't invited to your going away thingy - i informed him that it was probably my responsibility to invite him and he should blame me instead ;)
Further - I am bonding with the new ACs - however I should warn you - there are a couple of duds - including "broom with two cherries" - Jon will know who I am talking about....
Oh - and Pia made it back from Oman alive and she had dinner at a Sultan's palace - if she wasn't a friend of mine I would be disposed to hate her...
Keep up the drinking - your liver is depending on you xx
P.S. On request from Holt we now do not refer to PH as "Heddo" - I must admit it did sound a little too bogan - so it is now "Port" - although she did mention that a large proportion of the women in Port seem to have less than the normal amount of teeth...
Steff - tell Sippe he was invited. And it was your fault :) And thanks to Pia and Kate!
Mel - being 'in Siberia' was pretty funny. I can't believe I leave Russia tomorrow!! I want to stay in St Petrsbur longer.
Steph and Jane - In the Hermitage they have a wall of Hero's portraits. There was one that looked exactly like Colin Firth as Mr Dary - except he even had a super dashing uniform. It was weird as I'd just made a crack about Pemberly.
Rom - I can't worry about fish in Esperance. I am way too worried about accidentally drinking water in St Petersburg and getting Guardia.
Mikey - I couldn't get to see the Symphony. There was a Schubert performance in SP but it wasn't reallly what I wanted to hear. Kind've annoyed. Ah well.
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