Bryan Persell

The Long Trip Home-Subway-plane-subway-train-subway-plane-subway-train

2008-03-23T04:32:00.002-04:00

I left my hostel in Singapore for the airport on Friday the 14th at 2.00pm Moscow time for a 6.00pm flight. The subway stop was about a 20 minute walk from the hostel and then I had a 45 minute subway ride on Singapore's ultra modern and timely MRT system.
I thus got to the airport a little after 3.00pm and proceeded for to the Qantas check-in counter. I had been trying to book an aisle seat on line without any luck, so I was glad I was early hoping it would help my chances to not be in a middle seat for the 13 hour flight. But no luck--only middle seats were left so I checked in and spent a couple of hours going through customs, security and dreaming about being in a middle seat with large people on either side of me for 13 hours. By the time we got ready to board I was ready for whatever.
As we were boarding the plane the head stewardess, looking at my New Zealand t-shirt, asked me if I had begun the day in New Zealand. I told her I had not but was there last week and loved it. I also told her that if anyone cancelled and she had an available aisle seat that my knees would love her forever and I would be internally grateful :). And she did. She took the time to look through the manifest and found an empty seat and gave it to me. I was thrilled. As it turned out not only did I have an aisle seat but I had an empty seat next to me. What a good start to a long journey.
As it turned out we spent 2 hours on the plane before taking off, just what you want on a 13 hour flight. But I had my aisle seat and was happy. So we ended up getting into Frankfurt a couple of hours late and by the time I went through customs it was about 8.00am Sat. the 15th. I was then going to take a subway into central Frankfurt and catch the 10.30 train to Cologne, where my flight to Moscow left at 2.50 pm. But while trying to check in the guy looked at my ticket and said If I wanted to just wait there I could as the train from Frankfurt to Cologne passed by and stopped at the airport stop that I was already at. So I did and that gave me a chance to walk around, get some coffee and stretch my legs. The train came exactly on time and we were off to Cologne. We arrived close to noon at the central station in Cologne and I stored my bags and walked around a while before taking the subway to the airport. Once there I checking in with Germanwings for my 2.50 pm flight only to be told it was running an hour late. Well an hour turned into 90 minutes but we finally left at about 4.30 pm arriving in Moscow (three hour flight-two hour time difference) at 9.30pm. I then went through customs, passport control, claimed my luggage and started looking for the train to central Moscow. I took the 10.30 train and arrived at the Kievesky metro stop at 11.00 and took the circle line to the Yaroslavl train station. I wasn’t too worried since Nadia had emailed me the train schedule and I knew that there was still a train at 00.35, another at 00.50 and the last rain at 01.15 am.
So I got to the Yaroslavl train station at 11.30 or so and got in line to buy tickets. But when I asked for tickets to Yaroslavl today the lady said Nyet (no). I tried several more time not knowing if there were no tickets or none that she would sell to me or if we were just mis communicating. Finally I got out of line and called Nadia and explained to her that I did not think there were any more tickets for that night, but maybe I was just confused. So I got back in line and then when it was my turn I handed the phone to the lady to let Nadia get an explanation for me. For a few minutes the lady just looked at me like I was crazy as I held the phone through the little hole in the glass and then even when she finally took it she did not realize that someone was already on the other end. Finally they talked and she returned the phone tome. Not only were there not tickets available there were not even any more trains that night. I considered spending the night with friends in Moscow but the subway closes at 01.00 and I did not know where anyone lived or even if they were at home. So I decided to spend the night in the train station and catch the 8.30am train on Sunday the 16th.The night was extremely interesting as the train station was occupied homeless people, people drinking and just looking for a place to sleep, people drinking and just wanting a warm place to drink and people waiting on trains. I tried to sleep but the fact that it was cold and I did not have any winter clothes, the bench was hard and I was a little concerned by a couple of the people that were watching me kept me awake most of the night. Once an hour or so a couple of policeman would walk thru the station checking to make sure you had a train ticket and so even if you wanted to sleep there was always a lot of activity. But all went well and I got to experience something new.
The train finally arrived at around 8 for boarding. We left at 8.30 and I arrived in Yaroslavl at around 12.30. Nadia picked me up at the train station and I was home by around 1.00am--47 hours after all the fun began. Suffice it to say I really enjoyed sleeping in a bed that evening. In fact sleeping in a room without strangers, not sharing a shower or waiting in line to take a shower, not having to put all things in a locker and repack the next morning, not using a public toilet for the first time in to months---life is wonderful with all the luxuries.
And it has now snowed 4 of my first 7 days back. :)

Snorkleing (for the first time) on the Great Barrier Reef

2008-03-06T03:16:00.002-05:00

New Zealand

2008-03-01T19:05:00.004-05:00

I am leaving New Zealand tomorrow and it has easily been one of my favorite countries. The people are wonderful, friendly, outdoors man, and very environmentally friendly. Couple that with the stunning beauty of the coast, mountains, countryside and cities and it has really been a wonderful two weeks. The train ride was great and I, yes even I, have met some very interesting people here. Strangely I have met 5 different people and/or groups of people from Wales.
Last night I was talking to these 5 students from Canada who have been here for 4 months and are leaving tomorrow. They bought a van and have spent most of there time driving around the south island camping, hiking and rock climbing. The van was a 1989 , very experienced model and I asked them if they'd many problems with it. They told me a story of how they were driving along and started smelling petro (gas). They pulled over and could see where it was dripping from under the car. Since none of the 5 (3 boys and 2 girls) knew anything about cars they drove slowly to the next petro station. But since it was Sunday the mechanic was not working. Anyway the attendant looked at it but couldn't fix it so he called the mechanic home. The guy came in, looked at the van, spent two hours fixing it and exchanging stories about the south island. After he had it fixed they asked him how much they owed. He said I was going to go home and BBQ with the family....."Gotta a beer?". So they gave him a beer as payment and he wished them well. New Zealand--you have to love it.
Tomorrow I am going back to Australia for a week. I will be in the northeastern part of the country, Carnies, hopping to see the Great Barrier reef and head into the outback for a day or two.
I have tons of pictures but they take so long to download on here that I have stopped doing it from Internet cafes. Instead I am putting them on facebook and downloading them on Kodakgallery. If you would like to view any of them on Kodakgallery and I have not been sending them to you drop me a line at bpersell@gmail.com and I will be be glad to send you the link and add you to the automatic mailing list.

A fear of Hieghts--Kaikoura New Zealand

2008-02-26T17:57:00.005-05:00

I noticed last night that they had a great 4 hour hike called the clifftop walk and it started about a half mile from the hostel. The more I thought of it the more I was intrigued and decided to do it instead of whale watching. At worst I would save 130.00 dollars and at least I had done the whale watching before.So I got, did laundry and left the hostel about 8.30. The town in located on the northern side of a peninsula about a mile form the tip. On the other side is a village called Bayside and I began by walking for about an hour across the peninsula towards Bayside. It is a well marked walk and you head up into the hills and then cross over to the other side by walking along woods and pastures. It was Nice walk but I was a little surprised when it started descending, but the next thing I know I am back on sea level in Bayside. But it was a very nice walk.
Then I headed through the town, as the map indicated, until I reached the edge of town. It was a great walk along the coast and I really enjoyed it. but at the edge of town I noticed that the path went up the side of a cliff with no railing. Not a big deal to 99% of the world but to those of us who have a fear of heights. But I looked at it for a while and decide to go for it.I headed up about halfway and stop to take a break as I had planned. Then I continued and as I went around a curve I freaked out as the wind was blowing hard, the gravel path narrowed and the drop off on my right side was straight down. I stopped, hesitated, tried unsuccessfully to regain a normal heartbeat, and then slowing turned around and headed back down to the place I had taken a break,.
Wow. I sat and looked for a while thinking I should try again and eventually I did at a much slower pace but with the same result except not even as far up. I turned and headed for the bottom. It had been a good walk, I am scared of heights and that is that. I walked down to the bottom and found a place to sit, have a drink of water and regain my composure. After about 15 minutes I got up to leave but I could not help but re-examining the trail from my seat. Maybe I should try again. Just one more time. It couldn't be more than 30 more steps past where I had gone on the first attempt that it looked like the path headed inward. I decided to at least go to my resting place and look again.
After about 10 minutes of rest at my halfway rest point I went for it. Only 30 steps--don't look to the right, think about something else....Man the wind was blowing hard....but finally the 30 steps was over and I rounded the curve and ----major miscalculation on my part...it did not go inland yet....it continued for another 50 steps or so along the edge of the cliff. But what was I to do..I was too scared to try and turn around so 1,2,3,4,....53....I made it. Wow. I was winded, exhausted, excited happy --all at the same time.And now all I could see ahead of me was 10 or 15 minutes of walking on a 10 foot wide path 10 or 20 steps away from the edge. YES.
But I was not thinking properly because at the top of the next rise was another cliff side walk, and then another and then another....but I couldn't go back so I had fun after fun after fun...of course it did hit me along the way that maybe that is why they were called Clifftop walks. The views, when I looked, were incredible and I was doing kind of OK until the thought entered my mind about what might lay at the end of the trail. I wondered how the descent was. Well to close this story...the walk down was paved had switchbacks so it was not nearly as bad. The walk was the best hike I have ever taken. It ended up taking me about 4.5 hours and I would not trade it for the world. But I am so tired.....fear really takes a lot of energy :).

The National Park Train Station

2008-02-22T17:58:00.003-05:00

National Park

2008-02-22T17:12:00.000-05:00

This is such a different place than any where else I have been. People here are hikers. Some of them have just finished 6 and 7 day hikes and some are just beginning. Others are here doing 1 and 2 day hikes but it is definitely not a party hostel. Everyone was in bed before 10 and up before 7. It is 9 in the morning and the place is almost empty even though last night there were over 50 people in the dining room at the same time.

What an interesting group of people...ages 18 -63 from all over the world..at this little hostel in Tongairio National Park. The village of National Park is about 1/2 mile-1/4 mile in size and has about 220 permanent residences. The scenery is awesome as we are on a high altitude plateau with three volcanoes to the east and some small mountains to the west. We are situated almost in the middle of the north island of New Zealand.

Auckland--Sky tower--You can jump off of of here (as seen in one of the photos) or walk around the outer edge (4 feet wide) -If you love heights :)

2008-02-22T16:12:00.009-05:00

Auckland--the Harbor--the ratio of yachts to people is higher in New Zealand than any other counrty

2008-02-22T15:57:00.004-05:00

New Zealand

2008-02-21T00:23:00.002-05:00

I arrived in Auckland, New Zealand last night and it is great to be away from the heat. The high here today is only 24 (76 F)
And I slept so well after spending three nights in the heat of Melbourne in a hostel room with 8 other people and no AC or even a fan.

I bought a train pass today and made reservations for a 7-day Train/Ferry tour. I can change it anytime I want to as long as I am finished 7 days after I start but here is what I made reservations for.
I leave in the morning Friday the 22nd at 7.20 am on a train to National Park a town in the middle of the North Island in a National park. I spend the night there and leave the next day at noon to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand situated on the southern coast of the North Island. I spend the night there and get up the next morning and take a 3.5-hour ferry ride across the Cook Straight to the South Island. I then take a train south to the east coast town of Kaikoura; well know for its whale watching which I intend to do. Another night in a hostel there before taking the train to Christchurch, also an east coast city. I spend the night there before taking the train across the country to Greymouth on the east coast. This is supposed to be one of the most scenic rail routes in the world as it traverses the New Zealand Alps.
I am looking forward to being on a train again and away from airplanes and airports. You get such a different view from a train and you can get up and walk around when you want to J.

Downtown Melbourne and one of the many creatures on the St Kilda beach early in the morning

2008-02-21T00:08:00.001-05:00

I found a show for me and Rose to attend. Buddy Guy and Keb Mo in St Kilda right outside of Melbourne.

2008-02-20T23:52:00.001-05:00

More Melbourne beach and another great sunset. the sunsets seem to last about 2 or 2.5 hours and are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

2008-02-20T20:37:00.002-05:00

Adeliade's lifegaurds putting up there boat for the night.

2008-02-20T20:11:00.001-05:00

The beach at Adelaide, a cool ship memorial, Starbucks and an interesting tree

2008-02-20T20:03:00.001-05:00

More Adelaide--Me on the second floor of Starbucks enjoying the view

2008-02-20T19:55:00.002-05:00

Snip-its from Sydney

2008-02-13T17:52:00.002-05:00

-My first three days in Sydney have been great. What a great city and I am staying at the best hostel yet.
-Going from -34 degrees in the middle of January to +96 at the beginning of February was a little shock to the body. Especially since the hostel in Kaula Lumpur did not have air conditioning and I shared it with 17 other people.
- I did a better job of packing this time. 14.7KG at the last airport check since I dumped my winter coat. This time I brought 2 pairs of pants, 5 shirts, 5 pair of underwear, 5 pair of socks, a pair of sandals and two books.
-Even the money in Australia is "down under". A 2 dollar coin is smaller than a 1 dollar coin and the biggest coin is a 20 cent piece, which is much larger than a 50 cent piece.
-Australia is a lot more expensive than anywhere else I have been on this trip and more so thanks to the falling dollar.-Every time I have ever thought of New Zealand or read anything about it, I always thought I might really like it--even enough to want to live there. Well I get to find out next week when I travel there for 11 days.
-I leave today for Adelaide for three days and my Hostel is on the beach so that will be interesting. Hopefully I can go to Kangaroo Island while I am there.
-Then I fly to Melbourne for three days ans hopefully a trip to Tasmania.
-Then New Zealand for 11 days flying into Auckland. I hope to go see the Fiords on the south Island while I am there but we will see.
_ Then back to Brisbane on March the 3rd with 6 days to do Brisbane and Cairns and hopefully the Great barrier Reef.
-Then I fly back to Sydney on the 9th for 2 days.
-Then on March 11th I fly back to Singapore.
-On March 20th I have a 14 hour flight from Hong Kong to London and I will then have 4 days to get from London to Yaroslavl.
-Between March 11th and march 20th I have no plans except I have to find a way to Hong Kong via--via--that is the question and I am still searching and asking fellow travelers.
-I noticed something funny--or at least funny to me. People drive on the left hand side of the road here ae they do in Thailand and Malaysia. But what I find funny is that everything seems to follow on the left. For instance on evelators everyone stationary stands on the left and the walkers walk to the right--just the opposite of the USA.
-Also I have noticed here and in Singapore that when you buy cigarettes the packages not only come with a written warning but also with a color photo attached of what cancer looks like. There are different photos of mouth cancer, lung cancer from the inside, etc, all in living color.

My first day in Sydney and a trip to the Zoo

2008-02-12T03:59:00.001-05:00

Renowned for its many animals and 'THE ZOO WITH THE BEST VIEW"

2008-02-12T03:57:00.001-05:00

2008-02-12T03:55:00.001-05:00

The Sydney Zoo--notice the nearest Giraffe-s tounge

2008-02-12T03:53:00.001-05:00

Tree kangaroos and Grey kangaroos at the Sydney Zoo

2008-02-12T03:51:00.001-05:00

Darling harbor and a statue to the Queen Elizabeth and her dog

2008-02-12T03:49:00.002-05:00

More Sydney

2008-02-12T03:45:00.001-05:00

Good Day Mate from the Land "Down Under"

2008-02-12T03:27:00.002-05:00

I arrived in Sydney yesterday after an interesting flight. My flight was from Singapore to Sydney with a 4 hour layover in Perth (the price you pay when you don't want to pay the price :). So I left Singapore at 19.45 in the evening for a 01.55 landing in Perth (with a one hour time difference. So I got out of the plane went through customs and Passport control and went to claim my bag as the lady in Singapore had told me I would have to do. That made sense because I was on an International flight into Perth and a domestic flight into Sydney.
After doing all of this I went downstairs to check my bags back in and await my next flight. And since I do not sleep on planes I was already beginning to tire. But downstairs all the counters were closed and I thought maybe I missed something. Was I supposed to make a turn that I missed. i hope not since when I tried to go back inside customs I was politley refused....one way only said the bloke.
Finally I ask and someone tells me that the domestic flights leave out of another terminal on the other side of the runway. She tells me to go out front and ask where the transfer bus is and tells me it is about a 30 minute ride. Cool--
Outside I find the transfer bus station and it says the last bus leaves at 0100am and the first one each day is at 04.30. That seems strange that no one would have mentioned that but such is life with a cheap ticket. But 4.30 seems a little late for me since my flight to Sydney leaves at 05.45 and the drive takes 30 minutes--assuming it starts on time. Anyway by now it is around three and i have figured out the 10 people in the same boat that I am in since they are the only passengers at the terminal.
In the end we decide to take split Taxi's and arrive a little before boarding begins. The I fly to Sydney and arrive at a little past noon (two more hours time difference), take the train into town and start looking for my hostel. I find it fairly quick but of course my bed is not ready. When I finally get to my bed/room it is almost 17.00 so I walked around for a few hours to try and adjust to the time---and then I slept like a log last night.
But--I am staying in a great Hostel and I love Sydney.

A Mall near the hostel in downtown Bangkok and some of the Chinese New Year celebration

2008-02-10T21:39:00.000-05:00

Grand Palace-Bangkok

2008-02-10T21:37:00.000-05:00

Pictures of Bangkok including the Grand Palace

2008-02-10T21:31:00.000-05:00

Bangkok to Kuala Lumpar

2008-02-10T01:58:00.000-05:00

I flew to Kuala Lumpur a few days ago, spent a few days and then took a train across southern Malayasia to Singapore. What different worlds--My homeland---Thailand--Malysia and then Singapore. And all during the Chinese New Year celebration. How lucky. Some places like Kuala Lumpur are like being in two differnt places at the same time, with part of the city ultra modern and part of it like being in a third world country. Very enjoyful, insightful and the people were very friendly.

The train ride was 6 hours and parts of it were like riding through a jungle with mountains on either side. It was very nice even though our car lost its electricity and thus its Air Conditioner. But it was a great glimpse of the country side and I enjoyed the whole 8 hours.

Singapore is awesome. One of my favorite cities so far. But I am only here for one day and then I fly to Perth and then Sydney. But I will be back on March 11th to do some more exploring and it will give me something to look forward to since I already know my way around.

Arriving in a new city and understanding its infrastructure, langauge and public transit system--especially in the places where you do not speak the langague, is a challange. Especialy when you first get off the train or plans and you are burdened with all your worldy possessions on your back and its 95 degrees. (but I am down to 14.1KG as I threw my Russian coat away today). But Singapore is awesome and I will enjoy it again.

On to the "land down under".

Cairo to Bangkok

2008-02-07T00:23:00.000-05:00

I really enjoyed the sights of Egypt and I was also glad to leave. Cairo has so much history but it is not one of my favorite places. So many of the people are aggressive in their selling techniques and you really have to be on guard at all times for scams and rip offs. However I would not trade the pyramids and other sights for anything. I am glad I went. This was my second trip to Egypt and you never get a straight answer when you ask a question. In fact it is so bad that Nadia and I even started using the term "Egyptian answer" to suggest a statement that in no way answers the question. It was that way when I visited Egypt in 2006 with her and it was even worse this time. I guess they reminded me a lot of what I see in the states when a politician is asked a question he does not want to answer the question.Bangkok was a welcome relief. It is an interesting mix of old and new but the people are fantastic. I have been in Thailand for almost a week now and , except for the heat (95f, 35c today), I have really enjoyed it. I took a couple of days and went down to Phuket, an island in south Thailand, and then came back here for a few days. The food is great, the people are friendly, English is spoken by most people I meet, and place is clean. A+ for Bangkok in my book.Today I head to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for three days and then I take a train to Singapore before heading to Sydney Australia

Egypt

2008-02-06T23:52:00.000-05:00

2008-02-06T23:35:00.000-05:00

The River Nile

2008-02-06T23:22:00.000-05:00

Cairo

2008-02-06T23:09:00.000-05:00

Cologne Germany-A church that Lucas and I saw on our trip. Also I got lucky and they were having a Polka contest for children.

2008-02-06T22:44:00.000-05:00

Istanbul Turkey--Where Asia meets Europe--The only capital cuty on two continents

2008-02-06T07:44:00.001-05:00

The Spice Bazaar in Istanbul

2008-02-06T07:17:00.000-05:00

Inside the Grand Bazaar--the oldest and largest Bazaar in the world

2008-02-06T06:44:00.000-05:00

Pictures during an evening walk along the coast of European Istanbul viewing the Asian side

2008-02-06T06:31:00.000-05:00

Built while Istanbuk (Constanople) was the western capital of the Roman Empire

2008-02-06T06:08:00.000-05:00

Sofia Bulgaria

2008-02-05T23:53:00.000-05:00

2008-02-05T23:34:00.000-05:00

Athens Greece

2008-02-05T23:10:00.000-05:00

Mars Hill in Athens were the Apostle Paul preached his sermon to the Greeks about the "unknown God"

2008-02-05T22:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Cairo-My first 14 hours

2008-01-29T13:02:00.000-05:00

My flight to Cairo was to arrive at 1.25 AM so I had arranged for the hostel to send a car to pick me up. They offer the service and it was only 10 Euros. So we arrive a little early, purchase a Visa, go thru passport control and collect our luggage. As we leave customs there is a huge crowd of people either offering Taxi service or holding up signs for people they are to meet. The Taxi's are usually a scam or very expensive so that is why I booked the car and I had even reconfirmed it from Germany yesterday. And they confirmed and even said to not pay the driver because it would be included in the room bill.
So after telling many taxi drivers no, no, no --I start looking for my name on a sign but..you guessed it- no sign with Bryan Persell or African Hotel on it. But we were 20 minutes early so I figured no big deal. That was at 1.15. At 2 I was a little concerned, 2.30 concerned, by 3 I was looking for a non existent phone. Meanwhile the Taxi drivers keep offering to take me but I refuse partly because I have no Egyptian Pounds and partly because I figure the guy will show. Finally a guy offers to let me use his cell phone to cal the hostel (thank goodness I wrote down the number). I figure it must be a scam but I can think of no other options so he calls. I ask the guy at the hotel where is the driver and he says he is there but he will call him and confirm--can I call him back in 5 minutes. I tell him I cannot since I am borrowing a phone but I am at the International arrivals lounge with two backpack on and you cant miss me. Just ask anyone of the taxi drivers since they all know me by now. He says sit tight and they will be there in 5 minutes. I give the guy 2 Euros for using his phone and tell him if they are not here soon I will hire him to take me to the hotel. In 10 minutes he comes back holding me the phone and telling me my friend called back.
It is the Hotel saying the first guys car broke down (3 hours ago I guess) and they are sending someone fast-maybe 15 minutes. I say OK.
30 minutes later a guy picks me up and we get to the hotel a little after 6.00 am. I check in and the guy gives me a private room with a bathroom for all my troubles. I thank him even though the room smells strongly of new paint and doesn't appear real clean--but neither does Cairo so..I change and get ready for a few hours of sleep--pull down the sheets--the bed looks almost clean--just a few specks of dirt that I brush off--and then I lift the pillow to fluff it and find a deaf fly--wow--I don't care--I brush it off (and the rest of the bed again) and lay down exhausted--and the bed is so soft in the middle that it almost swallows me--I almost start laughing but I am too tired. I will just get another room tomorrow.
I wake up at 11.30 and shower ( I only have to bend over a foot or so to get my head under the shower head). Since it is so late and I still do not have Egyptian Money I decide to wait until tomorrow for the Pyramids. Today I will just walk, find an ATM, maybe go to the Nile and the Egyptian Museum since they are close to the hotel. So I set out with a little hotel map and proceed to get lost. Part of this is due to the fact that I cannot find any ATM's or even banks for that matter. Finally after about an hour I find an ATM but---it tells me my I am trying to get money from the wrong account. What does that mean? Have they frozen my account? I did some online banking in Germany yesterday--did someone steal my code and take all my money? Or maybe that ATM is broke. So I head off looking for another one and begin to realize I have not eaten in about 24 hours. It doesn't really matter since I am lost, do not have any local currency and cannot read Arabic. After a while I find another ATM and hold my breadth while it decided whether or not to give me some money. When it does I am one happy guy. Maybe the happiest guy in Cairo even though I am lost, hungry and almost slept with a dead fly. But at least I have money and do not have to call my bank, report a theft or get a new card. Them I get some food and all the noise and traffic begins to bother me less and less.
Finally, by accident really, I even find my hotel about 6 o'clock. What a first day in Cairo. I really did nothing and yet I am so happy. Tonight I think I will---read a book :)

Athens to Sofıa Bulgarıa

2008-01-26T13:39:00.000-05:00

Athens ıs a great cıty and I enjoyed it immensely. From there I took an overnıght traın to Sofıa and spent 3 days there. It remınded me a lot of Russıa and made me a lıttle homesıck. Putın just happened to be ın town the same day I arrıved. I wonder ıf he ıs followıng me. If he ıs I mıssed hım as he certıanally was not stayıng at the Mostel Hostel. I checked every room.
Bulgarıa and Russıa have an ınterestıng hıstory. There are several memorıals to Russıa ın Sofıa because of the help that Russıa gave Bulgarıa ın gaınıng theır ındependence from the Turks about 100 years ago. So even though Bulgarıs just celebrated ıts fırst year as a member of the European Unıon ıt also maıntaıns close tıes to the Kremlın.
Sofıa ıs ın a valley and ıs surrounded by mountains makıng ıt a very pıcturesque cıty. Some fo the people went skııng every day whıch was only a 20 mınute drıve from our hostel.
Now ıt ıs on to Istanbul vıa overnıght traın. I plan to stay there 6 nıghts and then fly to Germany for oıne day-Caıro for 2 and then on to Thailand. I have plenty of pıctures but I have not been able to locate a place that has the software to download them.

An interesting day on Mars Hill

2008-01-20T01:56:00.001-05:00

I went back up to Mars hill yesterday to just hang out and enjoy the view of Athens and the Acropolis. Mars Hill, which site next to the Acropolis and The Parthenon, is the place that the Apostle Paul converted his first Christians in Athens (I believe the story is in the books of Luke and Acts). Anyway just as I get to the top of the hill an Italian guy comes up to me and introduces hi8mself and asks if I speak English. He then pulls out his map and asks me if I know how to get to the temple of Zeus and what their hours are (in broken English). He then proceeds to strike up a conversation (not the easiest task with me sometimes) and tells me all about himself. He has a sister in Sacramento, he lives in Turin, Italy, and he has two more sisters that live in Milan. He is in Athens for 2 days on business. He then tells me about his girlfriend, his dog and then ask me to guess his age (he is 45--I guess 53). He then pulls out his huge wallet to show me a picture of his girlfriend and his German shepherd. Strangely as he takes out his wallet I notice that he slightly opens it revealing to my embarrassed eyes that he has a lot of money. It doesn't really register at the time but I think about it later. He asks me to take his picture and I do. Then we sit down (he insists and I have 9 hours until my 22.55 train to Sofia) on a couple of rocks and continue talking. Where am I from, how do I like Athens, have I been to Italy??????Then he tells me that the receptionists at his hotel told him about a nice bar in the old part of Athens. It is only a short walk. Let's go get a beer. I tell him no thanks. We talk some more. He says "let’s go get a beer". No thanks. We talk. He says "Lets walk to the bottom of the hill and I will show you where the bar is. I will go have a beer and you join me later: I say no. In fact I need to be going and I really do not want a beer. He insists a little more, gives up the fight and kind of "huffs off" down the hill. I am thinking --wow I hope I did not offend the guy, maybe I should have at least had one beer with him. Oh Well.I walk around the hill for a few minutes and pick up a little rock to give to Mom as a souvenir. After about 5 minutes I pass a young man who says "you know that guy was trying to rip you off. He works this hill and does it often." No I did not know.Anyway this guys name is David P Terry and he is a Ph. D. Candidate at the University of North Carolina in the Department of Communications Studies. I had noticed him earlier talking to several people and I had assumed he was a tour guide. He tells me that the Italian guy talks to people, befriends them, gets them to go to this bar and has a beer. Then this girl comes up and they buy her a drink. Then another girl. The drinking continues and everyone has a good time...on a tab. The all of sudden everyone is gone except the prey (me in this case) and the tab. On guy got hit with a 700 Euro tab (over 1000 dollars).David then tells me that he is doing his doctorate paper on globalization and he comes here every day to informally interview people for his paper. He lived in Greece as a child with his missionary parents and has been back a few times. He is here for 6 months now and spends every day on the hill interviewing people from around the world. He tells me about all the things that happen on the hill, tourists, religious pilgrims, drug deals, scams, etc. Since the view is so good it is a safe place to conduct business.We talk for a couple of hours about the world, the EU, Greece, the states, traveling, globalization, Russia, the cost of living in Greece, the decline of the dollar, and everything in between. What an incredibly interesting and good guy. We wish each other the best and I head down the hill as he strikes up another conversation with.....who knows.What a great afternoon. Meeting people like David Terry is one things that makes this trip so worthwhile

A cruise to three Greek Islands.

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A floating fruit market on our last Greek island

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I took a cruise to 3 Greek Islands. This is the second island. Motorized vechicles are against the law so they use donkeys for everything.

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The 1896 Olympic stadium where the modern Olympics began

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The remains of the temple on Zeus as seen from Acropolis

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The Parthenon

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The Acropolis

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My Hostel in Greece--notice the oranges on the tree

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Greetings from Greece

2008-01-15T06:45:00.000-05:00

I arrived in Athens last night after a full day of traveling. A 5.15 am train ride from Yaroslavl to Moscow, then two subway rides on the crowded Moscow Metro, a 50 minutes ride on the crowded local bus 851, three hours waiting, a four hour flight to Athens, another subway ride and a hostel search---I mean a search for the hostel :). It was all good and the plane only had 31 passengers. I am not sure what the tempature is today but I went from my coat, to a jacket to only a t-shirt. It must be about 55 or 60 F--A long way from the -30F of a week ago.

Nayabrsk, Siberia, Russia--New Year 2008

2008-01-11T11:30:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful trip to Nayabrsk. Anatolie and Volya were fantastic hosts, the scenery was spectacular, the town was very friendly and safe and the weather was cooperative. We enjoyed ourselves very much and even the 116 hours on the train were full of new experiences.
Here are the pictures of the trip. A full description of the outbound trip and our stay can be found before/below the photos. Enjoy--we sure did.
Monday the 14th I will be off to Athens, Greece. I then plan to take a train to Thessalonica and then on to Istanbul, Turkey. On the 28th I fly to Cairo, via Cologne Germany and then on to Bangkok, Thailand. My hope is to visit SE Asia, Australia, New Zealand and maybe some of the south Pacific Islands before returning to Russia the end of March.

Stops on the train ride home

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An ice city/playground built in the center of town. Everything is carved of ice including the 5 foot wall that surrounds the park.

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The entrance to the Ice city

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Notice the car (to keep the oil from freezing) is plugged into a outlet box and the outlet box has a cord running to the owners apartment window.

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Nadia and her Dad at his apartment

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Notice the ferris wheel--

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A snow sculpture and a replica of a native house--Look familiar?

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My CCCP (Soviet Union) ice cream bar

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-34C on our walk to the orphanage

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Volya's office and the "secret doorway"

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kids at the orphanage in Nayabrsk

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Anatolie and Volya--Nadia's father and stepmother

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Tumen at 6.30 am

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Our outbound stop at Tobolsk

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Inside the train--The "hall view" is 2rd class on the return trip. The others are our 2nd class cabin on the outbound trip.

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The train trip to Nayabrsk, Siberia

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29/12/07- We boarded the train in Yaroslavl at 4.30 pm, arrived in Moscow at 8.20, and then took the Metro to another train station for our 10.20 train to Nayabrsk. We are in a second-class compartment (4 bunks) on our outbound trip since all the other ticket were sold. Our cabin mate is Ullya, a girl from St Petersburg who is heading for her grandmothers funeral in a village outside (1.5 hours) of Kotelnaya. Her father, a merchant marine out to sea, has not yet been notified of his mother’s death. Ullya was a very nice woman who spoke excellent English. Lisa instantly likes her because of her long fingernails and fashionable attire. We enjoyed her company for the 12 hours that she was on the train with us and luckily, we had the cabin to ourselves after she got off.31/12/07-Today is Monday and we have been on the train r about 36 hours. Nayabrsk is the 35th stop and we just left Tumen (19th stop). It was a nice stop as we were there for 50 minutes and we could get out and walk a bit. Therefore, even though the stop was at 6:17 am we set out clock so that we were up and ready to leave our cocoon for a while. Most of the stops are either 2 minutes or 20-23 minutes. I think we have stopped longer here because Tumen is the capital of the Tumeniskaya region and a large city.A few observations from our trip so far-----1) This train is hot- almost too hot to sleep. Just what you need when you are skipping a few baths :)2) There are 2 attendants per car. One works while the other sleeps/rests. They work 18 straight days and then are off for a week.3) The scenery is fantastic-we pass many snow-covered villages where the smoke from the chimneys is the only sign of life. Most of the view is birch/pine forest covered in snow.4) We have been traveling east for the first 36 hours on the Trans-Siberian route but now we are heading north.5) At Tumen another trained stopped while we were there. It had originated in Mongolia and was headed to Moscow (5 days).6) At each stop of over 2 minutes, street vendors appear at the side of the train selling goods from sleighs. They are a welcome sight and sell everything from homemade pies, cakes and bread, water, beer, toys, smoked fish (pictures to follow), and stuffed animals (mostly mice since 2008 is the year of the mouse).7) All trains in Russia run on Moscow time, which is two hours behind Nayabrsk (and 11 hours behind the east coast).8) We were disappointed that we went south of the Ural mountains and did not get to see them.9) The final stop for this train is Nova Uregou, the 42nd stop, and is 12 hours past Nayabrsk.10) The farther we get from Moscow the fewer people there are on the train. People are getting off but very few are getting on.11) I am looking forward to the changing scenery as we head North.12) I get off and walk at all the 20 minute stops (6 so far). I have only come close to missing the train once so far. As it started moving, I still had a track to cross. I am glad it takes a while for the train to pick up speed. My Dad, a lifelong railroad man, is very experienced at jumping on moving trains---I am not.13) I cannot sit up straight in the trains because the upper bunk prevents it. I need about another 4-5 inches. In 3rd class, which we have for the ride home, the beds are also about 6-10 inches too short. All part of the experience.14) We brought in the New Year between Ostrovnaya and Corgut Siberia and arrived in Nayabrsk early (around 8) New Years Day.2/1/08-We have been here for 24 hours. The temperature was -22 when we arrived and -33 when we woke up this morning (about -28f). We walked over to Nadia's stepmother's (Volya) daughter's (Leanna) apartment for Tea and it turned out to be a New Years Feast (A Russian Tradition). I enjoyed some more wonderful Russian hospitality by Leanna and her husband Volaire. The walk (25 minutes) over and back was great as we are on the edge of the city surrounded by heavy forest.3/1/08-Cold can be dangerous. I got my first white spot toady on my cheek while Nadia and I were out walking. The wind was blowing and it was COLD. After she noticed the spot on my cheek (we check each other about every 5-10 minutes), we went into a pharmacy for a while to warm up. White spots are the first sign of frostbite.4/2/08- We went to the orphanage today where Volya and Anatolie (Nadia's father) work. She is the director and he tutors orphans that are mentally delayed. He retired as a director of another school last year but wants to stay busy. It was great to spend time with the kids, staff and she the place. I will post pictures.5/2/08- Surrounded by 2 story buildings, we never actually see the sun from the apartment even though we are on the third floor. It never gets high enough in the southern sky. It is a long evening when the sun sets at 2:00.7/2/08- My first Russian Christmas and I am lucky enough to get to spend it in Siberia with wonderful friends who make me feel so welcome. 8/2/08-At 1.56 am, 11.56 pm on the 7th Moscow time, we board the train for the ride back to Yaroslavl. A great trip.

Packed and ready

2007-12-28T14:42:00.001-05:00

We finally got our train tickets today. We were unable to leave on the train we wanted that left today and arrived before the New Years Eve celebration. Instead, we will leave tomorrow (12/28), spend New Years Eve on the train, and arrive on New Years day. Here are the details for all the detail-orientated people like me.
- We leave Yaroslavl at 4.30 in the afternoon on the 28th and arrive in Moscow around 9.
- We will then need to take the subway from the train station we arrive at to the one for the train to Nayabrisk.
- We board the train to Nayabrisk, Siberia at a little after 10.30 PM on the 28th.
- We will then arrive in Nayabrisk at 6.00 am Moscow time, 9.00 am local time on 1/1.
-Since food is not served on the train we just finished going to the grocery store and packing food for the trip. (3 people for 7 meals---just like a picnic for 21)
-We will pass thru the Ural Mountains sometime on our journey-hopefully one day during out 5 hours of daylight.
-Half of the books that my sister Sonja mailed me in October arrived TODAY. I am so thrilled as I was running out of English books and needed some for this trip.
-We will be staying at Nadia's father's house. It is a one room (not one bedroom but one room as they have another house in the south for summers) apartment so I might need some reading material there also. This will be a real test for an introvert like me but I am excited about it. I just hope it stay above -30C so I can spend some time outside.
-We plan to spend some time at Nadia's father's and stepmother's school while we are there. She is the principle at an Orphanage and he teaches at a school for mentally delayed kids.
-Nayabrisk is an oil town and workers get extra money and benefits for agreeing to go there and work.I am so excited and will keep a journal and take many pictures.
-We start our trip back on the 8th, a day after the Russian Christmas.
HAPPY NEW YEAR

Yidbits from Yaroslavl

2007-12-22T09:46:00.000-05:00

-Today is December 22, the first day of winter 2007/2008.
-Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. The sunrise in Yaroslavl today was 9.02 and the sunset is 15.35.
- The sunrise in Nayabrisk, Siberia (where we will be next week) today was 9.38 and the sunsets at 14.14 this afternoon.
- The sun came out yesterday for the first time in over 30 days. Now I understand why December is the most depressing month in Yaroslavl. Not much snow, long nights, mud and no sun.
- When the sun is out it never rises more than about 15 or 20 degrees in the southern sky. Even in the middle of summer, the sun is never overhead but always in the southern sky but it is even more pronounced in the winter. Make sense when you think about it.
- Our last group of volunteers for 2007 arrived today. Eight American women who decided to spend there Christmas this year volunteering in Yaroslavl. Very cool.
- Christmas in Russia is January 7 but New Years Eve and New Year’s Day seem to be bigger holidays. However, the January 1-9th is a holiday for everyone.
- Merry Christmas everyone

A fresh coat of paint

2007-12-04T03:34:00.000-05:00

Winter is such a wonderful season, especially for me since I am more drawn to cold weather. And winters were it snows and the snow stays on the ground for months is so very different for me. It is almost like living in two different cities at the same time. Everything is so different and so much brighter with snow on the ground. And this is really medicine for the soul when you are only receiving 5 or 6 hours of daylight per day.
So after living all these years in the southern United States I have finally discovered winter. And luckily I have discovered it in the midst of a culture that embraces it's winters.
It is so funny how exciting the first few snows of the each year are to everyone. (or at least to me). And the world goes from being so dark and barren to suddenly being light and alive. And all the kids, old and young alike :), bring out their sleighs, skis and other winter toys. And the world seems so alive for several weeks. And then it goes a few weeks without snow, maybe even warms up a bit, and the streets are ugly with the brown dirty snow, and the sidewalks are slick from melted snow being refrozen, and it takes longer to get anywhere and the excitement wears off. And the dirty snow and slippery ice become part of the normal landscape, something to be navigated, planned around, ignored.
And then..............as if by magic..........you wake up as I did this morning...........to a fresh coat of paint.....and all you can do is smile and be happy for today all is good with the world.

A night walk along the Volga

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New Years day and a Russian Christmas (Jan 7th) in Siberia

2007-11-27T03:56:00.000-05:00

We have decided to go and visit Nadia's father in Siberia for the holidays before my 90 day exit. We will leave Yaroslavl on December 28th for the 58 hour train ride and arrive on December 31st just in time to celebrate the arrival of 2008. We will stay until Jan. 8th (the day after Christmas) and then return to Yaroslavl on the same train ride. I am really looking forwrd to it and i only hope that we get a little lucky on the weather. It is not uncommon for the tempature to be below -50 this time of year. It will also be quiet dark as they have less than 5 hours of sunlight in late December. I will take plenty of pictures.

New Visa law

2007-11-27T03:53:00.000-05:00

On October 17th, Russia passed a new visa law and my one year visa that expires July 15th was affected. Now on one year visas you can only stay in the country for 90 days before having to leave for 90 days. This means that I will need to leave Russia before Janurary 17th and be gone for 90 days. My current plans are to leave around the 14th and travel to either Africia or Austrialia/Southeast Aisa for 90 days and return to Yaroslavl on April 14th.

Our first snow of winter.

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Shinnik, our local soccer team, won the league this year. This was the night we clinched the title in late October.

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China

2007-11-27T02:26:00.000-05:00

Our visit to China was fantastic. The people were very friendly and the culture is so very different than anything I have every seen. We felt very safe and did a lot of exploring on foot in both Xi'an and Beijing.
Some highlights:
-The Great Wall is better than words can describe. I am still in awe every time I revisit it in my thoughts.
-I have never seen so much construction in a country. Even more than in Atlanta in the build up for the 1996 Olympics.
- I was inspired by the enthusiasm of the children we taught in school. Their smiles and eagerness to learn helped me through my fear of teaching.
- The 8 mile bike ride on top of the wall around Xi'an is a MUST for anyone who travels there.
- The Terra Cotta warriors were cool and abundant.
- The staff at CCS is awesome. Thanks.
- The Chinese are very efficient and their determination to learn English (as a country) and to modernize their country impressive.

The Great Wall

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