Faye's Top Ten Travel Tips - Part II

Continuing from my last post:

These are for during the trip:

6. Toilets. One too many cervesa at lunch? I hate looking for a bathroom when I need one, but I am more fearful of disgusting bathrooms. Especially in developing countries, going to the toilet is not just an adventure, it can be a nightmare.  When in a jam, my go to places are fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC or Burger King.  9 out of 10 times they will be close to western expectations: a sit-down toilet and free toilet paper.  Bonus tip: always bring toilet paper in your day pack.

7. Finding accommodation. Not every cities around the world will have your favourite hotel chain. I actually prefer boutique local hotels, they tend to be more unique and interesting.  The downside is that unlike major hotel chains you might not get what you expected. Website such as Trip Advisors and Booking.com do a nice job of showing pictures and customer feedback on boutique hotels but there is still never a guarantee unless you are there to see it for yourself.  I prefer to book only the first night and book subsequent nights directly with the hotel based on the first night experience. Most of the time, the hotel will honour the same rate and depending how long the stay, a better rate can even be negotiated.  A few years ago when I traveled to Phuket and had booked at a hotel that was right on the beach, however the hotel turned out to be very noisy. Phuket was surrounded by variety of hotels. We just walked around the area. In no time, we found another tucked away and much nicer hotel.

8. Language. The easiest way to bridge cultural gaps is through language of course.  My must learn words when I travel are Hello, Thank You, Please and Bathroom. Any other phrases, I recommended learning whatever you are interested in.  I love to shop and negotiation is part of the fun so I always make sure I learn how to say "How much?" and the numbers (or bring a pocket calculator :p).  I also like to find out what the shortest possible way to say something is.  Russia was probably the most difficult country to travel through language wise.  Most of the time we had a private guide with us but when ventured out on our own and if we were really stuck communicating, we would find the nearest luxury hotel. Good chance someone who works there will speak some English.

9. Experience the people, not just the sites.  The ruins, parks, or museums are normally what we travel thousands of miles to see, but to me sometimes the people are the most interesting. I try to not just interact within my own group.  In Russia some of our best memories were chatting with a group of students who were volunteering for the Sochi Olympics at a local dive bar.  We even shared Russian food and vodka on the train with the co-conductor and his friends who didn't speak a word of English. I was surprised at how much a mixture of just gestures and sounds helped me understand the local culture so much better.

I also like talking to other travelers, especially those who are traveling for really long periods of time (ie: over 6 months).  They are usually the second best source of information and recommendations.

10. Take a vacation during travel. First of all, travel and vacation are different things.  A lot of us use our vacation days to travel and most of time, need a vacation after the travel.  Travel can be so exciting, but also can be demanding on your body.  I eat whatever I want when I travel and still would lose weight.  I always make sure I take my multivitamins and a mini-vacation during my travels.  In South East Asia, I sat on a beach in Phuket for a few days in between Angkor Wat and Petronas Towers.  In Africa, I sat on another beach in Zanzibar in between Simien Mountain and Masai Mara. In South America, I ended on a yacht in the Galapagos after 2 weeks in the freezing Bolivian salt field and breath taking (literally) Machu Picchu .  Not to mention, a trip or two or three to the spa for a foot or body massage during the trip is a must (China was the best for that)!

Greeting from Central Russia

Since we left Moscow we spent one night on a train to Ekaterinburg. This was the first leg of our Trans-Mongolia adventure. After settling into our cabins and getting used to the confined space we decided to be a bit adventurous and look for the dinning car which we found about 4 carriages down the train. Nothing entertaining was going on so we walked back to our cabins, likely causing a stir along the way with our loud and excited chatter. We all settled down to one of many naps we would be taking. After waking up, Jeff, Greg, and Johainah decided to go back to the dining car to play some cards and have a beer. That was where they met a few local friends and initiated the night with their first shots of Russian vodka on the train. With a mixture of sign language, using Jeff's Iphone russian translator, and the basic english words the locals knew, they had our own party going. Since they weren't allowed to drink the vodka they brought with them in the dining car, and the vodka on the train left much to be desired, they quickly moved the party back to our carriage and hung out by the door. They polished off the second bottle along with the orange juice chaser and decided it was time to pack off to bed before things got too friendly.

The next evening we arrived in Ekaterinburg. Ekaterinburg is mainly a university town and lies close to the Euro Asia border. It is an interesting place because we really started to notice the locals are starting to look very mixed. I suspect from now on, the local people will start to look more Asian as we move east. We spent the next day on a guided walking tour of the city where we saw the Church of Blood, where Tsar Nicholas' family (4 daughters, 1 son, mother and father) was assassinated/murdered. We visited the local parliment, and went to a stone museum of a private collector. In the afternoon we took a trip out to visit Euro Asia border.

The next morning we prepped for the next leg of our journey, two nights on the train to Irkutsk, Siberia. The two day journey from Ekburg was quite an experience. We boarded the train and settled in. A little more experienced and a little more comfortable, we were ready for the next two days. Jeff and Joh had two cabin mates who had already been on the train for two days and had another 5 days to go. They even had a plant in the cabin to provide some greenery and watch something grow! With only two days ahead of us, there was not much to complain about. We passed the time chatting, looking out the window, reading, listening to music, playing Uno and other card games, and napping. It felt like a real vacation of rest and relaxation was starting. The first evening on board we spent the better half in the dinning car competing at Uno. Towards the end of our match we were invited to join a small Russian feast of smoked salmon with onion, borcsht, and pie which was to be eaten only after taking shots of Vodka. This time however, we were joined by the second captain of the train, a military officer who had a good living at 1000 dollars/rubles (???) a month and an Afgan Russian man who just had a baby. Russians were very friendly people, especially after some vodka, they all of sudden spoke more English and the universal language of hand gesturing. We closed the dinning cart and made it back to our cabin just before two in the morning. The next day moring, barely awake we received knocks on our cabin. It was the Russian guys from the night before. They came ready with another fresh bottle of Vodka and were ready to party at 0815 in the morning. We now can offically say Russians are crazy! We however, did turn them down…We spent the rest of the day doing the usual, napping, reading, cards, and such, and the next morning looked forward to disembarking later that day and get to some much needed showers. By this time we were all smelling pretty ripe. With the eagerness to get off, we almost did so at the wrong station but Joh's cabin mates stopped us. At the correct stop we got off, met our local guide and started our journey toward a resort town on Lake Baikal in Siberia.

First day in Mother Russia

Day one of our four week journey started with a bang aside from the jetlag of course! After our two hour flight from Frankfurt, we got off the plane to be picked up by two Russian gentlemen from the local travel agency who drove us to our hotel (with no visible front lobby). The hotel is in the City Center, as we were corrected by our driver, it's not downtown.

We spent the evening walking around and found a little bar that can only be described as Russian kitch at its best. We dined on our first borsch and straganoff while listening to nostalgic 80's music (which one member of our group enjoyed very much) played/karaoked by a one man band sitting next to a stripper pole. Despite the jet lag and strange lone dancing bar star (also a patron though) we enjoyed every minute of it.

After dinner the gang walked back and hit the pillow pretty hard.

Eastern Europe is brand new to me as well as to the group. It's a great feeling. New air, new people, and new sites. Day's are longer here, it's about 10pm before the sun goes down. It's also a little chilly. Getting to know the streets has been an adventure on its own but fortunately no one has gotten thoroughly lost. Russian can be a challenging language, especially since at first it looks like english until you get to the backward Rs.

We've got the rest of our stay in St. Petersburg all planned out with a boat tour, church visits and more walking around. So, stay tuned for more to come! Paka for now!

(Blog Contribution also by Joh. C.)

Trans-Mongolia Train Trip Here We Come!!

The Trans-Mongolia Train trip is for lovers of travel and lovers of railways alike! This is an incredible adventure through vast and dramatic landscapes. Travelling across the breadth of Russia, Mongolia and China on board the Trans Mongolian or Trans Siberian railways is a must. For sheer distance, intrigue and on completion, the tremendous sense of personal satisfaction, no other train journey comes anywhere near it!

I have been planning for this 29 day trip for this group of 5 for the past three months. Our journey will start in Russia and end in China.

Aug 19 - 22: St. Petersburg, Russia
Agu 23 - 26: Moscow, Russia
Aug 27 - 28: Ekaterinburg, Russia
Aug 29 - Sept 2: Lake Baikal & Irukusk, Russia
Sept 3 - 5: Ulan Butaar, Mongolia
Sept 6 - 10: Beijing, China
Sept 11 - 12: Shanghai, China
Sept 13 - 16: Yellow Mountain, China
Sept 17: Shanghai, China for flight home

In merely 8 days, we will cross two continents, experience 3 (maybe more, fingers crossed) distinctive cultures and endure over 130 hours of railway living. The group and I are more than excited to begin their journey.