maxienandcraig

Shangri_La close to Tibet.
This ancient village on the outskirts of Shangri-La is a smaller Potala-like Monasterybut smaller, more colourful and more intimate.




Imperial chairs for carrying people up and down the 580+ steps to see Tiger Leaping gorge up close.


 Tiger Leaping gorge


Tiger is going to lea the gorge!








Tiger has leapt the gorge.

 Building the Highspeed railway or just railway to Shangrila.  finish in 2 years time.


Old  Town quite lovely.  Shangri-la



Beijing studio apartment for 8 days. Even had a washing/drying machine that worked!!




Coming into Vladivostok




One of the 3 BIG bridges



Vladivostok from a 17 storey height.




Some Russian Orthodox Church in the main square of Vladivostok.  Beautiful at all times.


Irena and I had taken a paddle.  Water pretty cold just short of freezing!



The second bridge which links 2 parts of Vladivostok



 Seal spotted!!

 Sunset from Vladivostok
Myak a short bus ride to the tip of land on which there is a light house.
the scenery was stunning














maxienandcraig

Shangri_La close to Tibet.
This ancient village on the outskirts of Shangri-La is a smaller Potala-like Monasterybut smaller, more colourful and more intimate.




Imperial chairs for carrying people up and down the 580+ steps to see Tiger Leaping gorge up close.


 Tiger Leaping gorge


Tiger is going to lea the gorge!








Tiger has leapt the gorge.

 Building the Highspeed railway or just railway to Shangrila.  finish in 2 years time.


Old  Town quite lovely.  Shangri-la



Beijing studio apartment for 8 days. Even had a washing/drying machine that worked!!




Coming into Vladivostok




One of the 3 BIG bridges



Vladivostok from a 17 storey height.




Some Russian Orthodox Church in the main square of Vladivostok.  Beautiful at all times.


Irena and I had taken a paddle.  Water pretty cold just short of freezing!



The second bridge which links 2 parts of Vladivostok



 Seal spotted!!

 Sunset from Vladivostok
Myak a short bus ride to the tip of land on which there is a light house.
the scenery was stunning














Saturday November 3rd, 2018

Well here we are in Russia!  Vladivostok to be precise. 

This evening we catch the Rossiya 01M the most traditional train, to start our trans Siberian experience.  (I believe all other "Trans-Siberians" came after.  Hence its 01)
We will not be taking the 01 all the way.  I'll mention the number of the trains we do take.

We flew from Lijiang to Beijing on 23rd October, Tuesday;  took residence the Oriental Suites in Seasons Gardens in Dongzhimen area of Beijing.  We were in a studio apartment on 16th floor (which was minus floors 13 and 14 for superstitious reasons!  What a lovely apartment.  It was convenient to everything we needed at that time.  Russian visa Centre was straight down one of the roads bordering our local community of flats, (xiaoqu); Airport express was 200 metres away; banks were 5-10minutes walk and food and vegie markets and supermarkets were all just outside the gates or a little further.  What a pleasure.

The Visa Centre experience also was amazing.  To get the Russian visa you need an itinerary of where you are going and a list of places you will be staying at; hard copy of certificate of currency of your health/travel insurance, hard copy proof of date of entry into Russia (ie flight itinerary, ticket numbers) a passport photo of a certain size with a clear, white background, a colour copy of your passport front page and a letter of invitation which you can get online but you still need to quote places of accommodation.  Oh and the visa application form itself filled out online, but requiring hours to do so.  All the places you have travelled to in the last 10 yers!! Approximate dates, changes of name, different passports, places you have worked, addresses and dates, where you obtained certificates, addresses, phone numbers.  All I can say is thank God for the internet!
The Visa Centre was so accommodating, helping us where we might have had to leave and come back, doing some photocopying for us, correcting our application forms and printing them out and then giving us an extra short time of 3 days to come back and pick up the visas.  And the centre was not extremely busy either which helped.  Plus the cost was less than first quoted. 

We picked up the visas on Monday, 29th October.  Yay!!  Picked up roubles etc, met an expat at the fruit and vegie market and thence met again for coffee next day.

On our departure eve we went to the airport as our plane departed at 6.15am and the first Airport Metro Exxpress left at 6.20am.  So we decamped tot he airport whilst the Express was still running the evening before.
Very tired on the Ural Airlines flight to Vladivostok.  Luckily it wasn't full so I was able to stretch out across 3 empty seats.
Before the flight we were helped by 2 Russians, one of whom was working as a kindergarten teacher in Shanghai and the other going home to Vladivostok.
When we got off the plane and were through customs we met a couple, PhD students from Hong Kong.  (Malaysian and Russian) who advised us about the mini bus we caught.  We ended up having a meal with them in a wonderful Cafe "Ne Revu".  Such wonderful ambiance.  Then we parted company.  But are still in contact.

I can only say that Autumn is one beautiful time to travel, (so far!).  Sunny, clear blue skies with  colourful trees still abounding. 
Vladivostok is a beautiful small city with lots of walk ways, steps, hills, views and blue, blue (cold, cold!) sea.
We went up to the highest point, Eagles Nest lookout and went even higher by going up to the 17th floor restaurant and having a gander there.  All sparkling and glinting blue water and sky, large shipping vessels coming and going. 
There are 3 amazing bridges, with uprights of at least 1.9km (that's correct)!

Then yesterday, one of the ladies making our breakfast at out Guest House came and sat with us and recommended a bush tea when she remarked we were only drinking hot water.  An hour later we were still somehow communicating with our non existent Russian and her almost non existent English.  We ended up spending most of the day together, visiting Myak which is a simple bus ride to the sea, to where there is a lighthouse walkable along a narrow track into the sea.  We saw a seal and it being another perfect day, we were able to take remarkable photos.  We also could see the 2nd bridge, huge even from a distance.

Everyday we meet a or some remarkable people. 

These Russians are stern on the outside but quick to respond with kindness when you need help or make a mistake.

Today we are packed and ready to go to the station to leave for Irkutsk tonight.  3 nights on the train.  It's a long way.  Lake Baikal is there and we've been wanting to see it for years.  It is the deepest lake in the world.  It was pristine until some factories started discharging effluence into it.  Hopefully that has stopped.
We will be staying 5 days there.
My father, God rest his soul, often spoke of wanting to do the Trans Siberian to or from Vladivostok, so I'm dedicating this part of the blog to him, his memory.  He was an unusual man!

Now for some photos.   Love to all.  xoxo

21st June.

Happy birthday dear brother number 2, Keith.  Have a good one.  Hope it's with family, that you do a bit of square dancing, tell a few tall stories as bush poets do and perhaps play some music.  We are thinking of you! xo

We had a lovely breakfast today, omelet with toast, and a plate of red pawpaw each.

We met the other homestay tenants, a lovely Kiwi couple, she of the couple who is principal of a kindergarten in Shanghai running under an Italian system, ? Reggiano (will have to look it up) . sounds very progressive.  They sent her to Italy for 10 days last year for training.

Later, after finding that the palace we were going to visit would be closed today and Mondays, we went wandering out to find Mother Theresa's burial place.  Not far from here, we walked through markets and markets.  Fascinating because some people were selling from tiny holes i the wall type of place and squatting on the counter because that was the only space for them.

We found Mother's House (that's how people know the place).  What an amazing person.  Only ever was motivated by love for mankind. She was there for everybody.  Seemed to have no ego. Made us think of ourselves as being spoilt and selfish.
From such humble beginnings she became one of the most well known people, influential and beloved by hundreds of thousands, honoured many times for her contribution to namkind and dedicated all the honours to the lost, uncared for, homeless people in the world and by so doing they became recognised and were given a voice.

Later on our wanderings a man accompanied us through the streets and acted as a guide.  He said he was off to a village teaching cooking to homeless children, staying overnight with them and providing a birthday cake etc for one of the youth there.  He showed us some good eating place, extolled the Government for providing training for many homeless children who came as refugees, explained how many of the homeless used to live but because of the care of the government there were now very few beggars, homeless.  (actually there are definitely very few beggars around. I'm sure I remember many when I was here years ago.) . Finally he took us to a fine building with a restaurant

for veges on the first floor, asking for a donation for his/their project (run by Christians).  Craig gave him 50 rupees and he disappeared.  Was he authentic?  We think he was but who knows.

Sweeeny Todd Indian style.
Perched on the serving counter, he was wrapping sweets.
He wanted their photo taken.

Resting between jobs.
Trams are here.



Hearse deluxe level.






These are out of order but if you start here and go up you can more or less follow the process of making the hot chicken roll for 50 rupees ($1).  Toorrow I'm going to try one.  This stall claimed to be a leader in making in various rolls.  They were gret to watch.
Taking a rest.  When I took the photo it drew the attention of some passersby to the feet and we all had a good laugh.
Unfortunately I think this will be the trend into the future. Even though there is a lot of cleaning up to be done in the city it doesn't warrant the usual knock down everything and build characterless buildings as they are doing the world over.  This city has lots of amazing buildings left over from various epochs.  It has something, je ne sais quoi!
Playing these pipes and selling them too.  A good advertisement.
Having a well earned rest!
These fellows were making tea I think.  In any case they were in the basement to the first floor above!!!
A lovely wall with plants along it and in the distance a set of stairs to a house.
John!  See below!!!

Tea cups.  The original throwaway clay version. 
 Tea making process.  Usually delicious and sweet with some spiciness.
 Snip! Snip!
 Here's one for you John, our knife sharpening friend in Seymour.  You could be getting more exercise if you sharpened on the go!!


It was ok but not enough.  Restaurant belonging to Hotel Heaven in Bose street.
 From now on we're going to eat street food.  It's much tastier(not always true) and it's much cheaper!!
 M T' s dwelling was not open on Thursdays but these are the stairs leading to it.  Pictures of it show it to be very simple, austere eve.
 Mother Theresa's tomb.




 Lots of schools in this area as well as the church where M T taught before she began ministering in the streets of Calcutta of the day.
 If you look closely you can see the white underclothing on the washing line to the upper right of the pic.  I think this laundry is linked to the nunnery which is just around the corner ahead.
 oh here they are again!

Spent an hour in The Oxford Bookshop.  xoxo