Chateau Update - Sad News From Houston

Out of the Chateau grounds and right on the black top pavement for five minutes then another right at the first road past two lakes and a farm house on a crushed limestone path. Another right and I’m following a seldom used dirt road with and occasional paint mark signifying a public right of way. The way leads to narrow paved lane and I take a right paralleling cornfields until I reach a busier D road where I cross onto an overgrown short grass farm path and beyond.

I’ve been running on my memory of last year’s walks amidst an area known as the Solonge in the Loir Valley of France. When I came to the next intersection I wasn’t sure which way to go but I pushed on with a 1 in 3 chance of getting it right. I didn’t remember the vicious Rottweiler and German Sheppard, barely being held back by a short wire fence, so I retraced my steps, via a nice variation, back to the European Yoga Festival at the Chateau.

After nine days of setup duties I am now free to do as I please during the Festival. I’m under no obligation until August 3 when I’ll need to put in another 3 days to help clean things up. During the day there are many workshops and gatherings but after my time of lots of work and communal living with the setup crew I’m more inclined to do whatever I want during the festival.

This morning after my run I made a 25 minute walk into the village of Mur de Solonge. I had to wait in line behind Yoga teachers and Turban clad gurus, at the Bolangerie, who were doing a good job of cleaning the place out of Croissant and Pan Chocolate. I had to wait even longer at the bar, behind more Yoga pros, for a Coffee that is now suspiciously more expensive than last week.

I’m now back on a running routine of 4 to 8 miles almost everyday. My interest in running seems to have sparked once again and the area around the Yoga Festival is excellent for it. Terrain is mostly flat and full of quiet roads, paths, and trails. I’m now getting to know the area quite well and am able to come up with some really nice loops.

Aside running I’ve been quite happy to hang out with a good old friend by the name of Corwin. We’ve been friends for around 27 years and went to college together. He’s been practicing Yoga for approximately 15 years with a keen interest in Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini is the primary form of Yoga at the Festival. Although Corwin has attended countless events in America he has never been to an event in Europe. When I decided to return to the setup crew I extended an invitation for him to join me. He took advantage of the opportunity and arrived 3 days ago. I scouted out a prime campsite for him on a quiet end of the Chateau Lake. We’ve already spent many hours there engaged in philosophical conversation while catching up in general.

This year’s festival is a big one and it’s expected to be the biggest yet. My main interest is in the 3 day meditation intensive. Other than that I’m not particularly attracted to much but I really should give a couple of workshops a try.

For me the Yoga festival is about something different. Naturally the nice campsite, access to the chateau grounds, free festival admission with meals included is a nice work exchange but that is not the main reason for my participation.

As someone who pretty much does what he wants when he wants to all the time I think it’s important to step out of that world to see where I’m at when it comes to living and working with others. My time with the setup crew revolves around a schedule dictated by a supervisor. All meals are communal and no one eats until everyone is together and a simple prayer of Satnam is repeated 3 times. It’s very different from my regular day to day lifestyle.

This year has gone quite well. Better than last year. I’m much more relaxed and usually pretty patient with it all. Once again the group is a really a great bunch of diverse people with approximately half of the team returning from last year. I’m totally fine and content with the work and in some ways find it nice to not have to make many decisions because a structure makes decisions for me. In a lot of ways I’m a loner at heart but aside of a tendency to be a little self absorbed at times I think I do well working in most groups. I have to say my favorite part of this whole festival will most likely be the first week when it was just us set folks, the Chateau grounds all to ourselves, sharing food between work duties and laughing every chance we get. I guess you could call it a form of Karma Yoga. Most of all, it's been fun.

Right now the grounds are packed with over 2,000 people camped everywhere and close to each other. I’ve got a good spot by the lake on the edge where loud meets quiet. I thought I’d move when the festival started but the tents that moved in around me are occupied by reasonable quiet campers so I’m staying put.

As far the crowd is concerned it’s made up of mostly Germans and a good percentage of Spanish. The rest are Europeans and a very small number of Americans. I don’t feel much drawn to, or, a part of the crowd. It’s probably because I haven’t participated with the 4:30 am Sahdna and various workshops throughout the day. My disconnected feeling will more than likely change after the 3 day meditation intensive with an expected 1500 or so attendees.

I’ll continue my life here until around August 5th or 6th then I’ll spend a few days traveling with Corwin until he has to catch a flight back to the States. Between now in then I’ll keep up the daily run, mingle amidst new faces, and wait my turn behind Yoga Masters sneaking off to the village for coffee and croissant.

On a completely different and much sadder note I received an email yesterday on the passing of Mark Fraser, a running club friend who was very active with The Bayou City Road Runners in my hometown, Houston, Texas. I remember many animated conversations with Mark who was always full of witty creative energy. He encouraged me to pursue my interest in writing as I admired his accomplishments as a writer. He was truly a unique individual and a real fixture in the running community. Such a shock. He was always the picture of Perfect Health and so full of life. A very young fifty something. I haven’t heard what the cause of death was but I assume it was sudden. While running this morning I thought of him a lot. Life is such a gift and no one knows how much time they have. He will be greatly missed. So hard to believe. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

The photo above was taken in the morning from my camp behind the Chateau.

Back At The Chateau - France

It’s been a busy time since leaving Warsaw. An eleven hour train ride to Budapest followed by a 26 hour drive led me back to Chateau Fondjouan near Mur de Solonge in France. I can’t believe its already been a year since the last European Yoga Festival.

On one hand I really wasn’t ready to leave Eastern Europe. I felt like it was a shame to blow through so fast. On the other hand, I was feeling a bit tired from over 3 months on the road and thought it would be nice to drop my pack for 3 weeks.

In exchange for volunteering to be a part of the festival setup crew I’m treated to a lovely campsite, free admission to the festival, and all meals along with extra added benefits such as access to the Chateau facilities before and after the festival. There's no need to spend so much as a penny, during the entire time, while I catch up with familiar faces and friends from last year.

I arrived at the Chateau on Saturday Evening after meeting up with Kata in Budapest for a straight through drive across Austria and Germany. Kata is one of a few people I’ve kept in touch with since last year’s Festival via Facebook. She happened to be volunteering for set up as well so it made perfect sense for me to meet her in Budapest. Kata is Hungarian and lives in the city. She’s also a very hard working individual with a company that employees fourteen people. Kata manages it all at a breakneck pace so Yoga is a way of getting herself to slow down and take a breath for a moment.

What I can’t believe is that it’s already Friday! The first week has been a very busy time under less than ideal conditions. Last year the weather was more or less perfect aside of a day or two of rain. This year its been all about wind and rain with an occasional short period of sun.

Despite the mostly lousy weather I’ve managed to keep a dry camp and am really enjoying myself. Given the time I spent at the Chateau last year and the fact that I already know most of the crew I get a family home like feeling being here. The group is made up of a nice assortment of individuals who enjoy taking a little different approach to life. My work awhile, travel awhile lifestyle doesn’t seem foreign at all to those I’m now spending time with. The supervisor, Jerome, has a management style that’s perfectly suited for the situation. It all makes for a very nice environment in which I’m happy to be for the time being.

With all of the travel, work duties, group activities/meals, and dealing with poor weather I’ve had little time and not much inspiration to write. By the early part of next week things will free up for me so I intend to be more active on the blog. Time just got away from me since the last post.

I’ve included two photos with this story. One is a picture of the Chateau during a glorious break in the weather. The other is of a waiter at a nearby coffee shop I went to last year. I regretted not getting a photo last year so I got one with him this year.

Peculair Poland - Warsaw & Hostel

All day on a train across Lithuania and into the surprisingly lovely countryside of Poland brought me to Central Station in Warsaw. I hadn’t planned on stopping in Warsaw but with limited transportation options out of Latvia and Lithuania, Warsaw made the most sense. From Warsaw you can easily get to anywhere in Europe.

Exit the station, get my bearings, and start walking. That’s what I like to do when I first arrive at a destination. Less than 30 minutes later, after a quick stop at an ATM, I arrived at a Hostel. I checked into a 6 bed dorm and introduced myself to two Dutch guys who also just arrived.

Since leaving Mongolia I’ve been staying in a lot of hostel dorms with 4 to 6 beds. You never know who your company will be but usually it’s fine and nearly impossible not to make new friends. That is the main appeal for many who stay at hostels and lately I’ve been enjoying that aspect. The funny thing for me is that Hostels in Europe usually attract a younger crowd. Right now I’m probably the only one over 30, where I’m staying, but people in Europe usually think I’m about 10 years younger than I really am. Sometimes I wonder if I may have backpacked 20 years ago with some of the younger crowds parents. Geez, listen to me, I'm talking like I'm middle aged, gettin old, or somethin?....

The key to a pleasant fun experience with a younger people at a hostel is to just go with it. When I returned from dinner last night most everyone was sitting around drinking and getting ready to go out. Two Dutch guys offered me a beer so I obliged. A 23 year old Canadian financial grad, one week into his first trip abroad, polished off a fifth of Gin and asked me what I thought of the United States Debt problem. Before I could answer he commented that America is screwed. I couldn’t disagree but I also couldn’t get a word in edgewise to explain the resiliency of Americans and their ability to overcome most anything. As the Canadian bounced out of the room I noticed a Finn with a Mohawk that looked like a fin. He was being coolly unsociable and I asked if I could take a picture of him. He complacently gave an Ok but I’m sure he took my request as a compliment.

The six bed dorm included myself, the two Dutch guys, two Polish women who I keep thinking are German for some reason, and a Polish guy with a large belly who snores like a freight train. Aside of the big Polish guy everyone was fine. The Dutch guys came in late but were super quiet. The girls went to sleep about the same time I did. The snoring Pole was a really nice guy but not one of us will be sharing a room with him tonight as we have all moved from room 7 to room 8 while he was away.

Warsaw is turning out to be a nice surprise. The city was originally bombed to oblivion during World War 2 but rebuilt with salvaged materials by a mix of qualified and unqualified labor. The result is a remarkably well restored city that looks more authentic than some restored cities that have never seen a piece of shrapnel. The old section is surrounded by modern post war architecture but it’s done well with a nice appeal.

I had originally planned to sneak in a quick visit to Krakow before heading to Budapest but for now I’ll have to skip Krakow. I’ll be heading to Budapest tomorrow. I learned something interesting today. When purchasing a ticket at the counter ask at least two different agents about the price. Today I knew what train I wanted but didn’t know the cost. I went to one counter and they said 150 Polish whatever’s. Sorry, I don’t know what they call the currency here but I get 3 of them for $1 USD. Anyway, I went to another counter and asked the price for the same train, cheapest ticket, and the price was 326 Polish whatever's. I go back to the other counter and get the ticket for 115 Polish whatever’s. Hmmm? Not sure I understand how the ticket pricing works but in the end I came out quite well. I don't know how the price got so good! Maybe they gave me a student discount or something. No complaints on my end!

Poland is a funny place and although I didn’t grow up around any Polish immigrants Polish jokes use to be quite common in the States. For example, yesterday when the train made its first stop in Poland the only person to get on was a guy with a ladder. Sounds like the start of a joke. Doesn’t it? But that’s what really happened. Also, When we arrived at Central Station, in Warsaw, the escalator to get out of the underground platform was working going down but not working going up. A portly old lady in front of me struggled with a heavy suitcase so I carried it up for her as she complained in Polish the whole time. Maybe she didn’t want my help? Or, was she thanking me? Maybe she thought I was trying to take her suitcase from her?

Unfortunately I won't have time to get to know the peculiarities of Poland this time around but it does strike me as an interestingly peculiar country.

From Riga To Vilnius - Lithuania

The Italian, who I estimated was in his late twenties, commented in broken English that he would not be out long. I disagreed with him and commented, “Once you see how many beautiful women are in this city you will be out all night”.

For the past two days I shared a 4 bed hostel dorm with a mid twenties American, by the name of Alex, who has a deep interested in Russian literature and culture. He had already spent two years and Russia and speaks the language fluently. He is now on his way back to Russia but is spending two and a half weeks in the Baltic states of Europe before returning. Tonight we had a new roommate, Franceso from Milan.

Alex, like myself, is a traveler who is more interested in culture and natural beauty than night life and chasing chicks. Our new roommate is obviously more interested in nightlife. I was awakened at 6 am when he returned.

Riga, Latvia is a beautiful city with a really nice feel. It’s also full of beautiful women in their twenties. They are everywhere, all the time. I had heard of such places in Eastern Europe and obviously the word is out because many single men in their 20’s travel the region hunting for the perfect match. The kicker is this. There appears to be a lack of attractive women over 30. Hmmm, what’s up with that?

I was only going to stay 2 nights in Riga but stayed 3. I went for a nice run every morning and would head out about the same time some guys would be returning to the hostel. Riga was very relaxing and extremely easy. Easy is nice right now.

This morning I hopped a bus for a 4+ hour ride to Vilnius, Lithuania. Whereas Latvia reminded me more of Western Europe, Lithuania is more like I’d expect of Eastern Europe. It’s not so polished. It’s Europe without the sanitized for your protection paper around the toilet. Vilnius is a city full of Classic Brogue within an old town surrounded by a healthy dose of cold soviet utilitarian concrete.

The really nice thing about Eastern Europe is that it’s more or less half the price of Western Europe. Tonight I’m checked into a single room at the equivalent rate of $25 USD a night. I can stuff myself with local fare for $4 to $6 USD and a really good pint of local beer is around $2 USD as long as you stay out of the central tourist areas. Leave a little spare change for a tip if you feel like it because it’s only the nice restaurants where a waiter might expect a hefty 10% gratuity. I remember talking to a guy that had just traveled Eastern Europe shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. It was like heaven for pennies in his eyes. Wish I’d listened to him then as I think the East is catching up pretty quick with its Western counterpart.

I’ve decided to spend two nights in Vilnius as I doubt I’ll be rushing back to Lithuania anytime soon. Once I leave here I’ll have to boogie to Budapest where I’ll catch up with a friend for a ride to France. I’m going to try and go from Vilnius directly to Krakow, Poland then overnight train it to Budapest. I’ll sort it out tomorrow.

I think my decision to return to the European Yoga Festival in France is a good one. In the process I’ll be reconnecting with many Friends. I look forward to the antics of Jerome from the UK, the kindness of Frederick and Stephanie from Lyon, and Corwin, a long time friend from Colorado who probably knows me better than anyone. I think this year’s Yoga Festival will be especially nice. I enjoyed last year’s event but I also had an itch to for other things at the same time that seemed to distract me. Right now my cup is full. I’ll be more than happy to pitch my tent next to a pond near a chateau while I absorb each and every moment of the three weeks I’ll be there.

Lately I’ve been really good about living in the present. I’ve been much more decisive than usual and find myself in a good space. As always I’m Extremely grateful for the freedoms and opportunities I have. Life is such an amazing adventure and I’m certainly enjoying the ride.

Russia - Parting Shots

Here's a set of five photos from Russia. Two are from Moscow Red Square on two separate days and taken from two separate directions. I was happy to get a photo in front of St. Basils without loads of tourists. I accomplished this by going late in the day while it was raining. Another two are from the village of Suzdal. The final photo is on the border of Europe and Asia outside of Yekaterinburg.

Images From The Trans Siberian

Here are some photos from my time on the Trans Siberian Railway. This set of photos are all train specific and do not include photos from places I stayed along the way. These pictures were taken on the train, from the train, or during stops at stations.

Russia To Riga - Mission Accomplished

Russia was a rush due to Visa constraints and last night I hopped a train across the border into Latvia to the city of Riga. Riga was completely off the radar for me until I looked for an overland way out of Russia. Belarus and the Ukraine involve visas and I didn’t have enough time for St Petersburg where I could have crossed further north into Estonia.

The border crossing into Latvia was a breeze and I had no problem getting an exit stamp even though I did not register within three days of arriving in Russia. I had been informed that the law had recently changed and unless I spent more than 7 days in one place I did not have to register with the government. It seems like the new law is not very well known so I expected at least a little bit of questioning upon leaving. I had been advised to hang on to receipts to prove whereabouts etc. but I wasn’t asked for anything more than my passport at the border. I noticed all of the border officials were kind of young which is a good thing in Russia. The younger officials don’t seem to be too caught up in the old Soviet ways. Also, they’re probably not as corrupt.

For me Russia was a nice surprise. Language was a real issue, probably more so than anywhere I’ve traveled, but it was still easy to break the ice with a couple of phrases from my book and see that Russians are pretty darned nice and friendly. Surprisingly so. Everywhere I stayed I wished I could have stayed longer.

My last stop in Russia was Moscow. Red Square along with the Kremlin are quite impressive, however, I didn’t really feel an attraction to the city beyond that. Most backpackers feel the same way but rave about St. Petersburg which I didn’t have time for. Aside of Red Square I found the Lenin mausoleum to be a bizarre and fascinating attraction. In the Mausoleum you can see the actual preserved corpse of Lenin himself with one hand frozen in a fist and the other hand palm down flat as he’s dressed in his usual historical attire.

Upon entering the somewhat 70’s gaudy granite block like structure resembling a small Aztec temple your coldly welcomed by intimidating stone faced guards right out of the cold war era. The only sound you hear is the harsh snap of a finger as particularly scary official keeps the line moving quickly. Lenin himself appears remarkably well preserved. Sharp soft lighting bathes him like an angelic figure that demands to be remembered but it comes off more as a novelty attraction than anything. Well, at least that’s my take on it.

While in China I saw Mao Zedong in similar fashion. Although it seemed a little bizarre as well there is still a great regard for Mao in China therefore it definitely felt different. In Moscow I didn’t feel the same regard for Lenin and quite frankly I don’t think the people of Russia today really give him too much thought. However, I could be wrong. It’s just my impression.

Riga is a lovely city. It’s old, clean, nice, not expensive and every bit Europe. For me this kind of marks a point of "Mission Accomplished". I’ve been on the road for exactly 3 months as I passed through China, Mongolia, and Russia which was my goal. All three countries had their own kind of challenges that you need not worry about in Europe. China is exotic, Mongolia is wild, and Russia is Russia. Riga in fresh, trendy, and all about Easy.

For this trip difficult travel is over as far as I’m concerned. Europe is Western culture. Same, Same and not all that different from what I’m accustomed to back in the states. Today it seems like most everyone under 30 speaks English to some degree in the European cities and is happy to do so unlike France where they speak English but want you to try and speak French first. In Riga English is just fine. No problem.

I booked a spot at a hostel in a 4 bed dorm while in Riga. The way you get to it is very easy and kind of funny. From the train station walk out across a square and head to McDonalds. Walk into McDonalds and look for a door to a stairway. Go up to the 3rd floor and wait to be greeted by two friendly young tall blond haired women while new alternative music booms in the background. The place is very modern, trendy, and well managed with an excellent staff. It obvioisly caters to the 20 something traveler but it's not a party house from what I can tell.

I plan to spend a couple of days in Riga just hanging out and catching up with the blog. There have been many things I’d like to write about and photos to post but the last two weeks haven’t really allowed too much for the luxury. Until today I wasn’t too sure what I’d be doing with the remainder of the summer in Europe but this afternoon I came up with a plan. I’ve decided to return to a particular Chateau in France and volunteer again for the European Yoga Festival as I did last year. The fact is, after 3 months on the road, I’d kind of like to stay put for a little while. At the Yoga festival I’ll pitch my tent and reconnect with friends I met last year. Also, I won’t spend a dime for three weeks while I detox on healthy food, yoga, and meditation in between set up duties.

In the next few days I’ll make my way to Budapest to catch a ride with a friend from last year’s festival. From there we will drive to France. It seems like the perfect thing for now and I’m really looking forward to it. In the meantime I’ll enjoy a little bit of Eastern Europe.

Yekaterinburg to Vladimir - Trans Siberian

Morning, July 2nd

I boarded the train From Yekaterinburg to Vladimir first thing in the morning for a 24 hour ride after a nice 30 minute walk from the hostel to the station.

Somehow, somewhere in the country of Russia a vandal, likely jacked up on vodka and beer, threw an object as hard as he could at a train window causing the safety glass to crack like a tightly woven spider web. The glass remains intact thus creating an undesirable kaleidoscopic affect obscuring any kind of a clear view. What are the odds that I would wind up on carriage 17 in a four person cabin with that very window?

Train 109 bound for Moscow is a long one with 18 coaches and carriage 17 has seen better days. The person who manages the carriage (usually a woman) is called a Providnista. Most run a pretty tight ship and keep things reasonably tidy. The more entraupenural ones sell food and drinks on the side or even rent out their own bunk to those who may not have been able to get a ticket at the ticket office. The Providnista on carriage 17 today wass pretty much worthless this morning. The good ones clean the toilet regularly and might even bug you a couple of times with the vacuum cleaner. I don’t think carriage 17 has seen a good cleaning in quite some time and it smells like an old World War 2 submarine.

I debated going through the process of using English, Russian, and a combination of hand signals and facial expressions to move to a different berth but there’s only one other person in the cracked window cabin I’ve been assigned. She’s a nice quiet young woman going to Moscow and I noticed other people in the carriage I’d probably prefer not to share a cabin with. My gut feeling says to stay put so I have. Fortunately the window opposite the cabin is big and clear so I do get one good side with a view. I tend to roam about the train walking through the other cars anyway.”

Afternoon July 2nd

“Where are you from?” asked the strolling vendor selling something when the train stopped at a station for 25 minutes. The man questioning me really wasn’t interested in selling me anything. He was just curious about an American from Texas traveling across Russia. He asked me how I liked Russia and why I was traveling by train.

“Why don’t you fly? This train is old. It’s hot”, said the man. He also commented about some other foreigners traveling by train who were not having much fun. I strongly disagreed with him and said the train wasn’t too hot and I liked it. I then went on to comment that I wanted to experience the real Russia. I posed the question to him, “This is the real Russia. Right?” He responded with a smile..

Late Afternoon July 2nd

The word from First Class carriage 12 is that the Providnista punched an unruly passenger who came over from the dining car to use the toilet. The scuffle was followed by an argument with the Providnista winning and two men succumbing to a mop and bucket while the Providnista oversaw a cleanup. This story was relayed to me by the French/American couple I keep running into. I joined them for awhile in their First Class cabin, with a nice clear window, as they generously served me fine aged ham with cheese with crackers.

My cabin is now full with three very quiet passengers who all seem to be wrapped up in books and the cracked up window doesn’t seem to be bothering. A clear gut feeling never lets me down.

Night July 2nd & 3rd

I was approached by a curious half drunk 30 year old persistent Russian with decent broken English wanting me to join him for a drink in his cabin. He seemed friendly and harmless enough but I really didn’t feel like drinking so I declined. He seemed particularly interested in the young woman staying in my cabin who I found out is only 18. He insists I join him for a drink but I’m really seriously tired.

Got up in the middle of the night to use the toilet and opened the cabin door to, “Hello”! It was the persistent Russian at 2am. I avoided any questions by giving him a disinterested glance and proceeded to the bathroom. Upon my return he appeared to be having some luck with the 18 girl in the hallway as she halfway resisted his advances.

Moring July 3rd

Arrived in Vladimir on time at 6:47 AM. The morning was clear and cool. Walked across the street from the train station and easily purchased a 7:30 bus ticket for a 45 minute ride to the medieval village of Suzdal. Arrived in Suzdal at 8:20…. Checked into a hostel and went for a run amidst numerous Onion domed churches… Smooth and easy trip… I seem to be managing well with just a few Russian words.

Trans Siberian Life

I never like arriving late and I wasn’t sure what to think when I stepped off the train in Yekaterinburg at 10:40 pm. I had tried to arrange for a Taxi pickup through the hostel but without a cell phone I wasn’t able to make clear arrangements. Nonetheless, I went to the area where taxis meet and there was no one to greet me. I pretty much figured I’d be setting myself up to be overcharged and can’t speak Russian so I kind of wanted to avoid a taxi that wasn’t prearranged. Some buses were still running and I debated hoping on one but on the other hand it was still quite light at 11 pm and I had clear directions for walking.

I quickly got my bearings and headed off on what I figured would be a 30 minute stroll. Considering I’d just spent 2 nights and 50 hours on a train I was happy to be on my feet so on I went.

The first thing I noticed was how many people were still out. There seemed to be a high percentage of couples walking hand in hand as well as older people enjoying the purple sunset with waspy clouds. The city felt safe and the streets noticeably clean. The air was cool and fresh. No need to worry. Sure enough, thirty minutes later I arrived at yet another Soviet built apartment complex.

I went around the side and dialed a number on a key pad to gain access through the fortress quality steel door and made my way up worn concrete stairs to floor 4. I was happily greeted by welcoming friendly attractive young Russian woman speaking fluent English with a nice Russian accent.

Katia quickly showed me around the homey one bedroom apartment with six bunks and a fold out sofa. She then pulled out a map to get me oriented. By this time it was about 11:45 and the sun still hadn’t quite set yet. I was also introduced to two nice young Austrian women, staying at the hostel, who are heading to Mongolia then China on the Trans Siberian. A British couple arrived not long after me. I took a top bunk above a large Australian who was out for the count.

Hostels in Russia are pretty cool and I’m actually enjoying staying in shared accommodations. Russia is not particularly backpacker central so the hostels tend to be small, cozy, and the managers friendly. It makes for a very hospitable atmosphere where everyone gets to know one another. It’s quite common to be sharing food and drink shortly after arrival.

Shared dorm style accommodation is definitely significantly cheaper than any other paid option for accommodation anywhere in Europe. With kitchen facilities, usually included, it can be quite economical. So, for now I’m on a hostel kick unlike China where I was all about having my on space considering it could usually be had for $8 to $15 USD. But that was China.

So far the Trans Siberian Railway has been a nice experience. On the trip from Irkutsk I first shared a 4 berth cabin with a young Electrical Engineer and two young girls with a baby. Fortunately the baby slept a lot. After they got off I shared the cabin with a couple in their 70’s who both had a mouth full of gold teeth. I really wanted to take their picture but they wouldn’t let me. Only one of the girls knew a few English words but otherwise it was all Russian. With my Berlitz phrase book I was able to make a few exchanges which made for a warm response from my cabin mates. I was offered food from the girls and the old couple insisted I have a coffee with them. Thus far I’ve found Russians to be really nice people once you break the ice which doesn’t take much.

Aside of the Russian filled 2nd class carriage I was traveling in there was an American/French couple in the First Class carriage who I befriended at the train station before boarding. I spent part of my time wandering back to First Class to engage in English conversation with the couple who now reside in Saigon, Vietnam. It was an interesting contrast which added to a variety of time spent staring out the window, interacting with Russians, napping, and consuming cheap weak Pilsner beer purchased from the ladies managing the carriage who had a little side snack business going.

The scenery along the Trans Siberian Railway has been nice in not a bit un-remarkable with hundreds of miles of Birch trees. Some of the stations are quite interesting but it’s only occasionally that I get enough time to actually get out and see much. Sometimes the train will make a 30 minute stop but it's never relaxed because the clock is ticking and your worst nightmare of getting left behind seems like a real possibility even though your wristwatch and train schedule says you have exactly 24 minutes.

My time in Yekaterinburg is brief but I’ve had a chance to walk around, visit the Europe/Asia boarder, a get a few chores done. The city itself is quite nice and there must be something in the air because wedding parties seem to be everywhere on this Friday afternoon.

Well, tomorrow it’s an overnight train to an ancient medieval village for a couple of nights then on to Moscow.