This was a great trip. I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I saw interesting places, ate interesting foods. Some things worked out, some things didn't.
A lot of people ask me what was my favorite place. I am not sure. Everywhere I went has something to recommend it. But when I examine my trip, I must note that I planned to spend a week in Israel but instead spent a month. That's meaningful.
There are many things I would do differently next time. I brought some things I never used, like my GPS. I also brought spares of things that were readily available, like razors and AA batteries. The world's cities have what you need. Even Kyzyl had everything I needed.
I wish I had gone when I was younger. Last September I completely tore an ACL in my left knee which limited my daily mileage. Being younger would also make the time changes easier.
Being younger might have forced me to stay in lower cost quarters, like hostels, etc. That would have been a good social and local information opportunity. But the web probably has all the information anyone needs, you just don't know which site is reliable.
I was smart to bring an array of credit cards. Amex acceptance is a bit thin overseas. And at least two of my cards were hacked while on my trip. Having extra credit cards helped a lot. I was able to get cash at an ATM everywhere. Never use exchange windows. NEVER.
Due to the ad hoc nature of my trip I didn't get my visas in advance. That turned out to be an issue, but that's the price I paid for no real planning ahead. And there are no Russian visa expediting services in Israel (Israelis don't need a visa to visit Russia). I should have tried sooner to get visas in Paris. Oh well.
Due to my age and declining energy I think I'll plan my trip in more detail next time. Getting an apartment for at least a week every place I visit will be the standard next time. I am tired of staying in hotels for such a long time. And the intermediate travel, packing and unpacking gets old.
The bills are not all in, but I feel like I spent less than $13k on the trip. Most of what I spent was for lodging, which was never more than $100 a day, and often much less. I didn't eat at sit down places very often (except in Paris cafes), so food was cheap. The recent strength of the dollar was a big help. A few years ago while traveling in Europe it was $1.42/Euro, now it is about $1.10/Euro. That was a big help.
I used almost 100k frequent flyer miles' for the first outbound flight to Paris and the flight home from China. That saved a lot of money.
I carried a week's worth of clothing. That worked out well. I didn't bring a heavy coat, but I did have layers I never used. I was only really cold once, but I am a heater and don't get cold easily.
I brought a camera and took pictures for the blog. I also brought a small tablet that I could have used for a camera, so maybe the camera was overkill. The tablet worked great everywhere except China. In China all of the Google sites are blocked, plus many others. Add a $5 keyboard/case to the tablet and I have what I need. Since the tablet is from Amazon it comes with six months of the Washington Post for free. Nice.
Some times I really wanted a suitcase with wheels or rollers. Next time.
A friend wrote saing that "the world got together and arranged for me to have an interesting trip." I am not so sure that is true. Maybe I just distilled out the boring parts so the blog was interesting. Maybe I have a unique way of presenting events that makes them interesting. Maybe I made the whole thing up. Maybe it's a bit of each?
I'll let you decide.
My best memory of the trip was a fleeting one. I was walking in St. Petersburg on an ice and snow speckled sidewalk in a busy area. There was plenty of pedestrian traffic in both directions when I was passed by a woman going the opposite direction. She was pretty, 30s, nicely made up and hair done, nicely dressed from the waist up. The memorable thing was that she had no legs, and she was in a low wooden cart pulling herself along with a large stone in her left hand. She may have had partial hips, but certainly no legs from the hips down. She was keeping up with traffic on her way somewhere in the cold.
In the States she would have been in an electric wheel chair. Or maybe just staying home out of the cold. But this legless woman was getting along just fine. Whenever I think my life is hard or hopeless I'll remember that plucky woman from St. Petersburg. She was a lesson to us all.
I am already planning out my next trip, this time around the world in a more southern latitude. I am wishing for Pitcarn Island, but maybe that's a bit too much to shoot for. I'll have to start another blog for sure!
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Beijing Days: Almost Home!
I seem to go to China every ten years, and I am amazed every time. When I was there in the early 1980s there was news that the first private car had been purchased in Cina (by a woman). Now it is the world's largest car market. And the traffic to go with it.
Describing China can be done just by listing superlatives: largest, longest, fastest, biggest, most of this or that, etc., etc. And Beijing is one of those places that is a superlative in China. Amazing, just amazing.
My few days are taken up with walking and sights. The Forbidden City is truly large enough to be a city unto itself. Tienamen Square has had the bloodied bricks removed from 1999 student demonstrations. There are police checkpoints for all pedistrians near the Square. I can't imagine such a thing back home. The subways are efficient and not too crowded. Better than taking a cab.
On the second day I opt for the Military Museum, which I have never seen. It is full of Chinese and Russian equipment, plus some American and European stuff. Maybe from the Vietnam or Korean Wars? No Westerners in sight here.
I take a cab to the airport during the day. The amount of industry we pass rivals any city in the states, maybe more. Coal power plants are everywhere, traffic is awful.
My departure from China is without fanfare. I had decided to spring for business class for te flight home using my miles. Well worth it for the 17 hour flight.
I'll post some final remarks, tips and observations in my final blog.
Describing China can be done just by listing superlatives: largest, longest, fastest, biggest, most of this or that, etc., etc. And Beijing is one of those places that is a superlative in China. Amazing, just amazing.
My few days are taken up with walking and sights. The Forbidden City is truly large enough to be a city unto itself. Tienamen Square has had the bloodied bricks removed from 1999 student demonstrations. There are police checkpoints for all pedistrians near the Square. I can't imagine such a thing back home. The subways are efficient and not too crowded. Better than taking a cab.
On the second day I opt for the Military Museum, which I have never seen. It is full of Chinese and Russian equipment, plus some American and European stuff. Maybe from the Vietnam or Korean Wars? No Westerners in sight here.
I take a cab to the airport during the day. The amount of industry we pass rivals any city in the states, maybe more. Coal power plants are everywhere, traffic is awful.
My departure from China is without fanfare. I had decided to spring for business class for te flight home using my miles. Well worth it for the 17 hour flight.
I'll post some final remarks, tips and observations in my final blog.
Mao's Tomb, by Tienamen Square.
Tienamen Square
A McDonalds by the Military Museum.
Military Museum
Day 127: It Almost Happens Again!
After I flew from Kyzyl to Kraznoyarsk, I took a cab into town to stay at an Ibis Hotel. The staff is happy to have someone to practice their English on. Not much to see here, but a few photos of town are below. Potholes that could literally swallow a car!
The real adventure happened after I took the cab to the airport. The cab driver was very nice, even gave me his email in case I needed to return to town. Kraznoyarsk Airport has two terminals, one for domestic flights, one for international. One gate each terminal. So I sit in the international 'terminal' waiting for my flight to be called. After a while I ask and find out they don't call out the flights so I am the lat one to check in. The last one to get my visa cheked, the lat one to go through immigration.
But wait a second.....
The guy who checks my passport for my Chinese visa comes running over to the Immigration booth to call me back. I am traveling on what the Chinese call a "72 hour visa" which is kind of a free visitor's pass. The way it works is that the day of arrival does not count. Second and third day count as 24 hours each. The last day counts as 24 hours also, no matter what time of the day tou leave. I have read this on the Chinese government's web site many times. My flight gets to Beijing at 2 a.m. on a Thursday, which is good for me. My departure flight leaves at 3 p.m. Sunday. But here comes trouble.
The visa guy won't let me leave. He is stuck on the 72 hours limit. And he can't seem to skip the first day like te rules say. He starts saying nyet a lot. A LOT! He makes a few phone calls but never gets a real answer. More nyets.
Oddly enough, the visa rule book they use is written in English. There is no Russian version available. I pick up the book, find the relavent passage and try to explain. I draw a calendar which he uses to show his (incorrect) methodology. I must admit my frustration is starting to morph into anger. Not only will I lose a day in China (which I've already paid for), but I'll be stuck somewhere I really don't want to be. Strand me in Paris. Or Rome. Or Chicago. Or even Kyzyl! But please oh please don't strand me in the Kraznoyarsk airport!
Then, at the last possible second he relents. He makes it clear I won't be allowed into China, but he let's me go. Afterwards I wish I had gotten his email address so I could tell him I was easily admitted into China. The flight is long but pleasant. I shake off the weight of the Russian beaurocracy with some gratitude and self-congratlaions.
Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoyed my time in Russia. But on reflection it was a difficult place to enter and a difficult place to leave. You can call it Russia if you like, but I just see it a the same old Soviet beaurocracy in action. And even after all that, a great place to visit!
Downtown Kraznoyarsk.
The real adventure happened after I took the cab to the airport. The cab driver was very nice, even gave me his email in case I needed to return to town. Kraznoyarsk Airport has two terminals, one for domestic flights, one for international. One gate each terminal. So I sit in the international 'terminal' waiting for my flight to be called. After a while I ask and find out they don't call out the flights so I am the lat one to check in. The last one to get my visa cheked, the lat one to go through immigration.
But wait a second.....
The guy who checks my passport for my Chinese visa comes running over to the Immigration booth to call me back. I am traveling on what the Chinese call a "72 hour visa" which is kind of a free visitor's pass. The way it works is that the day of arrival does not count. Second and third day count as 24 hours each. The last day counts as 24 hours also, no matter what time of the day tou leave. I have read this on the Chinese government's web site many times. My flight gets to Beijing at 2 a.m. on a Thursday, which is good for me. My departure flight leaves at 3 p.m. Sunday. But here comes trouble.
The visa guy won't let me leave. He is stuck on the 72 hours limit. And he can't seem to skip the first day like te rules say. He starts saying nyet a lot. A LOT! He makes a few phone calls but never gets a real answer. More nyets.
Oddly enough, the visa rule book they use is written in English. There is no Russian version available. I pick up the book, find the relavent passage and try to explain. I draw a calendar which he uses to show his (incorrect) methodology. I must admit my frustration is starting to morph into anger. Not only will I lose a day in China (which I've already paid for), but I'll be stuck somewhere I really don't want to be. Strand me in Paris. Or Rome. Or Chicago. Or even Kyzyl! But please oh please don't strand me in the Kraznoyarsk airport!
Then, at the last possible second he relents. He makes it clear I won't be allowed into China, but he let's me go. Afterwards I wish I had gotten his email address so I could tell him I was easily admitted into China. The flight is long but pleasant. I shake off the weight of the Russian beaurocracy with some gratitude and self-congratlaions.
Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoyed my time in Russia. But on reflection it was a difficult place to enter and a difficult place to leave. You can call it Russia if you like, but I just see it a the same old Soviet beaurocracy in action. And even after all that, a great place to visit!
Downtown Kraznoyarsk.
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