Oil rich Kazakstan is a mix of ostentatious buildings, vast steppe, and massive infrastructural investment. Quite a contrast to it’s neighbour, the Altai which is a mountainous holiday destination for Russia’s outdoorsy population who go tramping, rafting, and cross country 4X4 racing in this, Putin’s favourite playground. Cheek it out below.
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Farewell Kazakhstan, Welcome to the Altai
We’re back in Russia – it’s like coming home we’ve become so fond of it. The border entry was really slick now they have all our details on the computer, love these multiple entry visas! Sad to say goodbye to Kazakhstan, really enjoyed our week there but of course only scratched the surface – our […]
The Wooden Lace Architecture of Tomsk’s Housing
Back up on the high latitude road across Siberia now, a location where the living environment is harsh, but the people very warm and generous. Our experience of Russian generosity continues with meals not being charged for in restaurants and offers of free accommodation. For sure people’s homes are a fascination and nowhere more than […]
Of weddings, hospitals, and gulags
As we continued our motorcycle ride further north through Russia’s Volga region the wide open spaces of the steppe give an impression of a barren land – but nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to engagement with the everyday Russians. They really are an engaging and hospitable people, so keen to […]
Kazakhstan’s Capital – A Kaleidoscope of Contradiction
Freshly named in April “Nur-Sultan” after its founding President on his retirement, there are no signs pointing the way to the old “Astana” on the roads leading to the capital anymore. One might think it had been Nur Sudan since eternity. But that’s just one of the curiosities of this land which “Borat” was the […]
Tatarstan
We’re now in Kazan, capital of Tatarstan, land of the Tartars. As descendants of Genghis Khan the folk here are proud of being part of the Golden Horde that ruled these lands until Ivan the Terrible, Russia’s first Tzar sacked their city and burnt their places of worship. A rather ignominious end for the first […]
Closed Cities and Gulags
Leaving the Volga River now after a week travelling along it, we pass through Izhevsk – home of the Kalashnikov (AK 47) and into the city of Perm. Perm was a closed city during Soviet times. As with several other cities it was where armaments were manufactured. Indeed for 17 years it was called Molotov, […]
Test drive of the Russian health system
The great thing about motorbike trips are the cultural exchanges. I wanted to have a check-up of a suspected stomach ulcer so the hotel called the medics who were in attendance in 20min did bloods and an ECG and took me to the local Gospital clutching a towel as instructed. Within half an hour I […]
Creepy Crawlies – US v Russian Varieties
We’re in Balakovo, another good sized city on the banks of the Volga. The ride today was through large fields of crops – so we have left the wild grasslands of the southern Volga catchment and as we move north, the soils are supporting large scale commercial cropping. But one of Balakovo’s claims to fame […]
Rocket Man – The Original
What were you doing on 12 April 1961? It was one of those days that you might remember, like a Kennedy or MLK assassination, Neil Armstrong’s walk, or 9/11. I know, I know many following this weren’t born then but for those that were think of the years between Elvis & Love Me Do – […]
