Living My Dream

Wow !
Overwhelming !!!!
Moscow !

Great Hostel by the Red Square… Got my Visa Registered…. you see in Russia… besides applying for a visa… you have to register it whenever you spend more than 72 hours in a new city…
So I have to spend 800 roubles (27USD) to register my visa… at the Napoleon Hostel…
I only need to pay 300 roubles (10USD) in Irktusk

Big City.. Big Prices !

But everything else is big too… St Basil Cathedral…. State History Musuem… The Kremlin !!! all so big and beautiful !!!
It was awesome … especially if u have someone like Abraham .. my Mexican Amigo … so much fun !!!
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Hosted by 2 Couchsurfers in Moscow.. hee hee.. lucky me
Alla for 1 nite with her parents… thank you for the wonderful Borsch Soup and Pasta ! yummi !
and a few nites with Sandy !!! … Champagne and Caviar… hmmm…. love her class…
Sandy is always busy as she tangos !!! yes… and she teaches at Art at the Intl School in Moscow ..

Got to know what is Eurovision… apparently this contest existed since the 1950s… participated by the countries in EU.. and Russia is the host this year…
Wow!! really amazing… Met Velio who is also couch surfing with Sandy.. he is a fan of Eurovision… attended all sessions of Eurovision.. u should see how excited he was on the final nite
Spent a beautiful day with Sandy and Velio at the Botanical Garden and the Park by the Moscow River

Also met up with Thomas … whom i’ve got to know in Olkhon Island.. Thomas is a retiree who is studying Russian in Moscow … cool aye
he also introduced me to Arbat area… we cover grounds at the Kremlin too…
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also check out the Metro station in Moscow.. incredible…
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What a life i have… and i truely appreciate it… i am blessed 

My 2nd Couch Surfing Experience.. with Julia… and i get to meet her 1st couch surfer.. Peter !!!
cool … Peter is a Russian Traveller… very well travelled so .. lots to share
Julia is fantastic gal… who is beautiful, confident and cooks well too

Had beautiful walks around Tomsk with Julia.. tried the local delicacies too.
Also visited the Traditional russian village by the Tomsk River…

Julia is also very busy … she had to leave early for her business  trip… but no worries… I met Kesh and Anna while i was in the last town Krasnoyarsk.. and they are University students in Tomsk !!!!

So off i go … to stay at the Tusur University Hostel.. with Kesh and Anna.. hee hee
Attended the Victory day concert in the hostel and Kesh (who is from India) cooked indian curry for me !!! yeah !!!
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Thanks all !!!

now ready for my 3 day train ride to Moscow !! woowee !!!
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Krasnoyarsk…. A very special town for me…
cos its my very 1st experience with couch surfing
have any of u heard of this ?
www.couchsurfing.com

wow !!! i’ve heard about this from friends last year.. so decided Russia will be a country I would like to try it out… So i sent  my Couch Request to Anna (Anya) hee hee…
And she replied..yes, she has a couch for me!! yeah!… actually she is so lovely…. she slept on the floor and let me sleep on her couch… so sweet of her… and i felt really bad…

Anya is a dynamic person… very busy with her job as a producer in and advertising firm… yet, she finds time to pick me up from the train station, bring me around town etc etc…

Thank you Anya… for making my virgin Couchsurfing experience so unforgetable..

I also did the 10 Rouble Tour - all the landmarks on the 10-rouble note is in Krasnoyarsk.. so check out the pix ok?

Great timing that I was in Krasnoyarsk during the Victory Day Celebration weekend !!!

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and they warned me that i don’t need 1 month in russia !!!!
i can’t find enough time to go to places i wanted to go aaarrrggghhhh !!!!!

started my trip with Irktusk… one of the most common 1st stops for travellers coming from Mongolia..
Irktusk is my 1st impression of Russia’s wooden architecture……. rustic and nice
Love the Central Market ! and without being able to speak a word of Russian… I’m so proud of myself… I can buy food !!!! but of cos without some surprises… hee hee
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Listvyanka was where i got my 1st glimpse of the frozen but beautiful Lake Baikal
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Lake Baikal is the deepest fresh water lake in the world at 1637m….
Its also hold 1/5 of the World Fresh Water… you can literally drink of the water in the lake….

Travelled with the Hoovercraft to Olkhon Island … after a 5-hour minibus ride…
So cool to see the Hoovercraft glide on icey Lake..

Olkhon Island …hmmmmm….. I’m in love !!!! with is beautiful island…
Total population of 2000 people with 1000 of them in Village of Khuzhir….
There’s where i stayed at the Nikita Guesthouse… full board… makan / eat all your meals as much as you want… hee hee
Also got a taste of OMUL… the fish from Lake Baikal …. yummi !!!!

oooohhhh…. and imagine…. sitting by the lake…. quiet… you hear nothing.. but the crackling sound of the ice on the lake …
this time of the year …. the lake is melting … welcoming summer…
When fully frozen in winter.. it can be frozen up to 1 meter deep and people drive on it… dog sled… ice skate… cool aye ??? errrr… i meant COLD .. brrrrr  
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