The World Around U

Riga

2009-01-06T23:53:00.005+08:00

Riga is a city of 717.371 people in Latvia. It is a really nice and charming capital. If you arrive in Riga from Moscow, it's like comparing black and white. It's very relaxing and welcoming. The people seem to be happy and enjoying life. You can spend few days or a week; there will always be something to do. The first thing to do is a walk in the old town. You can just walk around and enjoy the

Journey from Moscow to Riga

2009-01-06T23:44:00.004+08:00

We arrived at the station at around 20:40, we boarded the train and we left at 21:02. Once in the train we had dinner and we went to bed. At around 7:00 they woke us up for the crossing of the border. We didn't have to leave the train either for the Russian or the Latvian border. Once we were in Latvia we could see we were in Europe. The houses along the way were all made of stones. We could feel

Tips for Moscow

2009-01-06T04:39:00.006+08:00

The first thing you have to know about; is the registration. Once in Russia you have to register your visa. Depending where you are, it will cost you 300 to 600 Rubles. Do it only once. At the hotels they will say, you have to do it every time you stay more than 72 hours in the same city. It's true but if you don't do it, it won't be a big problem to leave the country. The only time you may "need

Moscow

2009-01-06T03:29:00.004+08:00

Moscow is a big city of 13 million. Like other big capitals, it’s vibrating, fast and there is a lot to see and to do. The transport system is really good; there is an underground network that covers the whole city, as well as a very good bus system. Everything is obviously in Russian but, with a good map, you shouldn’t have any problem getting around. The city is really enjoyable. The

Lake Baikal

2009-01-01T22:06:00.002+08:00

Lake Baikal is a must see in a life time. We arrived there at around 10:30 on December 25th. We all were a bit hangover but once we saw this beautiful lake, we just forgot how short the night had been. The sky wasn’t very clear but there was still an amazing view. We could see the steam rising over the lake with the sun going through the clouds. We stayed at least half an hour, staring in silence

Journey from Irkutsk to Moscow

2009-01-01T22:04:00.003+08:00

We took the train on the December 26th 2008 at 13:18 Moscow time, which was 18:18 for us in Irkutsk (the trains in Russia all follow Moscow time).We boarded the train, which was older than the one we took from Beijing, with more character, 15 minutes in advance. The train had nothing amazing from outside but the inside was really typical. The alley was covered with a light red carpet; the windows

Tips for Irkutsk

2009-01-01T22:03:00.001+08:00

There are few hostels in Irkutsk but the best one (for me) and the most convenient is Downtown hostel. The price is 500 Rubles, 12.6 Euros (depending on the exchange rate) with breakfast included. It’s really cozy, the staff is nice, helpful, and it feels like home. You don’t have to go out every night for dinner, you can just buy all you need and cook it at the hostel. The only thing you could

Irkutsk

2009-01-01T22:01:00.001+08:00

Most of us just go to Irkutsk for a stopover before going to Lake Baikal or Olkhon Island; maybe you should think spending a whole day in Irkutsk. It is far from being a waste of time. It’s a nice little Russian town which is worth visiting. There are few interesting things to see. First, you can find really nice orthodox churches. You can’t really miss them; there are at least 5 of them in the

Journey from Beijing to Irkutsk

2008-12-24T16:59:00.006+08:00

We started our journey in Beijing main train station on the 20th of december 2008 at 22h56.We arrived at the station at about 22h15. As usual, we first had our luggage checked through the annoying x-ray. For those who don't know china, the train stations are comparable to airports; all luggage are checked through an x-ray but, I have to say, in a train station it can be a bit annoying compare to

Traveling in Malaysia

2008-12-19T14:53:00.015+08:00