My 30th birthday (21st Sept)

Firstly i want to say Thankyou to everyone for all my bday well wishes.
I had a great day and will never forget my 30th birthday that's for sure!

The day started with me waking up in our tent with frost on it! and then reading cards from home which i wasn't allowed to open til the day. Then i was "made" to drink about 150ml (no exaggeration!) of vodka straight (i nearly vomited) by a shaman (whom Do and i had had an "exclusive" ceremony with the night before) and then it was followed by about 8 hours of riding a horse with a (chafed) bum and a sunburnt nose. Besides that i had run out of clean undies and so had turned the ones from the day before inside out. I'm laughing now as i type this and i'm guessing it was all to humble me or something?

Some pics from the lake.....

We arrived back to our guesthouse "garage 24' in Khatgal (they had run out of cheese for the pizza i was looking forward to after 6 days on a horse riding trip (cooking our own food with a gas burner) in the mongolian countryside and so i settled for tomato soup, which was then followed by more vodka (this time we had some tonic Thank-God)

It was a pretty funny day.

Do has also promised me that we can celebrate my birthday every month on the 21st for the entirety of the trip so i am happy with that.

We are currently in a place called MORON (i'm not joking) and cos it is shits-ville i hope we can leave tomorrow morning. We cut our horse riding trip short to 6 days - because we couldn't stand to think of heading more north due to the cold and have chosen to try to head to the Gobi desert instead, if we can, before we leave for Beijing on the 6th of Oct.

We are constantly laughing (almost wet my pants today on a dodgem car/rollercoaster like drive back from Khatal to here). They don't believe in roads here, totally cross country style, passing yaks, goats, sheep and all.......... it's a crazy place.

I know i am still due to write about Moscow, the Trans-Mongolain train and our mongolian adventures til now.. and i will, cos it's been 3 weeks since i last wrote from Berlin, but I just wanted to give you all a little update and thank-you for thinking of me and celebrating my birthday.

Missing everyone but having a fab time travelling.
And before i go..., just wanted to tell you.................. i HATE Mongolian food!!!!!!

p.s - some pics to come in the next few days...

Some Trans-Mongolian Train pics

Out the Train window

















Do buying us some food at a station platform (Russia)

Passenger washing the train windows

The restaurant car (and a sneaky pic of our new Danish friends)

Train conductor washing the wndows again at another station

One of my fave pics out the train window...

saving the best pics for later......

ie... when we get home :)

Russian Love?

We had a funny incident upon arrival (11pm) where we realised we had no roubles (Russian currency) for the next day. How were we going to get some water (we were parched by this late stage) or a metro ticket for that matter when no banks were open nor would any be open when we needed to be on the metro early in the morning taking our bags to the train station storage lockers at 8 am.

So.... 2 girls walking around the streets of Moscow first attempted the ATM method, but of course they were located inside a locked bank weren't they... go figure!?!?!

Then Do tried her own special way at exchanging some euros with a waitress in a local resturant (she basically played pictionary with the girl to explain what she wanted) whilst i went red from embarrassment upon realising it was quite an expensive "well to do" restaurant!

We had a laugh as we walked out with some roubles and smiles on our faces.
We then discovered an ATM near our hostel about 1/2 an hour later.... but we had more fun Do's way, i must say.

Well........... what can i say? The Russians are an extremely pushy lot! They push each other, they pushed us and it's not a city for the faint hearted!

We were ignored, screamed at (for not speaking russian!)and pushed around the whole day and our excitement to board the train grew with every minute. We started our day with a tour of the metro underground which are museums in themselves, but after delaing with being pushed/squeezed around for a few stations, we son grew tired of the D.I.Y tour and headed above ground to see the sights.

St Basils was a beautiful building, The Kremlin was closed as was Lenin's tomb at te hour that we were there. We weren't so into seeing an embalmed Lenin anyway..... and so we went and had some borsht (without the vodka or the tears!!)

The best thing we decided about Moscow was the easy access to Caviar in the supermarkets at ultra low prices! Yummy. So of course we stocked up on some for our trans-mongolian train ride which i ahve to be honest, was polished off on the first night of the train trip.






This was for 3 apparent reasons.....

1. It was so delicious!!!
2. There is no means of refrigeration on the trans train
3. We washed it down with vodka and couldn't stop ourselves :) The video is funny but you'll have to wait for that one til after we get home (special audiences only!)

Looking back on our day in Moscow, we were shocked with the way the Russians treated each other and the difference between the classes there. We witnessed a woman beating homeless people and setting her german shephard upon them for sleeping in the waiting hall of the train station and that was more than shocking to us but seemed normal to the Russians waiting in the hall.

We have set about this trip to witness other cultures and to remain open, and although Moscow was only always only stopover for us.... we enjoyed it as best we could by taking in the sights and lovely old buildings but also with excitement in our steps that we were leaving that very night.

We were happy to have our lonely planet with us, though being it in English and all street signs/metro station signs/every sign! being in cyrillic, we had a funny time walking up and down and around a few times sometimes.

We walked through the famous Arbat and resisted buying tacky tourist souvenirs though admittedly i thought twice about a Matrioshka doll but my pack was already packed to the brim.

We both decided Russia was not hot on our "we have to return there" list but here are a few pics from the day anyway!

from holland to deutschland

well i don't think this post will be very long cos the typewriter is a german one (yes it's different), the letters are almost all rubbed off the keys and its ultra annoying!

Just to say that we left Amsterdam without any hiccups early yesterday morning.

Only thing was that (un)lucky for us we chose to take the train to berlin on a weekend when they were doing railworks along a section we needed to travel along. So.... we had to make 2 changes (at Amersfoort and Hengelo)in places we have never been before and shall probably never go again, but for a speacial price of 75 euros for the two of us from Amsterdam to Berlin, i'm not complaining.

Boring boring! places though and lucky that i speak dutch cos the girl at the train station restaurant in Hengelo (where we shared a typical dutch uitsmijter - my 1st after 3 years living in holland - cos the menu was not very extensive) spoke no english.

So we pulled into Berlin's brand spanking new modern station Hauptbahnhof just before 6pm and were happy to find that our train for Moscow this afternoon leaves from the same station (super easy to find).

We found our hostel (Green Eggs and Ham) easily and were quickly in search of dinner and a walk after having sat all day. I followed my instincts to find us a restaurant nearby which i had been to last year. Monsieur Vuong, though not very German is a fabulous Vietnamese restaurant in trendy Mitte which serves delicious food (everything is cheaper here than in Holland!) in a flash. The Mango and coconut shake went down very nicely too. Mmmmmmm.

We then went for a cruise and window shop (i really wanted to shop but the packs are full and as a consolation we quickly decided that a return 'shopping visit to berlin is a must for 2008!) I really love Berlin! Tis a fab city and for a piece of Kaz trivia, my grandfather was born here and Jaffe is actually a German name. Though we haven't walked down it today, there is also a Jaffestrasse here).

Ended up having a fabulous MÖjitÖ at 'Easy Beat' which was quite strong. This bar is in an old carpark/squatter/artist area and is Über cool!

See is told yöü this a german keyboard.

Änyway...... we slept well and awoke excited for our pre-planned brunch at
Gorki park (where we have also been before) which is highly recommended. Decked out with fabulous kitsch interior and serving a buffet brunch for 8.50 euros, i filled up on potato latkes and other german/russian delights to keep me going for the rest of the day.



It's probably also worth a mention at this point that we were SO SO excited for this brunch, that we arrived before the restaurant was even open!! Happily though, we slipped next door for a quick coffee first and discovered that Zur Rose do a fabulous Latte Macchiato. The interior was also fantastic here and the great place to get us warmed up for gorki.

We were satisfied once again and now are on the countdown to boarding the train to Moscow. Cööööööl! Shall post if possible from there, and if not; in Ulanbataar after our epic Trans-Mongolian journey. Ültra Cöööööööl!

Signing off for now from Berlin (have to say it once again though, i love this city!!)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The time has come

Well.....
it's now ten minutes to midnight and after a day of cleaning our apartment, packing our packs to the brim (i would like to pretend that i am a light packer but... I'm not!), trying the packs on and then of course drinking 2 bottles of champagne!! (thanks to ilja, pascalle and andrea) it is slowly sinking in that we are leaving for this life changing adventure tomorrow morning.

Well sort of.......

Think it will take me a while to realise that i am on 6 months holiday, maybe when i'm somwhere in the middle of Russia or Mongolia. Who knows?

No doubt i will share my thoughts when that time comes......

well.... i'm off to sleep in my new sleeping bag......
for the last sleep in Dutch country for a while......

Nighty night xxx

kAz

Counting Down.....

Last post i promised to include our packing list. Then after starting to type it... i realised it was such ULTRA boring reading material ... socks... undies you know what i mean..... so i'd rather be just a little bit more useful/entertaining and instead just include the "clever items" that are included in our packing list. Things that you really appreciate when you're away and are glad that you remembered to bring.

This list is hopefully helpful to anyone embarking on a similar trip to ours in the future, and for those that are "armchair travelling" with us (thanks Anita for the term) for the 6 months, just bear with me :)
Insulated Mug with Lid (and spoon) (Great for noodles and surprise broths which can be bought at stations along the Trans-Mongolian route)
Instant Coffee/Tea bags (unlimited boiling water available on the train)
Noodle Cup a soups
Instant Hot Choc
Small squeegee for cleaning dirty train windows (Makes for better viewing and photos!)
Wet Ones (cleansing wipes)
Toilet paper (for use in an emergency)
Journal (and Pen!)
Activator (Chiropractic Adjusting Instrument)
Torch
Alarm Clock
Calculaor
Photos of friends and family (to show people you meet)
Ipod (can store photos for extra back up) and help on long train journeys
Vegemite (now it comes in handy travel squeezy tubes)


What's Vegemite you ask?!?!? I'm very aware that my Dutch friends have not grown up with it, so i have included the links below. Growing up in Australia, we all ate it on sandwiches at school or on toast for brekkie.
Actually, i like Vegemite, and admittedly we did put in an order in for 4 tubes (thanks mum for the package) , but i have to say... Do absolutely loves the stuff. Not bad for a Frenchie who grew up with brie and/or camembert on toast or croissants/pain au chocolat for breakfast. I sure know which one i would choose. lol


Wikipedia Vegemite
or
Official Vegemite Site


Anyway..... i digress.....

We are now on the countdown big time! In less than 2 weeks we will already been on our first choo choo (train) heading East. I have already been saying goodbyes at work for 4 weeks now and surprisingly it still hasn't really hit me that much that we are leaving for 6 months. I think it will after next week after we move our things into storage and live very minimally for our last few days in Amsterdam. Good way to test out the new sleeping bags i say!

We have been spending our time lately running around getting the last of essential items, researching where we want to go, saying goodbyes to friends and having dinner/drinks etc and also by finishing off the last details on our Discover Connection website. (see link on the right) Do has done an amazing job and although i have helped with the content, english text and photos, she has done all the programming and design herself. So now with the maps online you can really follow us whilst we are away and learn a bit more about our destinations when we do. Technology really is amazing. Let's hope i can find internet cafe's in the majority of the towns/villages we visit. Well at least with computers that have english letters on the typewriter. Typing in Chinese, or Russian for that matter, is not my forte.

So...we have our tickets (until mongolia), visas (until china), passports, travel insurance, guide books and my heart is beginning to beat a little bit faster and well.... i'm smiling from ear to ear with an extra bounce in my step.

Goodbye Amsterdam.... Hello Asia!
Or should i say .... Hallo Berlin.......Zdrastvuytie Moscow...... Sain bai-na uu Mongolia..... or Ni hao China?
Ok ok, you get my point. Now then, i guess i am getting a bit excited then aren't I?!?

Time Ticking Away

Well it was 5 weeks ago that i started this blog and oh... how things have come along since then. With less than 5 weeks to go before our departure date... all our preparations are falling into place.

Firstly before i start though, i promised to share Dorothee's blog address so if anyone can read French, then they can also read her version of our adventure while we are away.

Do's Blog (Autourdegaia link)

More specific details regarding where we are travelling to and through can be found in the "our journey" section of our website..... it has been updated and although still under construction shall be finished before we depart.

But to cut to the chase.... or explain why we may be absent from our blog at times due to us being mid travel or in the mid-dle of nowhere.... our confirmed travel details currently available are.....

Sept 1: Amsterdam to Berlin by train (6 hours)
Sleep at "Green Eggs and Ham" in Berlin
I couldn't really resist this hostel. Loved the name! Only in Germany....

Sept 2: Berlin to Moscow by sleeper train (29 hours) via Poland and Belarus

Sept 3: Arrive Moscow
Sample the vodka and other Russian delights
Sleep at the aptly named "Trans-Siberian Hostel" located in central Moscow.

Sept 4: Run-around tour of Moscow for the day
Moscow to Ulanbator with the Trans-Mongolian Railway.

Trans-Siberian Railway

This epic trip is 6265km and will take 5days and 10 hours.

We are travelling 1st class on this famous train. This means only Dorothee and i are in the cabin. We share a shower with another 1st class cabin. This train ride is often called the "vodka train" so we opted for "deluxe 1st class" (2pax) over the 2nd class cabins (4pax). 1st class cabins are "wood-panelled compartments", have "wider bunks","arm chairs" and a "pull-down window" and are "carpeted" so let's see. I saw a video on u-tube recently of some drunken russian men on the train and since have had bad visuals of us being stuck in a cabin with some vodka skulling russians for 5 days. Could make or break the trip i guess so.... I'm happy to splurge on 1st class for this once in a lifetime trip and not risk it!


Sept 9: Arrive Ulanbator, Mongolia

Sept 21: I turn 30!!!!!!!!
Dorothee is under a wee bit of pressure here seeing she is the only one who knows me to be with me for this "momentous" occasion. I am hoping to celebrate in style with yak milk or vodka (i guess?) with Do and some be-friended Mongolians in a Ger tent by Lake Khovsgol. I don't think i shall ever forget where i celebrated my 30th that's for sure! For you at home... hold the presents til my next visit ;) but i shall expect a flood of emails in my inbox....................

As our Mongolian visa is for 30 days only, we plan to be back on the Trans-Mongolian railway heading to Beijing within a month.

After seeing Beijing and The Great Wall of course, we will then make our way down along the coast of China to Shanghai. Then we head inland onto the Yunnan Province and then up to the Sichuan Province to Chengdu. We will be stopping off of course to see the Pandas at the Nature Reserve. Can't wait!!! See the travel maps on our website for more info but after 2 months in total in China (maybe we head to Vietnam for a few days.... we'll see....) we to fly out of Chengdu to Kathmandu, Nepal on the 24th of November.

other exact travel details to be shared as we know them :)

So regarding our preparations...we have been getting more excited each time we receive tickets and of course it was fabulous to hear that all our Visas up until China have been finalised and are ready to be picked up from the visum bureau in Amsterdam. Yippppppeeeeeeee!

Just quickly..... this visa centre (http://www.visum.nl) organised all our visas (Belarus transit, Russian + invitation to Russia, Mongolia and China) saving us the hassle of travelling to each different embassy. For example, our closest Mongolian Embassy is in Brussels, Belgium 3 hours away by train!

We have also been shopping a lot (2 girls remember) for the trip and next blog i shall include a list of essentials and then of course the added luxuries which we are taking for our 6 month journey.

We have only one month to go!!!!! Woooooohoooooooooo!