Exactly five years ago to this day, I embarked on an epic journey. One would think that a Trans-Siberian journey should be somewhat uneventful. To many, myself included, Russia and Mongolia are rather mysterious before this adventure. Well, I can tell you one thing; Russians and Mongolians are no stranger than the Westerners. The Chinese are a different story though.
My journey started with a “$49 CAD” group tour in Shanghai and areas surrounding the Yangtze River. It had been twelve years since I last traveled with a group. China International Travel Services (CITS) used to have a rule of “one landmark, one designated shop”. This special group executed a “one landmark to three designated shops” itinerary. I was lured into joining what is commonly known in the Chinese community a "shopping tour" because of the attractive nominal price.
On one hand, the guides would tell their overseas Chinese guests with Canadian passports that China has become incredibly wealthy and its people are enjoying better benefits than ever. In the same breath, they would pressure us to make significant purchase at the sponsors’ retail shops before the coaches would leave for the next place of visit. I enjoyed the sights very much and learned a great deal of Chinese history from one local guide. I wish, however, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang tourism authorities would adopt a more up-front marketing method in the future. Overseas Chinese in general have been very supportive of China and its people for decades before the economic boom.
After the group tour, I flew into Moscow from Shanghai. My initial impression of Moscow was that Russians are English phobic. My first time in Lenningrad train station in Moscow was indeed very memorable. I had to spend 3.5 hours there just to purchase an overnight train ticket to St. Petersburg and to store my luggage. Russia has to be one of the few countries in the world where workers, who deal with foreigners on a daily basis, don’t have to learn English. As a result, the rate that I was picking up Russian words was unprecedented.
Even though St. Petersburg is very pretty, it is even more difficult to find people who would want to speak English. People would naturally back up or start to run when they hear the question, ``Do you speak English?`` Some locals actually thought that I was a Russian ethnic minority. They looked rather disgusted. As I was later informed by an English-speaking Siberian, there are pockets in big cities in Russia where the ethnic groups would lead lives as if they were still living in Central Asia.
As I got further and further into the heart of Siberia, Russians got friendlier and more fluent in English. By the time that I left Ulan-Ude, I found out that Russians are actually very hospitable and have a good sense of humour. It was already too late. My visa would expire Oct 10th and I had already visited five Russian cities.
Even though the border guards were stern looking, I was treated very well by the Mongolian Immigration officials. I managed to get a 10-day transit visa on arrival at the land border. The officer told me that I had used up his last visa sticker and I should buy a lottery ticket when I get to China. I know I have achieved this task not because of my good looks since I was blowing my nose and coughing the whole time.
I could spend 2.5 days in Mongolia so all my sightseeing was done within the capital, Ulaan Bataar. The temperature was around 14 degrees during the day as compared to 5 degrees in Ulan-Ude. The face of the all-time Mongolian celebrity, Genghis Khan is on all everything. Well, I have to agree with the Mongolian on this. The Mongols rule two ancient civilizations much bigger than their land and wealthier, namely China and India. Written Mongolian is somewhat Russian looking. Again, I blended in quite well by uttering a few Russian words. A bank teller even spoke to me in Mongolian until I stared at him with puzzling eyes. Mongolian women are gentle people whereas Mongolian men could be quite chauvinistic. Thanks to the chauvinistic Mongolian men in my train compartment, I was forced to get a lot of beauty sleep on my way to the Mongolian-Chinese border at Zamid Uud.
Because I have visited Beijing several times before, I opted to end my Trans-Siberian journey in Taiyuan, Shanxi. I like Pingyao very much; it is an ancient walled city south of Taiyuan. To my surprise, I ended up spending almost a whole day in Shanxi Museum in Taiyuan. I particularly enjoyed the creative ways that the Museum presents the artefacts. The Wang Family Grand Courtyard and Yuncang Grottoes would be on the agenda of my next visit to Shanxi.
I have spent my last 3 days in Xiamen visiting my brother and his family. My 4-year niece is a 3D photocopy of me. While visiting Tulou, I did my final mad dash of souvenir shopping and raising the local GDP by a few percentage points. You see, Fujian province is also famous for its teas and handcrafted candies.
All in all, this journey had been one of great diversity in scope, climate, cultures, languages, food and religions.
My journey started with a “$49 CAD” group tour in Shanghai and areas surrounding the Yangtze River. It had been twelve years since I last traveled with a group. China International Travel Services (CITS) used to have a rule of “one landmark, one designated shop”. This special group executed a “one landmark to three designated shops” itinerary. I was lured into joining what is commonly known in the Chinese community a "shopping tour" because of the attractive nominal price.
On one hand, the guides would tell their overseas Chinese guests with Canadian passports that China has become incredibly wealthy and its people are enjoying better benefits than ever. In the same breath, they would pressure us to make significant purchase at the sponsors’ retail shops before the coaches would leave for the next place of visit. I enjoyed the sights very much and learned a great deal of Chinese history from one local guide. I wish, however, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang tourism authorities would adopt a more up-front marketing method in the future. Overseas Chinese in general have been very supportive of China and its people for decades before the economic boom.
After the group tour, I flew into Moscow from Shanghai. My initial impression of Moscow was that Russians are English phobic. My first time in Lenningrad train station in Moscow was indeed very memorable. I had to spend 3.5 hours there just to purchase an overnight train ticket to St. Petersburg and to store my luggage. Russia has to be one of the few countries in the world where workers, who deal with foreigners on a daily basis, don’t have to learn English. As a result, the rate that I was picking up Russian words was unprecedented.
Even though St. Petersburg is very pretty, it is even more difficult to find people who would want to speak English. People would naturally back up or start to run when they hear the question, ``Do you speak English?`` Some locals actually thought that I was a Russian ethnic minority. They looked rather disgusted. As I was later informed by an English-speaking Siberian, there are pockets in big cities in Russia where the ethnic groups would lead lives as if they were still living in Central Asia.
As I got further and further into the heart of Siberia, Russians got friendlier and more fluent in English. By the time that I left Ulan-Ude, I found out that Russians are actually very hospitable and have a good sense of humour. It was already too late. My visa would expire Oct 10th and I had already visited five Russian cities.
Even though the border guards were stern looking, I was treated very well by the Mongolian Immigration officials. I managed to get a 10-day transit visa on arrival at the land border. The officer told me that I had used up his last visa sticker and I should buy a lottery ticket when I get to China. I know I have achieved this task not because of my good looks since I was blowing my nose and coughing the whole time.
I could spend 2.5 days in Mongolia so all my sightseeing was done within the capital, Ulaan Bataar. The temperature was around 14 degrees during the day as compared to 5 degrees in Ulan-Ude. The face of the all-time Mongolian celebrity, Genghis Khan is on all everything. Well, I have to agree with the Mongolian on this. The Mongols rule two ancient civilizations much bigger than their land and wealthier, namely China and India. Written Mongolian is somewhat Russian looking. Again, I blended in quite well by uttering a few Russian words. A bank teller even spoke to me in Mongolian until I stared at him with puzzling eyes. Mongolian women are gentle people whereas Mongolian men could be quite chauvinistic. Thanks to the chauvinistic Mongolian men in my train compartment, I was forced to get a lot of beauty sleep on my way to the Mongolian-Chinese border at Zamid Uud.
Because I have visited Beijing several times before, I opted to end my Trans-Siberian journey in Taiyuan, Shanxi. I like Pingyao very much; it is an ancient walled city south of Taiyuan. To my surprise, I ended up spending almost a whole day in Shanxi Museum in Taiyuan. I particularly enjoyed the creative ways that the Museum presents the artefacts. The Wang Family Grand Courtyard and Yuncang Grottoes would be on the agenda of my next visit to Shanxi.
I have spent my last 3 days in Xiamen visiting my brother and his family. My 4-year niece is a 3D photocopy of me. While visiting Tulou, I did my final mad dash of souvenir shopping and raising the local GDP by a few percentage points. You see, Fujian province is also famous for its teas and handcrafted candies.
All in all, this journey had been one of great diversity in scope, climate, cultures, languages, food and religions.
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