We never intended to go on sightseeing hikes with our luggage in tow, but the work we did on the wheels and the lightening of our loads turned our cumbersome travel cases into well-behaved units that just seemed to follow us around. When we left Gisborne, our luggage total was 22kg plus two backpacks and a guitar, but up until this point in the journey, we had not needed to add to that load.
We had only allowed ourselves two nights in Novosibirsk, which was ample to look around this bustling city.
Leaving our markThe city is not a tourist mecca but as we travelled further west, the improvement in the economy became very noticeable. During our stay, we managed to introduce three local lads to country music. They were playing guitar on the street corner below our apartment, I took the backpack and guitar and joined them!
They were a little bit sceptical to start with, but seemed amazed that the wee guitar played country style with a passable sound. They admitted that their local music, although very classical, wasn’t a shade on country music. They were quite impressed. If even one of them continues to spread the word about country music, we have left our mark in Novosibirsk.
The further we travelled in this huge country, the more of the well-meaning but sometimes negative travel advice we could put to rest. We met wonderful, warm, friendly people who welcomed us with open arms, not the steal-the-shirt-off-your-back people we were warned about.
Also, the further west we travelled, the more English was spoken, and we discovered that our lack of Russian language skills, although frustrating, was not really a handicap.
Welcoming, warm peopleThe patience and willingness of the people to listen and help made communicating so easy. We considered ourselves blessed to be able to travel through another world where the masses of tourists had not yet created the commercialism that spoils the uniqueness of the places we visited.
The signs of the Soviet regime were more evident to us here than in the Balkans. We thought that what we saw in the Balkans was an indication that Mother Russia had been appropriating wealth from the satellites; however, it seems that the reverse is the reality.
The humbling part when comparing our own lifestyle with the lifestyles people led there in what was surely one of the super powers of the world, was the attitude of the people: unlike some of the whingers we have in our own society, they just make the most of what they have and get on with life.
The right-hand drive Japanese import vehicles were still noticeable there, but there were quite a few upmarket European cars there as well.
One of our contentions about rail travel was that it gives passengers a look at the local’s backyards, and this epic journey certainly gave us a look at lots of backyards and small holdings.
There were many gardens and there were potatoes growing in many of the gardens and also huge amounts of firewood stock piled in the backyards.
The $3 bottles of Vodka available in the supermarkets probably attest to the oversupply of potatoes nationally. And, who knows, maybe the huge amount of firewood we saw was not just for use in the cold, icy winters but also needed to fire the stills?
Heading to MoscowThe leg from Novosibirsk to Moscow was another mere 3000km, and three time zones! The accommodation was good, and although first class was not really luxurious, it was as comfortable as we could have expected. We had ample hot water available for making coffee and instant noodles on the train, and we supplemented the food we brought with us at some of the stops along the way with the odd ice-cream and treat.
All in all, it was a wonderful journey, although we really appreciated showers and toilets that did not ‘rock and roll’ once we got to Moscow.
However, the next challenge once we got to Moscow was to travel from the station via the Metro system to our apartment in the central city.
