China

After two unsuccessful attempts to post to my blog via my cellphone, I am trying one from a PC. I have read reports of Internet censorship in China and I can't seem to access my blog via a Chinese PC. I didn't think that I was popular (or controversial) enough to merit this type of attention. Considering that I can't see my friend's blogs either, I assume that Blogger-powered blogs in general are shut out. Creepy, creepy, creepy. Hopefully this post makes it through.

The first few hours in China have been good. I enjoyed being thrown around in my train car last night as they changed the train trucks from Russian-gauge to Chinese-gauge. The ride from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing took us through the edge of the Gobi desert. This was the first time that I have seen a landscape so large with absolutely no plant material. Sand everywhere you looked for 5 hours and we truly only glanced the edge. Arriving in Beijing was easy, but hectic. It seemed as if all 1.3 billion people in the country had come to stand right in front of me. Luckily I made it to my hostel quickly. My first impressions of Beijing is that it is a metropolitan city (besides the blatant Internet censorship). Tomorrow I make the tourist rounds to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. On Thursday I am going indoor skiing. I'd say that I'll post pictures, but you might have to wait until the 6th for those, when I get to Hong Kong.

Blog

Hopefully my last post made it to this blog. I tried to check it from an Internet cafe in Beijing, but my blog was blocked. I didn't think my writing was good enough to merit any attention whatsoever, but I'll take what I can get. Since I couldn't pull up any Blogger-powered blogs I assume that I am actually not special.

Beijing is great so far. Very metropolitan, and very smoggy. I'm sure the next few days will produce some great pictures, and hopefully some good stories.

Last Day in Ulaanbaatar

I thought that I would post some final pictures from Mongolia. Among the Russian Minibus and furry Mitsubishi (which certainly trumps my furry skis. I wonder if it sheds in spring?) is a picture of the LG Guesthouse. This was a great place. Hospitality and generosity that reflect the rest of the country. Good room too, all at $8 a night. I included the picture of the two 100 year-old Mongolian locks because they are beautiful (especially the keys) and they are still being used today.

Tomorrow morning I board a train for Beijing. As I said in my previous post, Mongolia has been wonderful. My grandfather commented on my last post saying that others could learn from Mongolia. This certainly seems true. The country appears to support a healthy rural/nomadic/traditional culture as well as an active urban center. It seems that the country realizes that maintaining this balance is important for the well being of the citizens and the development of a tourist economy. This is a compromise that is not achieved everywhere. Hopefully Mongolia can maintain this relationship between the old and the new into the future. I am volunteering myself to come back and check.

Horse _____

I have been in Mongolia with my father for 5 days now. At a loss for words I am providing a list of things that I (and I am sure that this goes for my Dad as well) will not forget:



1.Generosity and Happiness (everywhere we went, we were welcomed into people's homes and lives. We were never allowed to leave until we were offered food and drink. Without fail, after a slow first five minutes, everyone opened up into lots of laughter and gestural discussion)

2.Horse Milk

3.Horse Cheese (not cheese so much, more like a milk cake. We learned not to bite this brick, but rather to follow the local's lead and leave it in your mouth for hours until it doesn't soften up)

4.Horse Milk (no typo, I include this again because we were treated to horse milk practically every time we sat down)

5.Airag (fermented horse milk. Yummmmm)

6.Horse meat (not altogether new until we realized that it was not smoked or salted, just old. Yummmmm)

7.Russian Minibus (as rough, cold and hard as you would imagine soviet machinery to be, but after 300km it was very endearing-and questionably reliable)

8.Cute kids (it was rare to pass anyone under the age of 15 without them waving or saying hello)

9.Horse singing guy (everywhere we went there was one man who sang while standing next to horses. Same 2-note song every time)

10.Camels (riding a camel just confirmed my suspition that they are from another planet)

11.Astronomy (seeing the rings of saturn through a telescope at the Mongolian National Observatory. Absolutely unforgetable)



Obviously I was not at a complete loss for words, but I can't ever do justice to this experience. Yet another place I will have to return to. Next time I'll follow my Dad's lead and bring Altoids. Watching a father and son pass a single Altoid between them while looking pained and amused is one of the funier things that I have seen.

Mongolia

Pictures now. Text later!

Anytime Ice Cream

I have found a place to download my pictures and put them on my blog. I know that everyone is just as happy as I am. I don't necessarily enjoy reading my writing either. The first two days in Ulaanbaatar have been good, but the pictures here (and text below them) concern the first leg of my trans-Mongolian trip:














It was probably about fifteen below Fahrenheit in Ulan-Ude and I could not resist buying an ice cream bar from a babushka. I bought my treat with the satisfaction that I could take my time eating it, but my ears threw in the towel within five minutes. As I saw in Moscow as well, anytime seems to be the right time for ice cream in Russia. I've included a few shots of the series taken from out of my window. We all decided that a bottle of glass cleaner and a rag would have been as useful as the Nescafe and toilet paper that we were holding so dear. There are two shots from the dinning car and a few others from inside my coupe. One photo shows the sunrise over lake Baikal, a moment that I will never forget. Our car was kept warm by a giant coal-fired furance which meant that every stop was an opportunity to reload. This often created a dusty mess. Though I am off of the train now, I reboard next Sunday and have another 30 hours to go until I reach Beijing. This time I will remember to clean my window.

Omsk

Omsk Siberia, Russia. Run off the train. Buy some water and food. Make a show of ourselves as we pile off of the train. The landscape is spectacular. Short, choppy writing due to quickly ending coverage.

Wow

My roomie had to run onto a moving train. Still moving towards Mongolia.

106 Hours

Off to Mongolia. Caught a great show in Moscow that left me with far to little time to catch my train. After a good 15 minute sprint I found the platform. Assigned to a compartment with a guy named Matt who was born in the same hospital that I was. The world is truly very small. Not to mention that we have mutual friends. I can't wait to see what the next 5 days bring me. And I do mean "bring me" as I will be staring out as rural Russia passes by my window.

From Russia With Love

Another great day and night in Moscow has me wanting to stay. I am genuinely captivated by the people. The "Russian Soul" is a well worn topic for good reason. The cold and infrasructure is at odds with (or the cataylst for) the intense interpersonal relationships that have defined this city for me. I do not find this to be a socially forbidding place, but it is hesitant towards strangers. Thanks to bilingual friends, I have instant access to a warmth that is practically unparalled. I can confidently say that if I spoke Russian (and I am working as fast as I can) I would find a way to stay here. With any luck I will be based out of London next year and I will be maximizing my relative proximity to this amazing place.

P.A.R.T.Y.

Moscow is great. Meeting up with an old friend (Caz, black shirt in photos) has made the entire experience even better. The weather is cold, and it's snowing consistently. Being without a winter so far, I feel like my soul has been refreshed (and my toes frozen). I have been in Russia for 48 hours and I have already experienced the warm acceptance of strangers (that has lead to much over-eating and over-drinking) that I remember from my first visit here 9 years ago. Last night I ate dinner at a friend's house and left so full of food that I was sure every breath would cause me to burst. My friend Caz has been here for more than two years, it is easy to see why. I really like this place.

Contrasts

After two thirds of a day in Moscow I can agree with everyone who says that this is a city of extremes. The contrast between the superwealthy and the poor is not defined by neighborhoods or blocks, but between storefronts. Haute Couture meets disassembled car is a familiar scene. In a sea of monochromatic brown coats, there is suddenly a woman in pink fur. The sidewalks are being plowed by ancient tractors who strain to avoid the Porsches and Mercedes that are haphazardly parked halfway on the curb. I am certain that any photos I post will not effectively capture this disparity, but I will try.

Moscow

Watching the snow fall in Moscow, it's pretty hard to get my head around the fact that I am finally here. I have barely had time to find a place to sleep, so my intial impressions consist of only fatigue, but I am glad to be here.

Weather

The entire London public transit system is in turmoil today. Apparently due to "adverse" weather. Looks like riding weather to me. I fly to Moscow tomorrow morning where I will be picking up the first stage of my trans-mongolian train journey on next Tuesday. Anyone check the weather in Mongolia lately?

Walking in London

I am now back in London, about to board the train towards Russia, Mongolia and then China. Today I went for a stroll and took some photos.

Via Lattea Pictures

Pictures from Via Lattea, outside of Torino Italy. With more snow, I would certainly return. The mountains were amazing, the skiing was fun, and the infrastructure was photo-worthy.

The Economist

Everyone should immediately step away from their computers (not before reading the rest of this post) and buy this week's issue of The Economist. Within this issue (cover pictured above) there is an article by our friend Blake Ewing entitled Conservation in Colorado, Mountains for the centuries (click on the title to read the article). That's right, this is the same Blake who has been featured here on 5pairs. I will probably avoid reading the article, but everyone else should go buy a copy. All kidding aside, I am extremly impressed.

Why?

It seems that everyday on the bike brings a few farmiliar questions. "Why are you doing this?" "What does your mother think?" and the classic, " Isn't this all very dangerous?" While I often struggle to answer the first question, the last question has just been answered for me. As demonstrated by my grandfather (Afi) in his comment to my last post, we have a family history of such behavior:

"Matt- I was on skis only once for 1 hour, and decided it was not for me. Too Dangerous! I prefer something safe like aerobatics in an open cockpit biplane."

To each his own.

3 Important Discoveries

1: Carhartts really do work as ski pants. Anytime, anywhere.

2: Italy is full of beautiful and talented female ski racers.

3: Beautiful and talented ski racers want nothing to do with someone who skis in Carhartts.

Skiing

My cousin's comment on yesterday's post said it perfectly "skiing is better than breathing". This was certainly true today. I couldn't wipe the grin from my face. What little snow there was, was good enough. Not a cloud all day meant that it was a perfect day for crusing.

As expected, skiing in Italy proved to be a bit of a fashion show. It seemed that everyone was prideful of their skiwear, be it from 2007, or 1987. I can assume that my Carhartt pants and dirty jacket have never been fashionable ski wear, but they do have their advantages (like being able to hold a hammer in the hammer holder). Two more days of avoiding rocks in Italy (and hopefully a day in China) will make this my shortest ski season ever, but definetly the most memorable.