Russia! I still can’t believe I went there, and it still doesn’t feel real till I recollect memories of me running past shop-fronts with words I couldn’t read and overheard conversations that were entirely unrecognizable. With other languages, it’s not uncommon to at least pickup or make sense of a few words, not Russian. The disbelief seems to be similar amongst the group, as I discussed the situation at hand with the other winners of the Follow Up Siberia competition. As a group, we have people from Australia, UK, Canada, India, Switzerland, Brazil, Serbia, and Canada, plus the organising cohort from Russia. The mix of people and a vast array of life experiences always excites me. Meeting and spending time with people from all different walks of life, careers, and ages I believe allows a person to become more grounded, open-minded, thoughtful and inspired. It’s when we surround ourselves with cultures different from our own that we learn and grow at a far more rapid rate than when our day to day stimulus remains the same.
Bet you didn’t think Siberia would look like this?
If you missed my previous post, here’s why I’m going to Siberia!
“Follow Up Siberia” is an international online contest that invites participants to find similarities between Siberia and their place of residence by posting a photo or video on Instagram , Youtube or Facebook with the hashtag #FollowUpSiberia . The contest winners form four teams, each of whom visits a different region of Siberia, being followed and filmed by Euronews . The ten most active participants in the first four rounds will be invited a second time in March 2019 at the 29th Universiade Winter Games(international university multisport competition) to be held in Krasnoyarsk. The first roundtook place in May 2018, the second in August, the third in October and the last one in January 2019. This operation is jointly organized by Nornickel , Euronews and the Universiade Winter Games in Krasnoyarsk. If the winners of the third round are already selected, you can always try your luck for the fourth round and leave for Siberia too!
Moscow to Siberia!
With people arriving from all the countries mentioned above, logistically it’s always a difficult task to get everyone arriving at the same time. The night before leaving to Siberia, a small group of us went for dinner in an old Soviet Style restaurant. I am a huge believer that trying food, eating with people and going to restaurants plays such a pivotal part in the process of immersing yourself in a new culture. There was an array of options but the first food we tried was Pilmeni, similar to that of a dumpling from other Asian cuisines. Pilmeni comes in both a savoury and sweet form, both of which we ate till we couldn’t no more.
We flew out of Moscow Domodevo airport to a city named Krasnoyarsk where would spend the next 4 days.
Krasnoyarsk
First impression: We flew in at golden hour, over a land of forests and golden fields. This was far different to flying in over any city, coastal town or island. To every horizon you could lay your eyes on, you could see lush fields, old Russian style houses, and forest trees. Siberia certainly was a large place, this was confirmed by the 4 hour time zone change for a 4-hour flight from Moscow to Krasnoyarsk. There are not many countries where the time zone will change 4 hours in one flight, and that wasn’t even going across half the country! Siberia was certainly vast but as soon as we jumped on the bus, I could tell this place wasn’t ‘baron’ like I thought it may have been in my pre-trip interview. I snuck out for a quick run as soon as we dropped our bags at the accommodation and instantly I was in awe. Warmth in the air and a buzz around the streets, Krasnoyarsk was a city that was alive. I was out for 20 minutes but in that time I ran across the main river and through surrounding parks. A vibe was apparent, Krasnoyarsk had something going on, something that sparked my curiosity early. As night fell, the full group meandered down the river bank to find tens of thousands of people strolling around with balloons and listening to the highly energetic orchestra on stage. Led by an extremely passionate and showy orchestrator, the whole crowd was engaged and dancing. By the time my head hit the pillow that night, my first impression of Siberia/Krasnoyarsk was incredible. I felt like a little kid at Christmas carols under the fireworks, excited to see what was coming next.
Day 1/2: City Day – First full day
Our first day out on the town was spent exploring the city of Krasnoyarsk. Would you believe me if I told you the weather peaked at thirty degrees? It was warm and as a result, the people of Krasnoyarsk were out in numbers. It was a big day, with a big media presentation for the first tickets being sold for the 2019 Winter Universiade. The 2019 Winter Universiade is a huge sporting event for all winter sports, at a level not far under the Olympics. Athletes across the world train for the World University Games, this is the winter equivalent. It’s being held in Krasnoyarsk next year which is why we are here. To show the world, that in the middle of Siberia, there is a big city Krasnoyarsk that actually has a lot happening.
Only being in Siberia for a short amount of time, there was a lot to take in. Being hyper-stimulated by new experiences and sights on every new corner, every bus ride and every conversation my mind and senses were in overdrive. I could go on for a long time in detail about each day, but instead, I’m going to talk about my favorite experiences and some of my thoughts throughout the course of the tour.
Yushin Brothers Barber Loft
I had no idea what to expect heading into the Yushin Brothers Barber Loft. Immediately I was impressed by the amazing space we walked into. An open area, with couches, space for musicians, a piano, bar and of course, seats and mirrors for the clients receiving haircuts. Denis Yushin has built up a multi-level space with a lot of creative energy about it and instantly, you feel inspired by your surroundings. Within a short time I was nominated for a haircut from Denis, and although I thought I didn’t need one, he managed to tidy up my unkept locks.
We were fortunate enough to sit down and hear Denis’ life story so far. He is an extremely fascinating person; Denis has traveled extensively and only on a very small budget. When he left Siberia for his travels, he left with $800 dollars and went away for a year visiting 12 different countries. As a barber, he believed he could offer a service in return for food and a place for sleep. He went as far as Japan, and despite the intense language barrier he managed to get by just fine. As someone who also travels on a very tight budget, for example, I left to Russia with only $88 in my bank account, I could relate to him and his belief in the universe that everything will work out if you back yourself to take the risk and step out into the world. I loved most Denis’ desire to continuously chase his dreams in a way where he both combines travel and his creative interests. I too hope to one day have a place where I can work on my creative interests after returning from travels, where I can invite and host people from all around the world.
Bobrovy Log National Fun Park
The theme park held one of my favourite moments from the trip. Although the log park is setup for the snow-season with numerous ski-lifts up the large hills, the ski-lifts also doubled as a transport to the forest hikes and a flying fox up the top. I found the ski-lifts very relaxing, as we cruised up in-between the huge trees looking back over the expansive city of Krasnoyarsk.
Whilst at Bobrovy Log National Fun park, we did a vast array of activities. A very unique event which was on whilst with a lot of hype and energy behind it. The event was called Letniy Gornoluzhnik Festival; the local Siberians dressed up in wild costumes and would launch themselves down a large slip-n-slide. Our group split into two, one half dressing up in traditional Siberian clothing, and the other wearing the Follow Up Siberia costume. We went down the slide in teams, flying down into a pool surrounded by hundreds of cheering Russians. Everyone was buzzing because the weather was impeccable and entertainment from the slide and costumes were so humorous.
From here, we had a look around the forest up at the top. I was astonished by the view, with forest trees and layers for as far as the eye could see. I will always be fascinated by the depth of national parks, wondering what it’s like in the middle of it all, if it’s been explored before and what creatures inhabit it. Following on from here, we raced from the top to the bottom of the mountain on the flying fox that was setup in the park. We hit high speeds, and it was a real rush as we were suddenly let go from behind a wall that held us all suspended.
Above all, the highlight was the roller coaster ride. I get such a buzz from going fast and putting myself in high places, and the roller coaster ride did a great job of combining both. On our first round, we were put in a sled-like device and winched up a very long and steep track to the top of the large hill. It was incredibly steep going up so I knew I was going to go fast on the way down. My favourite part of the bobsled x roller coaster ride was that we were in control of the braking mechanism on the sled, allowing us to go full throttle all the way. Going down, I didn’t pull on the brake once, resulting in me zipping around bends and down rails at speeds over 60km/hr through dense Siberian forest. I managed to take this up a level after, going down the track with my friend Nic. Once we got moving and picked up momentum, I think we were both genuinely scared but couldn’t stop laughing from the fun we had and the adrenaline that filled our veins.
Our final day took us to Stolby National Park which was my favourite place on the Follow Up Siberia tour. We arrived at the national park early via the team bus and were greeted by a lovely local lady Svetlana who would be our guide for the day. Stolby National Park has multiple sections to it, with only a very small portion being accessible to the public. A lot of the national park is zoned off which is a tactical move to preserve the amazing forestry. The park expands for many, maybe even hundreds of kilometres, however, we were just exploring a small corner of it. We meandered through the forest, stopping at numerous lookouts, rocks and interesting landscapes to absorb the sunshine and views. Our final destination was magnificent. We climbed up the top of a large rock formation, which had full panoramic views. What was so unique about the view was the multiple layers of trees but the other rock formations which stood tall above the trees scattered randomly in all directions. Nic and I sat for hours on the highest viewpoint we could find, taking photos and in the beauty that surrounded us. Let me mention too, the weather was thirty degrees celsius! I bet you didn’t think that kind of weather existed in Siberia.
There were a lot of other things that I will remember fondly, such as trying many different local cuisines, but as a nature lover and adventure lover, these were my highlights from my time in Siberia.
I really want to go back to Siberia again. I am so grateful for the experience Follow Up Siberia gave to me, and I hope one day I will make it back to further explore the expansive region in more depth.
Big Love,
JL
Open your mind and never let your own, or other’s misconceptions take control of what really stands in front of you. – Josh Lynott
