Sunny Siberia
Today's my 3rd and final day in Tomsk. It's quite a long time for a fairly small place but fortunately it's a pleasant enough small city to ramble about in. The hotel is odd in that it's actually two hotels in the one building, so when you enter there's a reception desk on each side of the foyer! Although the hotel does have wi-fi I couldn't get it to work so no phone calls from this stop unfortunately, but otherwise it's been fine, although as part of breakfast you're given a yoghurt but no spoon to eat it with! No doubt yet another example of a Russian system where it's expected that everyone knows how the system works. As it turned out I had to use the spoon from my coffee cup. Maybe that's what everyone does but I didn't want to stare at others eating away at their breakfast to see how they do it as they'd likely think me a crackpot.
That said, being a foreign tourist in Russia probably does that automatically. Playing the dumb tourist does have its advantages though. For instance on the Russian trains there are two toilets in the carriage. One of them is next to the Provodniks' room and has a sign on it, so maybe it's for their use, but as is typical it's just a lot of writing with no helpful visual aid to otherwise deduce what's meant so if the other toilet is busy I go and use it. No-one's scoulded me so far, so I'll keep trying my luck!
Not speaking the language does certainly have its drawbacks too, but with the younger generation at least they do make an effort to help. For instance in my first day in Tomsk I visited a cafe that's all decored out as a 1960s diner. Fortunately there were screens showing pictures of some of the food on offer, and I spotted a pizza, so I asked for that "chicken?" offered the girl behind the counter "yes! yes, chicken pizza!" I respond enthusiastically, glad that even this was offered. Then I thought I'd go for a blini (Russian pancake) as well. "Cottage cheese?" I asked. I got a blank reponse but was offered "jam?". "Yes! Jam! Good god, a jam blini! Yes! Perfect!" Choice doesn't exactly win out, but you come across so little English in Russia that whenever you come across any you instantly take up whatever concoction of food their English skills can muster.
This evening I'm back on the train for a rather long journey to Irkutsk (something in the order of 33 hours this time). I've stocked up on food and I've just to get one or two more bits then I'm set. It's Russian super-noodles all the way once again along with various Russian biscuits and snacks (none of which I have the vaguest idea of the contents) which I've picked up from street-side kiosks. Once in Irkutsk I'm being transferred straight to Listvyanka which is by the Lake itself. I've no idea if there'll be any internet there, so it might be a few days before I get online again. The time difference also notches up to Moscow time + 5, or UK time + 8; that's the same as in China and East Asia! I'm not even done either, as Vladivostok is even further ahead. Even if I do find wi-fi it'll make finding a convenient time for phoning a bit tricky to say the least, but we'll see how it pans out.
Until the next cafe it's farewell from a particularly sunny and pleasant Siberia!
That said, being a foreign tourist in Russia probably does that automatically. Playing the dumb tourist does have its advantages though. For instance on the Russian trains there are two toilets in the carriage. One of them is next to the Provodniks' room and has a sign on it, so maybe it's for their use, but as is typical it's just a lot of writing with no helpful visual aid to otherwise deduce what's meant so if the other toilet is busy I go and use it. No-one's scoulded me so far, so I'll keep trying my luck!
Not speaking the language does certainly have its drawbacks too, but with the younger generation at least they do make an effort to help. For instance in my first day in Tomsk I visited a cafe that's all decored out as a 1960s diner. Fortunately there were screens showing pictures of some of the food on offer, and I spotted a pizza, so I asked for that "chicken?" offered the girl behind the counter "yes! yes, chicken pizza!" I respond enthusiastically, glad that even this was offered. Then I thought I'd go for a blini (Russian pancake) as well. "Cottage cheese?" I asked. I got a blank reponse but was offered "jam?". "Yes! Jam! Good god, a jam blini! Yes! Perfect!" Choice doesn't exactly win out, but you come across so little English in Russia that whenever you come across any you instantly take up whatever concoction of food their English skills can muster.
This evening I'm back on the train for a rather long journey to Irkutsk (something in the order of 33 hours this time). I've stocked up on food and I've just to get one or two more bits then I'm set. It's Russian super-noodles all the way once again along with various Russian biscuits and snacks (none of which I have the vaguest idea of the contents) which I've picked up from street-side kiosks. Once in Irkutsk I'm being transferred straight to Listvyanka which is by the Lake itself. I've no idea if there'll be any internet there, so it might be a few days before I get online again. The time difference also notches up to Moscow time + 5, or UK time + 8; that's the same as in China and East Asia! I'm not even done either, as Vladivostok is even further ahead. Even if I do find wi-fi it'll make finding a convenient time for phoning a bit tricky to say the least, but we'll see how it pans out.
Until the next cafe it's farewell from a particularly sunny and pleasant Siberia!
posted by Daniel at 6:19 am
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