Russian Far East

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pursefattener

I have always been fascinated by this area of the world and the history of the Gulag . The sheer vastness , shocking winter climate and massive resources available . A rapidly shrinking population of about 1 person per square kilometre and China next door with over 1 billion people !

Anyone ever been there ? I have thought about going on the Trans Siberian railway right through to Western Europe one day . Also travelling the road of bones by motorbike in winter would be one hell of a challenge . Too tough for most .

Such a vast area on the map that you hear bugger all about really ...
 
George Soros' former assistant, the commodity-loving Jim Rogers, travelled through Siberia. His first trip, by motorcycle. And his second, a decade later, by car. Grab a copy of "Adventure Capitalist" - a fascinating read. He also travelled elsewhere and his remarks about Australia make for interesting reading.

The Trans Siberian and Trans Mongolian are exciting train trips. But its best to take your time and break your journey.

Getting a Russian visa is not without dramas. Make sure you have it before purchasing your tickets.
 
I'm living in Kazakhstan and venture to Russia semi regularly. My Mrs is from St Petersburg and soent several years working in Sakhalin.

It's an interesting place with an interesting culture. Not the easiest place for a tourist but in some ways it's what makes it so fun.

Blacky
 
Blacky said:
I'm living in Kazakhstan and venture to Russia semi regularly. My Mrs is from St Petersburg and soent several years working in Sakhalin.

It's an interesting place with an interesting culture. Not the easiest place for a tourist but in some ways it's what makes it so fun.

Blacky
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Sakhalin!

Have you been there? W E John's character Biggles went there, back in the 50s.
I'm told there's a huge oil exploration industry on the island and that things are really booming.

Tell us about Kazakhstan Blacky. Can foreigners own land there? Is it true they tried to sue Borat?
 
pursefattener said:
history of the Gulag . ...
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If you like depressing books, you can try "One Day in the Life on Ivan Denisovich" by the dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

More interesting is the story of 3 escapees who walked from Siberia to India during WW2, 'The Long Walk" by Slovimir Rwicz - highly recommended.
 
I have read both . Also Anne Applebaum's Gulag a history . I am currently reading her latest book called iron Curtain the crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 .

These books are very heavy reading .

The Kolyma area was notorious as the worst of the gulags
 
one world said:
If you like depressing books, you can try "One Day in the Life on Ivan Denisovich" by the dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

More interesting is the story of 3 escapees who walked from Siberia to India during WW2, 'The Long Walk" by Slovimir Rwicz - highly recommended.
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Sounded familiar like Mikezen said, so I checked wiki

The Way Back is a 2010 drama film about a group of prisoners who escape from a Siberian Gulag camp during World War II. The film is directed by Peter Weir from a screenplay also by Weir and Keith Clarke, inspired by The Long Walk (1955), a book by Sławomir Rawicz, a Polish POW in the Soviet Gulag

mikezen said:
I believe a film was made about this that I watched lately and was very good!
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The Way Back with Colin Farrell and Ed Harris
 
pursefattener said:
I have read both . Also Anne Applebaum's Gulag a history . I am currently reading her latest book called iron Curtain the crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 . These books are very heavy reading .
The Kolyma area was notorious as the worst of the gulags
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Most sane people do not question that Hitler's Holocaust too place. Its very sad when revisionists, including some Aussie academics, deny what occurred in the gulags of the old Soviet Union.

You seem to read a lot Pursefattner. I will definitely look out for Applebaum''s book. Thank you for that.
 
Slightly off topic, but had me thinking of this thread

Many Russians drive around with dashboard cameras.

To get the full feeling, when the video player comes up, put it in full screen mode, sit back and be glad you don’t have to drive there...:eek:

Russian DashCam
 
Applebaum's book from , I think 2004 , won the Pulitzer Prize I think it is called . She is very highly regarded and her material is very well researched . She is Polish American and her husband is the USA ambassador to Poland I think .

Alexander Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago is about the toughest book I have ever read on the subject . If you can read this you are doing ok .

Most of the experts seem to agree that it is so hard to really know how many died in the Gulag system since the Soviet records were continually purged . At least in Stalins time .

I find it interesting to learn what happened to German and Axis POWs at the end of WW2 . Also POWs from Korea and Veitnam . There are many references to these men .

As an aside . Do you recall the incident near Sakhalin One World when the passenger jet was shot down en route from Seattle to Seoul ?

Many believe the jet was able to belly land in the sea nearby and there were a few survivors . This was 1983 I think and the Cold War was getting rather hot! Yet after the end of the Cold War there was no one who could be repatriated ???

I have read a lot of memoirs from war veterans who were able to survive somehow . I find it fascinating .
 
pursefattener said:
I find it fascinating .
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Yes it is. I vividly recall KAL 007. It was not the first time a Korean plane had had difficulties in Russian airspace. In 1978 another Korean plane was forced to land on an iced lake when it violated Russian territory. Luckily most people survived.

On history channel and youtube these days you can see a lot of good videos about how the Russians felt about the cold war, including many interviews with senior officials.

You mentioned Alexander Solzhenitsyn. A really decent man who was a true patriot. Like you, I found his books to be very heavy going.

In 2005 I sailed over the the area where the Russian Japanese war of 1905 was fought. The Battle of Tsushima makes for good reading. On the topic of sailing, some Kiwis I know sailed their yacht to Kamchatka. There website is here: http://www.sunstonesailing.com/
I would kill to go there.
 
Sailing is not for me . I get sea sick almost in the bath :confused:

I watch the history channel a bit but I haven't seen much with interviews of Russians . I would like to see that .

My son is doing year 12 history at the moment and I think I'm more interested than he is.....
 
Intrigued again said:
Yes, one very cold s**thole.
spent 10 weeks there suppose to commission a new plant for a US company, upon arrival the equipment was still in the containers so we worked day and night to get out of there.
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Great, I've finally met someone who has been there! Thanks for replying. Winter in Sakalhin must be unbearable.

Still, it cant be worse than that iron ore mine in Svalbard......or was it Spitzbergen. Now THAT would be a living hell! Surely nothing can beat that.
 
Yeah strange out of all the places in the world, l'm fascinated with anything Russia too. Even though l don't really know much about it and l doubt l could live upto those harda@@@ russian blokes and their vodka but there is something about the place to me.
Maybe it's those hot russian chicks :cool:

I do love the mystery type thing of lots of snow and low vision type thing. lt's got a nice incognito feel about it.
lnstead of 50k visible in any direction like in Oz.

Had Lada once , great little car. Road better than any 4wd around at the time . Shame it wasn't a foot or two longer :)
But it was sort of how l see Russia , everything about it was different to other cars , strangely set up , weird parts , different looking and practical simplicity .
 
6 weeks in kazakhstan 15 yrs ago and Im still fascinated. Life has meant not been back since then but never stopped thinking about doing that train ride one day.
 
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