I'm back on the road again...but this time for a, by my standards, very short trip - 5 weeks. I'll be doing the Trans-Siberian Railway from St. Petersburg, Russia to Beijing, China, via Mongolia, with a tour group called "Vodka-Train", and then back on the train solo to complete the Trans-Sib route to Vladivostok, then back home via Seoul, Korea.
I've got a few days beforehand tho...
I left Melbourne on Thursday morning, flying Korean Air to Seoul, a lazy 9 hour flight. With my next stop being Moscow, and the next flight not for 16 hours, Korean Air kindly put me up overnight at the Hyatt Regency (if you don't mind!! :-) - very happy 'bout that!)...and arranged for dinner and brekky the next morning to be 'on the house'. Eating buffet-style for free at a 4-5 star hotel...I could get used to this....big kudos to Korean Air. I'd fly them again anytime.
After another 10 hours to Moscow, I arrived at around 7pm, I then had to endure another hour of queueing to get thru Russian immigration....very officious mob these guys. I guess it harks back to the Soviet Communist days. Once I got thru that, I decided to opt out of the potential rip-off of a Russian taxi into downtown Moscow, and caught the local bus. Over an hour later, crammed in like sardines, we trundled slowly along the motorway in Moscuvite peak-hour traffic (it seems peak hour lasts until after 9pm at least here!). This took me as far as the outer edges of the Moscow Metro, and then I had to catch two Metro trains, changing lines after a few stops. All this after the afore-mentioned 10hour flight and hour long queue....wish I had've gotten the cab, hey!!.
Trying to figure all this out with only written instructions, no maps to work from (my Lonely Planet didn't have a Moscow Metro map in it), how to buy/ask for the right ticket, while jet-lagged up to the eyeballs, well it was some challenge!
By this stage its 9pm. Still haven't made it to my hostel either. it was supposed to be "5minutes walk". Could not find it. In the end, I borrowed a phone from a stranger and rang them for directions, and finally lobbed in at "Godzilla's Hostel" at sometime after 10pm.
Tired? Betchya arse I was!
I flopped into my bed and passed out instantly, not opening my eyes again til 8am next morning.
