Goodbye Turkmenistan and Goodbye Silk Road

Today, 29th September 2017, we left Turkmenistan, our last country on the Silk Road, early in the morning. We flew via Istanbul to Zurich.

Turkmenistan is a fascinating country with very friendly people. We could easily have continued our visit to see other places in Turkmenistan. Again, we got to know a country which we can only recommend to visit.

Our three-month travel, first with the Transsib from Moskau to Vladivostok plus Kamtchatka and second the Old Silk Road starting from Bejing through China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Usbekistan and finally Turkmenistan, came to an end today. Looking back, time was flying by …. . What made this trip so unforgettable are the interesting and friendly people we met. We learned so much about their cultures and their history. We explored so many beautiful spots in these less known regions and we experienced many unforgettable moments. This travel was an endeavor to new horizons, provided new perspectives and forced us out of our comfort zone many times. We are also very proud that we could adapt to new and unforeseen situations. A lot of challenges could be solved with kindness and patience. But above all we loved being together and realizing that we could rely on each other in every situation. We are so grateful that we could realize these travel dreams and never had an accident or serious health problems.

Now, it is time to meet Valentin in Aarau. We are looking forward to hearing about his first weeks in his new student apartment in Lausanne as well as about his first two weeks of his second bachelor year at the Ecole Hoteliere in Lausanne.

Furthermore, we are looking forward to flying to Hong Kong next Wednesday to visit Julian. He is doing his exchange term there until December. We are going to spend four days with him before flying on to Australia. Another dream will come true – we will travel by RV from Darwin to Perth for the following six weeks.

Ashgabat – the White City

Ashgabat is the capital of Turkmenistan. When visiting the city one feels like being in a play … is it real? Or fake? All new buildings are made of white marble. All buildings are like monuments – all very big! The streets are very wide with tons of street lamps. There are large parks – thousands of trees have been planted in and outside the city to make the area green! You wonder how many of the buildings are really used and how many are still empty. Where are all the people – it is said that more than 1 million live in Ashgabat?! But where are they? The streets, parks, hotels and squares are empty. We heard so many interesting stories about the city. For example that all the cars have to be white until 2020, or that the marble that is used is from Italy and/or Spain. Furthermore, the president’s picture is seen everywhere (but none of his family). No hotel, no restaurant or no street is without him smiling on a picture. Roads are blocked for undefined periods when he is moving within the city but people are used to it and stay calm.

At night the city is beautiful with all the colorful lights – sometimes we felt like in Las Vegas – just without the gambling halls….and without the people…. .

All in all – an amazing and unique city – worthwhile to see once.

Karakum Desert, Old Nisa, Geok Depe, Akhal-Teke-Horses

After having seen the Flaming Crater we continued our travel through the fascinating Karakum Desert. Lots of dromedars along the road provided for nice pictures.

The historic site of the earliest Parthian Empire capital, Old Nisa (UNESCO World Heritage) can be regarded as a cradle of the unique Hellenistic (Greek-Persian) culture. Old Nisa is a special landmark on a hill at the foot of the Kopet-Dag Mountains. Excavations are still on-going and remarkable remains were found. Old Nisa was inhabited from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD. Thereafter, its function was conveyed to New Nisa which is an important medieval Silk Road city a few kilometers away.

Geok Depe is a famous site of a battle between the Turkmen and the Zaristic Russians in late 19th century. Turkmen lost the battle and their independence. There is the large Saparmurat Mosque remembering those days.

Turkmenistan is also very famous for its centuries-old Akhal-Teke-Horse-Breeding tradition. These horses have a reputation for speed, endurance, intelligence and a distinctive metallic sheen. They are also referred to “winged”, “devine”, “heavenly” and “blood-sweating”. We visited a stud (horse breeding farm) and we were deeply impressed to see the graceful creatures in their natural environment.

Darvaza – the Breathtaking Flaming Crater

In the middle of the Karakum desert one can find the Darvaza Crater. Its diameter is about 200 meters and its depth is about 50 meters. Gas exits from the bottom of the crater. In the old days animals died when getting close to the crater because of the deadly Methan gas. That’s why the gas was set on fire. Today, this results in a unique and breathtaking experience in particular during the night. It is also called “entry to hell”.

We camped in a tent close to the flaming crater and we could enjoy the view of the amazing crater on fire. Awesome! Spectacular!

Welcome Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is probably one of the least known countries of the “-stan” countries. It opened up for tourism during the last few years. The Turkmen people welcomed us and were very friendly, too. Turkmenistan is a large country (more than 10 times bigger than Switzerland) but only with a bit more than 6 million inhabitants. It is rich of gas, oil and other natural resources. Consequently, the country has great potential.

First, we visited Kunya-Urgench (UNESCO World Heritage Site) which was once a glorious capital of the medieval Khorezmshah Empire. It was the biggest Muslim Empre of the late 12th – early 13th century. Kunya-Urgench was the largest city on the northern branch of the Silk Road. The site displays outstanding monuments: Mausoleum of Turabek Hanum, Minaret Kutlug Timur (the former highest minaret in Central Asia) and two other mausoleums with unique cones of a dome.

Dashogus is the administrative capital of the northern Welayate (=region) Dashogus. It is a small town but there are several new monumental buildings. All new buildings are in white marble and very impressive.

Izmukshir is another impressive ruin city. Its origin dates back to the 3rd century BC. But its cultural peak was in the 9th and 10th century AD.

Goodbye Uzbekistan

25 September 2017, our last day in Uzbekistan. At 6.30 we went for an early morning stroll. We enjoyed the calm streets of Khiva and were fascinated by the changing of the colors when the sun got out.

After breakfast we visited two of the many ruins of forts (“Kalas”). First, Toprak Kala about 90 km north-east of Khiva. The fort, palace and buildings are from the Kuschan times (3rd and 4th century AD). From Toprak Kala one can see the agricultural land (cotton, corn, rice, melon, etc.) of the river oasis as well as the so called black mountains.

The second ruin, Qizil Kala, was a fortified manor and was in use from the 1st to 4th century. Again, very interesting and a beautiful scenery.

A remarkable fact about Uzbekistan is that all cars are Chevrolet Models manufactured in Uzbekistan. And these cars run on gas and petrol. Uzbekistan is rich of many natural resources, in particular gas. Therefore, almost all cars run on gas. However, these cars need petrol to start the engine and petrol is imported. Petrol is expensive and there is not enough petrol at the petrol station except in the capital city. Consequently, you see very long queues of cars waiting to get some petrol….

At about midday it was time to say goodbye to Uzbekistan. We had a fantastic time. It is a beautiful country with very friendly and genuine people. Its history is unbelievably rich and there are so many breathtaking monuments, cities and landscapes.

We can recommend visiting Uzbekistan to everybody – it is worth it! After Tajikistan we were surprised to see so many tourists. But then we found out that there was also something positive about it – we could exchange travel experiences with other tourists. For example, there were two Swiss we met while having dinner and we ended up sharing a bottle of Wodka together – telling each other stories of our travel. It was interesting and a lot of fun.

Khiva – Walking through a Museum of a 1001 Nights City

Khiva was founded about 2,500 years ago and was an important city on the Silk Road. It is also famous for its long and brutal history as a slave trading poste.

We immediately fell in love with Khiva – it is like a museum of a historic 1001 nights city. The inner part of Khiva is only 800 meters long and 400 meters wide – and there are no cars – but hundreds of historic and beautiful buildings and towers … amazing! The people are extremely friendly and easy going – very relaxing!

The Itchan-Kala (old inner city) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a large wall surrounding the inner city as well as the Citadel Kunya-Ark with its buildings and a mosque. The view from the roof of the Citadel onto Itchan-Kala is amazing.

The Kalta Minor Minaret is a unique monument in the city. Its diameter is 14 meters but its height is only 26 meters. Its decor and colors make it very special and beautiful with different light during the day. Its name means “short minaret” because it has never been finished. Story tellers say that the master-builder promised a higher minaret to the emir in Bukhara and that’s why he did not finish the Kalta Minor Minaret.

The Islom-Xo’ja Minaret is another beautiful landmark in the city. We climbed up the narrow and very steep stairs – and it was worth it – other beautiful perspectives of the city.

The Juma Mosque is very special. From the outside one does not realize that it is a mosque. Inside, there are lots of beautifully carved wooden columns from between the 10th and 16th century.

The palace Toshhauli consists of a court, a ball room, a harem and several smaller rooms. Many of the halls and rooms are beautifully decorated.

And there are lots of Madrasas, some without decoration and others colorfully decorated. All together adding to an amazing historic Arabic city.

Khiva in the morning and in the evening becomes even more unique thanks to the special sunlight and its quiet atmosphere!

Through the Kyzylkum Desert – from Bukhara to Khiva in the South-West of Uzbekistan

We crossed the vast red Kyzylkum desert from Bukhara to Khiva in a 7 hour-drive on Saturday, 23 September 2017. On the road in Uzbekistan one encounters many police controls – sometimes real – sometimes just as a warning ….. and then we saw the Amu-Darya River as a sign that we got closer to Khiva.

Khiva is located in a very large oasis of the Amu-Darya River, between the vast (red) Kyzylkum and (black) Karakum desert (the latter being in Turkmenistan). The local people have been using an extensive irrigation system for many centuries – today, the Amu-Darya River no longer reaches the Aral lake – the water evaporates earlier….

Bukhara – one of the Great Trading Cities along the Silk Road

The history of Bukhara can be traced back to the 4th and 5th century AD. The city was an important trading place during the times of the Silk Road and it contains more than 140 architectural monuments of the Middle Ages! The city is beautiful, lively and fascinating. We could stroll through many stalls with colorful and fantastic souvenirs (textiles, ceramic, wooden carvings, etc).

The Chor Minor Mosque Entrance with its four differently decorated towers is quite unique and amazing in the morning sun (in Islamabad there is another mosque with four towers as entrance).

The Samaniden Mausoleum is beautifully crafted and it is nicely placed in a park.

The Bolo-Hovuz Mosque is still in use. Both, the outside (in particular with the waterfront) and the inside are beautiful.

The Fort Ark is impressive and its various buildings give a good impression of the life of the Emirs and their governments.

The Poi-Kalon square with the Kalon Minaret, the Mir-Arab-Madrasa and the Kalon Mosque are breathtaking. So many beautiful perspectives and details (day and night)!

The Lyabi-Hauz Ensemle with the Nodir-Divanbegi Madrasa are in the pedestrian zone – a nice area to walk, shop and sit outside during the day and the evening.

In the evenings we enjoy strolling and visiting the highlights by night. In Samarkand as well as in Buchara we met young Uzbeks (between 16 and 20 years). They started talking in English and asked questions about us, our country and our travel experience in Uzbekistan. We loved talking with them and exchanging cultural differences. We enjoyed their kindness, curiosity and interest. They were very keen on practicing their English and meeting foreigners. After some time we said good-bye and wished them and their country a prosperous future.

Our Travels to Nurata, Aydar-Kul Lake, Kyzylkum Desert and Finally to Buchara

On the 20th September 2017, we drove along the Nuratau Mountains to Nurata where we visited the ruins of the Nurata Fort, the holy well and the Friday Mosque.

We continued our journey to the beginning of the Kyzylkum Desert and the Aydar-Kul Lake. One can take a bath in the lake or just enjoy the beautiful landscape.

We stayed overnight in a yurt camp and enjoyed a lovely desert night.

The next morning we drove towards Buchara – making stops at some petroglyphs as well as at an old caravanserai/well of the Old Silk Road.

Arriving at the suburbs of Buchara we visited the Summer Palace Sitorai Mohi Xosa of the last Emir of Buchara (actual palace was built in 1912-1918).

Samarkand – a Dream of 1001 Nights

Samarkand has a history of more than 2,700 years. In the old days it was named Marakanda, the capital city of Sogdien. It was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BC. 1221, the city was destroyed by Genghis Khan. In the 14th century Timur successfully revolted against the Mongols and Samarkand became the capital of Timur’s Emirate. Under the lead of Timur and the genial astronom Ulug’bek, Samarkand turned into the most important centre of trading and culture in Middle Asia. The architectural fascinating monuments were built in the 15th – 17th centuries. Samarkand is magic!

The Registan Square with the three Madrasas (from left to right: Ulug’beg, Tillakori and Sherdor Madrasas) is breathtaking. The details on the facade and in the courtyard of the Madrasas are awesome.

At night the Registan Square offers new beautiful perspectives.

The Gur Emir Mausoleum for Timur and his family members is fascinating, too. The facade (day and night) and even more the golden inside decor is so beautiful.

Another amazing monument is Bibi Xanom Mosque – one of the biggest mosques in the world – and definitely one of the most wonderful ones!

We also enjoyed strolling through the large Bazaar – buying dried nuts, grapes, spices, etc. Again a very colorful and lively market which we both liked very much. Uzbek people are very friendly and curious towards tourists. They liked chatting with us, asked us for taking pictures with them or just looked at us with a genuine smile (that showed their golden teeth – a common thing in Uzbekistan, but very special for us to see). We always felt welcome and very safe.

Last but not least one must visit the Nekropole Shohizinda – we loved it! A narrow, seventy meters long corridor with 16 buildings, mausoleums and mosques can be admired. The decoration outside and inside the buildings is unique! It is said that Qussam ibn Abbos, prophet Mohammed’s companion, is buried there.

Back to Uzbekistan: Visiting Shahrisabz – the Birthplace of Timur Lenk

On the 18th September 2017, we drove from Dushanbe to the western border of Tajikistan/Uzbekistan. From there we traveled first further to the west and then to the north towards Samarkand. The landscape varied a lot – colorful mountains, desert, grassland, river oasis and plantations. About 80km away from Samarkand we visited the town Shahrisabz.

In the earlier days the town Shahrisabz was just a village on the silk road. It is the birthplace of Timur Lenk (“Timur der Lahme” or “Amir Temur”). He was born in 1330 and died in 1405. Timur was one of the most cruel emperors who has ever lived. His military campaigns are famous – because of extremely fast moving troops and tactically clever attacks. In Dehli he killed 100,000 prisoners and in Bagdad he built a pyramid with 90,000 human skulls. His emirate reached from India to eastern China, South Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iran.

Timur captured the best craftsmen and brought them back to his home towns Samarkand and Shahrisabz to build beautiful monuments.

The summer palace in Shahrisabz is legendary and must have been breathtaking. Today, one can only see the ruins of the entry portal (“only” 22 meters high – in the old days it was 66 meters high!) – absolutely fascinating.

The Dor Ut-Telovat Ensemble (Ko’k-Gübrüz-Mosque and two mausoleums) is impressive, too. Furthermore, there is the mausoleum of Timur’s son Jahongir who is said to have died at the age of 12 years.

The Old City Hissar and the New Capital City Dushanbe

Hissar was the centre of the eastern region of the Buchara Emirate in the 16th – 19th centuries. It is fascinating to see the remaining of the Fort, two Medreses, the Caravanserai and the Mahdumi Azam Mausoluem.

Fortunately, we visited the place on a Sunday and we could watch the tradition that bridal pairs come to this place and each group marched with music to the stairs. What a scenery….we saw more than 15 pairs….very exciting….and they wanted us to dance with them…..

The Emirate Buchara was comparably late integrated into the Soviet Union, in particular East Buchara opposed for a long time. Once integrated as the new province Tajikistan, Hissar was not an acceptable capital city for Lenin and Stalin. Consequently, a very small village called Dushanbe became the new capital city in 1924.

Today, Dushanbe is a large and quite modern city. There are wide boulevards and lots of monumental buildings. There is also one of the largest flags of the world to see. The people are modern and friendly.

Tajikistan was a big positive surprise to us. The people are very welcoming, open, interested and very kind to each other and us. For sure we will come back to Tajikistan and visit the Pamir Mountain Area as well as some other parts of the Ferghana Valley in Kyrgyzstan.

Trekking in the Fan Mountain Range

A three day trekking in the Fan Mountain Range was on the program. The plan was to start at the Artuch Base Camp (2,200 meters) from there to hike up to the Kul-i-Kalon Lakes on 2,800 meters and then to walk over the 3,900 meters Alaudin pass to the Alaudin Lake and finally down towards Passrud. So we were really looking forward to a peaceful trekking in the beautiful nature….. but two unexpected things happened:

1) Andy got a food poisoning (most probably it was a Shashlik which caused it…). We had always expected that this was going to happen on this trip – in fact it had been a miracle that it had not happened earlier (because Andy had stomach problems on every two weeks travel we did in comparable countries in the past ;-( ). But the timing this time could not have been worse. He spent the night before the trekking on the toilet 😦 . We didn’t dare to think of the upcoming trekking over the 3,900 meters high pass ….. .

2) Once at the base camp we were surprised to meet the regional Tajik tourism director, a Tajik film crew and a television journalist. They explained to us that they were working on a tourism documentation about trekking in these mountains (i.e. marketing material). They asked us whether it was okay if they accompanied and filmed us …. what to do? We did not really have a choice, did we?!

Consequently, the group consisted of the following members: our guide, a local guide/cook, our shepherd with his two donkeys, the tourism director, a female journalist, two film crew members and another shepherd with two donkeys …. and a sheep (more about the sheep later….).

The trekking in these mountains is beautiful and the tracks are in good shape. However, for Andy the first day was tough. Beatrice and the guides were really worried that he was not going to make it. But Andy’s “mind” was strong and he realized that he could keep the drinking water (which is important to avoid a really dangerous situation). So everybody was really relieved and optimistic for the coming days.

Andy (and everybody else) was very glad to reach the Kul-i-Kalon Lakes. The lakes are beautiful!

After some rest we walked along the different lakes and crossed small rivers to our camping site. Our shepherd also wanted to help and after having deposited the tents and luggage he came back with the two donkeys to transport Andy. Andy liked the ride on a donkey – which became his new friend;-).

Arriving at the camp we learned that they had just killed the sheep for us-as an honor…..

The landscape and scenery is amazing – an eldorado for photographers.

From our camp we saw the 3,900 meters high pass which is in the middle of the two spiky mountains on below picture. But it was not sure at all whether Andy would be able to hike the next day. He couldn’t eat anything at all, he just drank tea and water.

At the camp site we had to give interviews, play trekking scenes, or scenes at the table, …. it was kind of crazy. When we were resting in our tent, the cook and the guide showed up – proudly – with a plate of fried sheep entrails – really the last thing Beatrice wanted to eat. Andy was for once in a better position, he could use his stomach problem-excuse … . But Beatrice didn’t want to hurt the local hospitality and ate some of it.

At the bonfire in the evening our shepherd sang Tajik songs. Then it was our turn and we sang “Es wott es Froueli z’Märit go, z’Märit go”, a Swiss German song that we used to sing with our children. And all was filmed – with a normal film camera but also with a drone camera.

Fortunately, we both slept very well. The next day Andy felt much better and therefore we decided to do the trekking over the pass. The film crew left us here and – finally – it was just us: our very kind guide, our very nice local guide/cook and our very friendly shepherd.

The environment for the trekking was beautiful and – besides the strenuous efforts – we enjoyed it very much!

And we made it – YES – we reached 3,900 meters! We were happy and proud! We could see the Alaudin lakes down in the valley. The closer we got the more beautiful the different kinds of blue colors we could see in the lakes. Fascinating!

On the third day we finished our trekking in this valley. The driver picked us up and drove us out of the beautiful valley.

Tajikistan – a Warm, Open and Friendly Welcome

On the 13th September we drove from Tashkent south to the border of Usbekistan-Tajikistan. Usbekistan is known for its strong agricultural sector and indeed … we drove along very large cotton, corn, apple and peach plantations. Along the roads there were thousands of mulberry trees which leaves are used for the silkworm breeding in spring (and silk production). The Uzbek farmers have developed a water drainage system to irrigate the plantations and at the same time to wash the salt out of the (salty) soil into the drains. A lot of frogs live in these drains and they attract storks. We have never seen so many stork nests – they are all over the plantations on electricity masts!

When crossing the border to Tajikistan we experienced the nicest welcome ever in a country. “Welcome to Tajikistan” were words we heard again and again – always combined with a big smile.

Becoming independent in 1991 and three changes of government and a five-year civil war have formed the stormy history of Tajikistan. The majority of the Tajik people has Persian roots which is different to the Turkic roots of the countries in the west, north and east (i.e. Usbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyzs and Uyghures in China).

The landscape became much drier and the green was limited to the oasis and river beds. There we saw peach and apple trees, corn, grapes and various kinds of vegetable (cabbage, potatoes, carrots, etc.).

We stopped for lunch in Khujand, the center of Tajikistan’s Ferghana Valley region, and the nations’s second largest city. We visited the Masjidi Jami Mosque and Medrese as well as the Panchshanbe Bazaar, both located at the main square.

The beautiful Zeravshan valley amidst the majestic Fan Mountains (where we are going to do some trekking).

In Shurcha we left the Zeravshan valley to follow the Archamaydan river to the south(-east). We reached the Mausoleum of Rudaki who was a Persian poet in the 9th century. He was the famous creator of the new Persian language.

On our continued journey in this valley, towards its end point Artuch, we felt like traveling more than one hundred years ago … people are so hard working but they have enough to live on and they are so unbelievable friendly and authentic!

Finally we arrived at the base camp Artuch – our starting point for the trekking in the Fan Mountains.

Tashkent – a Stopover in the Capital City of Usbekistan

Our journey to Tajikistan led us first to a stopover in Tashkent, the capital city of Usbekistan in the north east of the country (before entering Tadschikistan by car from its northern border).

Tashkent is an ancient city on the great Silk Road. Little remained of the ancient city after the modernization work following the 1917 revolution and the 1966 earthquake. Consequently it is more of a Soviet city mixed with modern buildings of these days (and some very monumental government buildings of the recent dominant political leader).

The Khasti-Imon-Square with the Tellya Sheikh Mosque, the Barak-Khan-Medrese and the Kaffal-Shashi-Mausoleum are beautiful. And there is a library with ancient manuscripts and most important the Osman Koran. This is considered the oldest Koran in the world and is said to have been stained with the blood of Hazrat Osman in 655. It was explained to us that the written signs in the Koran cannot be just read but rather require a lot of interpretation – and there is a lot of room for interpretation. The local guide expressed deep sadness about negative and extreme interpretation out of it. We heard such statements again and again when traveling through these islamic countries.

We also visited a beautiful old house of a diplomat from the 19th century – the decoration and paintings on the wall and ceiling are amazing!

There are many beautiful parks, monuments and new buildings to see in the city. We could easily spend 1-2 days more in this city and we got a good first impression of Usbekistan – obviously we are looking forward to seeing much more in the coming weeks after our travel in Tajikistan.

Burana Tower and the “Balbals” – and finally the Capital City Bishkek

On the 11 September 2017 we continued our journey towards Bishkek. On our way we visited the ruins of the old capital city of the Kara-Kitai empire. The famous Burana Tower is impressive! It was a minaret built in the 11th century. Originally it had a height of 45 meters but after an earthquake only 22 meters remained. There is a steep, narrow and dark staircase inside the tower – which we had to climb ;-).

Very interesting stone statues can be found in Kyrgyzstan in different locations. They are called Balbals and are about 1,500 years old. Most likely the Balbals were a way to pay tribute to important men and women.

Finally, we arrived at Bishkek – the capital city of Kyrgyzstan. At the time of the old silk road this important trading post was called Dshul. Bishkek was also a czarist planned city; laid on a grid with wide boulevards flanked by irrigation canals and large trees, nice parks, buildings with marke facades and Soviet apartment complexes. We visited the most important places like e.g. the impressive 2nd world war monument in the form of a yurt, several parks with important historic personalities and the government building.

Kyrgyzstan is a young republic since 1991. In its young history Kyrgyz people protested several times against their corrupt and criminal government. The last time in 2010 when many people lost their lives. A monument shows very good how the “bad black part” of the country is pushed away by the Kyrgyz people.

We love the foreign Bazaars – seeing the different products, the colors and watching the people – and Bischkek’s Osh Bazaar is large and interesting. One can buy small white and brownish balls – they are made of dried female horse milk – definitely not our taste. Rice in all different kinds and colors and lots of sweets – people in these countries love sweets in all forms….!

Our stay in Kyrgyzstan is unforgettable – also because we were so lucky to have a professional, lovely and warm-hearted guide. We got on extremely well. The young woman was an au-pair girl in Hamburg/Germany for one year. After her studies she has been working as a guide in summertime and in wintertime as a German teacher in a private school. We discussed so many things, felt very close and had no frontiers. What a feeling when a Swiss couple and a Kyrghiz young woman sing German Christmas songs in the middle of many fir trees. Our guide knew the lyrics of ” Oh Tannenbaum” by heart….! We felt blessed to meet such a wonderful person and realized that love can conquer everything: countries and religions. Our farewell was sad but we knew that we would keep in touch.

From Karakol Town at the East Shore of Issyk-Kul Lake along the North Shore to the Tschon-Kemin Valley

Our next destination was the town Karakol which is east of the Issyk-Kul Lake. Karakol was originally founded by Russian Tsarist troops as a military outpost. Furthermore, it is the resting place of Nikolai Przewalski who was a famous Polish-Russian explorer (very interesting museum to visit).

Karakol is close to the Issyk-Kul Lake and close to the Thian Shan Mountains. Therefore, it is very well positioned for outdoor activities as e.g. skiing, trekking, mountaineering, relaxing in hot springs, enjoying beach life and swimming in the lake. We also went up to the Karakol mountains to hike and to enjoy nature.

When seeing the many traditional wooden houses, Karakol reminded us of Russian cities like Irkutsk. There is also the Holy Trinity Cathedral which is a wooden cathedral with an onion dome. Its origin dates back to 1869.

Another interesting building is the Dungan Mosque which was built (without nails) in 1910 by local Dungans (Chinese muslims who fled from China). One can clearly see the Chinese inspiration.

When driving along the north-coast of the Issyk-Kul Lake we realized how touristic (mainly Russians and Kazakhs) this side of the lake is. But we can understand that people love to come here and spend their summer holidays around the Issyk-Kul Lake. It offers many beautiful beaches and a lot of entertainment. We also drove up the Semenow Valley which is interesting, too. Beginning of September the summer season comes to an end and the nomads are moving down from their summer meadows in the mountains.

After leaving the Issyk Kul-Lake we drove through the red stone Boom-Canyon towards north-west and turned then east to get into the pretty Tschon-Kemin valley. This valley has again a different appearance and we liked it a lot. It is well known for hiking. We stayed in the cosy little guest house Ashuu – with a nice view from the balcony.

Issyk-Kul Lake – the Pearl of Tien Shan Mountain Range

The Issyk-Kul Lake is another highlight of Kyrgyzstan. It is also called the “pearl of Tien Shan” (the lake is just north of the large Tien Shan Mountain Range). It has a maximum length of 170km and a maximum width of 55km. Furthermore, it is one of the deepest lakes with a maximum of 692 meters and on average 270 meters deep. There is no outflow. Therefore, the level of minerals and salt is higher than in a normal lake. The water is crystal clear. The southern lakeshore still offers many remote sandy beaches.

The northern lakeshore is very famous for summer tourism. Many Russian and Kasakh people spend their summer holidays in hotels or in their own summer houses. The water is warm and nice to swim – and together with the sandy beaches we thought of Spain or Italy….

We enjoyed driving along the northern lake shore. Towards the eastern end of the lake we visited the so called “fairy tale valley”. This is a valley with amazing shapes and beautiful colors of the rocks.

Thereafter, we drove into another valley of the Tien Shan Mountain Range. After some time we came to two special rock formations. One is called broken heart and the second is called the seven oxen.

Driving higher up in the valley we felt like being in Switzerland. The mountains, the fir forrest and the cows could have been in Switzerland. We arrived at another family yurt camp and stayed overnight. Again very enjoyable.

Our lovely guide played for Beatrice with the traditional instrument “Komuz” some songs. Together we sang the song “Bruder Jakob” (Frère Jacques) in Kyrgyz, German, Russian and French. Singing unites countries – we had a marvelous time together.

What a beautiful and unforgettable birthday for Beatrice!

The Beautiful Son-Kul Lake – just the Right Place to Start Celebrating Beatrice’s Birthday

Our second day in Kyrgyzstan led us to a highlight of this beautiful country. We drove through beautiful sceneries over the Terkej-Torpok-pass (locally called 22 parrots pass because of its many winding roads) to the Son-Kul Lake. In particular the herds of horses made it even more special!

The Son-Kul Lake is 29km long and has a maximum width of 18km. Its maximum depth is only 17 meters. The grassland around the lake is more than 3,000 meters above sea level. During the short summer time the Kyrgyz nomads live in yurts around the lake to allow their animals to graze on the lash grass and flowers. We have never seen so many edelweiss – unbelievable! During winter time it gets extremely cold (minus 40 degrees) with lots of snow.

We stayed in a yurt of a very friendly and forthcoming nomad family. We learned a lot about the nomad life. For example about the herds of horses, the use of the horse’s milk, the installation and use of yurts, many traditions, nomadic sports, etc. And we tried e.g. lamb-lung filled with milk and boiled for two hours – surprisingly good! It was also fascinating to see that after our delicious lunch (they had slaughtered a sheep for us) several women of other yurts nearby came and they all had lunch together.

We spent the afternoon walking around, going to the lake, walking up the hill to see petroglyphs from ancient nomads.

We enjoyed a nice evening in this environment (it became freezing cold).

We slept very well into the next day – the 8th September – Beatrice’s birthday. What a beautiful morning – blue sky – a great start into an amazing nature day.

During the night we had a mouse that visited us. It liked our Swiss chocolate (that we had saved for the birthday) and we could only find the wrapping and some left overs the next morning. Kyrgyz mice have a good taste – they love Swiss Brändli chocolate, too ;-).

Beatrice got a very touching video message from our boys – all prepared in Beijing and a “word document” with a voucher for a night in an igloo in Zermatt. Andy’s present is waiting for her in Unterseen/Interlaken. Our best friends will know what that could be;-). She was overwhelmed and very happy – also by the many text messages she got from her friends.

Lunch and dinner in the yurt were absolutely delicious. But the breakfast in the morning of the 8th September topped everything. The Kyrgyz nomad woman baked in front of us in the yurt fresh bread and we got delicious fresh yoghurt, homemade bramble-marmalade, fried eggs, cheese, pancakes, freshly baked donuts – it was one of our best breakfasts ever – and this in a yurt on 3,000 meters in the middle of nowhere!

Later in the morning we left the lake area and drove through beautiful landscapes towards north-east.

We passed by a nice water reservoir.

After a short lunch break we arrived at another highlight – the Issyk-Kul Lake.

Welcome to Kyrgyzstan

In the afternoon of the 6th September 2017 our travels through Kyrgyzstan started. We immediately fell in love with the beautiful landscapes and the Kyrgyz people. And our following travels did not change these feelings at all. We can only recommend everyone to visit Kyrgyzstan – but let’s try to describe why.

Shorty after the Torugart pass we were welcomed by marmots and we saw the lake Tschatyr Köl.

The elevated grassland with its brown to yellow to green colors combined with colorful (snow-covered) mountains is amazing. And then you see herds of horses, sheep, cattle and yaks! We could not get enough of such beautiful views …. every valley, river and lake was breathtaking!

We visited the fascinating and well-known Caravansary in Tasch-Rabat. The Caravansary was a guest house for the caravans of the Silk Road from Kashgar to Bischkek (capital of Kyrgyzstan). The architecture is amazing and there is enough natural light. In total, there are about 30 rooms. It has a dining room and many sleeping rooms for the people AND their camels. There is even a deep hole for the slaves.

Thereafter, we visited the ruins of the old fort Koschoi-Korgan which was important to protect the Silk Road from the 7th to the 13th century. In the 13th century it was destroyed by the Mongols. We also had a nice view from the old city walls.

We continued our journey which goes without words…

We stayed overnight in the village Naryn where we had a delicious dinner and learnt that a meal without meat is not a meal in Kyrgyzstan.

Tashkurgan – the Stone City – and Goodbye China

Tashkurgan is known as the stone city. It has a history of more than 2,000 years. For a long period of time it was a major town on the main old Silk Road to South-West Asia. There is a big Stone Fort which was the central palace of the Tajik Kingdom long time ago. Still today, Tashkurgan’s population is mostly ethnically Tajik. The town is near to the Pakistani, Tajik and Afghani borders.

While visiting the Stone Fort we met Chinese tourists from Shanghai. They started talking with us. The lady said that she had seen Andy on the animal market in Kashgar two days ago. We were very surprised because we couldn’t remember them. But she said that only one person on this market was wearing flip-flops – and that was Andy…. in the middle of all the “animal shit” on the floor…..!

Tashkurgan is embedded in a wide valley with grassland and rivers. We encountered local Tajik nomads in yurt houses and herds of grazing animals. The scenery is calm and beautiful!

On the 5th September we drove back to Kashgar. In the morning of the 6th September it was time to say goodbye to China.

We drove from Kashgar north towards the Tien Schan Mountain Range, i.e. to the border with Kyrgyzstan. This border immigration requires special authorization for foreigners. And timing is essential too – as we learned. After a 1.5 hours drive we arrived at the main Chinese immigration control building at 10:30am Bejing time (8:30am Uyghur time) – to be the first when they opened. Once successfully passed, after almost a one hour process, we were allowed to continue our journey to the Chinese border control at Torugart pass. This takes in the best case two hours what we achieved thanks to our driver. We successfully passed this last Chinese checkpoint at 1:30pm Chinese time. Then we had to drive another 2km in a corridor protected by fence and barbwire to reach the immigration in Kyrgyzstan at about 1:45pm Chinese time or 11:45am Kyrgyz time.

These 15 minutes before Kyrgyz lunch time were enough to be allowed to enter Kyrgyzstan. A bit later and we would have been caught by the Kyrgyz one hour lunch break and following two hours siesta …. it often happens that tourists have to wait in the noman’s land (which is no fun!) for three hours – so happened to a big Swiss/German group we have met.

On the Karakorum Highway to Tashkurgan in between the Pamir and Karakorum Mountain Range

The Karakorum Highway is one of the most adventurous and breath-taking roads in the world. It starts from Kashgar over passes of the Pamir Mountain Range, Karakorum Mountain Range (with K2 peak) and Himalaya Moutain Range to Islamabad in Pakistan (1,284 km distance). One can see several seven and eight thousand meter high mountains. The landscape is amazing!

We could “only” do the Chinese part of the Karakorum Highway from Kashgar to Tashkurgan which is about 300km away from Kashgar. Tashkurgan is the last town before getting to the boarder to Pakistan. We did this trip on the 4th and 5th of September.

Starting in Kashgar we passed poplar alleys, cotton and rice plantations on our way to the village Upal. We visited the large local market and bought some lunch for the next two days – in particular the very tasty local bread which is baked on the inside wall of the open oven.

Thereafter, we drove through a stone desert and got to the Ghez river valley. The views of the colorful mountains were breathtaking (different shades of red, orange, grey, black combined with varying shapes – impossible to describe) … and on the left-hand side we saw the amazing ice-snow covered Kongur Shan peak (7,719 meters) … and even camels in the river bed … and our car climbed up to 3,300 meters.

Once we got up to the top of the canyon the landscape changed dramatically. Broad valleys with lakes, green grassland, a chain of snow mountain peaks and even sand dunes (unbelievable in combination with water on such mountain area) offer fantastic views. We could not get enough of it….

These elevated valleys can be divided in a Northern part up to the 4,300 meters high Kelasi pass and a Sourthern part which ends after Tashkurgan at the border to Pakistan. The Northern part is inhabited by Kirghiz nomads. There is also the famous Karakul lake with the majestic 7,546 meters high Muztagh Ata mountain. This mountain is also called “father of icebergs”.

The Southern part of the elevated valleys is inhabited by Uzbek nomads. Kirghiz and Uzbek nomads are minorities in this remote area of China – which is very interesting.

Kashgar – the Junction of the Southern and Northern Silk Road before Crossing the Pamir or Karakoram or Tian-Shan Mountain Ranges

Kashgar is at the Southwest extreme of Xinjiang/China – close to the borders of Tadzhikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Kashgar has been an important trading centre since the Silk Road days. The Northern and Southern Silk Roads come together in Kashgar. It was the last large oasis before the caravans had to cross challenging mountain ranges on their way to the West (Northern route over the Tian-Shan Mountain Range, Western route over the Pamir Mountain Range, South-Western route over the Karakoram Mountain Range).

The local population is a mixture of Uyghurs, Hui Chinese, Han Chinese, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Kyrgyz – a true ethnic mixture. You definitely feel no longer in China …. it has become very oriental! Kashgar is said to have the largest bazaar in Asia and is also famous for its livestock market taking place every Sunday. Local farmers come to this market to buy and sell their sheep, goats, cows, dunkies, camels, horses and yaks. The trading negotiations are very interesting to watch – very lively!

Two important buildings in Kashgar are the Id Kah Mosque in the city center and the Tomb of Apak Hoja 3km away from the center. The Mosque is the biggest mosque in China and was built in 1442. Its yellow walls and Central Asian architecture make it special.

The Apak Hoja mausoleum reminds us of the Taj Mahal in India which was the source of inspiration at the time of construction in 1640.

The old town is split in two areas – one part with renovated beautiful houses and a second part with old slum-like mud houses.

View from the famous 100 years old tea-house where we enjoyed “Uyghur Power Tea” among many locals. But watch the kind of people on the street ….

The days of the old mud houses are counted. There is a project to rebuild this part too.

Through the Taklamakan Desert to Hotan and on to Kashgar

On 1 September 2017, we started our journey through the famous and impressive Taklamakan Desert. Already during the Bronce Period (i.e. long before the silk road) there was a trading route along the Hotan river directly across the Taklamakan Desert. It was a very long travel (573km) – first with blue sky and later dark because of clouds and a sand storm – we imagined how it must have been on foot and/or on a camel ……

Hotan is located on the Southern Silk Road. It was a glorious kingdom and very important cultural centre for Buddhism. However, this is no longer visible at all – all taken back by the desert…. There are only small remains of a nearby ancient city Malikewat which is just besides the Jade river. In Hotan you can buy Jade in many specialized shops. But the Jade river does no longer deliver the same amount of treasures than in the past.

Our journey from Hotan to Kashgar (508km) went through stone desert, sand desert and oas§es. Camels drinking at potholes were always a nice surprise. Local farmers grow walnuts, melon, tomato and corn.

Being on the road for such a long time isn’t always easy. If one thinks that sitting for 9 hours in a car (with all the checkpoint breaks) is a challenge then one is wrong. The real challenge are the toilets on the road. First of all there aren’t that many – and the ones one should use are really disgusting. We have seen a lot in that respect, and Beatrice’s worst experience so far was a toilet in a monks’ monastery in Bhutan. But the west of China has won the prize. Never, never, never seen something more disgusting. So Beatrice decided to use the open air behind the official toilet – but don’t ask her how it looked like behind there.

The Kuqa City Silk Road Area

On Tuesday, 29 August 2017, late afternoon we drove from Turpan to Urumqi (3h drive). We had to say goodbye to Valentin who had joined us for the last two weeks. He flew from Urumqi to Beijing and back to Switzerland. He needed to take over a flat together with two friends in Lausanne on 1 September 2017. His second year of the Ecole Hoteliere Lausanne is going to start soon. What a gift to have children who still like to travel with their parents. Our stay in Beijing with the whole family and the days with Valentin have given us so precious memories that we can always share and remember.

We took a one hour flight from Urumqi to Kuqa. During the night there was a storm and the next day was a rainy day :-(. But we can’t complain about the weather conditions so far! It has mostly been sunny and warm. We visited the ruins of the Buddhist monastery town Subashi. It was founded during 4th century and abandoned about 300 years later.

Thereafter, we visited the mosque, the old town and a local market of Kuqa.

The next day we drove to the Kiril Grottoes which are the oldest caves (3rd century). Most of the beautiful paintings were stolen (but also protected and not destroyed by the moslems) and can be seen in a museum in Berlin. The caves are located in a beautiful valley and the caves with some left paintings were very fascinating.

We continued our journey to Aksu on the Northern Silk Road.

Uyghurs and their History in Turpan

Turpan is our first city in the autonomous region Xinjiang which is the largest province of China. Uyghurs are the biggest ethnic group in Xinjiang. While whole of China runs on Beijing time, the Uyghures have their own time which is two hours behind Beijing time (but all official times are still Beijing time).

While the official language is Chinese the most common language spoken is Uyghur, a Turkic language similar to Uzbek but written in Arabic script. Uyghurs feel very much connected to Turkish people and sometime you get the impression you are rather in Turkey than in China (e.g. in some restaurants).

Xinjiang experienced some riots in the past. Today, one is faced with armed policemen every 100m-250m in the cities, many armed patrols, cameras everywhere (really everywhere!!!) and a lot of small and large (high tech) check points. Everybody has to identify him/herself. It is most import to carry your ID or passport with you all the time. Mobile and Internet are to a large extent restricted. We did no longer have access to WhatsApp, Google, our Blog, most Western News, etc.. We were very surprised when we realized that the internet restrictions did not work in remote areas like on the Taklamakan Desert highway (we had strongest 3G mobile without restrictions….).

Once we had to drive back a road for 1.5 hours after some police officers at a check-point did not allow us to continue this route. They forced us to drive the longer way on a motorway – according to them for our own safety. The gasoline stations are protected by barbwire and checkpoint gates with guards and cameras. Each driver must first register and wait for being let in to fuel. Passengers are not allowed to enter the area and must wait outside the gate. Motor bikers must get their gasoline in cans and then fuel their tanks outside. All important places and buildings are protected by barbwire, cameras and checkpoints.

We could not imagine anything like this before our travel to Xinjiang. One definitely gets a strange feeling in this environment. On the other hand we also felt save when driving and in particular when walking – on our own – around the cities. But nevertheless we were looking forward to leaving these extraordinary circumstances behind us.

Our Uyghur guide in Turpan was one of our best guides ever. He was very professional, open and interested. He took us to his favorite local restaurants. When we asked him if he thought our western stomachs could handle this food – he said. “You will only find out by eating it.” So we tried all he suggested – and we loved it. Valentin and Beatrice even tried delicious fresh yoghurt drinks. Fried beans with a lot of chillie and garlic, tomatoes cooked with eggs and noodle dishes were our favourites. Believe it or not – we were fine;-).

The Turpan area has a glorious history. The Emin Minaret of Turpan is one of the most well-known monuments of the Silk Road. It is the tallest minaret in China. Its design is beautiful – in particular with the right sun light.

The Silk Road brought wealth into trading posts with its trading and road-tolls. The caravans were covering a silk road section only (e.g. Turpan – Kashgar). They sold their goods and bought new goods on their way back to their cities. Consequently, the cities were large trading places and this resulted in prosperous cities along the silk road. In the Turpan area one can visit the remainders of two ancient cities, Goachang and Jiahoe. Many of these prosperous places were targets of barbarians or foreign kingdoms.

The ruins of Gaochang city stand isolated in the Gobi Desert. It was built in the 1st century BC and abandoned in the 17th century. There is not much left but still very impressive to see the remaining of such a large, ancient Silk Road city.

The people from Gaochang city were burried in the Astana tombs. Again, just a field with walkable tombs and fascinating paintings.

The ruins of Jiahoe city are even more impressive and beautiful. On a high cliff (30-50m) between two river beds, the local people built a city mostly into the sandstone on the cliff (1.6km long and 300m wide). It was built 200 BC and about 5,000 people lived there. The army of Dschingghis’ Khan destroyed the city in the 13th century.

Another fascinating ancient site are the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves. They are located on a cliff in one of the seven valleys of the Flaming Mountain. Originally 83 caves existed. Today 57 remain but most paintings are either stolen (by Germans, English, French and/or Japanese) or destroyed during religious clashes (moslems). But there are some fascinating paintings left which give an idea of how beautiful and glorious the site must have been in the past.

Turpan – the Hottest Place in China and Second Lowest on Earth

…. today, 6 September 2017, we crossed the border to Kyrgyzstan and we are back to normal in terms of internet access ….. but now step by step – we have to catch up quite a few days of our travel over the last ten days ;-)) …

Monday afternoon, 27 August 2017: Dunhuang is not (yet) connected to the east-west high speed train line. Consequently, we had to drive by car three hours to Liuyuan. From there we traveled 3.5 hours by train (about 200km/h) to Turpan.

Turpan is known as the hottest place in China. The Turpan Depression is the lowest point in China and second lowest on Earth (after the Dead Sea) at 154 meters below sea level. It is very hot – well into the 40’sC and the soil surface gets up to the 80’sC. At least it is a dry heat! You can fry your eggs on the street or boil your eggs in the hot sand (5 minutes in summer time) – amazing!

Nearby Turpan is the Flaming Mountain (also famous because of the classic Chinese mythological novel: Journey to the West). Thanks to its red color (as if the mountain is on fire) and its seven valleys, beautiful sceneries are guaranteed when traveling through the mountain area. Further away from Turpan there are very high, snowy mountains which are the source of rivers crossing the Flaming Mountain in these seven valleys.

To survive in this area people have developed the fascinating Kariz Water System. Local people have been using this system for the last 2,000 years! It is considered as one of the three great ancient projects in China, other two being the Great Wall and Grand Canal. Kariz is an irrigation system composed of vertical wells (amazing picture of rows of wells from the air) connected by underground channels starting at the bottom of the Flaming Mountain. The channels are between 10m and up to 80m below surface and up to 40 km long. A channel was dug with a height of 1.5-1.7m and a width of 0.6-0.7m. Today, the whole Kariz System in Turpan has a length of more than 2,000km which is about 40% of its length during its peak time.

Thanks to the Kariz water system people can grow a variety of agricultural products like melon, peach, almond, apricot, corn, sunflower, cotton and most important grapes. We loved the sweet melons – fresh and dried:-).

There is also a grape valley which is in combination with the Flaming Mountain unique. Obviously, you can buy all different kind of extremely sweet and almost seedless fresh grapes – yummy :-)). It is said that the best grapes of China grow here.

The farmers use different techniques to dry the grapes. One method is simply putting the grapes onto the floor. Another technique is to dry the grapes in special brick storage buildings. We have never seen so many different kinds of raisins. And they all taste delicious, too.

Autonomous Region Xinjiang – Radio Silence

Please note that we do not have access to our blog and other applications like WhatsApp (etc.) because of limited 2G mobile and limited internet access in Xinjiang.

This started from Kucha (30.9.2017) and likely will last until we leave China from Kashgar across the Torugart Pass to Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday, 6 September 2017.

Just right now we drive through the Taklamakan Desert and there is no limitation and we have full 3G mobile access. But this will not last for long ….

Dunhuang – the Crossroads of the Northern and Southern Silk Road

On our six hours drive from Jiayuguan to Dunhuang we saw camels, stone deserts, sand dunes, mountains and some green valleys. In theses green valleys and oases farmers grow all kind of vegetables, melons, grapes, cotton and pomegranates.

Dunhuang was founded in 111 BC. Today it is a small city living mainly on tourism. In ancient times it was a very important trading poste at the cross roads of two trading routes on the silk road. We will continue our travels along the Northern silk road.

In the evening we went to the theatre to watch the Silk Road Musical. It was entertaining and very colorful.

Dunhuang is famous for its Mogao Caves which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with exquisite Buddhist art and manuscripts. It is also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes (in 492 temples). The first caves were dug out in 366 AD. Finest Buddhist art in paintings and sculptures were made in the caves over a period of 1,000 years. This is so interesting and very beautiful – unbelievable to find this out in the nowhere (taking pictures is not allowed in the caves).

When visiting Mogao Caves there is a large number of caves which are accessible by walkways. During a visit one is guided into about seven caves.

Inside the largest temple there is a huge Buddha (35 meters tall) built in the temple – absolutely fascinating.

Dunhuang is also known for its very high and beautiful sand dunes. We hiked up to the top of a sand dune. We had a lot of fun in sliding down … in particular Valentin by using a special sledge to maximize speed :-)).

We also enjoyed the camel riding to get the caravan silk road feeling. For sure, our buttocks need some more practicing for longer distance camel riding….. Fortunately, our three camels were very reliable, nicely behaving and cute.

The moon lake oasis in the sand dunes is just amazing. We embraced the views of this beautiful site from different perspectives – either around the lake or from the high sand dunes.

Jiayuguan – the “Mouth of China”

Jiayuguan is at the end of the Hexi Corridor. It is at the most narrow river passage between the Northern and the Southern mountain range. The Ming Great Wall ends here in this valley on the side of the Southern mountain range. There is an interesting and famous big Fort in the valley which was the first pass on the silk road into China in the old days. This is why Jiayuguan got its nick-name “mouth of China”.

There is an outer wall of the fort which connects to the Great Wall. The inner wall is even much higher.

After the fort, we followed the Great Wall to the west. Up in the mountain range there is a piece called “overhanging wall” – a steep part of the Great Wall which was worthwhile climbing up:-).

We visited the Wei Jin Tombs, too. There is a large flat area and you do not expect anything. But there are about 1,400 tombs from the Wei (220-265 AD) and the Jin (265-420 AD) dynasties. We climbed down into tomb number six which included three rooms and nice paintings (no photography allowed inside).

Today, Jiayuguan has become an industrial city in particular thanks to ferruginous stones in the nearby mountains. It is one of the largest producer of steel. Pollution is generally a very big problem in China. The whole province area is rich of mineral resources, including in particular nickel and rare earths.

In the evening, we visited a local market which was very interesting. We ate in a local restaurant delicious Chinese food. There were many people in blue overalls coming from their steel manufacturing shifts. Like in most cities we have visited so far we were the attraction of the restaurant. Chinese people stare at us, smile at us and nod positively when they see us ordering local food. Some of them show their respect with a big smile when they see us eating with chopsticks – also the smallest parts of our Chinese meals;-).

Zhangye and the Hexi Corridor

From Xi’an we took the night train to Zhangye.

It’s about time to say some words about the Chinese people. As we have already mentioned they are very friendly and curious. They smile at us and ask for photos with them. They don’t speak English but we are delighted to see that there is always a way to communicate. When we eat in a local restaurant we ask for “oink, oink” and maybe they also have “meh,meh”meat. Flapping with our arms means chicken meat ;-)! We love the Chinese cuisine! It’s fresh and not greasy.

Traveling through Russia we thought the hygienics (train, toilet) were a challenge. But traveling through China is even tougher. Toilets are a REAL challenge (especially for Beatrice) but also the people’s eating habits need getting used to. They smack, they slurp, they burp – and they spit during their meals. Whatever they don’t want to eat (like bones) they spit on the table or on the floor. So our slogan is: When in Rome do as the Romans do…. -> makes it easier for us, too, and the Chinese people love us for that.

Zhangye is in the middle of the Hexi Corridor which is a famous part of the Chinese silk road.

The cities become now much smaller. The population of Zhangye is 1.25 million. You can already see some influence from other people roots as e.g. the minority of the Yugu which – in our terms – look more like Mongolian.

A highlight of Zhangye is the Giant Buddha Temple “Da Fo Si”. This is the biggest Chinese wooden indoor reclining buddha.

The wooden-tower pagoda, Mu Ta Si, on a nice square offers a great view over the city.

When exploring the surroundings of Zhangye one must visit the Zhangye Danxia Landscape. The landscape is so beautiful and it reminded us a lot of the national parks in the US. We spent a full day hiking in different places – enjoying the beauty of nature.

Today, Friday morning, 25 August 2017, we are on our way along the Hexi Corridor to Jiayuguan.

Terracotta Warriors – the 8th Wonder of the World

About 20 km east of Xi’an we visited the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. This site is breath-taking and unforgettable – we could look at them again and again. We have seen pictures of it before-but seeing the warriors in reality is beyond words. It is fair to say that this is the 8th Wonder of the world. It is a world cultural heritage UNESCO site since 1987.

The Terracotta army was built by China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huan, starting 246 BC. It is said that Qin was looking for ways to become immortal. Once he realized that this was impossible he started building his army for his afterlife.

The army was discovered only in 1974. A farmer was digging a well and by chance he found a piece of a warrior. Today, three pits have been excavated – but the work is still in process and will continue for many years. About 2,000 life-like Terracotta Warriors have been restored. The total estimate of Warriors is about 8,000. In addition, there are about 130 chariots and 670 horses. Just incredible!!!

The Terracotta army is only a part of Qin’s mausoleum area. The bigger part still needs to be unearthed – in particular the likely magnificent tomb of Qin. It is said that he built rivers with quicksilver liquids and they have detected higher concentration of quicksilver in the tomb area.

The craftsmanship of the warriors and horses is so delicate. Each warrior has unique facial features. The infantry, archers, generals and cavalry are different in their expressions, clothing and hairstyles. It is amazing!!!

Two complete chariots with horses made of bronze were found, too. Every detail is fascinating.

Xi’an by Night

Xi’an by night is an unforgettable experience, too. In particular the lighting of the City Wall, the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower are beautiful. There are so many people enjoying the summer evenings.

The most lively place at night is the night market in the Islamic quarter. It is so crowded! It is absolutely fascinating to watch the different food stalls and experience the various smells.

Xi’an – Root of Chinese Civilization

Xi’an is the Eastern starting (or end) point of the silk road which we are going to explore over the next few weeks. Xi’an is more than 3,000 years old. It was the capital for 13 Chinese dynasties and a total of 73 emperors ruled here. Xi’an is truly the city of Chinese emperors.

Globally, Xi’an is most famous for its Terracotta Warriors but there is much more to see in the city and the neighborhood. Our guide told us the saying: If you have not been to Xi’an, you have not been to China!

There is an Islamic quarter with narrow, busy roads and hundreds of small shops which create a special and lively atmosphere. Nearby the first mosque built in China can be found. The Grand Mosque is beautiful and unique thanks to its perfect mixture of Islamic and Chinese architecture styles. The prayer hall and the Minarett are two great examples of this amazing mixture.

The Xi’an City Wall is another great monument. Fortunately, the original plans to destroy the wall were dismissed. Today, the wall and its surroundings are nice leisure places for local people and interesting tourist spots. One can for example rent bicycles on the wall and ride the 14 km.

The Drums Tower and the Bell Tower are landmark buildings in the city and we liked both visits a lot. They are very nicely built in wood and beautifully painted.

Another amazing building is the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda with its temple with beautiful Buddha statues and a tower. For the Staubli-family it is a tradition to climb up every tower or building (no matter how high and how hot and humid) we visit…. it is always nice to see the city from a different perspective.

Beijing – a Fascinating City

On Saturday morning, we visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. All very interesting and impressive – but too many people and the extremely hot and humid weather made it a challenge… ! Many Chinese tourists wanted us to be on their pictures. Especially the boys were wanted models;-)! Our guide said: “Of course they want to take photos with the boys. They love them because they are handsome, very friendly and look very western.”

After a fabulous lunch (we love Chinese food!) we were ready again to see the amazing Temple of Heaven. With less people there, we enjoyed walking in the garden with about 1,000 cypresses.

Today, Sunday, 20 August 2017, we visited first the beautiful Lama Temple (Yonghegong).

The main Buddha was unbelievable with a height of 18 meters – made from one tree (“Sandelholz”).

Later we saw the Summer Palace which is absolutely fascinating and beautiful. Today about 80,000 other people visited the Kunming Lake, the garden and the Summer Palace … nevertheless we enjoyed the place a lot!

We liked this big Chinese city a lot and for sure we will come back one day!

At 4:45pm it was time to catch the train to Xi’an (5h 40′ duration; 1,216 km; maximum speed 305 km/h). We had to say goodbye to Julian what was hard because we had a wonderful family time together. But we will see him again in early October when he will study in Hongkong.

Welcome Beijing and the Great Wall

Beijing became a great family reunion time which we will never forget – we had so much to tell each other and to catch up. It was great to see how our two sons connected again and exchanged experiences/news after 6 months of not having seen each other.

On our first day we visited Prince Gong’s mansion and the narrow Hutongs (some walking, some Riksha experience and visiting a local family house). The Riksha drivers had a hard time with the Staubli family. We are not really average height and weight….!

On Friday, 18 August 2017, we drove to the Panlongshan section of the Great Wall. This section is quite far away from Beijing (about 2 hours drive) which means very few tourists get there. The wall is still historical and not-renovated which makes it even more fascinating. We hiked on the wall for several hours. The Great Wall is breath-taking and definitely one of our most impressive experience in traveling the world.

Nature Activities and People on Kamchatka

Kamchatka is a nature paradise and offers many different outdoor activities (in winter time it has been becoming a helicopter-skiing destination, too).

Lots of hot springs in pretty places invite for bathing…

We also enjoyed river rafting … always watching out for bears at the shore …. while fishing for salmons and trouts … truly relaxing and enjoyable ….

Hiking is also very common – whether up to volcanos or just across the beautiful countryside or mountain areas. For our mountain hike we had to drive up the mountains through a dry river bed (after snow melting this is possible), over ice covers and along stony tracks. We did it on a big foot jeep which was great fun.

The weather was rather disgusting – cold, light rain, strong winds and fogy….. at least a ground squirrel said hello to us …. and some pretty flowers gave some color to it …

The black sand beach is a very impressive result of a previous volcano eruption (1991). This beach calls for a relaxing hike along the Pacific coast.

Today, we say goodbye to Kamchatka and to Russia.

Russia has been a wonderful country to visit. Not only its amazing nature and wildlife, no, its people made the trip so unforgettable, too. As we have mentioned before in the blog, Russian pople are very discrete, seem to be a bit withdrawn but we have only known friendly and very helpful people. The prejudice that Russians are loud and always drunk is simply not true. Especially the young people like to discuss and are very curious about "Europe". They work hard for their living. Like our young guide on Kamchatka who is an English and Chinese teacher but works as a tour guide during his summer holiday (June until end of August). Or our very young boat guide on the river, who studies business administration in Moscow and earns some money by rowing tourists down a river on Kamchatka, eager to practice his English and German skills.

If ever you wonder how we survived Russia without any Russian language skills….here some clues:
1. Learn some words in Russian: Strasdwetje=hallo; ja turist si schwizarii= ich bin ein Tourist aus der Schweiz; spasiba=danke; charascho=gut; baca baca=tschuess; njet=nein; dada=ja; vino=Wein; piva=Bier; wada gasem=Wasser mit Kohlensaeure
2. If you see someone with an ice-cream you grab his/her ice-cream wrapping and bring it to the little food stall and you get an ice-cream. Simple as that;-).
3. Use your hand and body language.
4. Smile and trust in what you will get.
Andi once wanted that they put our white wine bottle in the fridge to keep it cool until the next day…. next day we got back a deep-frozen wine bottle????!!!!! So from then on we finished our wine bottle every evening;-).

In five hours we are flying to Beijing which is our starting point of our next adventure – the silk road back to Europe. In Beijing, we will have a family reunion with our two boys. After finishing his second year at the University in St. Gallen, Julian got admitted to a Chinese sponsored Chinese language course and culture exchange program in Beijing in August. Thereafter, he will do an exchange semester at the Hong Kong University. Valentin has just finished his first year at the Ecole Hoteliere Lausanne and the corresponding first internship in the Golf-Hotel Andreus in St. Martin in Italy (close to Meran). He has not seen Julian since February and both are looking forward to the reunion. Valentin will also join us for the Chinese part of the silk road travel.

Kamchatka Bears

Kamchatka is famous for its own kind of bears, too. They are the largest brown bears similar to the Alaskan Kodiak Bears or the Polar Bears. Female bears weigh 150 – 200 kg and male bears up to 400 – 650kg. The Kamchatka Bears are well protected and the Kamchatka Bear population estimates range from 10,000 to 14,000 bears.

We flew with a helicopter to the south (about 1h 15m) to get to the famous Kuril Lake. We almost got addicted to flying by helicopter over such beautiful landscapes…..

Kuril Lake is a caldera and crater lake. Its surface is about 76 square kilometers. It is known for its richness of many different kind of salmons and other fish (estimates go up to over 6 million; it is the major nursery for Sockeye Salmons). Most important, Kamchatka Bears love Kuril Lake since it is a major source of food. Therefore, they are all along the shore…..

A family of three walking by and watching (or better smelling) us …… just wonderful …..

The Kamchatka Bears are excellent swimmers and they even dive for fishing … when going down you see the back feet going down last … so cute …. below one bear with a salmon in his mouth….

We could watch them for hours ….. again and again beautiful pictures ….. they are so powerful, agile and skilled in catching fish…..

Petropavlovsk-Kamcatskij and Avacha Bay

Petropavlovsk-Kamcatskij is a town with about 180,000 people. The number of inhabitants has been diminishing for many years – young people move to larger cities as e.g. Moscow or St. Petersburg. Only the increasing tourism offers new interesting opportunities for the people of Kamchatka.

The Avacha Bay is a large bay-area which is well protected from the Pacific Ocean. On a five hour boat trip in the bay and the ocean we could admire several beautiful cliffs and rocks.

…. below the three brothers…

The area is also well known for its fog – it comes and it goes quickly – and the fog produces mystic pictures….

Some rocks are famous for their bird life. We saw many different birds hunting for fish – and some of them bringing their catch home to their nests…..

And we encountered seals – funny to see them watching us…..

The Land of Volcanos and Geysers

On our first full day on Kamchatka, 11 August 2017, we visited some amazing volcanos and geysers. The variety of the landscapes and its colors are just breathtaking – unbelievable!

Most trips are done with Russian Mi-8 helicopters. There are several of them flying to different spots and we love the helicopter rides because you get so many different perspectives from this beautiful peninsula. Our longest flight took a bit more than one hour. The trip overall lasted for about six hours (delicious salmon lunch included).

There is a very large number of volcanos on Kamchatka. Actually about 30 volcanos are active. It is impressive to get so close!

The valley of Geysers is just unbelievable. The big range of colors paints many different wonderful pictures. Furthermore, it is everywhere steaming, smoking and bubbling – and from time to time Geysers are erupting…..we felt like living in a different world.

….steaming and spraying…..

…and here a geyser erupts…..

…some blubbering mud pits ….

The crystal-water pool looks so beautiful – but you should not go for a swim since it is boiling hot…..

This is called "Entrance to Hell" …. burning hot steam comes out of both wholes…..

Another helicopter stop at the amazing Uzon-Caldera. The Caldera fauna is unique and thanks to the warm springs bears love to come here for eating in early spring and just to warm up!

Kamchatka Peninsula

Today, 10 August 2017, we fly from Vladivostok to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (10 hours time difference to Zurich). Kamchatka is a nature paradise. The many volcano areas are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kamchatka stands for wilderness and adventure. Bears, salmons, elks, reindeers, volcanos, geysers, unique plants and amazing landscapes are typically mentioned when reading about Kamchatka. We are ready for it!

Vladivostok – the Eastern End of the Transsib

Our last Standard Transsib night travel ended in Vladivostok on 8 July 2017 (this time in a first class compartment which is much more comfortable than the 4-person second class compartment…). After 9,288 km – we made it!

Vladivostok is a very interesting and vibrant city. It reminds us of San Francisco (very hilly, coast line). It is the home of the Russian Pacific Fleet and therefore it was a closed city for foreigners and Russians until 1992.

The city has two large cable-stayed bridges which provide beautiful sights from different places. First the Golden Horn bridge (2.1 km) in the center and second the bridge to the Russky island across Eastern Bosphorus strait (3.1 km). There is a beautiful viewpoint close by the lighthouse.

There is a very long sea promenade full of Russian tourists (day and evening). The atmosphere is cheerful. A lot of food stalls are along the promenade as well as amusement stalls. Children, as all over the world, love to eat cotton candy or ice-cream. A bit like in old films seemed the offer of taking photos with a monkey or a lizard. We spent quite some time just watching people strolling along the sea (and eating an ice-cream cone ourselves;-))!

Now, it is time to get ready for our next adventure: Kamchatka Peninsula!

Khabarovsk – the City on the Amur River

For the first time we experienced bad weather on our trip. A Taifun coming from Japan provided us with stormy and rainy days in Khabarovsk and later in Vladivostok.

Khabarovsk is the capital of the Russian Far East. It is a Russian and Chinese holiday destination and known for its attractive parks, river beaches, classic architecture and national parks nearby.

The Amur River is the centre of history and today's life and it is very impressive. The famous Amur bridge (2.6 km long!) is one of the must sees on a relaxing boat trip. For strategic military reasons the Russians also built a corresponding tunnel nearby.

The riverside is a very nice and lively recreational area (if good weather….).

Our excursion in a national park with a botanic guide was very informative. The flooding made it a wet and challenging experience.

The Vyborg Market is a huge and very lively market, with not only local Russians but also a visible example of the proximity to China – many Chinese traders selling imported products of every variety under the "sun", e.g. appliances of any kind, toys and clothing. Everywhere you can buy dried oak branches for the sauna treatment. The vegetable, fruit, meat and fish market is amazing.

For lunch we visited a Russian family. They proudly showed us their house, garden and sauna. The lunch which they had prepared for us was full of Russian specialities and it was delicious. The Russian hospitality and kindness surprised us. Together with our German speaking guide as a translator we could discuss and inform each other about our cultures. It was touching how you feel at home all over the world when the people around you are so warm-hearted and interested. Respecting and understanding each other's differences make life so much easier.

Traveling in the Standard Transsib

After our luxury first part of train travel with the Zarengold Transsib we experienced traveling in the Standard Transsib for the route from Irkutsk to Vladivostok.

We had booked a first class compartment but the train composition only had second class wagons. So we got a whole compartment with four beds which proved to be even better since we had more space (in particular for our luggage).

Traveling with the Standard Transsib went well but was also challenging at times. There were times when we were sweating like hell (outside temperature 35 degrees), the toilets were very simple but at least most times relatively clean and our Russian co-travelers were providing us with all different kinds of smells (food, body), everything was a bit filthy, etc., but all in all a good experience. We gave the conductor and the children on the train some Swiss chocolate and everybody was happy;-)!

The longest individual train travel lasted for 57 hours – from Ulan-Ude to Chabarovsk. We lived on bottled water, instant soups, crackers, chocolate and instant coffee. Hot water is always available.

From time to time there were stops of up to 30 minutes. Everybody gets out of the train to walk and/or to smoke….always being careful not to miss the departure of the train ;-). One of us got the job to run to a small shop stall nearby and buy water and most important ice cream: "An ice cream a day – keeps the doctor away";-).

At the end in Vladivostok we will have travelled 9,288 km by Transsib. We definitely experienced the distances in this huge country. We finally had time to look out of the window, day-dream, read, chat, play yatzy and relax.

The views from the train were interesting – endless forests of birches and pines….endless, meadows with colorful flowers, rivers and water ponds, little dachas with vegetable gardens, small villages, larger cities with old wooden houses and concrete buildings from Soviet times, large (typically very old and often no longer used) industrial areas.

The Buryat City Ulan-Ude

After a night train travel we arrived in Ulan-Ude at 5am on Wednesday, 2 August 2017. It is the capital of the republic Buryatia. Many Buryats are Buddhists. The Buryats have their blood roots linked to the Mongolian people.

We have never seen any larger head statue ….. the head of Lenin…..

The city is compact and very walkable. A melting pot of different Russian cultures and religions.

The ethnographic openair museum showcased the different ways of living over time by the different tribes. This was like a small Ballenberg.

An excursion to visit the Buddist Iwolginski Datsan was very interesting, too. The Lama Monastery has its roots from the Tibet. A unique moment was when we were allowed to see the Lama Dorzho Itigelov who died 1927. He is famous for not having much decayed after so many years. To see him sitting there was out of this world and very impressive.

Olkhon Island – a Jewelry in the Lake Baikal

Visiting the island Olkhon in the Lake Baikal is worth the effort to get there. It is mystic and breathtaking – we will never forget our two nights and days there.

Getting there means a few hours car drive plus a short ferry cruise to get onto the island. Unfortunately, one ferry of three was broken and the ferry capacity is very limited (5 and 14 cars only). As you can see below, leaving the island on this weekend required a lot of patience…about 11 hours waiting. Fortunately, we left on a Tuesday…..

There are only dirt roads on the island and the once in the national park were really in bad shape – but positively speaking this just keeps us young! In the national park we were driving with a small old Soviet bus – extremely simple, no comfort, almost no suspension but reliable.

We were together with 8 Russians in this tiny bus…..one Russian couple spent their honeymoon on the island. Thanks to their little English skills we never missed the bus after a stop;-). Russian people are reluctant at the beginning, but when they like you they open up and start talking to you and you always find a way to communicate.

Our driver prepared lunch for us: A fish soup, cucumber-onion salad and bread. Looking at my dirty bowl and seeing a fishhead swimming in the broth I wasn't sure whether Andi was right to pretend that he was a vegetarian… (I didn't eat the fishhead but all the other fish pieces in the soup!). Brave Beatrice!s

There is one small village called Khuzhir on Olkhon.

Olkhon is known for its Shamanism which was very interesting for us. We experienced Shamanism on our previous travels and it is fascinating to see the same and also different rituals in different parts of the world. Throwing coins on sacred places and wrapping colorful ribbons around bushes, trees and posts brings luck. The most sacred place is Shamanka (Cape Burhan). An ancient shamanic legend says: Han Khan-baabay, as the king of all shamans, came to Olkhon and lived in a cave on Shamanka. Cape Burhan is a bimodal rock composed of crystalline limestone, marble, covered with light red lichen.

The scenery on Olkhon is just amazing and there are so many beautiful places to visit. There are many beautiful small flowers and some raptors flying around.

Sacred Cape Sagan-Khushun

The Cliff of Maidens at Cape Khoboi

The Cliff of Love at Cape Shunte-Leviy

The legendary Lake Baikal.

Another dream comes true – we experience the beauty of the Lake Baikal. The lake, its flora and fauna and its legends are amazing!

The Lake Baikal is with 25 million years the oldest lake on earth. It is the biggest fresh-water lake in the world (636km long and 23/80km wide). There are larger lakes when it comes to the surface only. But combined with the record depth of 1,637m Lake Baikal is by far the world's largest fresh-water lake (about 20% of all fresh-water reserves). The water is extremely clear and clean. The lake continues to widen about 2cm a year. Geologists predict that it will become a new ocean in some million years.

Our first view on Lake Baikal was at 5am on 29 July 2017.

We were traveling with our Zarengold train along the old Baikal railway track to its dead end of Port Bajkal. Beatrice and I were allowed to get onto the locomotive during parts of this trip – what great and unique adventure and view on this scenic route!

There are several animals which only exist in the Lake Baikal. E.g. the tasty and famous Omul fish (a kind of salmon) or the strange Baikal-Oilfish Golomjanka. The latter is almost transparent, has no scales, consists mainly of fat and swims only vertically up and down even to the bottom of the lake. Golomjanka is the main nourishment of the Baikal-Seal. And we were very lucky to see one laying on a large stone along the coast in the morning hours. The Baikal-Seal is from the same family as the North-Ice-Sea seals, but it is unclear how he was able to get up to Lake Baikal and cope with the fresh-water.

In Port Bajkal our Zarengold travel ends. We have spent six days and six nights on this train. The whole train had 180 passengers from all over the world, mainly passengers from Portugal, Spain, Brazil, America, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France. In our group were two couples from Italy and Austria (the Austrian lady left after two nights because the compartment was too small?!) as well as a lady from Germany. Ludmilla was our guide during the whole trip. She was very knowledgeable, warm-hearted and her German was just perfect. Her Russian course, her Russian tea ceremony and the Wodka tasting were really funny and are unforgettable. We could even sing a Russian song together after some Wodkas ;-). The train rides were never boring. Every day we could listen to speeches transmitted via loudspeakers in our compartment. The topics were "The Transsib Route", "Russian Potpurri", "Gulags" and many more. If we missed some of it we could always listen to them in French, English or Spanish;-). In the cities we had special tour guides. Their German was impeccable and we learnt a lot about Russian architecture, culture and people.

A short boat trip brings us from Port Bajkal across the Angara river to Listvjanka on the Baikal lake-shore. It reminds us of a Riviera fisher village – pretty but overrun by Russian tourists. People from Irkutsk come in buses or their cars (1 hour drive only) to enjoy the beautiful lake.

A pretty legend is about Djed ("Daddy" or in German "Väterchen") Baikal and its niece (river) Angara. All rivers were flowing into Lake Baikal. Angara fell in love with (river) Enisej. Djed Baikal stopped Angara joining Enisey by throwing a big rock in the middle of Angara. And this is why Angara is still there and it is the only outward flow of Lake Baikal. Below you see the rock in the middle of Angara.

Irkutsk – the Capital of East Siberia

We visited Irkutsk twice, on 28 July and on 1 August. The city has a special atmosphere (lively, authentic, positive and prosperous) and we like it a lot. We enjoyed walking in the city or along the pretty Angara river, eating ice cream and watching Russian people living in their city. Russian ice cream is very tasty and it became a must on our day-trips….. another surprising fact of Russia: there are so many ice cream stalls all over the cities and Russians must love ice cream as much as Swiss people do!

Some pictures of the beautiful Irkutsk.

Irkutsk is famous for its large number of old wooden houses. The very old ones do not have any proper baseplate, i.e. the wood was just built onto the soil. Over the many years, the wood started to sink into the soil. Consequently, you see windows close to the ground which is fascinating. There is also a newly built/renovated wooden house area with lots of small cafes, restaurants and shops – really enjoyable.

Quite a funny story is the heraldic animal (Wappentier) of Irkutsk. This legendary creature should have been a tiger with a sable in his mouth. But the administration officer in St. Petersburg misinterpreted the Russian word "Babr" (=tiger) into "Bobr" (=beaver) and adjusted the drawing of the animal slightly. Now, the heraldic animal is a "tiger-beaver".

An unexpected stop in Krasnoyarsk

We were traveling with our train ahead of the original schedule and to avoid arriving in Irkutsk during the night we benefited from an unexpected stop in Krasnoyarsk. It is a large industrial city with a population of more than one million. It was an administrative center of the Gulags (labor camps), a dark side of the Russian history. During the Soviet Union time, Krasnoyarsk was industrially very strategic. Consequently, it was one of the closed cities for many years where only locals were allowed to go to.

The city is nicely placed in the beautiful Enisej river landscape. From a viewpoint we had a gorgeous view and we were visited by a raptor.

The impressive railway bridge over the Enisej.

The Paraskeva Chapelle is situated on top of a hill overlooking the city of Krasnojarsk.

Novosibirsk – the Capital of West Siberia

In Novosibirsk, a group of women was welcoming us with bread and salt – and singing and dancing, too. What a warm reception.

Novosibirsk is the third largest city of Russia. It is an industrial town. Did you know that Novosibirsk is the exact geographical center of the old Soviet Union?

We visited the huge Lenin monument in front of the beautifully renovated opera and ballet house.

Another amazing building is the Alexander-Nevskij-Cathedral.

Walking along the Ob river is very relaxing and beautiful. There are several beaches where locals enjoy the warm summer days.

The local market provided colorful pictures of fruit, spices and fish. The quality of the presented food was very high and the market was extremely clean.

A Russian nuts speciality are the seeds of the Siberian yellow Pine (Zirbelkiefer) which you can buy everywhere in Siberia. They are very tasty. Below you see a picture of pine cones in the middle, on the right side the seeds unpeeled and on the left the peeled seeds ready to eat.

Yekaterinburg – the door to Siberia and Asia

Yekaterinburg is situated near the 2,400km long Ural Mountain Range which we expected to be a range of high mountains. In fact, they are rather small in terms of Swiss mountains (its highest mountain is only 1,895m high).

The fourth largest city of Russia has metallurgical roots and this remains the main source of wealth. Yekaterinburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1723 and named after his wife, Yekaterina. The city is famous for being the crossover between Europe and Asia. One foot still in Europe (left side of below monument) and the other one in Asia (right side of below monument).

Yekaterinburg is equally famous for the tragedy of imprisonment and later execution of the last czar family in 1918. The church on the Blood was built on the site of the execution of Tsar Nicolas II and his family.

We spent some interesting hours visiting the city. There are many things to see as e.g. churches, old wooden houses and the main station.

Another interesting observation is that all large cities are big construction and renovation sites because of the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Most people we met were very positive about it since it helps to improve general infrastructure and renovation of tourist attractions.

Kazan – Capital of Tartastan

After having crossed the river Wolga, our first Transsib stop was at Kazan on the 24 July 2017. Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Russian Republic of Tartastan. Furthermore, it is the center of the world Tatar culture. The city comes across with a rich history, deep culture and strong economy. It was very impressive to see how the city blends Muslim and Christian cultures. Kazan was a positive surprise and we could have easily stayed there 2 days.

The Kremlin is nicely placed on a hill.

The Kul-Sharif Mosque in the Kremlin is beautiful, in particular the inside.

Equally beautiful was the Annunciation Cathedral in the Kremlin. The walls are full of beautiful paintings.

The legend of the Suyumbike Tower is that the Tatar Princess Suyumbike was betrothed to Ivan the Terrible. She did not want to leave Tartastan. But she consented to marry him if he could build the highest tower in Kazan within seven days. Ivan accomplished the task, but Suyumbike, rather than subjugating herself and the Tatar people to the Russian ruler, climbed to the top of the tower and jumped to her death. It is also known as the leaning tower of Kazan.

Zarengold

One of our dreams comes true …. a Zarengold Transsib compartment becomes our home on our travel to Siberia.

Our two conductresses Yulya and Irina were looking after our temporary home and they were always very kind and provided a superb service.

The Russian cuisine on the train was good and the atmosphere in the dining compartment was extraordinary. A typical Russian lunch starts with a salad, then a soup followed by meat, vegetable and potatoes. The desert is often a piece of sweet cake and tea/coffee. A bottle of Wodka is always on the table.

Welcome to Russia

On 22 July 2017, our second travel adventure started – our Transsib trip from Moscow to Vladivostok. Traveling the Transsib railway has always been a dream of ours.

First we wanted to travel to the lake of Baikal in the luxury Zarengold Transsib. Thereafter, we planned to experience the standard Transsib railway for the second part to Vladivostok. Visiting Russian towns and exploring the famous lake of Baikal will for sure be other highlights.

After our arrival in Moscow, we started with a night city tour. It was a warm summer evening which made it very pleasant.

We were impressed by the very monumental and incredibly clean Metro. In one station there were different bronze statues one of them a soldier with his dog. Touching the dog’s snout brings you luck.

On Sunday we visited the Kremlin, Red Square, St Basil’s Cathedral and many more interesting and beautiful sights. No pigeons in the Kremlin park….thanks to some hawks!

 

 

 

 

 

Polar Plunge, Pyramiden, People and Goodbye Svalbard

A must do on an arctic expedition cruise is the polar plunge. Both of us were courageous enough to jump into the freezing cold polar sea ….. in between some drift ice…….brrrrr…..

On our last day on Svalbard, we visited the historical Russian village Pyramiden. This old Russian outpost can now be visited and the village is like a museum – interesting. And it was a good way to get mentally ready for the upcoming Transsib railway adventure from Moscow to Vladivostok. We raised our first Wodka glasses in a toast to our travel to Russia.

A lot of photos of nature and wildlife – but what made our trip so unforgettable were the people, too. At Zurich Airport we got to know our Sea Spirit buddies. First of all Jonas and David from the Kontiki Team. They managed this trip from the beginning until the end with a lot of professionality, humour and kindness. On the boat we met the expedition team – young people from Sweden, New Zealand, Russia, Finland, Germany, France and Argentina. These people led not only the expeditions professionally, they also gave the most interesting speeches about "Permafrost", "Wildlife", "History", "Geology" etc.. We enjoyed every minute of it. The passengers were all Swiss (German and French speaking). That made it easy to find "travel-heart" buddies, too. We all had in common that we love traveling and we love nature. Interesting and funny discussions took place and we made new friends, who live in Berne/Geneva or even just around the corner from Aarau, in Buchs;-). We will miss all the evenings we spent together with a lot of laughter while drinking a glass of wine or whisky.
"Sie war Künstlerin – und hatte nur ein Plumpsklo"-> that's an absolute insider joke for our arctic friends.

After 10 days expedition cruise around Svalbard we must return to Switzerland. Time was flying so fast. We gained a lot of beautiful memories of unique landscapes, flowers and animals. We love the arctic world and for sure we will come back to do another arctic expedition in the future.

A few last impressions from Svalbard.

Bye-bye Svalbard!

Funny Reindeers

Reindeers can be seen all over Svalbard. They come across a bit dull but also funny. In any case we always loved to see them in bigger groups or just one, two or three. Enjoy with us some photo shots of them.

Reindeers looking for a cold surface to stand or often to lay down.

Reindeer hair can be found here and there in the tundra.

Three reindeers crossing the sea.

Amazing Birdlife of the Arctic

The arctic sea is very rich of plankton, krill and fish – a paradise for birds and other mammals. The birdlife is amazing – sometimes hundreds of birds flying over you and so beautiful ones. Below some snapshots to share with you.

Below a fascinating picture of a cadger-gull following a seagull to force it to vomit its caught fish …… the seagull cries fleeing…..

Breathtaking Glaciers of Svalbard

Svalbard is famous for its more than 2,000 glaciers. Unfortunately, almost all of them are withdrawing because of global warming. Their sceneries are breathtaking.

The largest glacier is Brasvellbreen of which the waterfront is more than 200 km long – just amazing! A glacier river even ends in a glacier waterfall into the sea.

And finally some close-ups of glacier walls. Fantastic to hear the noise of the glaciers moving forward and a very special experience when the glacier is calving into the sea.

Arctic Foxes

We were also very lucky to see a large number of arctic foxes – either hunting for eggs and young birds, approaching us for curiosity or just playing around (once even two young foxes with a reindeer). Many of them were still changing from their beautiful white winter fur to a brownish summer fur.

We even found a fox on drift ice, likely following a polar bear for getting some food left-overs. Later on he swam between drift ice which is known to happen very seldom.

Belugas and Seals

On the search for whales we encountered a group of belugas along the coast. At least eight belugas stayed with us for some time.

In addition, we encountered several seals.

Tiny but beautiful Flowers of Svalbard

In the arctic world of Svalbard nature has to cope with cold temperatures, tough weather conditions and short summers. Consequently, all flowers are really tiny. Most extreme are the arctic trees which are even smaller than 1 cm ….. unbelievable … see below.

And the tiny flowers are beautiful and so colorful. A small number of examples below.

And lastly, the tundra landscape is so different to what we know – just breathtaking!

Fascinating Walruses

Other highlights of the arctic wildlife were the encounter with walruses. On 80° North we saw the first group of walruses on the small island Moffen.

Shortly thereafter, a group of three walruses were on drift ice.

Later during our cruise we had several more encounters with these strange and interesting animals. A few more impressions below.

Amazing Drift Ice Scenes

Viewing and cruising through drift ice was just beautiful. We could have gone on forever – never getting enough of such views and memories.

Encountering Polar Bears

One of the main reasons for our travels to the arctic world was to encounter Polar Bears. Walking anywhere on Svalbard mandatorily requires being armed at any time anywhere! That's what we also experienced in every expedition landing!

However, it proved to be quite challenging to find Polar Bears…. but that's nature!

Our first Polar Bear spotting was close to a dead Beluga whale along the coast. Do you see  it? Small white "thing" just below the snow-field in the middle.

And another one – this time bigger – high up in steep mountain area along the coast. In such case a landing on the coast is not allowed – too dangerous. A Polar Bear is very fast on land.

 And then we encountered a male Polar Bear on the drift ice. And we were really lucky that he was very active and so curious!

And then he jumped…..

Our expedition cruise around Svalbard

In Longyearbyen we boarded our expedition ship MV Sea Spirit under the lead of the expedition team from Poseidon.

Our expedition led us to many magnificent place around Svalbard.

Svalbard Map 08.07

Magdalenefjorden was a first wonderful place to experience the arctic nature. Some impressions can be seen below.

 

Svalbard – the land of polar bears

We landed on Spitsbergen/Svalbard on Saturday, 8 July 2017 at 2am in the morning. And it was still bright – a wonderful midnight summer experience started in Longyearbyen.

Svalbard is the land of polar bears and below you can see the famous sign – white polar bear on black ground. It warns of dangerous polar bears all over Svalbard.