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The train from Moscow to Byisk takes 63 hours and costs $40.My friend Vladislav D. and I prefer hard sleeper without separate rooms (platskartnii vagon). Our closest neighbor, a 16 year old girl fed us with food carefully supplied for her journey by her parents and told us a bunch of stories about her tough life. From Byisk we took a bus to a remote corner of Altay, village Yst-Koksa. The bus ride was 10 hours long and cost $8. After initial fight for seats the atmosphere in the bus became peaceful and friendly. Especially touching was the care which the entire bus took care of a straw hat of a young lady from the old believer village Mylta.

Travel to St. Petersburg and Mongolia (part II)

Alex Mumzhiu
2006-03-22 18:19:28

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fish, which is supposed to be plenty. I used to go to geological and surveying expeditions in the past and these pre-expedition preparations were pretty exciting for me.

In the first day we drove to the last point in the park where cars are allowed. We spent the night in a Kazakh's ger (urt) for $3 per person. The next day we rented horses from a local Kazakh man for $5 per person per day and started to ride toward the Tavanbogd Uul (Five Saints) mountain massiff. It was great. We were alone there. There were no people around. There were no symbols of civilization, such as plastic bags and Coke cans. Only birds and some animals whom Vladia easily identified. Vladia is a very knowledgeable amateur biologist. By mid day we approached the mountain massif made of five peaks - the highest of which is Khuiten, 4374m (Russian readers try to pronounce it). Scenery was magnificent: snow covered mountains, 19km long Potanii Glacier, turquoise lakes down in morenas and again nobody except the two of us. There are not so many places like this left on Earth.

Troubles started on our way back. First we got lost. Fortunately we met a local kazakh herdsman who offered to accompany us down to the place where we spent the last night. When I tried to communicate with him, I moved my hands probably too fast. My horse got scared and started to buck. It was like in a rodeo. I held as much as I could and eventually fell down. I hit the ground with my butt. My body was in a perfect position for falling, forming the letter "V". I was not hurt at all. Fortunately I fell on a small path of grass surrounded by stones. If I had hit the stones it would be a different story. Soon Vladia developed symptoms of high altitude sickness. He felt bad and was vomiting periodically. When he got down from the horse for the next vomiting, I and the Kazakh man approached him. I handed a cigarette pack to the Kazakh man and this gesture scared my horse again. She rushed ...