Goodbye Russia

Dear all,

I’m at end of my trip through Russia! Vladivostok was my final destination and from here I took a bus to Harbin, China.

Quick facts about my journey in Russia

1. Total distance of train journey: 10.320 km (St. Petersburg – Vladivostok) 
   

2. Distance on BAM railway: 4.359 km
   

3. Distance on Trans Siberian: 5.281 km
   

4. Other distances: Moscow to St. Petersburg 680 km
   

5. Hours in the train spent: 183 hours = 7.5 days = 25% of my  total time (29 days) in Russia
   

6. Longest journey: Tynda to Komsomolsk-na-Amur (1469 km, 36 hours)
   

7. Shortest train journey: Moscow to Vladimir (191 km, 3 hours)
   

8. Spectacular moment: standing on cliff side of Lake Baikal
   

9. Nicest town/city: Komsomolsk-na-Amur
   

10. Best places to be: Stolby NP, Lake Baikal, and BAM railway
    

11. Number of time zones crossed: 7
    

12. 12.number of police checks: once in Tynda, but it was a friendly encountering
    

13. Climate zones I travelled through: temperate, subarctic /tundra, taiga, and steppe
    

14. The times I was able to get some (tourist) information: one time, local people cannot read maps, nor point out even a simple post office; tourist information is nowhere. 
    

15. People I met who spoke English: all couchsurfers + all hostel employees + two locals in the train
    

16. People I met who could read the roman alphabet: all couchsurfers + 1 provodnitsa + 2 locals in the train
    

Research questions

All my questions were answered, but it is still a pity that due winter it is a very hard time to watch wildlife. Despite this, I met great people and have seen the country during winter time. This allows you to do other activities than in summer.

The best thing now is to visit Russia again in summer!

See you back then.