Trans-Siberian railway

[Yelena]

Dear Laura,

I hope I can be helpful to you. I have very reach experience of taking
foreign students, postgraduate students and volunteers from the USA and UK
on the Trans-Siberian train to my folklore expeditions during the last 10
years. I do it twice per year. There are 3 trains, which I could call really
good Trans-Sib trains. Number 1 is the most expensive, it takes 72 hours to
travel from Moscow to Irkutsk. The most reasonable (according to its quality
and price) is number 10 (number 9 if you travel from Irkutsk to Moscow). It
takes 77 hours to travel from Moscow to Irkutsk. All trains have
conditioners, showers (you can use a shower several times per day if you
wish, it costs 1$ 30 cents for each time usage) and video and game room in
one of a car. Usually I take several interesting videotapes with me on the
train and make a set of lectures for my foreign students and postgraduate
students on the train before expeditions to prepare them better to the field
research. The video and game room will cost you near 3$ for 2 hours. It has
a very nice interior with soft seating places for 4-5 people. Additionally
all trains have wonderful restaurants with very good menu (including famous
Baikal fish - omul'). Trains make stops in big cities and nice local
stations. You may buy home made food on these stations from babushki, it is
delicious and cheap. According to my experience it is save food. Neither my
students nor me have experienced any health problems with food during the
train trip. The compartment room in the car has 4 sleeping places (2 "down"
beds and 2 "up" beds). Your luggage will go under sleeping places, so you
will have plenty of place for your legs. If you wish I could send to you
pictures of the train car inside. Each train has a several professional
policemen who traveled with passengers. There are wonderful landscapes
behind the train windows. You will see forests, great Russian rivers (Volga,
Ob', Yenisei, etc.), Urals mountains, etc. I can say that our team members
have never been bored on the Trans-sib. Train. It is a wonderful place for
rest, interesting talking, entertainment and education.

I know wonderful decent guides in Irkutsk who will be very happy to take
your students to the tour on Lake Baikal on in Irkutsk. If you need a good
and not expensive place to stay in Irkutsk I can recommend you several
families. You will stay in a nice and beautiful flat in the middle of
Irkutsk, and the hostess will cook for you two meals. I can confirm that
they cook excellent food. It will cost 15$ per day per person.

If you need any additional information regarding prices on the train
tickets, names and addresses of guides in Moscow or Irkutsk, tours to the
Lake Baikal, I will be happy to be helpful.

Good luck to your trip, yours sincerely,

Dr. Yelena Minyonok

www.russianexpedition.net

http://www.russianexpedition.net/team_II.htm




----- Original Message -----
From: "Laura Kline" <klinela at PROVIDE.NET>
To: <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 8:09 AM
Subject: [SEELANGS] Trans-Siberian railway


> Dear SEELANGers,
> Has anyone had any experience taking students on the Trans-Siberian? I am
> trying to find out how feasible such a trip would be, and how the students
> handled being on a train for so long. I am also interested to find out if
> there are any organizations which have good guides for such trips.
> Thank you in advance,
> Laura Kline
>
>
> Lecturer in Russian
> Department of German and Slavic Studies
> Wayne State University
> 450 Manoogian
> 906 W. Warren
> Detroit, MI  48202
> (313) 577-2666
> www.shalamov.com
>
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