1, 2... and 3!

I have now officialy completed my 3rd year in Siberia. That is a happy event. I can now celebrate that I am 3 years closer to leaving than when I arrived. Tadaa.

It is funny how I did not notice that I actually spent 3 years here. You wouldn't notice either if you heard me speaking Russian, in fact I am still struggling with sentences other than the subject-verb-complement type. Still, I get better everyday and God knows where I will stop. I may not even stop at all, maybe I'll keep on moving asymptotically toward the holy grail -intermediate level-. What will I then do with all my Russian language skills once I leave Russia? Keeping up the level by practicing with Urmik? That won't do it... Call me a condescending jerk, but the truth is that Urmik is not even a the subject-verb-complement level yet. 'Verb only' is good enough for all the messages I usually convey to Urmik (run, shut up, eat, get off the couch) and he gives me a confused look when I try to initiate him to more complex phrasal construction (like "mais qui c'est le gros toutou a son pepere?").

What else will I get out of those 3 years beside the semantics to talk to Urmik? Hmmm... character? I guess living in a bureaucratic country with very cold climate is good to build character, which is nice if you still want to build character at 34. And I also grew a thicker skin by living in cold in Siberia. Literally.

The highlight of my 3 years here is that I met Katya. She was well worth a few frostbites, and if I had to do it again, I'd give away a few toes all over again without hesitation just to meet her. Katya and I are now going to get married so we can stay together for life. We will do this in Moscow once all our preparative paperworks is done -no big party, sorry, just something between me and her. Still, that will be a happy event... May the 4th year bring more happy event to us (and to all y'all).

Fall

It's that time again: fall. Fall in Siberia is so inspiring, it's almost like I am getting some spiritual experience. The yellow, the red, the green... Wow. Cool.

I know I already posted pictures from fall the past 2 years, but you guys are creatures of habits and you won't mind looking at similar pictures again. This time, we took them not just from the botanical garden down the street, but we also went all the way to the sea to get them; the Ob Sea, that is, which is down the other street from our place. As usual, it includes pictures from Urmik, whose black and white fur fits every season.

Irkutsk and the legend of Baikal

Going to Irkutsk and visit Katya's family was also the occasion to visit the city and the surroundings in more depth than I did 2 years ago. The center of Irkutsk is rather pretty in fact, with nice avenues and buildings with nice shops.

We strolled along the avenues past the local statue of Lenin all the way to the embankment of the Angara past the statue of the tsar Nikolai 2.

We walked along the river, which have buildings of unique architecture, that can’t be seen anywhere else.

One example of unique architecture from Irkutsk

We also spent some time at the open air museum of architecture and ethnography at the settlement of Tal-tsy which is half way between Irkutsk and the Lake Baikal. The museum is primarily made of houses from villages that were submerged with the building of the dam on the Angara in Irkutsk. We had a very quiet and relaxing day with tasty snacks.

Then we drove all the way to Listvyanka, the city where the Baikal flows in the Angara. We had dinner at the “Legend of Baikal”, a restaurant with patio that faces an infamous landmark related in many legends of Baikal: The shaman rock right at the river inlet. To understand the essence of the legend, you have to know a couple of things about the Lake, which I am cultured enough -and kind enough- to tell you: the lake has 336 rivers that flow to it, and only one that flows out of it… the Angara, which flows to the Yenisei river. So here is the legend. Spoiler alert: I’ll skip many of the epics and suspense of the legend and I go straight to the point. Mister Old Baikal had 337 daughters until one of them, Ms Angara, decided to leave to because she fell in love with Mr Yenisey. Mister Baikal was not happy and threw a giant granite stone at Angara, but it was too late… Angara had already made her way between the hills and was already happily flowing to Mr Yenisey.

Now you know the legend… you can see the rock!

See the legendary rock in the center of the picture.

Of course, since the dam has been built in Irkutsk, the level of the Angara has gone up and the rock is largely submerged. It is about 2 ft higher than the level of the water, so it is not so impressive. You need a much bigger lense than mine to make a decent picture of it. Are you happy now, grumpy mister Baikal?

See below more pictures from Irkutsk and its surroundings.

When you cannot prevent a risk, mitigate it.

Who said that safety standards in Russia are low? Obviously, someone very oblivious to his surroundings in the critical moments... See the picture below to see how pro-activity rules when it comes to mitigate head injuries in the toilets.

Admire the attention for details in placing safeguards at the strategic places: on the ceiling for tall people, on the wall for people in a hurry. No more going to the restrooms with a hard hat and a mouth guard for me!

Sent from my iPhone

Saratov

We went to Saratov to say Hi to Katya's family. I'll skip the details about the family... just in case they read this blog, let me say that they are all extremely nice people, very welcoming and that it was a pleasure to meet them all.
About the city: Until the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, Saratov was designated a "closed city", off limits to foreigners because of the aircraft manufacturing facility in the city. With the end of the Soviet Union, they stopped manufacturing their Yak planes, but you can still fly in one if you go to Saratov (in fact, you have to).
To all the foreigners who could not go to Saratov during all these years, let me tell you, you missed a very interesting city. The architecture of the city dating from the XIX century is beautiful and there seems to be many cultural events happening all the time (I did not stay there long enough to really benefit from all the culture there): there is a beautiful museum (Radishevski museum) from outside, but they say inside it is nice too. There are many parks... and of course, there is Volga, omnipresent and which is over 3 km wide (ca 2 miles).
The weather was beautiful, we walked a lot, so I am bringing back a few pictures from there. Please share with all foreigners who could not go there until 1992.

Rediscovering the world with new eyes: wildlife

I used to think there was no wildlife around Akademgorodok. That was before I got into photography. Oh! I used to be such a banal pointer-and-shooter, oblivious to the beauty of nature surrounding me. How could I just go around like that and watch the world through 7.1 Megapixels only? Why did nobody tell me about features other than the "Auto" mode? Am I the first one to open my eyes beyond what's on my old tiny LCD screen? Are we all walking through life, blind to the beauty around us just because the Auto mode of our camera does not have the right shutter speed or aperture?

I now have a big heavy camera with many buttons. It's black, it has many features, and I look very cool when I walk with it. And the Auto mode works great. And now I see the world from another perspective. Let's just take wildlife as an example (our first example of what I believe will be a long series): What I thought was a tamed schnauzer is now revealed to me as a fierce predator. Look how he nearly breaks that branch by the strength of his jaws! and how he rests on the beach like a... wild thing that he is!


And look at these birds: isn't that wild? That's not your grandma's chicken, I can tell you that.

And with my new camera, even toads that copulate look good...

I am so excited about the new dimension that is now open to me with this big black camera. More beautiful pictures on your way very soon...

Snow in May, wrong start of the day

Here is the snow we got yesterday (May 12). I also included Urmik in the background as a reference for you to gauge the amount of snow...

Sent from my iPhone

Saving energy

Who is the bright guy in Russia who decided that central heating needs to be shut down in the spring, once the temperature exceeds 8degC for a week? Nobody else wants to write an addendum to that policy saying that central heating must be switched back on if the temperature drops below zero and if snow is falling? It's freezing here!

The May 9th Parade

The whole city has transformed for the May 9th parade, the biggest event in the year. Billboards and giant pictures are on display in all the streets and on the buildings.

The excitement has built up for days now, and I could hardly sleep the night before. We woke up early to try to beat the crowd and get good spots. Obviously, we failed, and when we arrived, all good spots were already taken.

So here is what we can bring back from our celebration day:

A few pictures from the back stage, taken minutes before the parade:

Girls adjusting their combat outfit,

-The regiment of orange berets,

-Some other regiment, more friendly,

-And the typical police car with the front hood open (nothing really different from an everyday picture).

And here some pictures we managed to take by stretching our arms really high:

Conclusion: In spite of my really cool new camera, I was not able to get a decent picture from this memorable day. Plus the new camera is a bit too heavy for the 'stretched-arm-picture mode'. Next year I will go with a periscope instead of a camera. Still, it was a nice day to be outside and we had good shashliks by the river.

Ice fishing

Last Sunday, the weather finally gave hint of the summer approaching. We decided to go for a walk on the frozen lake and see if the fishing season was good. As you can see on the picture, the level of water has dropped significantly, which should be a good omen for the fishermen (less water means a higher density of fish, any fisherman knows that). Uh, and the other thing is that there is still a decent 4-ft layer of ice on the lake, which is another good news for my friends the fishermen who still have a few nice days in their ice-fishing season.

We met a few fishermen carrying their drills, walking large distances to find their good spots.

So let me give you a few tricks about fishing I learned just by observation (by not speaking the language I sharpened my skills of learning by observation dramatically in the last 2 years):

-How to recognize fishermen on the way to fishing versus fishermen on the way back? Not so easy: the amount of fish they carry can be misleading, as these guys like to snack on salted fish while they fish for more... (Ice-fishing is a sustainable activity). The trick is in the way they walk: A good fisherman always walk straight to his fishing spot. Most fishermen have vodka-induced staggering walk on the way back.
-How to use bait fish with worms frozen hard by subzero temperatures?Simply put the worms in a plastic bag with no hole, and suck on the plastic bag not too hard until you feel that the worm softens up.
-How to recognize a good spot for ice-fishing? Not so easy either, there appears to be different strategies prevailing on the Ob Sea:

-the first strategy is to look for spots where there already are other fishermen.

Here, the logic is that so many fishermen can't be wrong about the quality of a spot, so you too should go drill there and dip your worm. By the way, reusing a pre-drilled hole from someone else is not a widespread practice, since everybody carries his own drill. I think there is a certain pride from catching fish from your own hole.
-the second strategy consists in looking for spots where there are no fisherman. It is radically different from the first approach, but the logic is also solid: No competing fisherman means more fish for you, so you should go and drill there. Between these 2 extreme strategies, a wide range of intermediate solutions also work, i.e chosing spots where there are only a few fishermen proving that it is a good spot for fish, but not enough people to catch all the fish, so you can also go and drill there.In brief, the main criterion for a good spot is to make sure that there is water on the other side of the ice where you are drilling.

Well, in the end, the one who enjoyed the walk the most was still Urmik. He was quite impervious to fishing strategies and just enjoys running aimlessly on the ice. Good doggie.

The Transiberian from your couch

You want to travel by train from Moscow to Vladivostok, but you're not sure whether you are ready for the 10+ days without a shower and the smell of salted fish from your neighbor's zakouskis? Here is a cool link for you: http://www.google.ru/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html

Click anywhere on the blue line on the map representing the railroad, and you can see a movie from 7 to 30 minutes of what you would actually see from the left window of the Transiberian, with nobody to tell you not to lean outside. Strangely enough, on the left window, it is always daylight, always sunny, and always summer.

So, chose the soundtrack (the page proposes rumble from wheels, Russian radio, or the full audio version of War and Peace...), sit back and relax.

Stuck...

Having a road accident in Russia is really something you want to avoid... more than in other countries: Russian law requires the drivers involved in the accident to leave their cars exactly as they are at the time of impact until the police agents arrive and record all the necessary elements. Knowing there is only a handful of police agents who are qualified to investigate the accidents in the whole Novosibirsk, you're up for a few hours of waiting. That's plenty of time to get to know the person you just bumped into. It's also plenty of time to face the angry look of the other drivers you are blocking, if you happen to block all the lanes like the accident I spotted the other day.

I think it is all part of the country's road safety policy, that aims at decreasing the accident rate by public humiliation. The look on those poor people's face stuck on the road is reminiscent of the look I saw on stray dogs that got stuck while copulating in public, trying to maintain dignity in an embarrassing situation, and waiting for a relief out of their control.

It hasn't happened to me yet (I mean, the road accident). I am touching some wood for it not to happen, and sharpening my defensive driving skills every day on my commute.

Happy birthday to me

Thanks to everybody who thought about my birthday and sent me their wishes, by mail, phone, facebook, or face to face... It added a bit of warmth to this cold winter. I had lots of fun in the various little parties and celebrations. A special thanks to the people who gave me a little gift, either at the office or at the little party last night. Definitely, I will not forget where those gifts came from when I will look back at them a few years from now.

Now I feel ready and geared up for another eventful year in Novosibirsk!

Ice sculptures 2010

Every year, during the holiday season, there are beautiful ice sculptures to go see in Novosibirsk. By the Ob river, one can see the ice-city, a type of city fair built in ice, with a different theme every year; and in downtown, artists from different Russian cities compete for the best sculpture. This year, we waited for the weather to warm up a bit before going there. We finally gave in and drove to the city last night once we understood that the thermometer would not exceed -25C for the next few weeks.
The ice-city by the river was built around the "ice age" theme, very appropriate for the season. I wished I took more pictures, but the battery of my camera did not like the -28C and lost power really fast. Still, you can see that the statues of the main characters of the ice age movie were pretty well done. I was impressed and I did not regret paying the 100 ruble entrance fee, even if we did not stay more than 10 minutes before we rushed back to the car to warm up our frozen fingers and toes.






The sculptures in downtown are more artistic. See the slide show below:



I believe the sculpture which won the contest was the butt-like pair of pears, but don't quote me on this one.
If you want to see these sculptures, don't worry, no need to hurry up. They are exposed until it gets warm.

The truth about Belokurikha

We decided to spend the week-end of January 1st in Belokurikha, a resort at 450km south of Novosibirsk. As we prepared our trip, and talked with others, we heard a lot of interesting rumors about this place:

1-There is a micro climate in Belokurikha because it is exposed to southern winds from Kazakhstan that keep the place warm. In the summer, they even grow water melons.

A picture of the microclimate in Belokurikha,

with the slopes in the background.

2-The website shows that the skiing is great there, with one chairlift... but at the same time, we heard from acquaintances that it is a terrible place to ski: the slopes suck and the lift up costs ca. 250 rubles per ride (ca $8).

3-There are lots of prostitutes in the street who hand you their contact card.

Myths or facts? Here are my conclusions:

1- If the wind was coming from Kazakhstan, then I'll have to conclude that winters in Kazakhstan are also cold. Yes, the weather was warmer than in Novo, but we still had to ski by -28degC in the morning. When I was on the chairlift, I was really hoping for that Kazakhstan wind to stop, because it was F** cold. Katya's nose was so cold that it built a white layer of frost.

That's Katya and her white nose.

2-The chairlift says in big letters that the ride is 250 rubles. But if you read the fine print, it says that with skis or snowboard, it is only 100 rubles. Too bad for our acquaintances who, 2 weeks ago, did not read the fine print and decided not to ski because of the cost.

100 rubles is a good price for a very slow 25-minute ride uphill, on a metallic chair with an excellent heat transfer coefficient, optimized to suck your entire body heat by the time you reach the top. We got so cold that at each ride, we had to stop for a 130 ruble glut wine on top of the hill, and then again at the bottom. So in the end, the ride up is expensive.

The chairlift of Death.

The skiing in Belokurikha is OK. The slope is steep, so it only takes 7 minutes to reach the bottom and be ready to sit again on the chairlift.

3- I did not see any prostitute in the street. I would not have been able to take their contact card with my hands frozen in my mittens anyway.

Our reservation in the hotel had everything included. After our first prison-like lunch (see picture below), we skipped the other meals and went to the restaurant instead. It turns out that the resort is nice, with good restaurants.

All inclusive meal at the hotel.

Cabbage soup and beef tongue.

In the end, on a scale from 1 to 10, I'll give the place a 5, mainly to reward their nice effort. I can't really blame the place for not getting more of that warm Kazakh wind. To make it a world class resort (as it is claimed in the resort's website), I suggest they work on the reliability of their power grid, so that 'all inclusive' also includes the electricity with the meal at the restaurant. Eating Chinese food in the dark with chopsticks was tricky.

More pictures of Belokurikha here: