Xena: the Warrior Princess: To Russia with Voxy

The road follows the railway, mostly. The only difference was that we went
Perm-Kazan, rather than through Kirov (in the NW). Click to enlarge.

First post here.

For the past three weeks have been sailing across the steppes of Russia -- from the Vladivostok in the Russian Far East to Siberia and the Urals, and thence Moscow -- with sailing mates Gordie, Rob and Joe.

10,221 kilometres on the trip-meter, from Vladivostok to Moscow, and we've made it in our trusty Voxy. Now just back in Hong Kong, and some random photos below.... [and for gluttons for punishment, more piccies at Picasa]

Four blokes in a Voxy: Rob, Pete, Joe, Gordie in the hiker's hut, hills of Krasnoyarsk.
We were served tea by the caretaker Viktor who was born and brought up here
and spends all his days in the mountains.

BTW: I've been asked about "Treacling" (from my last post): Rob tells me it's the Yorkshire habit of putting the car in neutral going downhill, to save fuel. Yorkshire folk are renowned for being careful with money, if I can put it like that.... There's also "extreme treacling", which is, in addition to being in neutral, also turning off the engine -- which can, of course, be a bit tricky, what with steering locking up 'n all... if not outright dangerous.
We had to Treacle on the road to Chita, east of Lake Baikal, as there's a bit of road, about 400 km of it, where there's not a single gas station: and the little Voxy only has a range of 410km. Rob was Treacling like crazy for a whole afternoon's driving...
There are more photos below the fold..

The mountains just outside Krasnoyarsk

Heading off for a walk in the very pretty mountains
of Krasnoyarsk

Gordie, Joe and Rob, with hosts Andreyi and Viktor in the hills outside
Krasnoyarsk. Andreyi reports to Igor, who charters Rob's boat for King's Cup

Joe in front of the Grandmother Rock.... or was it
the Grandfather? All rocks are named

Gordie looks over the panorama, outside Krasnoyarsk

Yenisei River, Krasnoyarsk, on the morning of Hovercraft jaunt

The monster 4WD beast drops the hovercraft into the River. Seems
the craft is one of Igor's toys -- Igor being Rob's sailing mate who
charters Rob's Beneteau 44.7, Sailplane, for King's Cup: they won
bareboat last year and plan to be in IRC1 this year. Good luck!

Gordie helps pump up the skirts

Cramped inside, and trim is critical. I had to move to the back after
we kept pitching. Rob, Joe, Gordie, Andreyi.

View back to Krasnoyarsk. Joe photo

You call this a hotel?? Rob outside the world's best-hidden
"hotel", in Tyumen, actually one of those Apart-otel.

Fountain in Tyumen

Our guide Luba with the boys, in Yekaterinburg, named after
Catherine the Great. Also the place where the last Czar, the Romanov's
was murdered with his family and retainers.....

....And this is where it happened; The Church on the Blood.
Before the Church, this was the site of a merchant's house
where the Romanovs were kept under house arrest until their murder.
The house was demolished on the orders of then Mayor Yeltsin.
Now, it's had the Church on the Blood built over
the site, and the Romanovs have been canonised