Life Is An Adventure

India

2011-08-15T08:58:00.000Z

Uzbekistan

2011-08-06T19:26:00.002Z

Kamchatka, Russia

2011-07-20T15:30:00.002Z

Kyoto, Japan

2010-10-02T23:59:00.002Z

Tokyo, Japan

2010-09-30T13:47:00.002Z

Denmark

2010-08-28T18:06:00.006Z

See entire album on Picasa

Gabo Island, Australia

2010-03-25T06:15:00.002Z

Kurnell, NSW, Australia

2010-02-27T18:00:00.000Z

Monterey, NSW, Australia

2010-01-10T23:59:00.001Z

Mutawintji National Park, NSW, Australia

2010-01-04T08:53:00.023Z

In aboriginal culture those who traveled the most had the highest status in society, because they were considered the most knowledgeable.

2 boomerangs and hands stencils

Blue Tounge

Fossils, supposedly prove that Australia once was the bottom of the sea

Broken Hill, NSW, Australia

2010-01-03T17:00:00.010Z

Taking an Advanced 4x4 course:

Australian Outback:

12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia

2009-12-27T14:00:00.001Z

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

2009-12-26T13:38:00.014Z

Darling Harbour, New South Wales, Australia - Sydney Boat Show

2009-08-01T23:59:00.014Z

Today we went to the Sydney Boat Show.

We picked Saturday from the 5 days that the show was on, because there was a boat building competition. Anyone could register, and was given materials and tools to build something that floats within 2 hours:

Then there was a race on what they built:

... with the sea battle at the end.

These guys didn't win the speed contest, but they must've won the beauty contest with their pirate ship, and we think - had the most fun:

The rest of the time we spent exploring the sailboats docked in the harbour. I went inside almost every one of them. One day, we will have one of our own!

Ksusha loved exploring all the cabinets, and "chilled" in the bedroom cabins:

And Marina went to see her former employer (BRP):

And at the end of the day there was a cruise in the Sydney harbour:

Among other highlights there was a 16 y.o. girl who is setting out to become the youngest person to sail solo non-stop and unassisted around the World.
This is her boat:

Some people have dreams and others live them!

Rosebery, NSW, Australia

2009-06-20T15:00:00.000Z

Brighton Le Sands, NSW, Australia

2009-04-23T08:35:00.003Z

After about 3 months of considering, choosing, deciding, researching, talking about, etc.... Earlier today I parted with a large chunk of money in exchange to this:

Kite - 9m Cabrinha Convert IDS '09
Harness - Cabrinha Impact Waist EZ Release (XS)
Board - Underground 08 FLX 132x39 (Quad Concave)
Wet Suite - Peak Climax 3/2 Sealed Steamer

Very Very Exciting!!!!!!

Brighton Le Sands, NSW, Australia

2009-04-08T09:48:00.003Z

We've got a visitor today. After doing some research I realized that I should not have killed it, but initially I was guided by survival instincts, not reason. Even before we came to Australia, we knew that it has the largest number of spiders on the planet, but this was the very first close encounter.

Police as a cause of accidents

2009-04-07T04:15:00.003Z

This is not really a travel entry, but is somewhat related to travelling in general, and especially travelling on a motorcycle.

Last week I read this article in the local paper

..and it struck me as odd that the guy himself said that the cause of an accident was the break tune-up that he did just prior to the accident. He could've said that because he works for the government and is not in the position to critisize the cops. To me it is quite obvious that the cause of this accident "the police car" that "rounded the bend".

Have you ever panicked for no reason when you saw a policeman or a police car? I am a law-abiding citizen, don't have any reason to fear cops. However because of a number of personal experiences when the police are being sneaky, hiding in the bushes, etc. in my mind I made a connection that seeing a police in not a good thing. It happened to me a number of times that I "covered the break" when I saw a cop even if I was not speeding, or I panicked when I saw a police cruiser or just plain black Crown Victoria behind me, even though I had no reason to.

Let's just imagine for the sake of argument that this guy was speeding. Does he deserve to have all the broken ribs because of it?

This particular accident would not have happened if it wasn't for the police - no question about it! And how many other accidents had similar cause? If you ask me - police should not be allowed to hide in the bushes, they shouldn't have undercover patrol cars. The should do everything humanly possible so that people are not afraid of them!

I have heard that in Canada cops are only allowed to check your speed with a radar if their patrol car is visible on the road, and has all the flashing illumination turned on. I think that is the way to go. Sure - it will reduce the number of speeders caught, but if it will save at least one life - it is well worth it!

Glenfield, New South Wales, Australia

2009-03-28T10:48:00.001Z

This is the start of the Ride Right Round project. The two guys you see in the shadow, Simon and Todd, are going on a round the world trip on two motorcycles. Those of you who know me well remember that I created this blog when I was planning to go on such an adventure. I ended up not doing it on a motorcycle, but hey - it was a great trip nevertheless.

It was very exciting to just be there, to talk to these guys, to give them some advice on Russia, since they are going to be crossing it pretty soon, and just to share the spirit. It felt good, even though we weren't going with them. We followed the procession of bikers for the first 50 km towards Canberra.

If you have any interest in joining these guys for a ride on some stretch of their journey, or hosting them in your hometown along their route, drop me a line, and I'll put you in touch with them.

Escape from Bangkok, Thailand

2008-11-29T23:59:00.011Z

14:45 Bangkok Time: I am now sitting in some back room of Centava Grand Hotel in Bangkok. I just cleared the immigration, got a stamp in my passport, a boarding pass to Thai Airways TG9939 flight to Sydney. There is a sticker with the number “1” on my right arm. That is a ticket that will allow me to board bus number 1, which should take me to the U-Tapao military airbase. At this point this is the only airfield that is open in the vicinity of Bangkok, and Thai Airways is the only carrier that operates from there.

Only 1 hour ago I was preparing myself for bus ride to Vietnam, which seemed to be the only reasonable alternative in order to get back to Sydney by the end of next week. The news sources say that over one hundred thousand people are stuck here because of the airport closures. Two other international airports of Thailand – Phuket and Chiang Mai have a back log of about 4 days and growing every minute, as people realize that the government will not be able to re-gain control of Bangkok main airports any time soon. I didn’t think of....

21:00 Bangkok time: I had to pack up my laptop in a hurry, and now I am on a plane, which, if all goes well, will be on its way to Sydney hopefully sometime soon. The bus ride to U-Tapao was a smooth one. A tourist police car escorted us all the way, and there was very little traffic up until we actually got here. All passengers were under the impression that the bus will go straight to the tarmac, drop us off right in front of the plane, and everyone’s mood was good. We crossed the airport gate, which was guarded by soldiers armed with the M-16s. Soon after that the bus slowed down, and it was another hour until we reached the terminal. Let me tell you – outside it looked like a refugee camp. Lots of people, piles of trash, luggage, cars parked everywhere, and crowds of people – all moving in different direction. The entrance to the terminal was again guarded by the military, and everyone was trying to get in. After some pushing and waiting I was inside. Inside there was no air conditioning, and tons of people. No one really knew what to do, but it looked like the most logical direction was the door called “border control”, especially judging by the crowd movements. The crowd was mad. Most people were at a stage where all animal instincts took over anything human that they had inside. Crowd is very powerful thing, let me tell you. I made a few careful moves, and soon was closer to the gate then most people. On the other side of the gate, room was air-conditioned. Occasionally an airline representative held a sign with “final boarding call” for a specific flight, the crowd stormed the door regardless of whether it was their flight or not, so instead of letting the right people in, they just created more chaos. At some point a bunch or Russians showed up. They were headed from Yekaterinburg, so I wished them the safe journey, blended in, and got through to the border control utilizing their power. More waiting here and there, but once I was in the AC room it was at least bearable. I changed the soaking wet t-shirt, and finally I am on the plane. Hoping it takes off soon...
.

New car for new adventures

2008-11-18T10:05:00.003Z

I've always wanted to have this car in the US, but Suzuki didn't sell them there because at one point too many Americans rolled them over and the Samurai (that was the name under which they were sold in the US) became unpopular. Here in Australia they don't drive very fast, because the speed limits are tight, speed cameras are plentiful, and the traffic is usually pretty tight. For all those reasons we abandoned the idea of a sports car in the beginning of our search. We then turned to environmentally-friendly cars with low fuel consumption. But we also love nature, camping and so we wanted an off-road car. There are many of those on the market in Australia, but only the Jimny satisfied the condition of being environmentally-friendly with fuel consumption of only 7.1 liter per 100 km. So in a sense its a pretty unique car, being a real 4x4 with a frame design, and at the same consuming the same amount of fuel as a Honda Civic.

Rain in Phuket, Thailand

2008-11-09T11:26:00.001Z

Morning in Bangkok

2008-11-04T03:09:00.001Z

Sydney in the spring

2008-10-16T23:59:00.003Z

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA

2008-08-13T23:11:00.002Z

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA

2008-08-12T23:59:00.002Z

Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming, USA

2008-08-11T11:59:00.003Z

Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA

2008-08-10T23:11:00.002Z

Swan Lake

2008-06-11T18:25:00.010Z

I got up from my computer to rest my eyes and stretch. I started walking in a random direction, thinking about random stuff, and before I realized it, my feet brought me to the cafeteria. It was too early for lunch, and the place was totally empty. They must have just opened or something. I left my cell phone at the desk, so I didn't know what time it was. I realized I was hungry though, so I decided to get something anyway. I looked around, and laid my eyes on Indian food. They have this section in the cafeteria which changes the type of food by day. They must be bringing it from some restaurants or something, along with people who sell it, because they change with the types of food. I got a vegetarian combination of vegetable jafrezi, and black beans with some sauce, with rice and naan bread.

I walked over to the dining area, and sat right next to the glass wall. Behind the wall there was an artificial pond with the fountain and two swans in it. Each swan had a red tag on one foot, and their wings were cut, so they wouldn't be able to fly away. They also had a kind of berth away from the shore with some hay laid on it. That's where they sleep, and there is a feeder close to the shore. About a month ago, when I first came to this place, I watched those swans gracefully swim around the pond. Then a duck would land, and try to steal their food. The swans would chase the duck, but the duck would get in the air, fly away from the swan and land a few meters away. Swan would then paddle to the duck, only to see it fly away again. I though about how miserable those swans should feel, not being about to fly, not being able to chase that small annoying duck away from their pond.

Some spice in the Indian dish brought the good memories of my travels in India more than a year ago. I realized that the only memories that I have of India now, are good ones. When I came back, I wrote about how I have mixed feelings, and I remember, there was about 50/50 of good and bad feelings about India then. Now I could only bring back the good ones. I remembered how good the food was at the Sai Baba ashram, and I decided it must be one of the reasons why so many Russians liked it there, and smiled to this thought.

I looked at the swans again. They now had five baby swans following them. And then a sad thought came to my mind. I started thinking about the time when those baby swans will grow up and fly away from their parents, and the parent swans will not be able to follow because their wings are cut off. I thought that humans will probably not allow that to happen, and will cut the baby swan's wings before they get a chance to fly away, so that they can sell them to some other sad place like this one, where they will chase the ducks away from their food. It is not a bad life, one might say, because people take care of them, give them food, they got a goddamn pond all to themselves, and they can raise babies. Bullshit! There is nothing more important in the bird's life than flight, I can see it in those swan's eyes. Then I allowed a thought that maybe humans are not so bad after all, and they may actually allow those baby swans to fly away, and not cut their wings. Finally a realization dawned on me - baby swans will not be able to learn how to fly even if no one cuts their wings off, because their parents won't teach them, won't show them how to do it. Theoretically they can learn to fly, by observing the ducks or by trying it on their own, but I doubt they will even want to try it if they have never see their parents fly. And this swan pond in front of headquarters of a major American corporation is a reflection of what it's like to be raised in America - picture perfect, but you never learn to fly...

June 11th, 2008, Hoffman Estates, IL, USA

Roatan, Honduras

2008-05-27T23:59:00.000Z

Chicago, IL, USA

2008-04-02T19:15:00.000Z

Spokane, WA, USA

2007-11-27T17:59:00.000Z

Motreal, Quebec, Canada

2007-11-22T19:12:00.000Z

San Diego, CA, USA

2007-11-08T12:59:00.000Z

Sterling Forest Park, NY

2007-10-15T16:22:00.000Z

London, UK

2007-10-03T14:16:00.000Z

Dublin, Ireland

2007-09-23T15:17:00.000Z

Belfast, Northern Ireland

2007-09-20T14:53:00.000Z

Princeton University, NJ, USA

2007-07-25T14:30:00.000Z

Tuxedo, NY, USA

2007-06-12T09:00:00.000Z

Today we got married. From now on this is OUR blog.
Our home phone number is +1-646-797-3255.

Valaam, Karyala, Russia

2007-04-29T23:59:00.000Z

PGUAS, Penza, Russia

2007-04-20T23:59:00.000Z

My brother Vova is studying at the Penza State University for Building and Architechture (PGUAS) and my friend Oleg works there. They've arranged me a tour, I atteneded a couple of lectures, and I will post my impressions here later as well.

Duck Hunt, Kameshkir, Penza, Russia

2007-04-15T23:59:00.000Z

I went duck hunting with my step-father.

Snow, Hinkali, and Latin Dance, Moscow, Russia

2007-04-07T07:58:00.000Z

I am being told that all of March was good weather here in Moscow. It is very hard to believe because from the time I got here, it was only getting colder. For the past two days it's been snowing. Snowing. And it's not that kind of snow that falls on New York around melts right away. This is what it looks like outside right now:

Yesterday I was taken to an authentic Georgian "hinkali" (Georgian Jumbo Dumpling - 3pc enough to fill you) place. I learned how to eat them properly. One has to poke a hole first, and gently suck out all the bouillon from inside the dumpling, only after that it is safe to cut it open without making a mess.

After "hinkali", I went to Sokol'niki metro station to meet with my good friend whom we crossed Russia last year with. He was teaching a Latin dance class, and invited me to come over. That was fun - what can I say. I am so jealous to all the people who can dance. I can't yet, but last evening inspired me to start learning.

Moscow, Russia

2007-04-04T12:03:00.000Z

It's cold and it's gray, but the warm welcome of my Moscow friends makes me feel very happy. My number while I am in Moscow is +7-926-731-6594. Give me a call.

India, Bottom Line

2007-04-03T02:00:00.000Z

Many people have asked me: "So, what do you think of India?". I told most that I don't have any definitive opinion.

I got a lot of mixed feelings about India. It definitely combines and fits together a lot of different things that may not necessarily belong together. People of different origins and religious beliefs co-exist (almost) peacefully. Poverty and wealth somehow don't intersect with one another. Spirituality manifests itself in a very strange way. I am going to quote N. K. Roerich here: "on one side you can see remarkable monuments, refined processes of thought based on ancient wisdom and cordiality of human relationships. You can rejoice at beauty and can easily be understood. But do not be astonished to find, in very same places, perverted forms of religions, ignorance, and signs of decay and degeneration." One thing I can add to this, is that you'll never understand what it feels like until you go there, and I am really glad I did.

I am leaving India feeling saturated. For such a short period of time I got a lot of information, and it will take a while to process. And I have a feeling I may come back for more.

Spring in Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India

2007-03-31T23:59:00.000Z

From Goa we took a flight on SpiceJet back to Delhi. In Delhi we spent one night, and on the next afternoon took a sleeper bus to Manali, which is in the Kullu valley. Sleeper bus turned out to be pretty good, I actually got a good full night's sleep, and when I woke up the next morning we were already in the Himalayas.

The road was winding along the river, making turns toward the mountain whenever the small creek joined the river. Soon I saw snow caps on tops of mountains in the distance, and we were heading towards them. I couldn't stop shooting my camera, the views were so breathtaking. Houses were on both sides of the valley. They were placed as high up as one could possibly imagine. There were a few monasteries with steps leading toward them. When there was no bridge across the river there was a kind of trolley, I imagine to get goods across the river.

In Manali we started by having lunch at a place called "Chopsticks" which had excellent Tibetan momo and noodles. Then we found a hotel with the view. The season hasn't yet started, so there were very few tourists. Hotel owner told us that we came at a very good time. It's already warm, but the crowds haven't piled in yet. We walked around and to a small village called Vashishat and had dinner there watching locals bath in the hot springs. Vashishat is nicer place than Manali itself, so if you ever go there, find a hotel there.

On the next day we took a local bus to Naggar, where Nicholas Roerich lived. His house has a small gallery with paintings and Urusvati institute which he organized has a collection of artwork. The place itself has stunning views, pleasant gargling of the waterfalls down below. It was spring so cherries and apple trees were blossoming.

There was a possibility to go free riding, but due to the lack of time I decided not to do it. I know for sure that this is the place I am coming back to.

Palolem, Goa, India

2007-03-27T10:00:00.000Z

We stayed in Palolem at Flavia's Paradise. I had a chance to look around all other beaches in Goa, and I think Palolem is the best one. It's got a good combination of not too many people, and a lot of restaurants, and most importantly a very picturesque views.

I spent time swimming, laying on the beach, reading, eating, getting Ayurvedic massages, and riding motorbikes. (The last topic deserves a separate post). Today we are flying back to Delhi, and from there will continue north to the Himalayas.

"Motorcycle Diaries", Goa, India

2007-03-24T23:59:00.000Z

I thought of renting a Royal Enfield, but fellow travellers talked me out of it, so I decided to start small and rented a Honda Activa scooter without the gear shifter. This thing was pretty swift and economical in terms of fuel. It also cost like $3.50 per day. I rode it north of here to some Portuguese fortress, which has some amazing views from it's bastions. Easy - I thought - and rented something bigger - a 150cc Pulsar (at $7 per day)

I asked a Lithuanian couple Linas and Guintara, if I can ride with them to Arjuna. They were going there for a flea market and some trance parties at night. We set out early in the morning. At first everything seemed to be OK, the Pulsar wasn't as swift as a Honda, plus the gear shifter was different from what I am used to, I kept shifting up when I meant down, bringing the engine almost to a stall. On one of the hills going up I wobbled a little, but since there was no shoulder it was enough to throw me of the bike. I had a couple of scratches, picked up the bike, which lay down below off the side of the road, and got back on. By this time Linas came back looking for me, and was very surprised to see that I fell. After that I was a lot more careful. Dodging buses, big trucks, auto rickshaws, bikes, dogs, cows, and whatever else was there on the road. I was warned that driving in India is not a piece of cake, but I didn't think it was so exhausting. I decided to go slow, and not take any risks at all. Still it was pretty dangerous. Just in front of me, a guy carrying all his family on a motorbike ran over a dog that ran onto the road just in front of him. The dog survived but was jumping and twisting, making this horrible sound.

I got lost a little around Panaj, and stopped to eat in Baga.

By the time I got to Arjuna I lost Linas completely. He sent me an SMS with the name of place (Silver Moon Guesthouse) where we were suppose to stay overnight and went to the beach. Just as I was looking for the place, I got a flat front tire. Now I was looking for a repair shop. Fortunately I found one just before the tire got completely deflated. The guy there said that the current tube is beyond repair and put in a new one. I was back on the road.

Instead of looking for Silver Moon I decided to take a ride along the beach, and went as far up as Arambol, a took a break there, decided that I don't have enough energy to party tonight, and headed back south. I sent Linas an SMS that I'll be headed home and slowly but surely rode back to Palolem.

I was so exhausted, I just returned the bike, dropped all my stuff at home, and floated in the water for good 30 minutes. One thing I realized today is that I am not that good on motorcycle yet, and still need to practice a lot.

Bangalore, India

2007-03-20T15:15:00.000Z

We spent half a day in Bangalore. We visited the Roerich galleries at the Chitra Kala Parishad (if you even need to find it - it's near the Asoka hotel) and it was amazing. Why didn't I ever visit the Roerich museum in New York? (I lived two blocks from it for over 2 years).

After that we had a quick lunch, I bought another Murakami (Kafka On the Shore) and we boarded a Vasco da Gama train to Goa.

Prasanthi Nilayam, Andhra Pradesh, India

2007-03-19T23:59:00.000Z

Prasanthi Nilayam is a home of the main ashram of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. We stayed there for two days and I tried to follow the day of the people who stay there for a long time (some for years).

A typical day begins at 4am. One has to get in the line for Omkar to get inside the temple, and chant Aum 21 times. After that everyone gathers for Darshan. It's when Sai Baba makes his appearance, takes people for interviews, and after that there is Bhajan time - when people sing religious songs, repeating different names of God. Finally there is breakfast, the food is served in three different canteens: western, south Indian, and North Indian. It's very inexpensive and tasty. One can help out in the kitchen - my mom did exactly that. In the afternoon there is another Darshan followed by Bhajan, or one can just spend time meditating, or contemplating on something. I just read my book and slept a little. In the evening we went outside the ashram for a yoga session lead by a 92 year old instructor, who was bending himself just like in the movies. The session was on the rooftop of some building and the sunset was beautiful.

After that - a light snack and at 9pm - lights out. The whole thing reminded me of a summer camp of some sort.

Aboard Prashanti Express, India

2007-03-18T06:00:00.000Z

I like travelling by train. Out of all modes of transportation train is my favorite, especially the kind of train where you get a bunk and can sleep overnight. Then go sailboat, motorcycle, and only after that follows airplane.

Initially I thought of travelling in India in air conditioned coaches, being with my mom and all. I wanted her to be the most comfortable. On our second journey, however, they were out of the AC tickets and we bought the sleeper class. It turned out to be better than we expected, and were travelling in sleeper coaches ever since. In fact when you are in AC - you are disconnected from the the world. There is a tinted glass between you and the surrounding, but in sleeper the wind blows right into your face, the smells and sounds enter, and if that is not enough for you - you may open the entrance door, hang from the side of the car and watch the landscape speed past you.

We boarded Prashanti Express around noon at Vishakhapatnam Railway Station. Car S6, two top berths (bunks), just as we requested. The landscape, with mountains on the background, was filled with all kinds of vegetation: different kinds of palm trees, some bushes, trees with roots hanging off branches, and rice fields. People were here and there going about their usual business. Along the tracks there were fills of water, in which small groups of yaks (I think they were yaks at least) were cooling their bodies. A larger group of yaks was crossing a small river - just their heads sticking out, a kid atop one of them. Small stations were speeding by along with the small villages. I finished reading "Dance Dance Dance" and stared out of the window thinking about the book, my life, the universe and everything. In the same car with us was a large group of Indians, mostly women. They had all kinds of musical instruments, and were clapping and singing. The soundtrack matched the scenery perfectly.

On occasional stops I got out, bought ice cream, water, chai from people walking through the coaches calling "Chai!, Koffe!, Chai!, Chai!". At one of the stops, later in the evening a cute Indian girl entered and sat across from me. She pulled out a huge tom called "Criminal Law" and read it without much enthusiasm. Turned out she was a law student at the University of Vijayawada - we talked a little. It grew dark outside. Soon other passengers started unfolding middle bunks and I was forced to climb on my topmost (3rd) bunk. Yes - there are three bunks in the sleeper class of Indian trains. Later the person from pantry car brought us dinner which we ordered some 3 hours ago. I ate in a rather uncomfortable position, set the alarm for the estimated time of arrival, and was soon asleep.

You fall asleep listening to the sound of wheels, and you wake up the the sound of wheels. Don't ask me why, but I find it comforting. You get up, brush your teeth, set yourself next to the window, and then the sun rises:

some hour later we arrive Sathya Sai Prasanthi Nilayam:

I've written all this as a result of some of your comments about the previous post, and it was first written on a piece of paper. Do let me know what you think (by email). Cheers :)

Rushikonda, Andhra Pradesh, India

2007-03-14T14:43:00.000Z

8km north of a small town (1.3 million people) called Vishakhapatnam, lays an even smaller small place - Rushikonda. We are going to stay here for the next couple of days, lay on the beach, relax. It's kind of nice and very few people are around.

We are staying in a wood cottage right on the beach. We eat, go swimming, I read Haruki Murakami's "Dance Dance Dance".

We also visited the local zoo.

I wonder if I should write in more detail about the train rides, the scenery outside the window, all those little details that are amazing when you are here, but I am not sure would be exciting to read about. If you are reading this, do let me know your opinion.

Kolkata, India

2007-03-12T14:39:00.000Z

So far Kolkata is my favorite city in India (note - I said city, not place). It really does have a feel of a big city, with working metro, trams, bridges, and nice architecture. There are almost no rickshaws, and not a single cow, and if it wasn't for the constant honking (like everywhere else in India) it would be really nice. It does have a feel of being somewhat communist. I don't really know how to explain it. For one thing guards made me erase photos of the government buildings which I took around BBD Bagh place (nice colonial architecture - well restored). We are not staying here for too long though, tomorrow we are catching the train to Visakhapatnam, and will spend a few day on the beach there.

I haven't mentioned this anywhere yet, but ever since I got to India I was a vegetarian, and it wasn't because of any particular belief. It was a friendly advice from fellow travelers not to eat meat and seafood in India. And I must tell you - so far it's been working great. I don't think I'll stay vegetarian after I leave here, but for now I am really enjoying it.

Sarnath, India

2007-03-10T11:46:00.000Z

Yesterday we took a day trip to Sarnath. It claims to be the Buddhist center of the world.
Dhamekh stupa marks a spot where Buddha preached his first sermon:

It also has a lot of modern Buddhist temples. I personally likes Japanese one the most.

Varanasi, India

2007-03-08T10:06:00.000Z

We arrived to Varanasi in the late morning. Despite all the warnings that Lonely Planet gives about rickshaw drivers being especially annoying here we got a relatively nice one. We checked three hotels and decided on the one called Ajaya, half way between the Ghats and the train station. Being in the middle of the old town now I think it was a wise decision. I went inside the Vishvanath temple and poured milk on Shiva's lingam, and then got a blessing in form of dot on my forehead (don't remember what it is called)

Then we went to the Ganges river and watched the cremation ceremony on one of the Ghats. It was an interesting experience watching those burning bodies.

Here is a plan for the near future: we'll stay here for a couple of days, then will proceed to Kolkatta, and after that down south to Puttaparthi via Visakhapatnam, and eventually to Goa.

Agra, India

2007-03-07T23:59:00.000Z

My mother arrived in Delhi safely and now we are travelling together. We looked around Delhi, saw it's main attractions, left some to see on the way back and moved on to Agra. One would expect this place to be the most touristy one in India, and it truly is. That is precisely why we allocated one day for it, and it was plenty. We hired a rickshaw for the whole day and went to all of the main attractions including the Agra Fort and obviously the Taj Mahal

in the evening we went to the Idgah train station to catch the train to Varanasi. The train was 1.5 hours late and we hang on a platform with a German couple who were incidentally also travelling with their mothers.

Delhi, India

2007-03-04T23:59:00.000Z

Celebrating Holi.

Delhi, India

2007-03-02T04:23:00.000Z

Hugs and Kisses from Delhi. The initial culture shock is starting to wear off already. Those who've been to Delhi will understand me, for others I don't even know how to begin explaining what it's like here. I mean - I was warned that it's going to be like this, but it's one thing to hear from someone, and the other to experience for yourself. I had my first meal in India, it was quite good. Walked around the main bazaar, and found the ticketing office for foreigners in the New Dlehi train station. I also got myself a local SIM card, so you can call me while I am in India: +91 99 7130 2521 or send SMS. Make sure you sign your name though, 'cause obviously I don't have your number entered in my travel phone.

UPD. I also had reports that this number doesn't work as is, so try substituting "+" with "00" in the beginnning of the number.

Dubai, U.A.E.

2007-02-27T09:02:00.000Z

I am in Dubai for 2 days already and just realized that I don't want to be here for much longer. It's all that they say it is - luxury, tall buildings, expensive cars - all in a place where once were Bedouins, but somehow I am not impressed with any of it. It's pretty expensive, and there is absolutely no reason to consume it here. I mean - you can get all the same things in other places where in addition to them you'll get history, culture, and all the other bonuses. So I changed my ticket to Delhi to March 1st, and will fly there two days earlier.

For now I am just walking around - checking the city sights. I took an Abra to cross the Dubai Creek. Went to the Dubai Museum, walked around the Souqs.

I tried going to the Burj Al Arab hotel - the only 7-star hotel in the world, but the next available reservation was on Friday, so I just took this photograph from the outside:

Later I went to the Jumeirah Beach Park, but it was a ladies-only day there, so instead I just went to the wild beach nearby. You could see the construction of "The World" from there. The water is very calm, with almost no waves. Then I walked to Safa Park, which was closed, but there was a running track around it, with a lot of people running.

Dubai has a lot of construction, they practically build the whole blocks of skyscrapers in one shot. And here they tried to build their own version of New York:

Tonight I am going for the Sand Safari, where I can hopefully do some Sand boarding (Snowboarding on sand) and tomorrow I am going to walk around some more, and check out the shopping mall with the indoor skiing.

Mahe, Seychelles

2007-02-24T23:00:00.002Z

Just over a week ago I was hanging out with my great friends at the Puck Fair, just below Houston, saying "good bye" to them and to New York. Since then I've landed in 4 different countries, and now I am sitting at the Seychelles international airport and signing postcards that will fly across continents and hopefully will get to their recipients. Unfortunately I only have very few addresses memorized, so if you don't get a post card from me - doesn't mean that I don't think of you, it just means that I don't have your mailing address handy.

But let me tell you what happened since I left New York. I first drove to Boston in that horrible weather to leave my things at my dad's for the time being. I then flew from New York to Moscow, where I transferred to a plane to Delhi. I spent 24 hours at the Delhi's airport, because my flight to Dubai kept getting delayed, and then finally got cancelled. It took an enormous effort on my part to get onto a different airline's flight to make my connection to Mahe, Seychelles in Dubai. There I met with the whole crew, headed by Mitya - the captain. From Mahe's airport we went straight to the marina where 40 foot Maina catamaran was waiting for us. It was all worth it, three days on airline food, lack of sleep, and everything else just to be able to stand on the net of that cat, having the salty water spray you as she dives into the wave. I can talk a lot about this, but those who've done sailing will understand me without much talk.

We covered all the main islands of the Seychelles archipelago (Mahe, Praslin, Silhouette, La Digue, Fregate, etc.) in a week, and it was great, the weather, the islands, the team, everything....

Here is the GPS map of our journey:

I am continuing my trip and the next destination is Dubai.

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

2007-02-04T01:45:00.000Z

I am snowboarding here in Utah. This year there is a lot less snow than usual, but considering that mountains around Salt Lake get the most snow in the world it is still pretty good. So far we've been to Snowbird and Solitude. Tomorrow we were going to go to Powder Mountain, but since there wasn't a lot of snowfall decided to go to Brighton instead. I've got a couple new core shots in my board, and learned a couple new tricks.

Rincon, Puerto Rico

2006-11-23T12:41:00.000Z

Place Taken: Jobos Beach, Puerto Rico

Bloomsburg, PA, USA

2006-10-10T01:13:00.000Z

Boston, MA, USA

2006-09-10T08:00:00.000Z

New York, NY, USA

2006-08-30T23:59:00.000Z

Madrid, Spain

2006-08-30T12:16:00.000Z

This photo was taken right in the middle of my 30-hour day, which started at 3 am in Tarifa, Spain. I drove to Madrid, then took a plane to London, and finally arrived to New York.

Tarifa, Spain

2006-08-28T09:26:00.000Z

If one sits on this bench in Tarifa - they can see Africa across the straight of Gibraltar. This is where I saw Africa for the first time in my life.

Barcelona, Spain

2006-08-24T10:00:00.000Z

I rented this Citroen C4 in Barcelona and drove it to Madrid through the southern coast of Spain (Costa del Sol).
Really nice car.

Crimea, Ukraine

2006-08-11T13:31:00.000Z

Baikal

2006-07-30T23:59:00.005Z

This photo was taken here by Konstantin V.

Kostroma, Russia

2006-06-14T09:17:00.000Z

The journey is coming along, everything is great, and I am really enjoying it. The internet access is very limited in Russia, and I don't have much time to spend writing, so for those of you who read Russian, you can follow the footsteps of our expedition here: http://community.livejournal.com/grandrussia/ , and for those of you who don't, you can see some pictures. (they are clickable)

My phone number in Russia is +79267316594, you can SMS me there from anywhere in the world, but please don't call since it's pretty expensive.

2006-06-09T11:53:00.000Z

Part of our agenda as GrandRussiaTour together with the fund for helping children-orphans "Here and Now" (http://www.hereandnow.ru/) was visiting orphanages all accross Russia.
This is our very first visit to the orphanage near city called Nyandoma which is in Arkhangelsk region.

2006-06-08T04:22:00.000Z

2006-06-07T08:10:00.000Z

2006-06-06T05:43:00.000Z

Penza -> Samara:

-> Moscow -> St. Petersburg:

-> Sortovala:

-> Petrozavodsk:

Penza, Russia

2006-05-22T18:53:00.000Z

Penza fulfilled all my expectations and enen over-fulfilled them. It's still very green, very clean, and very beautiful. And of course I get to meet my mother my brothers, and my sister and all my other great relatives after almost 9 years. Feels great to be home :)

Moscow, Russia

2006-05-19T12:16:00.000Z

Moscow greeted me with a warm spring sun, but it's still a bit chilly for my tastes. I've met with the grandrussiatour.ru team, and a had a press conference with them. Everything seems to go as planned..

Baku, Azerbaijan

2006-05-18T07:04:00.000Z

Hello from Baku!

I've been unable to get online from Iran, because the internet was extremely slow, thus no details of the trip, or photos. So far the trip goes well. We had a few extra days, so we decided to check out Azerbaijan on the way two Moscow, and to be honest with you - the last couple of days in Baku were very rich in impressions.

We are staying in the old Intourist hotel, which hasn't been renovated since the soviet times. Very surreal experience I must say.

Baku has much better food then Iran, and women don't wear the Chadres ;-)

Moscow awaits and we'll be there tomorrow early in the morning...

Shiraz, Iran

2006-05-08T19:40:00.000Z

Yazd->...->Abarku:

->Persepolis:

->Shiraz:

Yazd, Iran

2006-05-06T18:05:00.000Z

London -> Tehran -> Yazd

London, Great Britain

2006-05-05T19:15:00.000Z

Hello from London - Time is short, so not a lot of details.
Big thank you to Lusya for showing me around!!!

Current Location: Terminal 4, Heathrow, London

Final Packing and update

2006-05-02T04:30:00.000Z

We have moved out from our apartment on the Upper West Side 2 days ago:

My backpack is packed and I am ready to go. Just a few final preparations, a couple of accounts to close, and a couple of final exams to submit.

Two more flights were added to an itinerary:
May 06 09:50am THR AZD IR294
May 19th 2:40am THR SVO RU516

...and now the plan for the next month looks like this:
Boston -> New York -> London-> Tehran -> Yazd (and other cities in Iran) -> Moscow -> Penza -> Piter -> ...

Current Location: Newton, MA, USA

My Itinerary

2006-03-07T01:52:00.000Z

LEAVE:

BRITISH AIRWAYS Flight 174
JFK New York 05/04/2006 07:00 PM
LHR London 05/05/2006 07:00 AM
BRITISH AIRWAYS OPERATED BY BMED Flight 6633
LHR London 05/05/2006 10:00 PM
THR Tehran 05/06/2006 07:20 AM

RETURN:

IBERIA OPERATED BY BRITISH AIRWAYS 7442
MAD Madrid 08/30/2006 12:30 PM
LHR London 08/30/2006 02:05 PM
BRITISH AIRWAYS 113
LHR London 08/30/2006 03:25 PM
JFK New York 08/30/2006 06:00 PM

Current Location: Manhattan, New York, USA

Snowbird, Utah, USA

2006-01-01T23:59:00.001Z

My Second Skydive

2005-06-18T23:59:00.004Z

Battery Park City, New York, NY, USA

2002-12-19T23:59:00.004Z

Okemo, VT, USA

2002-02-02T22:22:00.008Z