Sent on May 13, 2004 from Moscow, from Arena Cafe on
New Arbat St, that connects to Arbat Mall.

For Trans-Siberian travel packages, and an excursion to
Mongolia, check out the links below.  The first 2 outline
the tour on their web pages. (Contact 3 is also very
informative; it tailors the trip to the individual.) My
friend Tom and I used the first one because it has an
office in USA and includes flights to/from Moscow in its
18-day (2nd class sleeper cabin for 4) price of $3300,
including $50 for adding 10 days for Mongolia from Irkutsk,
Siberia, thus deviating from the schedule (from Irkutsk to
Vladivostok), and another $50 for taking the flight from
Vladivostok to Moscow 10 days later.  There is a hefty
single supplement of $999; upgrade to 1st-class train cabin
is $555; we did Mongolia separately from Irkutsk.

a) The time difference between Moscow and USA EDT is 8
hours; the flight from NY to Moscow is 8 hours 40 min. (The
name Moscow drives from Scandinavian for Dirty Water, as
the waters of the river by the same name was called by the
original explorers.)  We arrived at 4:40pm and 30 min later
our hosts dropped us off at out 3-star Hotel Belgrad on
Smolenskaya Street-directly west from the Kremlin (two
stops on the Blue Metro Line), one block to the East of the
river.  The location for the hotel is good if you want to
duplicate our trip.  It is across from the Golden Ring
Hotel, diagonally across from the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, one of the 7 huge Stalin-style architectures in
the city, the largest of which is the Univ. of Moscow. 
This location is also next to the quaint Old Arbat
(pedestrian) Street that runs to near the Kremlin at the
other end.  There is also the NEW Arbat Ave, that runs
somewhat parallel to the Old Arbat.  It is a much wider
traffic street lined with Casinos on one side.  I am typing
this message from an Internet cafe (name Arena) on the New
Arbat for 60 Rubles per hour ($2.10 or so at $ = 28.90
Rubles).

It was a balmy spring day in Moscow when we arrived.  So
after unpacking we had a leisurely walk along the Old Arbat
and then headed for the (Old Town) Kremlin and very
elaborate GUM shopping center nearby, both adjacent to the
vibrant KRASNAYA Square.  As pretty as the whole place was
during the day, it really bloomed when the lights came on
all around.  I would compare the beauty and ambiance of
this area to anything similar in Paris, Rome, Berlin, or
Prag.  Our Times Square (or the Dupont Circle in DC) is not
in this league.  One curious sight was in that almost
everyone had a bottle or can of beer in his or her hand,
with beer readily available as sodas are in USA.  Yet this
was social drinking in the park; I heard no loud noises,
rowdy behavior, saw no drunks.

We had our 6-hour city tour the next day when the weather
got cold and gray clouds and a drizzle turned things into a
boring gray.  The tour included a walk in the 28-sq-mile
Kremlin, the 5 churches and tombs in it.  We passed by the
Duma and the old KGB building, had a taste for the
5-lanes-wide (one-way) city streets of Moscow, and got a
feel for the pulse of the city. There are 2 areas in Moscow
comparable in size and beauty to the Mall in Washington,
DC: the area around Moscow University, and the Victory Park
next to it, a tall bronze tower adorning the center of the
latter.  Discretely dressed wholesome young women are
readily available at hotel bars at all hours, sitting by
themselves at a table and chatting with each other.

The Trans-Siberian Train starts its journey from
IAROSLAVSKI station, one of 9 trains stations in Moscow, at
11:30 pm.  So we had a full day to get acquainted with the
Moscow subway station the next day, when the temperature
dropped to freezing.  Among the stations we have seen, the
most attractive and elaborately designed station is the one
at ARBATSKAYA, with trains coming each 2-5 minutes in the
same direction, for about 35 cents in each direction
regardless of the distance.

b) Link No. 4 is the Intourist Travel Agency in Russia. 
Alas, its web pages do not have a package deal (and you
have to pay to a bank in Luxembourg), but if you ask for
info on TS train tours, they will send you at least 3
options, a) directly to Vladivostok, b) to China via
Mongolia, c) to China via Manchuria.  They will price the
tour for your details.

c) Do some homework on what you might be interested in
doing in Mongolia from the sources below.  Americans do not
need visa to Mongolia; single/double-entry visa to Russia
is $100.  Exchange rate fluctuate, so check them (for
example at Yahoo) for your date of travel.  As of Apr.
2004, $ = 29 Russian Rubles, 1177 Mongolian Tugriks.

d) If you feel really adventurous, you may want to prepare
your own itinerary (as I often do myself).  Link No.8 will
give some idea as to flights/trains in Siberia and
Mongolia.  But remember, Russia is a difficult country to
do things on your own.  Even in Moscow, almost all signs
are in native alphabet, very few people, including those at
info counters, speak English. You will need help.  Be sure
to have at least a guide book with you.

1. Trans-Siberian Tours
http://www.russia-travel.com/train.htm
Send email, address to Valentina Agarkova at valya@rnto.org

2. Another contact for tours in the area, also recommended
by guide books.
Baikalcomplex at baikal@online.ru

3. Another Trans-Siberean to Mongolia and Beijing
http://www.samarmagictours.com/en_train.htm

4. Intourist Agency and their Prices
http://www.intourist.com/ENG/TRANSSIB/info.shtml
Click on Contact, or send email to Elena Shmakova at
shmakova@intourist.ru

5. Lonely Planet about Mongolia

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/north_east_asia/mongolia/money.htm

6.  More about Mongolia
http://www.mongol.us/gobi_desert_tour.htm

7. National Geographic about Mongolia
http://iexplore.nationalgeographic.com/dmap/Mongolia/Where+to+Go

8. Trains/Flights in Russia, also to Ulan Bator
http://www.irkutsk-baikal.com/air_and_ground.htm

9. http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm
A very informative site on trains and (ground connections)
from UK to all over the world.
===============================================================================
Sent on May 18, 2004 from Irkutsk, from Cafe on Lenin St.,
at the x-section with Karl Marx St. (down the steps).

The info I provide here about some of the places is
necessarily limited.  You can research them on the Internet
for further details, especially if you are planning to
duplicate our trip.  I should add that we were treated very
nicely by our Russian hosts; our guide and driver
especially in Irkutsk were very patient and generous with
all our whims.  Ask for Irina Gorodkova as your guide,
should you come here.  She is very pleasant as well as
knowledgeable.

1. IAROSLAVSKI station, Moscow.  As I had mentioned in
earlier email, this is where you get on the TS train. 
There are 2 other train stations nearby.  IAROSLAVSKI is
the one with black paint in parts.  You can take the metro
to that location from anywhere from the city; be sure to
ask for the station and see its location on the metro map.
After you enter the building, walk ahead until you see the
large waiting room in front.  Turn right at the corridor
before.  Observe the electronic board until the train (ours
No. 10) is listed.  The Track Number will be next to it
eventually--ours was No 1.  Walk straight under the
electronic board to the exit doors, turn right and walk
between the small shops and counters.  The tracks are to
your left, No. 1 the one rightmost.

2. TS Train.  The passenger trains are painted in blue,
with silver writing on them, ours Baikal.  Our train had 11
cars.  We had a 2nd class cabin for 4 persons.  There was
only a lady from Perm--a days ride from Moscow--in when we
arrived. 1st class cabins are the same size but have only 2
bunks, used as seats during the day.  In our car there was
one (lady) head conductor--who changed shifts with a
younger man, a man who looked like a security person, and 2
young women working on shifts as conductors.  They kept the
car and our cabin meticulously.  If you signed up for
meals, they bring the food neatly wrapped in a foam
container.  The restaurant was 2 cars behind us, serving
all brands of vodka, beer, packaged food, and a menu.  Tom
and I together with 2 German friends had a joint dinner
ordering 1 shot of vodka, 2 large beers, steak, fries, and
condiments for $9 each.  The food was good. The hostesses
maintain hot water in a thermos near one entry to the car,
from where you can get water for ready soup, coffee, etc. 
I suggest you get coffee (Nescafe in packets), soup,
something to drink, etc. before you embark on your trip,
for the restaurant may not be open when you want.  There
are peddlers and kiosks at some stops.  I thought the train
and our cabin was a bit too hot; there is also air cond.
when it gets too hot outside.

3. The Trip to Irkutsk.  The trip was 5153km (3157 miles),
about the same as Portland, Maine to San Diego.  This is
about half the distance to Vladivostok.  We did this in
76.5 hours, including 33 stops for 5.5 hours, thus
averaging about 42 miles per hour.  17 of the stops were
for 12 minutes to 25 minutes, the rest for just 2 minutes
each.  We passed thru 10 large cities, Novosibirsk being
the largest of them.  At many stops we had the opportunity
to purchase something to eat or drink, either from
stationary kiosks or hawkers.  There was frequent traffic
from the opposite direction, some passenger trains, many
carrying coal--counted one train with 84 cars--lumber,
gravel and oil in tankers.

4. Siberia.  What is Siberia like?  It is like one endless
birch forest interrupted sometimes by pine trees and other
bush-like trees at wet spots, occasional areas of sea of
yellow grass as we know it in Florida (Everglades), small
spots of cultivated lands mostly near or around homes in
villages, grasslands, ponds, wetlands, about a dozen
rivers, and, of course, cities.  The interesting fact was
that we only saw perhaps 2 dozens of cows during the entire
trip in what must be ideal meadows.  We passed the Ural
Mountains, that divide Europe from Asia, on our first night
and so we did not get a clear picture as to their height,
but they are like our Appalachian Mountains.  Otherwise the
landscape was often very flat.  About 1/2 day before
Irkutsk the countryside again became hilly.  By the way, we
were told that the name Siberia originates from Siber
(sleepy lands), the name given by Cossacks.  The
temperature in Siberia in May is like our Eastern parts in
USA at this time, though at at least one stop the weather
was as hot as in Miami in May.

5. Lake Baikal.  We were picked up by our tour guide Irina
at the station in Irkutsk at 9 am, a very attractive
25-year-old brunette who is a graduate of the University of
Languages, having majored in English, Spanish, and French. 
She and a driver drove us to Hotel Baikal in the village of
Listvyanka, about 70 km from Irkutsk, with a lovely view of
the lake from a hillside.  The same day we were taken to
the village center and embarked on a one-hour boat ride to
enjoy the serene shores of the lake, the steep hills
surrounding it.  The lake claims many superlatives, like
the fact that it contains 1/5 of all fresh water on earth,
in 31,500 sq. km area.  It is about 600 miles long, very
deep (1,627 meters, compared to about 300 meters of Lake
Superior), and cold--4-10 degrees C--.  The only place to
swim is near the island OLKHAN, the only one on the lake,
close to its Western shores and about centrally located.

Upon return from the boat trip, we examined the souvenir
items the locals were selling on mobile counters, including
several minerals unique to this area.  (They do NOT like
bargaining here.  You pay the set price.) I purchased 5
pieces of OMUL, the perch-like fish about the size of a
large trout--though apparently they can reach a size of
about a foot weighing 5 kg or so--that grow only in Lake
Baikal.  Two of the fish I purchased were hot, 2 dried, and
one salted.  I did not like the salted one but devoured the
other 4.  Very tasty with hard and dark local bread and
beer to chase.

6.  Irkutsk is located near the southern point of Lake
Baikal, intersected by the Angara River, the only one
flowing out of Lake Baikal--compared to more than 300
rivers flowing in.  The population is about 600,000.  It is
a typical Eastern European city, with charming old
buildings, newer parts, quaint parks, and very scenic areas
along the river.  After a day in Listvyanka, we moved to
Hotel Baikal in Irkutsk, in a nice room overlooking the
Angara River.  The next day we had a 2-hour city tour as
part of our package. The first day it was on the cool side,
but we did city tour under clear skies and spring-like
temp.

7. Next on Schedule.  We will stay Irkutsk until May 22.
Then we will either take the 2-hour plane or full-day fast
train to Ulan Bator, Mongolia.  They do not give the train
ticket until after 4 pm the day before the trip, and one
has to buy the return ticket in Ulan Bator, not from
Irkutsk.  Depending on by what mode we return, we will try
to fit a 6-day tour in Mongolia during our stay, but as of
now we do not even have a hotel there.
===============================================================================
Sent on May 23, 2004 from Ulan Bator, from Chinggis Hostel.

I am typing this at a hostel in Ulan Bator, Mongolia,
leaving on a 5-day excursion to the Gobi Desert and the
sand dunes tomorrow morning, returning Friday or Saturday.

1. Addendum to Russia & Siberia.

a) Irkutsk is 5 hours later than Moscow, 13 than USA EDT, 6
hours Turkey.

b) Hotels in Russia are expensive.  For example, the Angara
Hotel charges $128 for simple twin room for 2, double that
for deluxe room.  Hotel Baikal, where we stayed is even
more expensive.  It does have a desk for train and another
desk for airline tickets.

c) For Internet in Irkutsk 2 places, both quick connection:
one, facing Hotel Baikal, go 3 blocks on the 1st street to
the right of the hotel, pass the bank on your right, turn
right at the end of that block, reach the door about 10
yards away and walk down the steps; this one charges 36 R
($1.20) per hour; two, at the intersection of Karl Marx and
Lenin Streets, across the street from the statue on Lenin,
walk down the steps; this one charges 60 R ($2) per hour.

d) Again, Russia is difficult to travel on your own, also
because seemingly only tour guides speak English, and
almost nothing (except in St. Petersburg) is in English or
Latin alphabet.  Familiarize yourself with the Cyrillic
Alphabet, as you will need them in the Metro and to confirm
where you are before you commit yourself to a
destination--(Remember P=R).

e) Fashions.  The environment is Eastern Europe in that the
dress code, while casual, is stylish.  Their casualness
never reaches the sloppy casual often found in USA and
occasionally in Western Europe.  Jeans are rare, as also
short shorts, minis, flag-like color combinations; I did
not see guys in baggy pants.  Women, as perhaps women
everywhere, are much more colorful and fashion-conscious. 
One odd moda they have is wearing high heels with elongated
narrow toes--like cowboy boots times 2--some curling
upward.  All men seemingly adhere to one fashion only: dark
slacks, black/dark T-shirt, and black (leather common)
jackets--and also a favorite among women.  All men wear
their hair short.  I did not see very obese people, though
some Russians are short and stocky.

f) Drinking, Manners, etc.  Russian are not particularly
warm people, but they are mannerly in their stoic and
subdued ways.  Almost everyone smokes, though smoking is
not allowed in restaurants and other enclosed spaces.  The
attitude is one of "give and take" OR "live and let live"
common to the world except the USA.  There are large flower
pots, for cigarette disposal, scattered around the public
squares and parks, and people use them.  As for drinking,
beer consumption here must be at least equal to that in
Belgium and Germany.  In Moscow--less so in Irkutsk--almost
every man and almost as many women walk with beer bottle or
can in their hands and another stashed away on their
person, this at the Red Square, parks, train station, on
the street, all very openly as if drinking soda, as if all
public places are open cafes.  However, unlike the college
kids in USA, especially during the spring break, we saw no
loud, rowdy, or obnoxious behavior, none of "judge our
happiness by the noise we are making" attitude.  This is
social drinking to relax, for leisure.  And by this basic
yardstick the Russians are freer--and more civilized--than
we are in USA, perhaps also because they can seemingly
better tolerate their even stronger beer.  I do not want to
extend this to the consequences of Vodka consumption, but
we did not see any drunks--nor homeless people for that
matter.

g) Especially as we traveled into Siberia, one things
becomes clear.  Empty space and Russia's enormous
resources.  They have some ways to go before they reach the
"quality of life" measures of Western Europe, but once they
do get going, they will be also an economic power to be
reckoned with.  Even Irkutsk, in the middle of nowhere, is
more pleasant as a city, and a place to live, than many of
our own.  And as populations world-wide do after work
hours, parks and the river front in Irkutsk are full of
young people and couples enjoying their city in some way to
late hours, even on week days.  Thus, we may be discounting
or overlooking some measures of "quality of life" in our
comparative analyses.  There is only one supermarket and a
central market inside the city that is blended well to the
rest (i.e., they do not stick out as unseemly monstrous
boxes); we did not see gas stations and such at the center.
===============================================================================
Sent on June 4, 2004 from Vladivostok, from BBC Cafe,
down the hill from Hotel Vladivostok.

0. Tom got knifed last night.  The area around the
pedestrian street and mall in Vladivostok is infectious and
last night I too spent about 3 hours there roaming around,
taking in the scenes around me.  I returned to the hotel a
bit after 10 pm when it was still light. Although I looked
for Tom, I could not find him; apparently he and a lady
from UK we met here were enjoying beer at some joint.  They
left later and at about 11 pm, crossing a secluded (by
trees) spot climbing the hill to the hotel, just before the
parking lot, 3 young guys appeared from out of nowhere, cut
the strap of the bag Tom carries crosswise around his neck
and shoulder and ran away with his panoramic camera and
other belongings in the bag, also leaving a 10-inch gash on
his right side and hip, about 1/4 inch deep at the
beginning, an inch deep towards the end.  Tom came to the
room with his shirt and pants soaking in blood, the cut
oozing more of it.  Thinking he is pulling a bad joke on
me, I took it lightly until I saw the area slashed open. 
We undressed him, I cleaned the blood with towels, observed
by hotel personnel and police, while waiting for the
doctor.  A doctor and nurse came in an ambulance, put a
large bandage over Tom's wound and taped it neatly.

He was taken by ambulance to the hospital at around 1 am; I
came along.  The hospital was a 20 min ride from the
center.  Inside the hospital looked ancient and
dilapidated, but it was spotless and I did not
underestimate the capabilities of the staff, though I
worried about the red tape.  There were about half-a-dozen
other patients awaiting treatment, some as bloody as Tom
but likely from auto accidents.  There appeared about 8
doctors and many nurses to Tom, each new doctor filling out
some form, asking Tom for his insurance.  They found an
anesthesiologist who spoke broken English.  I told the
doctor that we did not appreciate this delay filling out
papers, that they should immediately attend to his wound. 
With all the free blood flowing, a nurse took blood from
his finger, then came a nurse who wanted a urine sample,
then Tom was taken to a place where they scanned his
insides, though I did not see why the technician ran the
scanner a foot away from the wound, that they were perhaps
merely adding treatments to justify an inflated bill to
this rich American, a practice not unknown in USA.  The
anesthesiologist suggested that they give Tom general
anesthesia;  I said that I had seen the gash, that while
deep, no muscle tissue was apparently cut, that local
anesthesia should be sufficient, stating all this with the
authority of a doctor's son--as is also Tom.  The doctor
agreed and in went Tom.  He was wheeled out awake and alert
at 3am and taken to a room with 5 other patients.  I
carried Tom's valuables on me and carried spare clothing
for him.  The doctor wanted to hold him  at the hospital a
full day;  I countered that Tom should sleep till morn,
that he should be released if there were no complications
by then.  Meanwhile I had to find a place to wait, as there
did not seem to be any waiting rooms in the building.  This
is when the Russians shined again.  A 22-year-old female
medical student, serving as a nurse/intern for a year and a
young 5th-year nursing student (male), who spoke broken
English, invited me to their dorm room on the same floor. 
For the next 2 hours we had a party, with the nurse fixing
vodka with alcohol, so reducing the content to 45 percent. 
By 5 pm we had finished the equivalent of a bottle, the two
also smoking, chatting away about everything that crossed
our minds.  They got sleepy eventually. I suggested to the
nurse that I would wake up Tom, and if he felt OK, I would
take him to the hotel, that I wanted him to call a taxi. 
Since he did not make any objections, this is what we did
and at 6am a taxi brought us to the hotel.  By then I
suspected that either the Hotel management and/or the
police department got in touch with the hospital and told
the administrator to swallow the charges, for there was no
issue made of any bill when we left.  Just as I thought I
might get a few hours of sleep before our scheduled cruise
in the Sea of japan, 2 female staff from the police
department came to take Tom's statement, sigh various
papers, and other formalities. Albeit, I had my cruise
while Tom stayed in bed recovering. We are off to Moscow at
1:30 pm on June 5.

2. TS Train, Part 2.  The total distance Moscow to
Vladivostok is 9,288km (5,691 miles).  The distance from
Irkutsk to Vladivostok is 3 time zones, compared to 5 for
the 1st half, but because the tracks go zigzag north south,
it took us 72 hours for this part, including 580 minutes
for 21 stops, 18 of them for 15 to 25 minutes.  The train
had 19 cars, including a restaurant, all of them full.  The
2 hostesses did their best to maintain all parts clean, the
bathrooms the most difficult.

3. Landscape.  As I mentioned before, from Irkutsk the
tracks go south to about the southern tip of Lake Baikal
and then hug its Eastern shores to about the center of the
lake.  This is the most scenic part of the TS rail, but the
mountainous region continues for 2 days--of the 3-day trip.
 Unlike the almost exclusive birch forests of the first
half, here pine and spruce forests dominate, with storybook
meadows, lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands.  The 3rd day we
passed thru a flat area for 1/2 day, with sea of green and
yellow grass on both sides, like Florida Everglades.  Then
the landscape changed to rolling hills and even more
fertile grasslands and forests with more variety of trees,
also more lakes, rivers, and wetlands as we approached
Vladivostok, the scenes not unlike what you see in
North-Central USA and Canada at this time, including
inch-long mosquitoes.  Along the way, we passed thru many
villages, seasonal DACHA enclaves, and towns.  As before,
the homes and dachas are of wood, of weathered natural
color, with window frames and doors painted in white,
powder blue, and brown.  It came as somewhat of a surprise
that almost all bigger buildings and apartments, and the
like were of white brick, adding to the bleak look of
towns, which must be especially dreary in winter.  One very
attractive tree with clusters of white aromatic flowers
accompanied us from Irkutsk to Vladivostok.  The Russians
call it (phonetically) Cheremuha.  The flowers are not as
profuse as the cherry trees around the Mall in Washington,
DC in late March, but in their way as picturesque.  The
faces of the Russians we saw at stations reminded us of the
faces one sees in coal mining towns of WV, PA, OH, etc.,
people who have lived hard lives.  

We were told that a 2nd rail line is being built from
Irkutsk to the East from North of Lake Baikal, and that
there is also a highway that will eventually connect Moscow
to Vladivostok, 2,000 km of which is already done, tough
not yet paved with asphalt--as much as I understood.

4. Tanya and a Russian Party. While waiting for our train
in Irkutsk, I saw an attractive female of 23, sitting there
with very pot of dwarf red roses.  I exclaimed
ostentatiously "flowers for me?"  She replied in very good
English (and with a smile) "unfortunately no."  This is how
we met Tatiyana (Tanya short) Biankana, a teacher of
English at university level.  She was headed in the same
direction, to the city of Khabarovsk, 12 hours before
Vladivostok.  She became our interpreter and thru her we
met the 3 guys who shared the cabin with her: Igor, Alexi,
and Max, middle managers of the company constructing the TS
Highway.  Igor himself spoke broken English, with Tanya
helping out with more complex parts.  On our second night
Tom and I were invited to a party of many questions and
answers both ways accompanied by vodka.  I had described
the Russians as stoic and subdued.  Well, there was nothing
stoic and subdued about them this night.  Surrounded by
their warm hospitality to about 1 a.m., we enjoyed their
company immensely.  That they did not drink us under the
table came about only because they had been drinking since
the morning hours, whereas we began at night.

5. Vladivostok.  The former base of the Russian Pacific
fleet, parts of the city are still off limits to visitors. 
Vladivostok is a very pretty, vibrant, and modern city of
about 700,000, with an elaborate harbor surrounded by steep
hills.  Much of the downtown area has undergone a major
face lift and a lot of such work is still going on.  We had
our 3-hour city tour the first day, after we checked in
Hotel Vladivostok on top of a hill, close to the very
quaint pedestrian mall leading to the public beach (and the
Internet cafe BBC where I am typing this for 70
Rubles--about $2.50--per hour).  Tonight Tom and I will go
to a Russian restaurant at the pedestrian mall, then
inspect the night scene; tomorrow we will have our cruise
in the Sea of Japan; we are flying to Moscow the next day,
to DC the day after.
===============================================================================
Sent on June 11, 2004 from Miami.  

Sending this from Miami.

1. Vladivostok (population about 700,000). Unlike Irkutsk
and the rest of Siberia, Vladivostok does not get
exceptionally cold.  Someone quoted -25 deg. C, which is
more like Canada and US North-central.  The airport is 25km
north, so we passed thru the entire city to get there. 
Really, I would rather live in Vladivostok than in many USA
cities.  It is a neat, charming place. Tom's experience
could have happened in many cities in USA too, and at many
places we have traveled to.  After the incident, the hotel
people, police, and hospital staff went to great lengths
basically to make up for the unfortunate incident.  Tom has
no hard feelings, neither do I. 

2. Moscow.  The flight from Vladivostok was 9 hours, over 7
time zones.  2 meals were served.  We arrived at the
domestic terminal, that is about 5 km from the
international terminal (Terminal 2).  The taxi drivers
quoted $50 for transfer.  Instead, take Bus #851 ($20
Rubles, or 70 cents with luggage).  The 1st stop is
somewhere in-between, then it arrives at Terminal 2, then
stops at the 2 hotels nearby.  This bus and Bus #817 also
stop at the metro station to the city. You can walk from
the 2 hotels to Terminal 2, say about a 10-min walk.  At
the airport, do not buy anything at the stores before the
customs.  They are very expensive.  Pass thru the customs
and then buy at the duty-free stores--which are still
expensive.

3. Tidbits.  The weather thru Siberia was warm, 60s and
70s.  Mongolia was cooler at night and in the morning,
typical to high desert country also in USA, say in March. 
In Mongolia add lots of wind and serious chill factor.  In
Mongolia and Russia cigarettes cost 25-90 cents per pack,
13 percent (alcohol) bottle or large can of beer as low as
40 cents, vodka at various prices. Get them cheaper at
various kiosks at various places.  You can buy just about
everything in both countries, in several very neat
department stores and central markets, like the 6-story
State Store in Ulan Bator, the Central Market in Irkutsk. 
Gasoline is about $1.60 per gallon, as Russia is 2nd
largest producer of oil.  We found the females of Russia
(also of Poland from a previous visit) long-legged and
attractive. Dressed studied-casual, they seem demure and
privy to all secrets of visual seduction, including what
parts to show, how much to show, and how to display them.
Apparently they are also natural acrobats, in their ability
to wear extra-high spiked heels in a city (Vladivostok)
with very steep hills, seemingly with no discomfort or
visible awkwardness.  The cruise in the Sea of Japan was
scenic, also because we were surrounded by, and meandered
thru, the 22 islands across the Vladivostok harbor, some of
which are used by the Navy and are off limits. I found
Vladivostok even more attractive than Irkutsk. With 4
people the 2nd-class cabins can get crowded and often
awkward, though this also offers the opportunity for
interaction, which we enjoyed immensely but only because we
were fortunate enough to have an English teacher (Tanya)
next-door to us.  Otherwise it is Tarzan and Cheetah (more
Cheetah) babble, as not many Russians speak English.  No
problem if you are a single woman traveling alone, though
you may want to get a 2-person 1st-class cabin.  The tour
company we used charges $555 for this upgrade, which is
absurd as the ticket is nowhere near that.  The train, also
the 2 bathrooms per car, is kept spotless by the 2
hostesses.  The men are courteous to women (like walking
out to get you get dressed/un; the hostesses look out for
foreigners. Tom was late at a stop and I had to ask the
hostess to stop the train by the emergency brake; he paid a
$100 Ruble ($3.50) fine for that. Smoking is allowed at the
space at the end of cars, away from the cabins.  This was a
fine, in many ways epic, trip.  

I will have the trip photos and post cards posted by the
end of this month.  Will let you know the link.