Leaving to go Home
I had just stepped into Malaysia. Thailand was behind me. The customs officer beamed and nodded, recognising immediately that I was a fellow Malaysian. “Hello, dari mana? ” he asked. Where had I come...
Category: Russia
How to apply for a tourist visa to Russia
Going to Russia? Here’s what you need to do to get a visa. There are three stages when it comes to Russian tourist visas. You’ll need to: 1. Obtain an invitation...
What did you learn today?
I met Dinesh at our hostel in St Petersburg, in mid-conversation about his ultimate ambition: to hit 100 countries before he reached 25. I thought that was an interesting goal, because I’ve never...
This week’s photo: Shaman tree, Olkhon Island
There is probably no place more sacred in Siberia than Olkhon Island, the largest island in Lake Baikal. The Buryats, the indigenous people of Siberia, are followers of shamanism and consider Olkhon the centre...
Telling tall tales
IF I could have a ringgit for each time I lied when travelling, I would have a nice pile of notes by now. I have either been happily married, engaged and impatient to get...
In other news…
The purpose of this post is to prove that I wasn’t lazy during my trip. I actually did some work. (No, really. Seriously). While I was travelling, I wrote a weekly column in the...
Russia-Mongolia border crossing
The view, soon after entering Mongolia Overland crossings are incredibly exciting; I love entering a country by land. Arriving by plane sometimes strikes me as a little too straightforward and almost uninteresting. There...
Diamonds over Siberia
This is my first night in a proper bed but I cannot sleep. For five nights, I was soothed by the gentle left-to-right rocking of my train. This same rocking put me to sleep...
Russia, in photos
I’m writing this thousands of miles away from Russia, a country I was very sad to leave. I never thought I would enjoy Russia as much as I did – even now in Beijing,...
Tips for the Trans-Siberian Railway
There are two main points about the Trans-Siberian and Trans-Mongolian Railways. The first is that the Trans-Siberian proper runs from Moscow to Vladivostok and the second is that the railway branches out from Ulan-Ude...
