The Russian visa application process, on the other hand, proves that Communism is not really dead. Russia may have instituted market reforms, but their entry requirements are still positively Soviet. The Chinese are content with knowing my address, occupation, and length of stay. The form fits on one page, with spacing like a padded term paper.
The Russian visa application, though, is two dense pages. They want to know the usual stuff, of course, but they also want to know my parents’ full names, where I went to college and what I majored in, a list of all the countries I’ve visited in the last 10 years, and the names and phone numbers of my supervisors at my last two jobs (not counting current employment). Supporting documentation is required, bringing the application to four pages. They want to know who’s paying for my trip. They want to know if I’ve ever served in any army. They want to know if I have health insurance. Most ominously, they want to know if I have “any specialized skills, training or experience related to fire-arms and explosives or to nuclear, biological or chemical activities.”
They also want to know if I’ve ever suffered from “a dangerous physical or mental disorder.” Something tells me I may by the time I have my visa in hand.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Big Brotherly Love
Of course, all the flight and hotel reservations in the world won’t help you if you can’t get into the country. So this week I’ve been trying to chase down visas. Neither Mongolia nor Japan requires visas of American citizens on short trips. (Who knew these two could agree on anything?) But China does, and boy does Russia.
Yesterday I stopped by the Chinese consulate in San Francisco to drop off my visa application. It was an interesting experience, kind of like the DMV only with less despair and more yoga. There were lines, but they went pretty quickly. It took about 30 seconds for the woman at the window to collect my paperwork and tell me to come back Friday to pick up my visa. Easy.
The interesting part is that in front of both the entrances to the visa office were groups of Falun Gong activists. It was the most mellow protest I’d ever seen. A bunch of middle-aged and elderly people stretching. Monday mornings at Curves are more rowdy than that.
That’s one of the few good things about oppressive countries--it’s so easy to be a rebel without actually endangering yourself.
Yesterday I stopped by the Chinese consulate in San Francisco to drop off my visa application. It was an interesting experience, kind of like the DMV only with less despair and more yoga. There were lines, but they went pretty quickly. It took about 30 seconds for the woman at the window to collect my paperwork and tell me to come back Friday to pick up my visa. Easy.
The interesting part is that in front of both the entrances to the visa office were groups of Falun Gong activists. It was the most mellow protest I’d ever seen. A bunch of middle-aged and elderly people stretching. Monday mornings at Curves are more rowdy than that.
That’s one of the few good things about oppressive countries--it’s so easy to be a rebel without actually endangering yourself.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
No Going Back Now
Suddenly, it’s all falling into place. I paid for my airline tickets today, so it’s really happening. The flights are all booked and the train tickets are all reserved. That means my itinerary is set. For those following along at home, here’s what it looks like:
May 14: Japan Airlines from San Francisco to Tokyo, arriving Narita on May 15.
(Geeky details: The flight lasts 10 hours and 40 minutes, non-stop. The plane will be a 747. There are two meals.)
This week will be spent in and around Tokyo with my friend John and his S.O., who is Japanese. Stops include Kamakura, Hakone hot spring, and the Sanja festival in Tokyo.
May 21: Japan Airlines from Tokyo to Shanghai.
(Geeky details: The flight lasts three hours and 10 minutes, non-stop. The plane will be a 777. There’s meal.)
I’ll meet P. that same day in Shanghai. Together we will make a pilgrimage to the White Rabbit factory. After that….I don’t know. I’m sure there’s a museum or something.
May 28: China Eastern Airlines from Shanghai to Beijing.
(Geeky details: The non-stop flight lasts one hour and fifty minutes. The plane will be a 737. There’s a snack.)
In Beijing, I will meet up with John, and I also hope to visit the father of a friend who’s teaching math at a middle school there. I’ll also look up a T.A. of mine from college.
June 3: John and I leave Beijing on the Trans-Siberian train #23.
June 4: Arrive in Ulan Batar, Mongolia.
We will spend three nights in the area, two in U.B., and one in a yurt in a nomad camp (apparently cushier than it sounds).
June 7: leave Ulan Batar on train #363.
June 9: Arrive Irkutsk, Russia.
Irkutsk is the jumping-off point for Lake Baikal. We’ll spend one night at a home-stay in Irkutsk proper, and two nights with a Buryat family in the village of Bolshoe Goloustnoe, on the shores of the lake.
June 12: Depart Irkutsk on train #9 (the Baikal).
June 15: Arrive Moscow.
We’ll be staying at the AST Hof Hotel. Anyone been there? My mother visited Moscow during the Soviet days, and her stories have set the expectation bar pretty low. As long as the room is not bugged by the KGB and no one has left fish in the nightstand (I’m not making this up), I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
June 18: Overnight train to St. Petersburg.
Here we’re staying at the Vyborgkskaya Hotel. Again, can anyone out there appraise the dead fish situation at this property?
June 23: Scandinavian Airlines from St. Petersburg to Copenhagen.
(Geeky details: The non-stop flight lasts two hours and five minutes. The plane will be an MD-80. I will have to buy snacks. The terrorists have won.)
Later on June 23: Scandinavian Airlines from Copenhagen to Chicago.
(Geeky details: Non-stop flight is five minutes less than nine hours. Aircraft is an A340. There’s a meal and a snack.)
Later still on June 23: Scandinavian Airlines from Chicago to San Francisco.
(Geeky details: Non-stop, four-and-a-half-hour flight. Because it’s a domestic flight, I will have to pay for food. I hope they take Mongolian tögrögs. Plane is another A340.)
ETA: I should be home around midnight on June 23--or perhaps during the first few minutes of June 24. Nothing like starting out your pride weekend with a sleep deficit.
May 14: Japan Airlines from San Francisco to Tokyo, arriving Narita on May 15.
(Geeky details: The flight lasts 10 hours and 40 minutes, non-stop. The plane will be a 747. There are two meals.)
This week will be spent in and around Tokyo with my friend John and his S.O., who is Japanese. Stops include Kamakura, Hakone hot spring, and the Sanja festival in Tokyo.
May 21: Japan Airlines from Tokyo to Shanghai.
(Geeky details: The flight lasts three hours and 10 minutes, non-stop. The plane will be a 777. There’s meal.)
I’ll meet P. that same day in Shanghai. Together we will make a pilgrimage to the White Rabbit factory. After that….I don’t know. I’m sure there’s a museum or something.
May 28: China Eastern Airlines from Shanghai to Beijing.
(Geeky details: The non-stop flight lasts one hour and fifty minutes. The plane will be a 737. There’s a snack.)
In Beijing, I will meet up with John, and I also hope to visit the father of a friend who’s teaching math at a middle school there. I’ll also look up a T.A. of mine from college.
June 3: John and I leave Beijing on the Trans-Siberian train #23.
June 4: Arrive in Ulan Batar, Mongolia.
We will spend three nights in the area, two in U.B., and one in a yurt in a nomad camp (apparently cushier than it sounds).
June 7: leave Ulan Batar on train #363.
June 9: Arrive Irkutsk, Russia.
Irkutsk is the jumping-off point for Lake Baikal. We’ll spend one night at a home-stay in Irkutsk proper, and two nights with a Buryat family in the village of Bolshoe Goloustnoe, on the shores of the lake.
June 12: Depart Irkutsk on train #9 (the Baikal).
June 15: Arrive Moscow.
We’ll be staying at the AST Hof Hotel. Anyone been there? My mother visited Moscow during the Soviet days, and her stories have set the expectation bar pretty low. As long as the room is not bugged by the KGB and no one has left fish in the nightstand (I’m not making this up), I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
June 18: Overnight train to St. Petersburg.
Here we’re staying at the Vyborgkskaya Hotel. Again, can anyone out there appraise the dead fish situation at this property?
June 23: Scandinavian Airlines from St. Petersburg to Copenhagen.
(Geeky details: The non-stop flight lasts two hours and five minutes. The plane will be an MD-80. I will have to buy snacks. The terrorists have won.)
Later on June 23: Scandinavian Airlines from Copenhagen to Chicago.
(Geeky details: Non-stop flight is five minutes less than nine hours. Aircraft is an A340. There’s a meal and a snack.)
Later still on June 23: Scandinavian Airlines from Chicago to San Francisco.
(Geeky details: Non-stop, four-and-a-half-hour flight. Because it’s a domestic flight, I will have to pay for food. I hope they take Mongolian tögrögs. Plane is another A340.)
ETA: I should be home around midnight on June 23--or perhaps during the first few minutes of June 24. Nothing like starting out your pride weekend with a sleep deficit.
Monday, March 20, 2006
E-Ticket Ride
I’ve put down deposits. I’ve made reservations. But today I finally made my first real travel purchase. And it’s not even for me. I bought P’s ticket to Shanghai--if “bought” is the word. I got the ticket by using up virtually all my United frequent flyer miles. (No, that’s a good thing.)
It’s amazing how far the process has come. I remember the first time I cashed in miles for a ticket. I think I had to send away for paper certificates saying I qualified. Then I had to take them to an airline office in downtown San Francisco and actually speak to a person, who grumpily gave me a paper ticket in return. (Then I got back in my buggy and trotted back to my apartment in the Barbary Coast.)
This time I was able to check my mileage level online, and automatically deduct the miles. A round-trip e-ticket to Shanghai, on a non-stop flight cost a grand total of $30.68--and about 10 minutes. I didn’t have to leave my house.
That made the horses very happy.
It’s amazing how far the process has come. I remember the first time I cashed in miles for a ticket. I think I had to send away for paper certificates saying I qualified. Then I had to take them to an airline office in downtown San Francisco and actually speak to a person, who grumpily gave me a paper ticket in return. (Then I got back in my buggy and trotted back to my apartment in the Barbary Coast.)
This time I was able to check my mileage level online, and automatically deduct the miles. A round-trip e-ticket to Shanghai, on a non-stop flight cost a grand total of $30.68--and about 10 minutes. I didn’t have to leave my house.
That made the horses very happy.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Special Delivery
Incidentally, something like the above scenario happened to me once before. When I was in college, I spent a summer studying Chinese in Taiwan. One day, I got two postcards from my great aunt, who lives in Connecticut. One was dated a month earlier than the other. The one that had taken longer to get there (about 6 weeks, I think) had two postmarks. One was from a Hartford-area post office. The other was from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
More Encouraging Signs
Further evidence that my career is chugging right along: Today I got two rejection letters from the same magazine. (Curiously, one was dated Feb. 7, the other March 2.) They were rejecting two different article ideas that I’d pitched them.
I could look at this as a double dis, of course, but I prefer to think that this means they noticed me twice. They practically know who I am now.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
I could look at this as a double dis, of course, but I prefer to think that this means they noticed me twice. They practically know who I am now.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Yeah, But Do They Serve Peanuts?
I’m in the process of planning two extremely different trips. One is my trans-Siberian odyssey. The other is a weekend trip to Vegas in April. And here’s an interesting thing I discovered: According to the Man in Seat Sixty-One site, it’s theoretically possible to travel between Moscow and Beijing--a journey of about 5,000 miles as the iron rooster flies--for as little as $200.
The lowest Travelocity round-trip fare for travel between Oakland and Las Vegas--a journey of 549 miles?
$271.
The lowest Travelocity round-trip fare for travel between Oakland and Las Vegas--a journey of 549 miles?
$271.
Monday, March 06, 2006
How Did They Do it in the Dial-up Days?
It took about 40 emails, but from California, I managed to book a trans-Siberian railroad itinerary through a group in China—while keeping my traveling companion, John, in the loop in Laos.
The whole itinerary hasn’t quite fallen into place yet, but the railroad part is set:
June 3, 2006: Depart Beijing train #23 at 07:40
June 4: Arrive Ulan Bator at 13:20. Spend one night at Elstei Ger (yurt) Camp
June 5: Return to Ulan Bator for 2 nights Bayangol Hotel
June 7: Depart Ulan Bator train #363 at 18:40
June 9: Arrive Irkutsk at 08:10 with 1 night homestay in Irkutsk, and two nights at Bolshoe Goloustnoe, on the shores of Lake Baikal
June 12: Depart Irkutsk train #9 at 16:35
June 15: Arrive Moscow at 16:58 with 3 nights AST Hof Hotel
June 18: Depart Moscow night train at 23:55
June 19: Arrive Saint Petersburg at 08:00 with 3 nights Vyborgskaya hotel
June 22: Fly home
The whole itinerary hasn’t quite fallen into place yet, but the railroad part is set:
June 3, 2006: Depart Beijing train #23 at 07:40
June 4: Arrive Ulan Bator at 13:20. Spend one night at Elstei Ger (yurt) Camp
June 5: Return to Ulan Bator for 2 nights Bayangol Hotel
June 7: Depart Ulan Bator train #363 at 18:40
June 9: Arrive Irkutsk at 08:10 with 1 night homestay in Irkutsk, and two nights at Bolshoe Goloustnoe, on the shores of Lake Baikal
June 12: Depart Irkutsk train #9 at 16:35
June 15: Arrive Moscow at 16:58 with 3 nights AST Hof Hotel
June 18: Depart Moscow night train at 23:55
June 19: Arrive Saint Petersburg at 08:00 with 3 nights Vyborgskaya hotel
June 22: Fly home
Monday, February 13, 2006
Fun Fact
Until 1999, the beauty cream Americans call Oil of Olay was marketed in Asia and Australia under the name Oil of Ulan--as in Ulan Bator.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Itinerary Coming Together
I think we’ve nailed down our stops on the Trans Siberian. I initially wanted to stop just about everywhere, but then I realized there’s only so much I can absorb. On top of the fact that I’ll be visiting Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Moscow, and maybe St. Petersburg, I’m afraid my head will explode if I try too many stops along the way. Of course, it might explode if I don’t stop, too. It’s a fine line kind of thing. But I think we’ll just make two major stops: Ulan Bator, and Lake Baikal. That ought to be enough wide-open space to keep me sane.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
This Might Help
One other thing it’s been pointed out I ought to do: Set a departure date. I’ve gotten as far as figuring out what day I’m leaving Beijing on the Trans-Sib: May 23.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Making a List
I’ve already made a lot of progress toward planning my trip. For instance, I’ve already accomplished these important tasks:
- Started reviewing my rapidly deteriorating Chinese textbooks from college
- Duct-taped my rapidly deteriorating Chinese textbooks from college
- Listened to my Cui Jian tapes to figure out which ones to replace with CDs in China
- Bought a map of Tokyo
- Told everyone I’m going (so now I have to)
Friday, February 03, 2006
Um, Because It’s There?
Why? What makes me want to take a train all the way across Russia? I’ve actually wanted to take the trans-Siberian railroad since I backpacked through China in 1992. A lot of other backpackers I met had gotten to China this way, and they made it seem really cool.
So yes, there’s a sad suggestion of reclaiming lost youth. I won’t deny that.
Mostly, though, I just really like trains. Not in any special train-spotting kind of way. I don’t mind flying. It’s just that I like the idea of being still for a week, but not actually confined to a seat. I like the fact that you can really see the countryside rolling by. It’s kind of like a road trip without actually having to get behind the wheel in a foreign country. I like that in one trip, while mostly sitting down, I can experience three countries, two of which--Mongolia and Russia--will be new to me. (Don't worry; I do plan to get off the train and walk around.)
I like chatting with people while I travel.
I also like being able to walk away from a conversation if I sit down next to a power-talker by mistake.
Okay, I like vodka, too. So sue me.
So yes, there’s a sad suggestion of reclaiming lost youth. I won’t deny that.
Mostly, though, I just really like trains. Not in any special train-spotting kind of way. I don’t mind flying. It’s just that I like the idea of being still for a week, but not actually confined to a seat. I like the fact that you can really see the countryside rolling by. It’s kind of like a road trip without actually having to get behind the wheel in a foreign country. I like that in one trip, while mostly sitting down, I can experience three countries, two of which--Mongolia and Russia--will be new to me. (Don't worry; I do plan to get off the train and walk around.)
I like chatting with people while I travel.
I also like being able to walk away from a conversation if I sit down next to a power-talker by mistake.
Okay, I like vodka, too. So sue me.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Around the World in 30 Days
I appreciate all your concern, but yes, I am serious. I really do plan to take the trans-Siberian railroad this spring. The plan so far is that my partner, Pipi, and I will first travel to Japan, where we have a friend. John is a professional travel photographer I met at the Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference one summer. He moved to Kamakura, Japan in the fall of 2005, and we plan to visit him there. Kamakura is about an hour from Tokyo by train. Tokyo, quite frankly, frightens me (call it Akira damage), so that sounds about right. We won’t have a lot of time in Japan, so I’d rather save the Neo-city for a trip where I have the time it deserves.
From Japan, Pipi and I will fly to Shanghai. Pipi has always wanted to see Shanghai because she’s interested in city planning, and this city is in the middle of enormous growth. I’ve been there before, and am very curious to see how it has changed.
Pipi probably will have to fly home from Shanghai--it’s the curse of being steadily employed. I’ll continue on to Beijing. Beijing is another city I visited in 1992, and I’m told it is barely recognizable now. I can’t even imagine it full of cars--I remember bikes for days--so I think I’m in for a bit of a shock.
John and I will meet up in Beijing and take the trans-Mongolian train line from there. The end of the line is Moscow, but I hope to also see St. Petersburg. If on the way home I’m routed through a Baltic city, or a Scandinavian capital, so much the better. But I probably won’t mind going straight home by then.
I don’t know exactly what the air route will be, but I assume I’ll be sent west from Moscow, meaning that I will have completed a whole circle around the globe. A pretty neat trick to pull off on a low budget.
From Japan, Pipi and I will fly to Shanghai. Pipi has always wanted to see Shanghai because she’s interested in city planning, and this city is in the middle of enormous growth. I’ve been there before, and am very curious to see how it has changed.
Pipi probably will have to fly home from Shanghai--it’s the curse of being steadily employed. I’ll continue on to Beijing. Beijing is another city I visited in 1992, and I’m told it is barely recognizable now. I can’t even imagine it full of cars--I remember bikes for days--so I think I’m in for a bit of a shock.
John and I will meet up in Beijing and take the trans-Mongolian train line from there. The end of the line is Moscow, but I hope to also see St. Petersburg. If on the way home I’m routed through a Baltic city, or a Scandinavian capital, so much the better. But I probably won’t mind going straight home by then.
I don’t know exactly what the air route will be, but I assume I’ll be sent west from Moscow, meaning that I will have completed a whole circle around the globe. A pretty neat trick to pull off on a low budget.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming
Yes, I did see "The Station Agent." Thanks to everyone who wrote in suggesting it. (And yes, I did like the film.)
Monday, January 30, 2006
All Aboard We Hope You’ve Enjoyed Riding With Us
For those with a short attention span, the shortest scheduled train trip--in the U.S., at least--is the 5-minute, 3.6-mile jaunt from one end of the Princeton Branch Line to the other. Embarkation: Princeton, New Jersey. End of the Line: Princeton Junction, New Jersey.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Fun Fact
The longest possible train journey in the world is from Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal to Saigon. (Okay, Ho Chi Minh City. You say tomato….) That’s 11,092 miles, of which my Trans-Siberian route would be just one weeklong leg. Like I said, I know my limits.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Anthologized
I’m going to be in my first anthology. Someday. A woman in southern California is putting together an anthology called We the People, Too. It’s a collection of essays with a gay/lesbian theme, and I submitted a piece I wrote about gay marriage in California.
I’d love to be smug about my piece winning out over the cutthroat, but unfortunately, the editor seems to be having trouble getting enough submissions. Already the deadline has been extended, and it’s not clear when or even if it will get published. A little help, please? Any non-fiction stories about the gay and lesbian experience in America, your own or someone else’s, are welcome. 1,000 words or less; deadline is June 1. Submit electronically to Stacy Davies at wetheotherpeople@aol.com, or mail it to:
We the People, Too
PO Box 1524
Claremont, CA 91711
Please help make this happen!
I’d love to be smug about my piece winning out over the cutthroat, but unfortunately, the editor seems to be having trouble getting enough submissions. Already the deadline has been extended, and it’s not clear when or even if it will get published. A little help, please? Any non-fiction stories about the gay and lesbian experience in America, your own or someone else’s, are welcome. 1,000 words or less; deadline is June 1. Submit electronically to Stacy Davies at wetheotherpeople@aol.com, or mail it to:
We the People, Too
PO Box 1524
Claremont, CA 91711
Please help make this happen!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Cuckoo for Irkutsk
In the immortal words of David St. Hubbins, there’s a fine line between stupid and clever. More than one person I’ve talked to thinks I might be brushing a toe across the stupid side with my adventure for 2006: taking the trans-Siberian railroad from Beijing to Moscow.
Not, you’ll notice, in the conventional direction, from Moscow to Beijing. Anyone can do that, and when I was in China after college, it seemed like every European backpacker I met there had. No, I’m not just exiling myself to Siberia; I’m doing it backwards. Starting in Beijing, I’ll travel through Mongolia, into Siberia, past Lake Baikal, and on into European Russia. The trip takes seven days without stops, although I’ll definitely be stopping a few times. (I once went on a non-stop trans-Atlantic cruise, and by day five, I was hopefully scanning the horizon for icebergs. I know my limits.)
I’m planning on stopping in Mongolia (because when will I ever be in Mongolia again?), spending a few days around Lake Baikal, and at least having a look around Irkutsk, just because I like to say “Irkutsk” so much.
Stupid? Clever? Insane? Only time will tell. I’m leaving in May. I’ll be posting regarding my trip-planning progress, and ideally from the road itself when the time comes. Stay tuned.
Not, you’ll notice, in the conventional direction, from Moscow to Beijing. Anyone can do that, and when I was in China after college, it seemed like every European backpacker I met there had. No, I’m not just exiling myself to Siberia; I’m doing it backwards. Starting in Beijing, I’ll travel through Mongolia, into Siberia, past Lake Baikal, and on into European Russia. The trip takes seven days without stops, although I’ll definitely be stopping a few times. (I once went on a non-stop trans-Atlantic cruise, and by day five, I was hopefully scanning the horizon for icebergs. I know my limits.)
I’m planning on stopping in Mongolia (because when will I ever be in Mongolia again?), spending a few days around Lake Baikal, and at least having a look around Irkutsk, just because I like to say “Irkutsk” so much.
Stupid? Clever? Insane? Only time will tell. I’m leaving in May. I’ll be posting regarding my trip-planning progress, and ideally from the road itself when the time comes. Stay tuned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
