Kyzyl trip - April 14 - 16

Jan and Sophie on train

Thurs evening - We headed to the train station about 6:30 PM squished into a small taxi with Jamie, Jan, Roger, Sohpie and a back pack and handbag in the back and Lucas and Sam in the front seat with a bag in the car the size of a Toyota Corolla.  Glad it was not a long ride  but Jamie said that often the taxi they take for 5 hours is squishy like that only you are sardines with unbathed strangers and tired wiggly kids…I can’t imagine!  

Krasnoyarsk train station

We got to the train about 7 and since the weather was so nice we hung around outside in the plaza area until it was time to board…about 7:30.  We had decided to splurge and pay a bit more for the coupe so we could close the door and let the kids “free” without worrying about other people’s things and beds….Sam was so excited and showing us how things worked.  We watched the countryside as we left Krasnoyarsk which was a fun change.

Scene from train

It was a newer train with special toilets (we were told by the conductor) that doesn’t dump directly onto the tracks…meaning you could use it anytime except when it was stopped in a station.  The conductor also told us where to get hot water for tea and offered to bring us some (but we passed).  Other people were using the water for ramen noodles and such for a meal.  We had eaten a yummy dinner before we left and just had brought snacks for the trip.  So as soon as we headed out we broke out the banana muffins tho. By 9 we had made our beds with linens provided by the train.  There were 2 bunks and Jamie slept with Sophie and Sam and Lucas slept above them.  Roger and I each got our own and they were not bad at all.  Sam had a cough and was very excited and had a bit of trouble settling down but finally fell asleep.  

Abakan Station

At about 6 AM the conductor came thru to tell us our stop … Abakan … was in about 40 minutes.  It was up to us to strip the beds and fold the linens and be ready to exit the train as soon as we stopped.  It was an interesting process but we managed.  I must say sleeping on the train was quite nice for the most part.  If it never stopped….it would have been even better.  It would get very still and quiet when we stopped at a station so it would wake me up but as soon as we started rocking again and clickty clacking…I would go right back to sleep.

Snow along the road

Mountain scene during drive

Driving through the valley in near Kyzyl

When we arrived at the Abakan train station, there was a security check where they wanded us and our bags prior to going into the station after leaving the train.  We were able to get a taxi from the station that was like a station wagon… a Honda… and we were the only ones in it so that was really nice.  After about 2 hours we stopped at an eating place and had shaslik … like Kebabs.  It was delicious!  Used the toilet during the stop and Sam was glad to show me the way as he had used it earlier.  It was out house and I was very glad it was not night or cold….I will just leave it at that :)  The taxi trip took 5 hours.  We had a couple police check stops where we had to show our passports but Lucas said that has never happened before so they are not sure if something was going on that they were looking for.  When we left on the train there were a lot of police around and I just assumed it was normal but he said that is not normal either.  The taxi ride went thru a mountain range that was beautiful.  There was still snow on the mountains even tho the temps have risen quite a bit.  I would have loved to stop and just look at the scenery more but…then it would have taken even longer.  There was also a river that the road followed a lot of the way and it was so pretty with the chunks of ice still on some of it yet some of it was flowing and full from the snow melt.

Traditional Russian house in Kyzyl

Our hotel in Kyzyl

We arrived in Kyzl about noon so went out to find a café where Lucas and Jamie had been before.  It was in the upstairs of a larger grocery store and they had a lot of choices of foods in a cafeteria style buffet.  We had a variety of things to eat and all was good and then ended with chocolate milkshakes which tasted sooooo good!!  We than did a little shopping for a few things we could use for snacks and breakfast.

The hotel where we are is a typical Tuvan hotel…it is an old building and simply furnished with some funny quirks about our rooms which are quite different.  Lucas and Jamie and kids are in a larger room than we have.  They have 2 single beds, a table….an old tv…and windows facing out to the river which is snowy and icy…and a lovely cutout of a model of some sort on one wall…the most random thing you could ever see in a hotel room…it made me laugh!  Our room is smaller with small bathroom with a very blue square toilet…oh I forgot to mention there is a shower down the hall to share with others…which is fine with us…it actually has hot water so who would dare complain!  We also have a desk…2 stools….tv…2 single beds…and a random refrigerator in the corner…which we are very grateful to have to keep drinks and snacks in…I am not complaining ….just saying…very random :)

Center of Asia Monument

So we came back from lunch and took much needed naps and then went out for a walk in a nearby park and along the river.  Its very pretty there and I imagine when the trees are green it will be even prettier.  It was warm enough to take our coats off and it seemed so strange to see the river mostly frozen while we wore short sleeves.  We saw a monument there that shows that Kyzl is in the middle point of Asia which I did not know…just free trivia for you!

Kyzl is a city but much smaller than Krasynoarsk.  It is also slower paced and lower income than the bigger city.  The homes are small and rustic looking.  I think it adds to the charm of this city actually…it is definitely different then where we had come from.  There are about 100,000 people in Kyzyl and where Lucas and Jamie hope to go in the fall ... AkDuvorak there are about 10,000 people.

Scene at frozen rivier

Today is Saturday…we had a nice breakfast in the hotel which we were not expecting.  Very thankful for that.  We were planning to go to the Museum of Tuvan Culture with a friend of Lucas and Jamie’s who is Tuvan.  She speaks excellent English so that helped us out.  She did not come till about 10:30 so about 9 Roger and I took Sam for a walk down by the river and had fun throwing stones  and sticks in the water and walking around.  On the way back in Sam…who had done so well staying out of the water by the river jumped in one large puddle and managed to splash his pants so they were wet enough to be “uncomfy” so we went back to our room and put them on the heater…which we wonder why it is still heating but it is.…today it is up to 80 degrees! 

Tuva Historical Museaum

We went to the museum and it was quite interesting…First we were told it would cost 500 Rubles (exchange rate was 28 Rubles per dollar) a piece since we were tourist…then the lady lowered the price because she thought we were a tour group and the Tuvan lady was our guide and Jamie was Russian and our interpreter for the Tuvan lady…so they charged 3 of us 200 and Jamie 100 and the other lady was free….how funny!  It was fun to see some of the culture and pictures of this area and people that Jamie and Lucas have grown to love so quickly. 

Performance center plaza with Buddhist shrine, Statue of Lenin and mountain in background

Shaslik mentioned earlier

After we were done we walked to a café to meet one of their team members named Scott.  He has been here for 3 yrs and is studying at the university while doing many other things involving outreaches and starting businesses for Tuvans.   The café was a cute little place and as we sat down the lights flickered and went out.  We were told there was an explosion in the kitchen so they could not serve hot things so we had salads…and then after we left there we saw a stand selling Sharmas….a wrap with chicken and cabbage and onion in them and sauce of different kinds were available.  It topped off the small salads we had and thought we might go back another time to get some more!  We got back to the hotel about 2 and now its nap time again…