5 days left to my leaving. I tryed to project this travel as much
better as i could although time was not os much and still is not. I 'm
conscious i m absolutely not ready. Many are my doubts. The only
certainty is that this travel i have to do . Still few are my
informations since is quite hard to contact the locals in a zone big as
half of Europe with only 300.000 peopel living, where just few of them
speak or at list understand english.
|
Some locals to avoid |
Here
in the bottom i ll let you read two strange email i got from two
different russians about my trip. Their point of view are so opposite
that hard understand where it s the truth
|
Ghost city |
EMAIL N1 RECEIVED FROM A LOCAL RUSSIA
I
am going to try and talk you out of this idea. The idea of travelling
alone in Far East of Russia is practically suicide. Undertaken by one
man, who does not know the people, their mentality, and the way the they
see the world, can lead to very bad consequences. No one there speaks
English, and the settlements are so isolated and live in their own world
that it is even dangerous for an outside person to approach them (not
just foreigners). Foreigners are especially disliked. It is so wild out
there that I would never dream of trying to go it alone and hope that
someone will help me and feed me. I know this road very well, like the
back of my hand, having spent a lot of time working around the area. I
just don’t have enough time until the end of June to try and explain
everything to you and try to warn about all the things that can and most
likely will happen. The whole road from Magadan to yakutsk is built on
gold. It was built by gold mining companies, and the placer gold
industry. They don’t just let anyone in. Especially a foreigner who does
not know Russian, it could very well end up in murder even for
something as little as a misunderstanding as to why you’re there. I
would suggest to you that you prepare about a year ahead of time to
learn Russian so you have some chance of survival, not even completing
your journey, just not getting killed or dying on your own. If you are still undeterred from this wildly ridiculous idea, let me answer some of your questions. The
most dangerous part of your trip will be Magadan-Yakutsk-Habarovsk (or
Irkutsk). This section has the most mafia activity, lots of abandoned
villages, and no paved roads. Bridges over rivers may be out and might
be in the process of being fixed.
Stopping
in villages is very dangerous even for people who know the language and
know the land. This is not Europe and contact with the locals can have
dire consequences. You can get robbed, beaten, or killed just because
you have dreads (dead serious, no joke, things like that are not common,
in fact it will be the first time they’ve ever seen dreads, before you
go, shave your head).
There
is no one there to help and there is no police out there. Everyone for
themselves. It’s dangerous even for me to go to these places, especially
after dark. Don’t
count on hospitality in the villages, hospitality is reserved for
“their own” people, not outsides, especially a foreign one who does not
even speak Russian. There
is no internet in these villages and to find someone to help will be
difficult. I could try to help you if I had time, like 6 months to a
year. You can forget about finding English speaking people, not going to
happen, maybe a one in a million chance someone will know a few words. I recommend to cancel your trip this year.
The
hardest part for you will be to get to Irkutsk. There are usually 5-7
trucks a day but sometimes there are none. Best chance again is getting
a taxi. Much safer. Don’t even try to get there alone, again this is
not Europe. There are no hotels and no one will let you into their
home. Your
lack of knowledge about the way of life and mentality of the people.
Local young people can steal your money, your stuff, your passport. Keep
that in mind, if something happens in the depths of Russia, as the one
foreign guy, you are on the receiving end, and nothing you can do will
help you at that point. There are no places that accept credit cards or
bank cards up to Irkutsk, you need to have a lot of cash on you. This
again is dangerous as you represent Western society, people especially
in villages have a view of westerners as rich, so you will be a high
priority target for local crooks. Never show how much money you have, or
you will have none left. Most likely you will have to drink with them.
If you refuse that is considered offensive and you can forget any chance
of interview/friendship/help. If you do drink with them, do so lightly,
they will be able to outdrink you so do not even try. If you do get
wasted, be ready to wake up with all your stuff missing and you in the
streets, alive in the best case scenario. Also if the booze (usually
vodka) is home made, you can have some serious stomach and other health
issues after drinking it. Best bet is to avoid contact with the locals,
or if it must be made, do so in the daytime and get out if they start
drinking.
o
EMAIL N2 RECEIVED FROM A LOCAL RUSSIAN
Hello!
I made a hitch-hiking trip from Moscow to Magadan and back just a year ago.
There
are not many cars, but every car stops to you! During my trip, I had to
wait for a car not more than 7 hours. It's not long for that area))
I think, the way from Magadan to Yakutsk will take about 7-10 days - with all your stays))
Sorry,
but I can't tell you anything about weapon. I had a small whistle about
me, but I didn't have to use it - I didn't meet any bears.
People
there are fantastic! Kind, intelligent, interesting... You will have a
lot of pleasure! And some of them speak English, I think.
If you have more questions - ask me! And you can see my travel story - http://nobody-thefirst.livejournal.com/313623.html
Best regards,
Asya Altergot