Once I had a great wish to make a report on my and my friends’ travel to Oymyakon, Russia, along Stalin’s Kolyma Highway.

First, I created the page called A Roadtrip to the Pole of Cold, Jan. 17-22, 2010. Yep, it was two years ago. Time is passing so fast.

After while, I published the post Activity tips: What to do in Oymyakon? Part I – Tomtor.

Then, people kept on asking me additional questions. Appeared many other related stories as well as the video: The World’s Coldest Road. The Kolyma Highway in Winter.

Oh, man. Now I think it would be much better to create one video with all images so to give the clue of what it is to travel to Russia’s Oymyakon, the world’s coldest inhabited place. Enjoy!

By the way, the song used in the above video is called “Sakham Sire” (My Yakutia) and performed by the Yakutsk-based rock band 103. Learn more about musicians on my other blog eYakutia.com.

PS. Good news is that I am planning to travel to the Oymyakon area again, but it will be more than a road trip. There will be reindeer sledding towards Muus Khaya Glaciers and spending nights in a tent at -50C.

Often I was asked, if I have the updated information on business and investment opportunities. Yes, I have one, but in the form of the official Republic of Sakha-Yakutia investment guidebook.

Follow the link “Read more” to find the updated region economy information with infographs and photographs taken by Yakutia-Sakha News Agency and, certainly, download the English version of the investment guidebook with the full list of available regional investment projects.

YAKUTIA GENERAL INFO

Yakutia lies in the north-eastern part of Asia stretching 2,000 km north-south and 2,500 km eastwest.

The area of 3,102 thousand square kilometers covers one fifth of the total area of Russia and is equal to 2/3 of Western Europe’s territory.

Over 40% of Yakutia lies beyond the Arctic Circle.

It spans three time zones (UTC +9, +10, +11).

Yakutsk, the capital of the republic, is 8,468 km away from Moscow.

Yakutia has borders with seven entities of the Russian Federation: on the west — Krasnoyarsk Krai, on the south-west and south — Irkutsk Oblast and Amur Oblast, Zabaikalsky Krai, on the south-east — Khabarovsk Krai, on the east — Magadan Oblast and Chukotka Autonomous District.

The state authority is executed by President, the State Assembly (Il Tyumen), the Constitution and Supreme Courts.

The supreme legislative body is the State Assembly (Il Tyumen).

The supreme executive body is Government of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia).

The highest executive official and head of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) is President of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia).

As of January 1, 2011, there are 445 municipal units, including 34 municipal regions, 2 urban districts and 409 urban and rural settlements.

According to the interim data of the All-Russian 2010 Census, the population of the republic makes 958,3 thousand people, including urban population making 64.1% and rural population – 35.8%. The republic is home to 126 nationalities, including the Yakuts – 45.5%; Russians – 41.2%; Ukrainians – 3.6%; Evenks – 1.9%; and Evens- 1.2%. The population density in the republic makes 0.3 people per sq.km.

Yakutia enjoys the variety of natural conditions: its continental climate shows up in the air temperature fluctuation range reaching 100 degrees Centigrade.

The republic is home to the pole of Cold of the northern hemisphere, with the lowest temperature registered at 71.2 degrees C.

Social and Economic Situation

Natural resources

Almost the entire territory of Yakutia is situated in the permafrost area. 72% of the republic’s territory is covered by taiga, the rest – by forest-tundra, tundra, and the Arctic desert. Forests cover 47% of the territory, making up 11% of all-Russia reserves. Yakutia has preserved many places of pristine nature. This unparalleled environment is home for rare animal and bird species.

There are over 700 thousand rivers, which exceed 10 km, flowing in the republic, with 314 of them being over 100 km long. The Kolyma, Indigirka and the Lena River’s major tributaries – Olyokma, Aldan and Vilyui – surpass almost all the European rivers, including the Rhine and Elba, by their length and water volume.

The Lena River, the republic’s major waterway, is among the ten greatest rivers of the world. There are over 800 thousand lakes with water surface exceeding 1 ha each. The waters are abundant in rich fish resources – over 90 species.

The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) ranks first in the Russian Federation by total reserves of natural resources. Its raw material potential is estimated at RUR 78.4 trillion.

Economy structure

The economy is based on export-oriented industry connected with development of abundant natural resources. GRP is also influenced by construction, commerce, transport and communications, agriculture, and social services.

Industrial production mostly depends on nonferrous metallurgy (mining of diamonds and gold), as well as fuel and energy complex (coal mining, oil and gas extraction). They account for over 70% in the total volume of Yakutia’s own production.

Major economic parameters trend

Over the period from 2005 to 2010, the socioeconomic situation in the republic was marked by the real growth of major macroeconomic parameters: gross regional product (116.2% in 2010 against 2005 level), transport cargo turnover (102.9%), commodity circulation (132.5%), fee-based services rendered to the population (129.3%).

The following agricultural industries remain traditional for people in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia): beef and milk cattle breeding, droving horse-breeding for meat, reindeer herding, and farming. The republic has the largest cattle stock in the Far East. In the northern areas people practice hunting, trapping, fishery, and fur farming. Due to the large share of rural population in the republic (35.8%), the government takes numerous measures to support agriculture.

Investments into fixed capital

The period 2005-2010 witnessed implementation of several large-scale investment projects of great significance for Yakutia and the entire Russia, as well.

Major indicators of the Sakha Republic‘s socioeconomic development by 2030 (according to the innovative scenario):

• GRP growth per capita at parity of the purchasing power up to USD 48 thousand (90% to the level of OECD countries);

• real GRP growth in 2011-2030 by 3 times, including in 2011-2020 – 1,9, in 2021-2030 – 1,6;

• increase of the average expected life expectancy to 73,3 years;

• growth of actual disposable income of population by 4 times compared with 2010;

• reduction of the population poverty to 6,3%.

• reduction of general unemployment level to 3,5% to EAP, level of registered unemployment to 3% to EAP;

• growth of provision of 1 citizen of the republic with total usable housing to 34,05 sq.m.;

• reduction of hazardous dwelling share to 2,03%;

• gas supply coverage of 76% of the republic’s population;

• increase of the share of population having acess to centralized water supply and disposal to 69%;

• elimination of hazardous schools by 2030;

• fully meeting the demand for preschool institutions for the children aged 3-6 by 2030;

• double reduction of the share of hazardous healthcare buildings;

• bringing year-round transport accessibility to 73% of the area. Growth of transport mobility of the population by 3 times;

• completion by 2014 of transfer to rendering public services electronically;

• increase of Internet use density to 85 people per 100 people.

INVESTMENT CLIMATE

Click the image to see the infograph in large size.

By the Russian President commission, the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) has developed the Scheme of integrated development of labor forces, transport and power industry in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) till the year 2020. The scheme outlines strategic priorities
and directions aimed at effective use of unique raw material potential of the republic.

All the major investment projects are included into the Strategy of social and economic development of the Russian Far East and Baikal area till the year 2025.

In the long-term (within the innovative scenario in 2011 – 2030) RUR 5,5 trillion of investment will be attracted to the fixed capital in the prices of the respected
years.

Creation of favorable and sustainable investment climate in the region is one of the main tasks of the Sakha Government. The Program of forming a favorable investement climate in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) is implemented; it is aimed at improving the regulatory legal base in the field of investment activity, creating and development of investment infrastructure, reduction of administrative barriers, formation of new mechanisms to attract investments, formation of favorable conditions to diversify production and promotion of innovative technologies to the market.

Due to the sustainable socioeconomic development, international rating agencies increase the credit rating of the republic regularly.

In October 2010 Fitch Ratings confirmed long-term ratings of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) in foreign and national currency at “BB” level, with the short-term rating of the region on foreign currency at “B”. Also, the agency confirmed the republic’s long-term national rating “AA-(rus)” level.

The forecast for all long-term ratings is amended to “Positive”.

In May 2011 Standard and Poor’s International Rating Agency confirmed the republic’s credit rating at “BB-/Positive/ruAA-”.

The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) is one of the leaders of the Russian Federation by both the number of investment projects to be implemented on its territory and the volume of investments.

Priorities include enhancement of transport and power infrastructure of the republic, hydro and heat generation of power for exploitation of natural resources in the economy.

In accordance with the Scheme of intergarted development of labor forces, transport and power industry in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) till the year 2020, the republic is constructing a railway to the city of Yakutsk with a bridge across the Lena River; in future it is expected to reach the border with Magadan Oblast.

The republic is creating all-year-round network of federal and republic’s motorways with the major logistic hub in the city of Yakutsk; it is also modernizing the airplane and river fleet. There is a plan to connect central, western and southern parts of the republic by power transmission lines, to construct economical power stations.

As a result of these changes in infrastructure, by the year 2020 weight-average cost of bringing one ton of cargo to the regions of the republic would halve and the power tariffs would equal with the average all-Russian level.

In accordance with order of the Russian Government of 10 March 2009 No. 302-r, there started implementation of the first stage on designing documentation for “Integrated Development of Southern Yakutia” investment project. Since the launch of the project, it has received for preparatory and pre-project works RUR 24,2 billion, including RUR 16.5 billion of private investments, RUR 7.25 billion – from the Investment Fund of the Russian Federation. The project includes the following sites: Kankun hydropower station (OAO “RusHydro”, OAO “Yuzhno-Yakutsky GEK”), Yakutsk Center for gas production (OAO “Gazprom”), Elkonsky mining and smelting plant (OAO “Atomredmetzoloto”, ZAO “Elkonsky GMK”), Inaglinsky coal complex (OOO “Kolmar”, ZAO “Yakutskie ugli – new technologies”), Tarynakh and Tayozhny GOKs (mining and processing plants) (OAO “GMK “Timir”), Seligdar mining and chemical plants (OAO “ALROSA Investment Group”), 270 km of railways, 150 km of motorways, 1,200 km of power transmission lines and 7 substations.

The project creates conditions for attracting investments into Southern and Western Yakutia, for realization of projects in related industries. Besides, in Southern Yakutia OAO “Mechel” will develop Elga cola deposit with balance reserves at 2.1 billion tons. A similar cluster approach is applied to a number of other megaprojects: “Integrated development of Tomponsky mining industrial region”. With the use of private investments,
this project includes development of Nezhdaninskoe gold deposit, Verkhne-Menkechenskoe silver and polymetals deposit, as well as construction of Dzhebariki-Khaya heat power station, 3 power lines and 2 substations.

“Integrated development of Western Yakutia”.

This comprehensive investment project includes development of oil and gas fields; construction of pipelines; construction of underground diamond mines; building Vilyui motorway; building motorways and power transmission lines connecting Yakutia with
Irkutsk Oblast.

The Eastern Gas Program of the Russian Federation Government includes development of Chayanda-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok and launching the development of Yakutia gas center with the development of Chayanda-Botuobinskaya group of gas fields.

Legislation regulating investment activity in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

Federal normative acts:

1. Federal Law of 25 February, 1999 No. 39 “On investment activity in the Russian Federation, performed in the form of capital investments”;

2. Federal Law of 21 July, 2005 No. 115 “On concession agreements”;

3. Federal Law of 22 July, 2005 No. 116 “On special economic zones in the Russian Federation”;

4. Federal Law of 9 July, 1999 No. 160-ФЗ “On foreign investments in the Russian Federation”;

5. Federal Law of 29 April, 2008 No. 57 “On procedure of foreign investments into economic entities of strategic importance for defense and national
security”;

6. Federal Law of 29 October, 1998 No. 164 “On financial rent (leasing)”;

7. Federal Law of 30 December, 1995 No. 225 “On agreements about production division”;

8. Federal Law of 30 December, 2004 No. 210 “On tariff regulation in communal service institutions”;

9. Federal Law of 14 April 1995, No. 41-ФЗ “On state regulation of tariffs for electric and heat power in the Russian Federation”;

The Republic’s normative acts:

1. The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) Law of 30 May, 2006 347-З No. 709-III “On investment activity in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia); amendments to the Law are to be approved before the end of 2011.

2. The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) Law of 22 December, 1992 No. 1270-XII “On foreign investments in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia); amendments to the Law are to be approved before the end of 2011.

3. The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) Law of 10 July, 2003 No. 48-З No. 97-III “On taxation policy in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia);

4. Draft Law of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) “On Public-Private Partnership in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) is to be approved before the end of 2011”;

5. Program on creating a favorable investment climate in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) approved by the Resolution of the Sakha Republic Government of July 1, 2011 No. 286.

6. Resolution of the Sakha Republic Government of 26 April, 2007 No. 171 “On adopting a procedure of approving investment programs of regulated organizations”;

7. Resolution of the Sakha Republic Government of 30 June, 2005 No. 404 «”On procedure and terms of forming the united registrar of capital investment objects in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)”;

8. Resolution of the Sakha Republic Government of 30 June, 2005 No. 403 “On establishing criteria for long-term termination of financing investment projects from the state budget of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)”.

Tax incentives

One of the forms of investment activity state regulation is to establish favorable conditions by providing tax incentives.

In compliance with the Law of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) “On investment activity in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)”, the subjects of investment activity may seek the following tax incentives:

• on the income tax of the organizations in the form of reduction by four percentage points of the rate of income tax to be paid to the state budget of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia);

• on the property tax of the organizations in terms of the property newly created, purchased or reconstructed (upgraded) to implement an investment project, and (or) in terms of the property provided for temporary ownership or use in compliance with the financial leasing agreement, and (or) in terms of the property purchased in compliance with the financial leasing agreement;

• on transport tax in relation to vehicles used to implement an investment project.

The incentives can be provided for five years from the start of an investemt project implementation.

In order to stimulate and modernize water supply and draining, the tax benefit has been established for enterprises dealing with withdrawal, treatment and distribution of water and investing capital for these goals.

In order to stimulate investment activity of oil producing enterprises, the republic has lowered the income tax going to the regional budget from 18% to 13.5%, on condition that the capital is invested for development of natural resources.

In order to ensure timely supply of the Far North and other territories with limited access with necessary resources during the navigation period, and to improve financial situation at water transport enterprises,operating sea-river type vessels, the abovementioned enterprises pay lower income tax at the rate of 13.5% and are exempted from corporate property tax.

Due to seasonal nature of their activity, water transport enterprises are exempted from paying the property tax on their property which is conserved or idle; forestry and timber industry enterprises – on their property which is conserved.

Also, enterprises generating electric power with diesel stations in the north are exempted from the property tax if this activity earns over 70% of the total revenues from production (works, services) sale.

In order to support local manufacturing in terms of basic production assets, food industry enterprises pay the benefit property tax at 1.1% rate.

Airports with property worth more than RUR 300 million are also exempted from the property tax. This benefit is aimed at modernizing and reconstructing airport facilities, better working conditions and labor safety.

To support airworthiness of aircarfts, air transport enterprises which perform 50% and more of socially important passenger traffic and are enlisted as such by the Sakha Government, are exempted from paying the property tax.

To prevent higher tariffs for heat energy, there is a tax benefit on property of utilities and communal services organizations receiving subsidies from the budget to compensate losses; besides, enterprises in this sphere enjoy a benefit on the transport tax in relation to their special vehicles.

Like it is granted by the federal legislation, there is a benefit for motorways of public use, both republic’s and municipal.

Given high costs of agriculture, enterprises producing and processing agricultural products are granted some benefits on regional taxes.

To support small businesses using the simplified taxation system with taxation target being “revenues and expenses”, the tax rate has been lowered from 15% to 10%, the simplified patent-based taxation system has been introduced for private entrepereneurs.

Financial infrastructure The banking system of the republic is represented by 22 credit institutions, including 4 independent banks, 18 branches of banks of other regions.

Assets of credit institutions of the republic in 2010 totaled RUR 109.3 billion and increased the level of 2009 by 8.6%.

In the insurance market there are 2 republican insurance companies: OAO RIC “Sterkh”, and OAO GSMK “Sakhamedstrakh”, 11 branches of insurance companies of other regions of Russia.

The branch network of the RIC “Sterkh” and OAO GSMK “Sakhamedstrakh” covers all regions of the republic. Additionally, the regional insurance company came to the inter-regional level, opening branches of the RIC “Sterkh” in Khabarovsk and GSMK “Sakhamedstrakh” in Magadan.

There are 7 organizations with 20 licenses for professional activity in the securities market.

OAO “Republican Specialized Registrar “Yakutsk Fund Center “(YFC) is one of the oldest independent Russian registrars at the federal level in the Far East, carrying out activities in keeping the register of holders of securities since 1993. Its license was issued by the Federal Financial Markets Service of Russia for an indefinite term. YFC is a member of a self-regulatory organization of securities market participants – the Professional Association of Registrars, Transfer Agents, Depositories (PARTAD) since 1995.

OAO “Yakut Depository Center” (YDC) was established on January 26, 1996. Activities: brokerage, management of securities depository activities. YDC is a member of a self-regulatory organization “National Securities Market Association” (NSMA).

Entrepreneurship

There are 47 thousand small and medium-sized business entities, including 5.1 thousand small and medium-sized enterprises and 41.8 thousand registered individual entrepreneurs.

According to expert estimation (including salaried employees of individual entrepreneurs), the share of employment in small and medium enterprises in the total employment in the economy is 40%.

The turnover of small businesses in 2010 increased by a quarter and is RUR 80.7 billion and the turnover of medium-sized enterprises almost doubled and exceeded RUR 19.2 billion million.

Financial support for entrepreneurs is facilitated through the relevant federal, republican and municipal programs of the funds of entrepreneurship support and development.

Businesses can partly recover expenses incurred during the entire production cycle, including cadastral work and promotion of manufactured products to domestic and foreign markets. Particular attention is given to innovative small companies and companies involved in the modernization of production and its export.

State support areas in high demand are the following: grants, microfinancing, suretyship, property support, educational programs.

Infrastructure of property support of businesses includes business incubators in the cities of Yakutsk and Neryungri. A business incubator in Nyurba and a technopark in Neryungri are being set up currently.

External economic activity

Click the image to see the infograph in large size.

The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) has external commercial relations with 45 countries. Ties have traditionally been strong with European countries; external economic cooperation of the republic with India, Israel, USA, China is developing dynamically. 94% of the entire foreign turnover of the republic falls on these countries.

By the results of 2010 the growth of basic indices of the republic’s economic development has been witnessed, including the external economic activity indices.

In 2010 the exports volume made USD 3232,9 million. The imports volume made USD 90,7 million.

In 2010 the foreign turnover more than doubled compared to the 2009 level up to USD 3323 million. Export surplus went positive and made USD 3142,2 million, which is USD 1761,0 million more than in 2009.

Among the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) has preserved its positions, holding the third place the foreign turnover index, being inferior to Sakhalin Oblast and Primorsky Krai.

Exports volume grew by the results of 2010 due to the sales of precious stones, precious metals and products from them to Belgium, Israel and India (81,7% of the total exports volume).

Goods were mostly delivered to the republic from the USA (35,3% of the total imports volume), China (13,5%), Japan (12,9%), Germany (8,7%), Ukraine (6,9%), Korea (6,2%).

In 2010 the enterprises and organizations of Yakutia received USD 8,1 million from rendering international services. They basically include transportation services (94,6%), services of travel agencies, tourist agents and excursion agencies.

In 2010 the number of participants of the external economic relations in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) grew by 6,6% and made 129 units.

As of January 1, 2011, the accumulated foreign capital in the republic’s economy made USD 2122 million, which is 43% more than a year before.

USD 1337 million of investments came to the republic’s economy from abroad in 2010, which is 20% more than in the similar period of 2009. 99% of the total receipts volume was invested in natural resources extraction.

In the structure of accumulated foreign investments at January 1 2011 the share of direct investments made 11,9 %, portfolio investments 0,2%, the share of other investments on the revolving basis (credits) – 87,8%.

Luxemburg (80,9%) and Cyprus (13,1%) were leading among the investing countries by the volume of the capital accumulated in the republic.

By the volume of investment income from abroad to the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District in 2010 the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) takes the 2nd place after Sakhalin Oblast.

Download the 2011 investment guidebook of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (PDF, ~110 Mb)

Meanwhile, enjoy Yakutia in pictures used in the guidebook…

YAKUTIA PHOTOGRAPHS BY YSIA

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Dimitri Kieffer (http://nexusexpeditions.blogspot.com/) is the Franco-American adventurer, who is listed in NYC-based Explorers Club. He is doing an NEXUS expedition around the world using human powers only. Some call such a journey human powered circumnavigation.

It was him, who walked with Karl Bushby from Alaska (US) to Chukotka (Russia). By foot. On the sea ice. Through Bering Strait. It was him, who gave me a great info on the route from Chukotka to Magadan Oblast, as he walked that way with a sledge in last winters. Check the post Dimitri Kieffer’s ultimate description of Russia’s Chukotka – Kamchatka – Magadan route. From Uelen to Anadyr, Omsukchan and Magadan.

And here is what he says about cycling together with his lady, Gulnara Miftahova, from Omsukchan to Yakutsk in August-October 2011.

A great fellow! A great explorer to follow!

I was pretty happy to follow, help a little and meet him and make the above video. Further, please, find his current expedition facts and, certainly, 40 travel photographs!

Why is Dimitri’s expedition called “Nexus”?

It is a Latin word and means “connecting cultures.” That’s exactly what he is doing now.

He’s navigating through nations’ cultures and doesn’t do what others do. He doesn’t pass through lands at fast speed and he can really recall all names of settlements, where he had stops, and people he met on the way. A few stories for each place.

Amazing! If you would meet him, he would tell you many, many and many exciting stories about nations and cultures he saw. I have met him personally two times only and think those meetings are not enough. He is a kind of person, whom you want to listen to more and more.

Magadan Oblast – Yakutsk (Yakutia) Cycling Pictures

Nexus Expeditions Facts

Dimitri Kiefer started the human powered circumnavigation around the world in February of 2005 at the place called Knik Lake (near Anchorage, Alaska). That was the first section, that ended in Nome (Alaska) in 37 days. He completed 1770 kilometers by foot (trekking & snowshoeing).

After he had seven sections listed by ExplorersWeb:

Second Section: Nome (Alaska) – Wales (Alaska)
Feb 2006, 9 days, 115 miles 185 kilometers
Completed by foot (Trekking & Back Country Skiing)
(with Goliath Expedition – Karl Bushby)

Third Section: Nome (Alaska) – Uelen (Russia) Bering Strait Crossing
March 17-31 2006, 14 days, 5 days where swimming was required
200 miles 322 kilometers
Completed by foot (trekking & back country skiing) & swimming
(with Goliath Expedition – Karl Bushby)

Fourth section: Uelen to Egvekinot (Chukotka, Russia)
April 12- May 16 2007, 34 days, 425 miles 684 kilometers
Completed by foot (Back Country Skiing and only trekking after Vastoshisno)
Uelen – Anguema (with Goliath Expedition – Karl Bushby)
Anguema – Uelen (solo)

Fifth section:
Egvekinot to Vayegi (Chukotka, Russia)
April 15 – June 7, 2008
exact amount of trekking days still being tabulated
Approximately 600 miles / 965 km
exact number of miles still being tabulated.

Completed on foot (back country skiing, trekking with a backpack and pulling the sled simultaneously, swimming and using the sled as kayak while going down rivers).

Sixth section:
Vayegi (Chukotka, Russia) – Paren (Kamchatka, Russia)
March 11 – May 13 2010
707 km completed, 63 days.

Location May 17, 2010:
N 62° 25.040′; E 163° 05.160′
Paren, Northwestern Kamchatka
Total kilometers covered Spring 2010: 707.2 km
Manily to Paren 199.4 km

Seventh section:
Paren (Kamchatka, Russia) – Omsukchan in Magadanskaya Oblast.
Dimitri is returning in Kamchatka in February 2011 to continue trekking and skiing 423 miles (680 km) from Paren in Kamchtaka Koryak Okrug to Omsukchan in Magadanskaya Oblast. He covered this section on skis and snowshoes, while pulling a sled on tundra, considering the absence of roads in this remote part of the world. His route should take him from Paren to Omsukchan via Verniy Paren, Chaibura, Ghiziga, Evensk, Tavatum and Merenga.

This section completes the “missing link”. Dimitri: “One can drive year around from South America to South Africa on permanent roads except through the Darien gap and between Anchorage and Omsukchan – the missing link.”

Position: April 25, 2011:
N62° 30.987, E155° 46.342 Omsukchan
595 km completed.

Eighth section:
Omsukchan, Magadanskaya Oblast to Yakutsk in the Republic of Sakha.
August-September 2011 with Gulnara Miftakhova
Approx. 1760 km

Dimitri: “After Yakutsk, our goal is to travel on our bicycles southwest towards Mongolia and continue further through Kazakhstan, and through some of the Central Asian states (Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan), some of the Middle Eastern countries (Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel), and some of the Northern African countries (Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal) where it will be time to row!”

“Of course, the exact route will be determined as we progress, partly depending on geopolitical conditions.”

Dimitri plans to complete the entire expedition by 2016, upon reaching Knik Lake, after having circumnavigated the globe via human power.

Meanwhile, Dimitri is in Yakutsk, the capital of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Russia. This Sunday, Oct. 08, 2011, he will continue his expedition to Nerungri. This time he will be cycling alone, without Gulnara. Wish him luck and a safe journey!

Yesterday I said bye to the Scottish travellers, who are making the MAD Expedition from Magadan (Pacific Ocean) to Scotland (Atlantic Ocean) on their own Landrover Defenders. They drove the Kolyma Highway through Ust Nera on September 13-18, 2011.

They are a group of friends from the Scottish city of Glasgow. Stuart, Richard, Gaven, Graham. They do long-distance driving travels regularly. Last time they made it from London to Kazahstan. This time they are here in Siberia on the way home.

Their mission is not just to have fun on the road, but also fundraising for charity. Check the list of charity funds they are supporting. Good friends with good intentions!

Ilya Kovyakin, the host of AskMagadan.com, helped them with cutsom clearance at the sea port in Magadan, Russia. Check out his website later to learn more about the specifics of custom paperworks.

The Scottmen’s travel delayed for more than a month. Initially they planned to start their road trip in the late July 2011, but their shipping company made a mistake in papers, so the cargo with the off-road vehicles stuck in Seoul on the way to Vladivostok and Magadan. It wasn’t the Russian custom service, that postponed their trip.

These four Scottish travellers prepared themselve to ride in the conditions of hot summer weather. In July they asked me, what the current weather was. I said, “+36C and +42C.” They were shocked to hear such news.

After a month, in the early September, the situation was totally different. The temp in Magadan and Yaktusk was already +10C, all trees turned in yellow colors. Moreover, it’s more colder on the road, especially in mountain area. When arrived in Yakutsk, guys said they were camping at -25C… at night.

Ok, no more words about the road conditions and weather reports. Let’s watch travel pictures taken by Scotsmen on the way from Magadan to Yakutsk.

In Yakutsk I share time with them. In the below pictures you can see them at the TV Studio of the Sakha National Broadcasting company. That was the recording of the morning talk show called “A New Day”

Back to a hotel for changing Scottish kilts for regular jeans.

This photo might be called, “Praise god, we made it the Internet.” Here they are at Chicago Cafe with free Wi-Fi.

The whole set of Yakutsk photographs with Scotsmen’s walking around the city in kilts might be seen on the fb page Yakutsk City.

Benjy Davenport finally made it from UK to Yakutsk, Russia. He and his Landrover Defender in front of the Government of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia.

Last Friday Benjy Davenport, who is doing the long trip from London, UK, to Cape Horn in South America, finally made it to Yakutsk. His driving on LandRover Defender to my city took more than one year.

Yes, that’s how long his journey was. He was supposed to come in August 2010, but a crazy drunk driver hit his landy in the Ukrainian city of Kharkov and Benjy was forced to return home for the total reconstruction of the car. He resumed his journey this year’s April.

So, who is Benjy Davenport and why he is doing an epic charity fundraising expedition?

Here is what he says himself:

My name is Ben Davenport. I’m 28 and live in the South West of England in Cornwall. Last year I embarked on a solo expedition in my Land Rover, attempting to drive from London to Cape Horn in South America. My route was to take me through Scandinavia via NordKapp, across Europe, Russia, The Central Asian “Stans”, Mongolia, across the Pacific to Alaska and then down through Canada, The United States, Central America and South America to Tierra del Fuego.

While a fair few people have done such expeditions, what makes my solo trip that bit more challenging is that I’m afflicted by Noonan’s Syndrome… Don’t worry ! You aren’t the only one not to have heard of it !!

In short, he travels to raise funds for Newlife Foundation and British Heart Foundation. If you are active donators, you can help him to help others. Learn more about his charity at Cornwall2Capehorn.com

Meanwhile, he is determined to follow his mission, “40 borders, 50,000 miles, 1 landrover, 1 driver, solo.”

Further, please, see more photographs from our meeting in Yakutsk, Russia.

I like his car. Not because he is on LandRover Defender only. Mainly because its transport carries a lot of wishes from people he met during his travel. Think, the idea to write wishes
appeared in Russia’s Altai Mountains, as many greetings are from Barnaul.

I took an advantage of such tradition too. Left my own wish as well (see in one of the below listed photographs).

After chatting on the parking lot designed only for vehicles of Yakutia’s Government, we went to share coffee.

By the way, the place where we have been is pretty nice. It’s called Chicago Cafe. Apart from good coffee, they’ve got free Wi-Fi.

See Chicago Cafe on http://g.co/maps/p6yf5. By the way, in the same building, there is my lovely Chicago grill bar, where I usually share beer with travellers :)

Ok. Let’s back to Benjy. This Monday he started his ride on the Road of Bones to Magadan. Today is Wednesday, so he must be somewhere between Ust Nera (Yakutia) and Susuman (Magadan Oblast).

The current weather is really autumn-like. Below 10C in a daytime and around zero at night. Raining. Tree leaves have already turned in yellow colour.

PS. If you like what Benjy Davenport is doing, please, spread the info about his epic charity expedition.

An American chopper Doug Wathke and an Austrian BMW rider Hansjorg.

Yesterday I received an sms from Doug Wothke, who said he arrived in Yakutsk… on a Harley & Davidson motorcycle. It was late night. Right after midnight. He wrote he was looking for hotels to stay. For some reasons, all of them were full.

Hotels were full, as the republic’s big events are coming these weeks, including international economical forum dedicated to infrustructure development in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). They didn’t know that, and, frankly saying, that was not the point to mention even. Finally, they found so-called mini hotel (a sort of a guest house).

Today I have met him and he was not alone. There was an Austrian biker named Hansjorg on a BMW and one Russian Max on a KTM from Tynda, who said he catched up his group of Moscovite bikers going also to Magadan… And, yes, there was an Moscow-based American BMW motorcyclist Tom Reiter, a friend of Walter Colebatch’s. As far as you know, Walter is the UK motorbiker, who had explored Siberian roads (www.SibirskyExtreme.com) for others.

So… today, instead of two expected bikers, Doug and Tom, I saw 9 motorcyclists, they are 2 Americans, 1 Austrian, 6 Russians. They were changing tires and preparing their bikes for a long ride to Magadan.

See more photographs of today’s meeting.

Doug’s bike in the front.

Doug Wothke is really a cool guy. He is an American, a big fan of Harley & Davidson. A famous person in the moto world actually. Some says he is a legend.

Last year he travelled across the country from Moscow to Vladivostok on a clasic chopper. Preparing for this year’s trip through the old route of Kolyma Highway (Road of Bones), he decided he needed another bike, that would be ready for making through various terrains, as the classic chopper might get stuck on the first muddy puddle or pothole.

So, last year Doug built his new bike… himself… especially for the Road of Bones.

Well, if you are a motor biker, it’s not me to tell you, who Douge is. If not, check his travel website http://motosapiens.org/

A Russian biker (in center) is helping Tom Reiter (left) to remove a wheel.

Doug’s bike.

A scull on Doug’s motorcycle.

Doug’s stickers.

More Doug’s stickers. Do you see the star with Lenin head? It’s the SibirskyExtreme‘s sticker. IMHO, we need to say many thanks to Walter Colebatch, who promoted so intensively the Road of Bones last year.

This is a biker from the Moscow group.

Moscovite’s sticker with the mentioned Russian website, where Moscow motorbikers are writing travel notes during their journey. Frankly, they didn’t appear to be friendly. So, I didn’t try to talk to them much. Just learned that they were going separately from international riders. Whatever.

UPDATE, Aug. 24, 2011:

The picture from Yakutia’s major newspaper “Yakutsk Vechernyj.” Motorcyclists on the ferry across the Lena River. From left to right: Russian Max, Austrian Hansjörg Franz and American Doug Wothke.

Here is Doug already in Magadan. Learn more about his arrival at AskMagadan.com.

“Do you have any coordinates of gulags in Yakutia?” a question asked very, very often. No, I don’t have GPS coordinates, but I know there are some Stalin’s labour camps north off the Kolyma Higway on the way to Topolinoe (see the settlement on the map). If to be more precise, closer to the village.

Here are a few tips how to find camps.

1. You’d better have your own transport (your personal or rented) so to feel free in movement. The road is long and goes through many rivers. When raining, they might become full of waters, so some time or even a day will be spent in waiting for water level’s getting low.

2. If you are forced to rent a car, recommend to find a driver in Topolinoe, as drivers of this settlement know the road better and they do not panic about river crossing and passing shaggy bridges at all.

What if to find a driver in Khandyga? Well, the problem is Khandyga drivers have no reason to ride to reindeer breeders’ settlement at all. They don’t know the specifics of the road, and they are always afraid of being stuck, for instance, while crossing rivers. They don’t want to spend much time on the road. They always rush and put time limits on all your activity. And they don’t know about exact locations of gulag camps at all. Moreover, they are always complaining and appear to be pretty much greedy. They can say, We can go to Topolinoe and suffer harsh conditions, but for big money.

How to arrange a driver from Topolinoe? It’s better to do via a travel company or your Yakutian friends. Keep in mind, that calls from Yakutsk to Khandyga and Topolinoe are long distance and cost some coins. When a driver will be found and convinced, he might come to Khandyga and meet you.

3. Find a good guide. Actually, if you would hire a driver from Topolinoe, there won’t be any need in a guide, as a driver is knowledgable. But if you are travelling on your own car, take a person, who knows gulag locations.

People of Khandyga and Teplyy Klyuch (Khandyga Airport) do not know anything aboout Stalin’s camps closer to Topolinoe. They believe there are no such at all before that settlement. Maybe, that’s because they do not travel that direction at all.

Only one resident of Khandyga is aware. His name is Ivan Igoshin. He is the director of the regional museum and a big fan of Kolyma history. I wrote about him in one of previous posts, but he’s hard to contact, always on the move.

Gulag locations

Ian Freizer’s Travels in Siberia gives a good description:

“We left the village [Topolinoe] and headed back to Khandyga… Evidence of prison camps began to appear at about twenty-five kilometers from the village. There were old fences and guard towers back in the trees, and small buildings… We passed more guard towers, more small log buildings. At km marker 136 – marker 53, measuring from Topolinoe – Alexander [a driver] pulled over and said there was a lager [a camp] just down the hill on the left. From the road all that could be seen was part of a snow-covered roof and the top of another guard tower…”

Conclusion

Rely on Mr Igoshin, of Khandyga, and Topolinoe people :)

Photo credit: Ajar Varlamov. Pictures taken on July 13th, 2011.

Milosz Augustyniak on the Road of Bones in Yakutia, Russia, in June 2011

Previously I described the condition of the Kolyma Highway (known also as the Road of Bones) in June. As you know, the Kolyma Highway (M 56) connects Yakutsk and Magadan. The significant part of the road, precisely Khandyga – Magadan, was built by labour workers of Stalin’s gulags.

In posts where I mention the road condition in June, I write that it’s possible to drive the Kolyma Highway in this month, but if to go via Ust Nera. The route via this settlement is a major way and maintained all a year around.

The road through Tomtor is not reconstructed. Moreover, there are no bridges over rivers, that tend to be full of high waters at this period. Keep in mind that late May is the period of ice river melting and spring flooding. Therefore, in June, rivers are still full of waters. So, if you’ve got motorbikes and off-road vehicles, you can try the old road, but more likely you’ll be stuck on the part Tomtor – Magadan Oblast.

On the contrary, the new route via Ust Nera is the only way to be used in June. Last years, it has been improved by road workers pretty good. Broken bridges were reconstructed. If there were gaps, they were filled.

But… Don’t forget June might be rainy. It means that the part Churapcha – Khandyga might be etremely muddy… good enough for off-road 4wds only. In the mountain area, between Khandyga and Ust Nera, some small brooks (with no bridges over them) might become as real mountain rivers, that appear right after rain storms. One option is left in such cases. Wait a few hours for overfulled brooks to get to their normal small sizes.

Ok. Words enough. Watch the video done by the Pole guy named Milosz Augustyniak, who completed his hitchhiking from Yakutsk to Magadan alone in June 2011. Everything you will see in it.

Canadians just arrived to Yakutsk from Vladivostok. They spent 12 days in Vladivostok waiting for their Toyota Landcruiser from custom clearance, and they spent 5 days on the way with camping along the route. Yes, they were really tired.

A week ago, I received the sms on my mobile. It said, “Hi, it’s me, Ian. I got my car from the custom service. Now I and my friends are starting the trip to Yakutsk…” I was like, “Who is Ian?..” Then I thought, if he knew my mobile number, he must have kept in touch with me via AskYakutia.com… and I was right.

I checked my email box, typed his name in the search box and found Ian Veinot‘s message dated April 7th, 2010. A year ago! He wrote:

Hi..Thanks so much for posting all of the information you have so far. I just want to clarify one thing…Is the all weather road from Yakutsk to Magadan a separate route to the Road of Bones? I would like to travel the Road of Bones next year but would like to start in June so am hoping to use the all weather road starting in Yakutsk before returning from Magadan in mid-June on the Road of Bones when the rivers are hopefully lower. Thanks for any advise! Cheers.

My answer was short:

If you go by the new route of the Kolyma Highway, i.e. through Ust Nera, you can do it in June as well. This part is in good condition in the course of the whole summer. If by the old route via Tomtor, in late July and August only because of rivers.

My god! I remember, a few months later, he was also asking me, how to clear the car at the Russian custom. I recommended to forward all custom-related inquires to Walter Colebatch from SibirskyExtreme.

One year past, Ian arrived in Yakutsk, as he promised, in June. It happened yesterday, June 12th, 2011.

Further, please, find out the video with his story about the way Vladivostok to Yakutsk, learn what type of problems he had with his car custom clearance and see what made tired travellers happy in Yakutsk.

In this video, Ian is telling, who they are and how the trip from Vladivostok to Yakutsk was.

Lately, Ian explained what type of the problem they experienced, while clearing the Toyota Landcruiser off-road vehicle in the Russian port-city of Vladivostok. Their shipping company, that delivered the 4wd from Australia, made mistakes in papers. Here they are:

1) The car owner’s name was misspelled in papers.
2) The total weight (in kg) was indicated wrong. 6 K instead of 2 K.
3) The list of stuff inside the cabin was wrong as well. Some items were not found in the list.

How come? Ian and Richard said, “Stupidity!” A few moments later, Ian said, “Or, maybe, the shipping company operator was a pregnant female and she was about to give birth…” Richard added, “Yeah, actually she didn’t care much about information she wrote in the form…”

All the above details were already said in the Chicago grill bar. You should see how happy they became, when they started eating grilled meat. Below, just one of those happy images :)

Canadians in the Chicago grill bar.

Ian explained why they were happy. Just imagine. They spent 5 days on the road. They didn’t stay for nights in hotels. They were camping. And they were dirty. In Yakutsk they were hosted at my friend’s private place, got showers and became clean, and found a chance to enjoy well-cooked meat.

This morning they are leaving for Magadan. Hope everything will be fine. They plan to make it via Ust Nera. In Magadan, Kim will meet her husband, Harry, who will replace Richard on the way back to Yakutsk through the old route of the Road of Bones. Richard, in his turn, will get back to Beijing, China, where he works.

UPDATE:

Canadians made it to Magadan via Ust Nera. After they returned the same way. Ian said they didn’t dare to try the old route through Tomtor, as rivers on that way were full of high waters. It was in June 2011.

A presentation picture of the Museum of Gulags located in Khandyga, Siberia/Russia

Last two days I spent at 2011 Sakha Travel Exhibition in Yakutsk. It is an annual event held during the first weekend of April. I attend the exhibit just to find new travel enthusiasts from various regions of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

This time I was lucky to meet Mr. Ivan Igoshin from the settlement of Khandyga. He knows almost everything about history of GULAGs in Siberia, as he is the founder of Yakutia Gulags Museum. Right, it is located in Khandyga, where he lives. You can see him in the picture with a tower. Besides, he is a leader of Khandyga Travel Club.

I wanted to meet him for many years. At last, I acquanted with him today. I was really lucky and, yeah, you might be happy about it as well. At least, I hope so :) We decided to cooperate! Woo hoo!

Museum Address: 30 Karpov Street, Khandyga, Yakutia/Russia, tel. +7 (41153) 413-95.

If you are interested in how winter is progressing in its begining in the Siberian city of Yakutsk, look at mobile photos below.

This is the same view from a kitchen window of my previous rented apartment. By the way, my family moved to another place, when outside temperature was much below -40C/F.

The first picture (above) was taken at midday on Nov. 28, 2010. The temp was -40C. The second photo (below) was done at 9 am on Nov. 30, 2010. Do you see the opposite building? :) Yeah, that’s how foggy it was, when we had -47C.

I have a habit to upload mobile photographs right after they were taken. My a-sort-of-live photostream you might see on my Twitter @yakutia or check it directly on the twitpic account.

Check eYakutia.com for more pictures of how extreme cold winter had been progressing from Nov. 26, 2010 till Nov. 30, 2010 in Yakutsk, Siberia/Russia. Enjoy cold weather winter street photographs and keep following our life in the cold! :)

“What to do in Oymyakon?” is the question I receive pretty often. Usually, I give a short list of possible activities, provide the link to the page with the description of our last winter’s Journey to the Pole of Cold and with a lot of photographs disclosing what we did in Oymyakon.

Frankly saying, when we were on the way – on the Road of Bones – to Oymyakon, we didn’t have any structured plan of our visit to the coldest Siberian place. Our mission was simple. We wanted to (1) have fun, (2) enjoy the cold weather and (3) take winter pictures as many as possible. That’s it.

The itinerary was flexible and customizable, as our trip was in the Do-It-Yourself format. We had got independence with our rented UAZ minibus and democracy. It worked like this. When an idea or an offer arrived, we just made that idea public, thought over it and made a final decision. Usually, such discussions happened in the evening. Sometimes just on the go.

We tried to put all outdoor activities in the short daytime frame, i.e. from 8|9 am till 3 pm, as we wanted to take good photographs.

We stayed in a guest house in Tomtor (there are three major villages in the valley of Oymyakon – Oymyakon itself, Tomtor and Uchugei), so we dedicated our first day to this village.

1. Enjoying the cold like we did.

2. Experimenting in the extremely cold conditions. For instance, blast hot water in the frozen air. That’s the second thing we did in Tomtor.

3. Photographing.

Tomtor is, indeed, a good place for photographing. It is located in the valley with picturesque landscapes and it has a few must-to-touch-or-look spots like the hill with a splendid view on the village (see the picture above).

Though we loved people photo hunting a lot:

4. Tomtor Stella

It’s up to you what you want to do with the Stella. We, for instance, had fun around it:

Measured temperature in the front of the tablet with -71.2C:

Czech bikers, Tom and Eva, for instance, put their OFF Siberia expedition sticker on it:

Just opposite the road you will see a sort of small memorial dedicated to people vanished in Stalin’s GULAGs. Many of them were located in the Oymyakon region.

5. By the way, in Tomtor you can visit a regional history museum that tells partly about the history of GULAGs and the Alaska-Siberia World War II Air Route.

6. Visit the Yakut horse breeding farm run by the Vinokurovs, the Yakutia-famous family of breeders. Also in Tomtor. Since this upcoming winter they are ready to arrange horse trekking.

7. Right after the farm we visited the icy tunnel and payed attention to Chyskhaan (the Bull of Frost), a Yakut winter fairy hero.

8. By the end of the work day, we visited Tomtor Sports Center, where we met Andrei Vinokurov’s wonderful family.

9. Bought some nice stuff in a local store for our evening party. By the way, the winter evening in Tomtor is good to spend in the Russian banya (bath-house).

10. See the never frozen Kuydusun River and watch Andrey Vinokurov’s swimming, when outdoor temperature is much below minus 50C.

To get a quick info of what we did the last winter, visit the A Roadtrip to the Pole of Cold page.

To learn the current rates and travel expenses, check the Journey to Oymyakon, Dec. 2010 – Feb. 2011 post.

To be continued

I hear this question very often. Frankly saying, it was that show, that forced me to upload winter photographs of the Road of Bones (officially known as the Kolyma Highway) built by GULAG work camp inmates in the time of Stalin.

Well, if anyone is interested in the winter Road of Bones condition. Here we go. Further, please, find 45 pictures taken the last winter by me.

The following winter photographs were taken in the Verkhoyansky Range between Kyubyume – Teplyj Klyuch (Khandyga) on the way back during my friends’ Journey to the Pole of Cold. Check the map:

More maps of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) at YakutiaToday.com

The Road of Bones is the part of the federal Kolyma highway that connects Yakutsk and Magadan. In pretty good condition. It is maintained by road services all the year around. Even in extreme cold weather – when the outdoor temperature varies between -40C and -55C – drivers might see road service workers on the road. It was fascinating to see them cleaning the road with spades in the middle of nowhere.

I wrote many posts about the RoB and all of them are tagged as Road of Bones and Kolyma Highway. The video of our driving is available in the post Video: Driving the Road of Bones (Kolyma Highway) in winter.

The depicted stretch Teplyj Klyuch – Kyubyume (~250 km) is not inhabited. Mentioned settlements have gas stations, but between them there is none of such. In the last summer, as far as I know, there were a temporary fuel station and even a road cafe at the place called Razvilka right in the midth. Usually it doesn’t work in winter.

By the way, in Stalin’s time Kyubyume (in one of below pix) was used as a GULAG, than as a base of road constructors. Currently, it looks like a lost village. Teplyj Klyuch is almost abandoned. The most of its two-stored wooden buildings is empty.

Distances
Khandyga – Kyubyume (a fuel station) = 322 km
Teplyj Klyuch (start of mountain road) – Kyubyume = 250 km
Teplyj Klyuch – Razvilka = 93 km

On our way back we made the part Khandyga – Kyubyume for 5 hours. We did one long stop that lasted 20 minutes only.

Road peculiarities in winter
- icy and slippery;
- very narrow on many parts, especially at high points;
- traffic is not intensive, one truck per one-two hours.

Nina and Nikolay Stenins, hostel owners in Khandyga. With Bjoern Steinz, a German photographer on the right side.

Here is information about where to stay for night in Khandyga. There are three hotels, but I recommend to stay at Nina & Nikolay Stenins’ place.

Back to hotels. One is called Presidential Hotel (the official name is different, but that’s the way, how people call it). It is a few-storeyed concrete hotel, where the 2nd President of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Vyacheslav Shtyrov prefered to stay. As you know, he was born in Khandyga. Who can stay there? First of all, those ones, who were invited by the administration of the Tomponsky region and major locally-based companies. The second in the rating list is known as Vedomstvennaya (it is also people’s name). Usually it hosts people arrived to visit organizations in Khandyga. Actually it is a big appartment with three big bedrooms, shared kitchen, shared lounge, shared bathroom. To stay in Presidential and Vedomstvennaya costs not less 1500 rubles per night. The worst option is the third one called Hotel of Khandyga. It is a ready-to-sink two-storeyed wooden building with a dozen of shared rooms, one toilet and without kitchen and bath. It is cheap and used by guests arrived from nearest regions. If you decide to spend night in this hotel, please, keep your room closed with a locker. That may protect you from drunk neighbours :)

The best option, I think, is the Stenins’ place. A few years ago Nina and Nikolay Stenins decided to make a hotel out of their former appartment in a 2-storied wooden living building. They did it. They created the hotel “Angara.” (Address: 7 Okhlopkov Street, Apt 5, Khandyga; Nina’s contacts: mobile +79141007418, work +7-41153-41462, home +7-41153-41006, steninan@list.ru, Rate: 1000 rubles per night. 5-6 people accommodated. Booking might be done by phone or via emal.)

I regret I didn’t save the GPS coordinates of the hotel. What did we do to find them? We arrived in Khandyga and found ourselves immediately on the main street. Actually it is the only one. Stopped by the chain of relatively big stores and called Nina. Her husband, Nikolay, came to us and showed us direction. So you can do the same. After we had done with accommodation, Nikolay lead our driver to a garage, where a space was already reserved for us. We paid 300 rubles for one night parking.

Now its former apartment has a hostel look. 3 bedrooms (two big with two beds and one small with one bed, each room with a TV set), shared kitchen (with all required stuff like a fridge, a gas-stove, a microwave, a teakettle, even a thermos), bathroom (hot & cold water) and toilet. Plus they’ve got a room with a steam iron, a table, a fan, an armchair and an ash-tray. Hosts live in other apartment.

When my friends & I stayed at their place, we liked that it was pretty cosy. We felt that the so-called private hotel is kept by a family. Everything is clean, and their blankets are very warm and soft, the latter are good, when outdoor temperature is around minus 40 or 50 degree Centigrade :) Besides, I like Nina and Nikolay. They are very friendly and hospital. Oh, it’s hard to believe, but Nina can speak English.

Private hotel in Khandyga. A room I stayed in. By the way, it is the only room with the biggest TV set. It has two beds. There are also one-bed and two-bed rooms, but with a small TV.

It is a hall with a phone. When we entered, we occupied it with all our stuff. So in this pic you can see our clothes, boots, etc.

A kitchen with above-described items. We left a lot of unwashed plates and dishes. Nina said, We should not worry about it.

A room for ironing and smoking. Aaah, I should adjust a blanket on an armchair before taking a photograph.

To me, it’s hard to describe what it is. It is not homestay, because hosts live in other apartment. It is not a classical guest house, it’s based inside the living building. It is not Bed & Breakfast, cause breakfast is not served, but guests can cook whatever they want. Hostel? Maybe. Locals usually say a mini-hotel. It’s like a hotel, but small one :)

The Polish Long Walk Plus Expedition. The start. Up the Lena River from Yakutsk to Ust Kut

“..Long Walk Plus Expedition has just started! Two weeks ago we set out from Yakutsk to Olekmnisk. Since that time we have dozens of adventures but what’s the most important we met extremely a lot of wonderful people. Every place we visited we were welcome with great hospitality. We traveled by bus, car, motor boats and at last on foot,” writes Tomasz Grzywaczewski, an expedition cameraman, in today’s travel note especially for AskYakutia.com.

Okey, let’s start the story from its very beginning. Two and a half weeks ago three Polish guys appeared in Yakutsk. They were hosted in the city’s Catholic church and were accompanied by Valentina Shimanskaya, chairman of Yakutsk Polish community. Certainly, our ways crossed, and these young Poles asked me, “Have you heard about the book Slavomir Rawicz’s The Long Walk?” I said, “Sure. It’s a real story about the Polish prisoner, who escaped from Gulag and walked southward to India.” And they were like, “Yeah, but you know what?! Its author says that it was him, who escaped to British India, but in reality the depicted character appeared to be another Pole, who lives now in the UK in poverty. A true hero is Witold Glinski. He didn’t earn anything from the book revenues, because he is very modest and unpretentious, and the publishing house was too authoritative to convince him to keep silence.”

Further, three guys, Tomasz Grzywaczewski, Bartosz Malinowski, and Filip Drozdz, started disclosing all the truth. Finally, they said they wanted to make the documentary and share the truth with the whole world by making the Long Walk Plus Expedition.

As they declare on the Facebook fan page (btw, you can follow them up there), the expedition’s mission is walking, horse riding and bicycling on the tracks of Slavomir Rawicz’s book “The long Walk” from Yakutsk (that Soviet camp was located near this city) to Calcutta in India in the course of May – October 2010.

When I asked them, how they managed to find so many big sponsors, they said, “We couldn’t believe it ourselves. The idea came to us in the last New Year holidays. We started writing letters and here we are. The companies liked the story.” Yeah, not only companies like the expedition idea, but also the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed interest and willingness to help. Just look at the list of supporters on their website.

So… I was impressed, but I was impressed more by their route. On May 20 they asked me, how they could get from Yakutsk to Olekminsk. I said, “Are you kidding me? Today is the day of big spring flooding on the Lena River!” Check what I meant the post on the blog eYakutia – English Yakutia. “No boats go that direction. No even planes. It’s raining heavily.” They were just, “We are ready to walk.”

The last phrase convinced me they could make it through taiga, flood and many other obstacles along the Lena River to Olekminsk. I like adventurers. So I took a map and pointed at settlements they could go through, Pokrovsk, Bestyakh, Sinsk, Sanyjahtakh, Uritskoe, Khorintsy, etc.

I wished them good luck and they leaved Yakutsk the next day. It was still raining and flooding. Poor guys, they got wet and chilly.

Three days ago…

On June 3, they appeared on Facebook, namely in my inbox. Tomasz wrote to me, “Here is Tomasz from The Long Walk Plus Expedition. We have already got to Olekminsk. We had a lot of amazing adventures and met a lot of extremely friendly people. Yakutia is absolutely awesome! :)”

Fantastic!

The next abstract was not so amazing, “We have a small problem, because my camera battery charger broke down :( Can I ask you for help to deal with this problem?” Further, he asked me to buy a charger for his Nikon D90 batteries and send it to them via a Raketa ship to Olekminsk.

At the first glance, the favor sounds easy. Go and buy. But there is another problem. In Yakutsk local photographers do not tend to buy camera accessories in the city’s stores. They order everything on Moscow or Saint Petersburg online stores. It means ordinary shops do not sell anything like that at all. I was a little bit confused.

I was forced to post the ad in a local photo forum, asking whether anyone had a charger to sell to me. Answers were like, “I have one, but I can lend it for a while.” or “If it is urgent, they can come to me and charge their batteries.” There were no one, who could sell it for good.

Praise god, I have many friends. One of them is Ajar Varlamov, a local photographer, who told me by a phone that he had a friend, who might have chargers for sale in his not-so-much known small store. Later, Ajar informed me, there was one charger, and he was so afraid of others’ buying it before me, so he decided to purchase it at once. Oh my god! Ajar is a really awesome friend. I am so grateful to him.

The next morning, today, I managed to send it via the Raketa ship captain to Olekminsk. I let the Polish guys know about it. I wrote, “Be at the river port at 5 pm and meet the captain with your new charger. Meanwhile, you can write a travel not about your long walk from Yakutsk to Olekminsk.” And you know what? Tomasz made a story especially for my blog! Many, many thanks, Tomasz, for your contribution! Find his note below.

The story moral is “Take the reserve charger and batteries for your travel across Siberia’s Yakutia.” It’s not a joke.

The mentioned travel note:

“The Long Walk Plus Expedition has just started! Two weeks ago we set out from Yakutsk to Olekmnisk. Since that time we have dozens of adventures but what’s the most important we met extremely a lot of wonderful people. Every place we visited we were welcome with great hospitality.”

“We traveled by bus, car, motor boats and at last on foot. March through taiga was a really exhausting experience – deep mud, swamps, thousands of mosquitoes and rapid rivers.”

“We visited a few villages, e.g. Bulganiachtach, Edej or Saniachtach. Edej was totally blocked by kilometers of ice floats so the sight was absolutely astonishing.”

“However the whole Yakutia’s nature is awesome. We also saw monumental Lenskie Stolby (known also as Lena Pillars or stone pillars on the Lena River).”

“The administration of the region have given us a great aid in our journey. They especially help in arranging transport and providing accommodation. We are shocked that many people heard a lot about Poland, and everyone knew the Polish scientist and explorer, Waclaw Sieroszewski.”

“Now we stay in Olekmninsk, and today we’re going to explore a former camp, that is hidden deep in forest.”

“The Long Walk Plus Expedition team would like to thank all people who helped us and without whom our travel wouldn’t be possible.”

Tomasz Grzywaczewski, Bartosz Malinowski, Filip Drozdz

Tomasz, Bartosz and Filip. That is how guys looked at the finish.

UPDATE: The Polish students managed to make it to Calcutta. Instead of the planned October, they finished in November 2010, but the length of the long walk doesn’t matter. The point is that they completed the hardest expedition. The final report is available now at ExplorersWeb.com.