Hi! My name is Bolot. I am a journalist. Based in Yakutsk. Ask me a question about the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Siberia / Russia, and get the answer.
This is a good question asked by a friend of mine from Fairbanks, Alaska. He is a big fan of photography and off-roading. His Flickr nick is rpiereck. Wonderful pictures he has. So… Frankly saying, it was me who first asked him “How do you prepare your Jeep for the winter in Alaska?” In his reply he gave me the detailed description, afterwards he returned my question back :)
The above picture was taken in Yakutsk on Dec. 11, 2008, when it was much below -50C.
Further, please, find info on how cars are prepared in the world’s cold regions, Alaska and the coolest Siberian region, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Read more…
Why not celebrate the New Year in Yakutia?! You will be surrounded with the extreme cold and real Yakutian hospitality. The Siberian winter is fun and worth to try it! Don’t you think so?
By the way, this is the first time, when I realized what a wonderful New Year we have here, on the coldest place on the Earth, and I thought why not to share this exotic experience with others :) Further, please, see our warm NY greetings in the cold, cold and exotic, exotic surroundings. Read more…
I found this question in the list of keywords that have brought some traffic to my weblog, and I recalled Nick Middleton, an Oxford geography lecturer and the creator of the four-series TV show “Going to Extremes.” The first part, btw, depicted his travel to Oymyakon, the Pole of Cold. While staying in the village, he gave a detailed explanation of why the area in eastern Yakutia was able to keep the cold as low as -71.2 degrees Celsius (-96.16 degrees Fahrenheit). Read more…
I digged a nice story made by the BBC correspondent Bridget Kendall. It’s about Yakutia. She shares with her short impression on the region.
“Climate change is having an impact in the vast and remote region of Yakutia in Siberia which, in winter at least, is still the coldest place on earth. Bridget Kendall reports.” Read more…
At my Flickr account I received a good question from an Australian user, tanetahi. In his comment to one of my first autumn pics he wrote:
Do people get depressed or complain much about the cold as you progress from summer to winter in Yakutsk, or is the severe climate just accepted as an inevitable part of life there?
My answer was “September and the early October are very depressive. No, we don’t complain about the upcoming cold. We just regret sunny summer days are over, and we have to prepare to the long winter.” That’s actually depressive.
Further, please, see the slideshow with Yakutsk autumn photos. Read more…
This question I hear very often from international website visitors. The last time it was a Turkish 4WD adventure traveler Ali Eric, who is making his world-around trip Istanbul2Istanbul. A few days ago, while seeping the Russian beer at a local grill house, he said to me:
“You know, before my start, I told friends that I plan to drive alone the Road of Bones through Yakutia to Magadan. And those, whom I shared my plans with, were astonished. Said like, My goodness, it is so cold over there in winter. Why do people live there? In my turn, I also wonder, Why do people live in Yakutia?”
Well. This question always sounds embarrassing. No, it’s not awkward. Read more…
Yeah, what does the West know about Yakutia? This question a RIA Novosti correspondent asked Eric Hoesli, writer, journalist and Editorial Director of Edipresse, Switzerland, who arrived to Yakutsk with the purpose to participate in the meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club. His answer was interesting. Partly I agree, partly not. Check yourself. Read more…
The one day trip to the village of Namzy located north off Yakutsk. 1 hour by a car. Date: Aug. 5, 2009. Further, please, find the slideshow. Read more…
So… Two UK adventurous bikers of the Sibirsky Extreme travel motorcycle expedition have just ridden the Kolyma Highway. They had left Yakutsk on Thursday afternoon and arrived in Magadan on Sunday evening. 2100 km, 3.5 days, and 7 tyre changes! What did they say about the federal road?
The road was a little better than the Vilyuisky Trakt, but only a little better. There were still long gravelly sections, the odd sandy patch.
