Thanks to my writing about Yakutia for international readers, I have a unique opportunity to communicate with very interesting people. One of them is Rob Lilwall, a travel cyclist of London. Five years ago, he decided to embark on the journey of his life.
Bored of his work as a geography teacher in England, Rob eventually packed his panniers and took his bike for an adventure. He flew as far from England as possible. To Magadan. That was where he and his old school friend, Al Humphreys, hit the Road of Bones. It was the end of September and the beginning of a Siberian winter. At that point everything seemed perfect.
A month after he wrote Read more…
That’s great news. Czech OFF SIBERIA adventure motorcyclists Tomáš Holman and Eva Krečová, who are traveling across Russia on one BMW bike, allowed me to post their travel photos taken on the Road of Bones this summer. They rode from Yakutsk to Magadan via the old route Kyubeme – Tomtor – Kadykchan (Magadan Oblast).
In a previous post 2009 August Road Report: the condition of the Kolyma Highway (the Road of Bones) in Oymyakonsky Ulus I gave information on the current road condition using some Tomas and Eva’s report. This time I am up to show pictures of how it looked like. Read more…
Maybe, it’s a little bit late at this point. Navigation on the Lena River, that usually lasts from early June till late September, is coming to the end. However, I think the following info will appear to be useful in the future.
I found out two alternative ways of traveling the Lena River on parts Ust-Kut – Lensk and Olekminsk – Yakutsk. Read more…
“Yakutsk, Cherrapunji, Hammerfest, La Paz… these are the cities that top the charts. They struggle doggedly against the toughest environmental conditions on our planet to provide their populations with an acceptable level of existence. These cities persist and continue flourishing in places where normally only traditional villages would be expected to survive…”
That’s how the description of France-based Zadig Production’s documentary film “Extreme Cities” starts. It was the ZP crew I did assist a little in terms of information and contacts prior to its visit in Yakutsk a year ago. In my turn, I am proud to share the promo video of “Extreme Cities: Episode One YAKUTSK” with a film’s annotation. Read more…
Another portion of questions regarding Oymyakon, the Pole of Cold, I received from a Hungarian journalist, who was also wondering how people could live in such extreme weather conditions. Read more…
Accepted a lot of questions from Marie, of windy Chicago. Three dozens, maybe. All of them about Yakutsk and its dwellers’ way of life in the winter. I had two attempts to answer and, sorry, made Marie waiting for the reply a few days, because I was sick and busy later. Read more…
It’s now, actually. If to be more accurate, the best period for such visits is from the midth of December till the end of January. It is the very time to feel -50°C and less even in Yakutsk. Check out the table and my recent photographs. Read more…
We, I and other Yakutians, are often asked about Oymyakon. The last time we forwarded received questions to a local resident. His name is Nikolay N. Krivoshapkin, 50-year-old driver, who was born, grew up and live the whole life in Oymyakon. Nikolay tried to describe what life in the coldest place on Earth looks like. He says: Read more…
Yeee, we are in the midst of intensely cold weather. December is prominent here for minus 40 degrees Celsius (-40F). The first day with registered -40C was December 5, 2008. Praise God, there were no strong winds, otherwise we couldn’t stand it. Read more…
Real winter arrived in Yakutsk. Fog, cold, slow driving became a part of our daily life. Watch the 30-sec video shot on Dec. 7, 2008. That’s the view on the intersection from my window. Read more…
