Category Archives: Russia

Wrapping up Siberia

This was my first trip to Russia so I feel like I ought to have learned a little bit about the country, something besides just spending a bunch of days wandering around the mountains of Siberia.  However, I’m not sure … Continue reading

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Trekking in Ergaki National Park

The story goes that during Soviet times mountain-loving Russians headed off to the Pamirs, Kyrgyzstan, or other Central Asian mountains.  Only with the collapse of the Soviet Union did Siberia’s Ergaki National Park start to get popular.  Even today the … Continue reading

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Siberian vacation: my day in a Russian police station

continued from the last post… Özgür and I ended up spending 12 days backpacking in the Altai Mountains (aka Golden Mountains of Altai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site).  My favorite spot was the area called Seven Lakes.  After our rain-forced … Continue reading

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Adventures on Mt. Belukha, Siberia’s highest peak

With the lure of escaping Antalya’s oppressive August heat, Özgür didn’t have much trouble to convince me to come with him backpacking in Siberia.  We flew via Moscow to Gorno Altaysk where we picked up our pre-arranged permit to visit … Continue reading

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