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Progress, more or less

Firstly, we've reached the city of Nizhny Novgorod, some 400km east of Moscow. We're stuck here for the moment dealing with some mechanical problems. Our current goal is to reach the town of Chelyabinsk (the "stereotypical Russian industrial hell," according to an unnamed source!) on the other side of the Ural mountains in the next 9 days or so, so that Sasha can say he officially crossed in to Asia before he has to depart.

In other news, we're delving a little further in to Russian cuisine! Larger towns boast Western-style supermarkets, but the smaller ones have only small shops in which all the goods are behind glass. This means that we somehow have to communicate with the shopkeepers what food we want. Different strategies have arisen to overcome this problem of communication.
I point, say "That" in Russian (Etat? technically there are 3 or 4 ways of saying it depending on masculine/feminine/etc but I only know the one) and will occasionally try to read the label out loud, with horrible pronunciation.
Damien points, gestures and grunts, which is kind of funny to watch. Sorouche merely smiles sweetly and waits for the shopkeeper to get frustrated enough to let him behind the glass so that he can take what he wants ad leave.
Our typical diet consists of oatmeal, pasta, bread and cheese, however we're now exploring local produce (berries, cucumbers, tomatoes, apples and plums) as well as the occasional roadside cafe (the best quarter chicken I've eaten, that I can remember).

Anyway, we continue to inch across the continent and have managed to remain healthy and happy, if not clean! Next we head for the city of Kazan.

-Zack

4 thoughts on “Progress, more or less

  1. Rajib

    That is typical Sorouche for you..hahahahaha. Just finding the food sounds like a great adventure by itself.

    Anyway, it's good to hear you're all healthy and happy. Sorouche, remember we need you back here in ONE piece! By the way, what is the mechanical problem you guys are facing?

    Rajib

    P.S. Nice pics of Russia. I hope you get some more in more often. We want to see more pics of you guys with your bikes (or biking).

  2. Zack's Mom

    Guess there's no problem with carbs! Thanks for relieving my curiosity about your diet. Thought there would be more potatoes and cabbage, but I guess that's a stereotype that isn't necessarily true. We're all learning from your experiences! Love the description of the different strategies to make purchases. Must be challenging!

  3. mike

    It is fun learning about Russia as you cross, though you don't seem the same tourism ambassador you were for Saskatchewan and Newfoundland on the Canada Cross. Even the nice people you mentioned, Richard and Sergei, are both Canadians. In any case, in the spirit of learning about Russia, the main English language newspaper is apparently The Moscow Times. I just learned that the first Starbucks in Russia is about to open in a mall North of Moscow. Strangely, there is no coverage of the Leafs (of course there is no coverage of the Leafs here in Vancouver either).

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