It's 4am and no one is awake, except for me. I can hear the breathing and snoring all around me. Sniffling and lightly coughing, I try to keep as quiet as I can as I wash up and pack my bags. I eat a simple breakfast of yogurt, a banana and orange juice and then I am out the door. I feel like I am sneaking out, but in reality I just have to catch a very early morning train. I met some very nice people here in Irkutsk, but now I am leaving them behind as I tr...

PIne forests, shimmering lakes, forests of birch trees, marshy bogs and open prairies of shrubs, flowers and wildlife; this is Siberia!! A land known for it bone-chilling winters, harsh living conditions and it's untamed wilderness. One of the most open areas in the world, with vast amounts of wildlife found nowhere else in the world and a dark history of exile and human suffering. Why am I here, you might ask, well, because why not, it is there, so I might as...

One of the greatest and most rewarding things about traveling in any country is being able to talk with a local person. It always a lot of fun meeting other travellers in hostels and sharing your stories and it also very rewarding, but talking with a local is a little bit different. Usually, in hostels, most everyone will speak English, or at least enough to have a decent conversation, however, when talking with locals, their English is usually nonexistent or n...

Those of you that know me well, know that I am a huge history nerd. I know many historical facts and will occassionally bring them up in conversation. There is just something about the lives of our ancestors that I find extremely interesting. It is also one of my main inspirations for traveling. On my first trip through Europe in 2004, it was the driving force that compelled me to go. I wanted to see the ancient city of Rome, the heart of the Roman empire, t...

Yes, for the last week, I have become illiterate! If you have ever tried to read Russian script or Cyrillic, then you would know what I am talking about. They have a lot of extra letters and some letters similar to Latin script, but have different sounds. It can makes things confusing when getting around a Russian city and it makes it a little intimidating walking into a restaurant not sure if anyone can speak English and knowing that I probably wouldn't be ab...