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I’m in Semey, Kazakhstan. The Lonely Planet guide mentions that a backstreet park houses relocated statues of Lenin. I found the park and saw several small Lenins lurking among the trees. But where was the promised “large statue” that once stood in the main square?
Then I looked up, and there he was. At somewhat over ten meters tall this is one of the largest Lenin statues I’ve seen. Sadly the local authorities seem to have lost the activation key.
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Browsing Posts published by admin
Semey: A Bronze Titan
May 14, 2019
Komsomolsk: A familiar face
April 30, 2019
I’m in Komsomolsk-na-Amure, in the Russian Far East. I was visiting the city’s WWII memorial, when I suddenly spotted a familiar face. It can’t be, can it? Yes it is!
Stalin himself.
Smiling calmly, without a care in the world.
What was most startling is that the bust is quite new, erected just last year. To be fair, it’s part of a row of busts of the great Soviet Marshals of WWII. But it still felt very odd to see him suddenly appearing – shiny, new and entirely unrepentant.
Escape From the Château d’If
February 5, 2019
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I have successfully both entered and escaped the legendary Château d’If!
The real-life Château d’If is almost exactly as described in Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo. A stern 16th century castle on a tiny fortified island offshore from Marseilles, with strong walls, dank cells, and few visitors.
The tourist authorities have helpfully labeled one cell as the very one where Edmond Dantès, the Comte de Monte Cristo, had been held. And it comes complete with a narrow roughly cut escape tunnel!
Fortunately, in reality the modern guards are happy to let visitors enter and leave for only 6 Euros. (The spoon hidden in my sock was quite unnecessary.) But back in the day, it really was a very secure prison, analogous to Alcatraz. Outside of fiction, no one is ever known to have escaped.
San Marino
January 29, 2019
I’ve finally made it to the Most Serene Republic of San Marino!
As well as being a micro-state (and my last “official” European country), it’s actually quite fun in its own right. I’m in the eponymous City of San Marino, which sits on a tall and very steep hill, with strong defensive towers. You can see why it managed to stayed independent in Medieval times – it would be a major pain to take and it isn’t guarding any important routes or resources.
There aren’t many real sights, but the city is actually quite fun to wander in for a few hours, with quaint zig-zaggy streets. I visited the Public Palace, and looked into the parliament chamber, which is fully equipped with modern electronics. I also watched a short video about the state and its government, which was quite useful. It has been a true republic for many centuries.
Overall, I found San Marino unexpectedly charming. Partly because the location is much more scenic than I expected. But I also liked the low-key and unpretentious nature of the state. Both Monaco and Liechtenstein suffer from being anomalous feudal holdovers, whereas San Marino is an ancient, authentic and democratic republic, which has chosen to guard its liberties and stay independent.
Pamir Passes
November 6, 2018
The Kulma Pass between China and Tajikistan was finally opened to foreigners last year, so I seized the moment and took a road trip through from Kashgar to Murghab, then up through the high passes into Kyrgyzstan. There had been a little early snow, enough to make things scenic, but not enough to block any of the passes.
The Kulma Pass border crossing is at 4362 meters (14313 ft), on the Eastern edge of the Pamirs. I had transport pre-arranged on both sides. West China Expeditions took me from Tashkurgan to the main Chinese border post and also drove me the final 20 km up to the top border post, which was very helpful. On the Tajikistan side, Pamir Off-Road Adventure met me and took me down to Murghab.
The Chinese border post didn’t open until 12:00 Beijing time, but they then processed me out quite quickly. They X-rayed my bag, but didn’t ask to check inside, let alone review my laptop or phone. (But you shouldn’t rely on that – this border post is known for sometimes making very thorough searches.) At the top of the pass, the final Chinese review took only a couple of minutes and the Tajikistan entry took about 20 minutes. I noticed a score or so trucks waiting on each side to go through, but I seemed to be the only foreign traveler.
After a day in Murghab, we headed up the Pamir Highway to Osh (Kyrgyzstan). After a quick stop at the scenic Kara Kul lake, we went up though the Ak Baital Pass (4655 meters = 15272 ft) and then through the Tajik-Kyrgyz border at the Kyzyl-Art Pass (4282 meters).
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We hit some shallow snow drifts on the road and got stuck a couple of times. But we eventually made it through. I was very glad to once again safely reach Osh, with its fine statue of Lenin and its excellent Hawaiian Pizza. 🙂
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Xinjiang: Shipton's Arch
November 3, 2018
This morning I was out at Shipton’s Arch, near Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.
It was unknown outside of local lore until British traveler Eric Shipton “discovered” it in the 1940s. It is probably the tallest natural arch in the world. It grows out of a mountain slope and then bridges over a deep canyon. So one side the arch is only 60 meters or so up from its base, but on the other side it is about 450 meters. There is a great view through the arch to rugged mountains beyond.
The hike up to the arch was a strenuous 45 minutes, starting as a gentle slope, but working up to a steep scramble over ice and snowy rocks, with metal or wooden steps in the steepest parts. The observation platform at the top is at about 9500 ft.
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