Andrew's World Adventure

Soup ya'll

First of all let me express to you in the best and most straight forward way i can, I dont know if russia's food was just really plain or mongolian food is just really tasty(well wait till the end and ill answer that).

when we finnally gt out f russia after over 6 hours at the train checkpoint we met our honcho(tour guide kinda) she was really nice and we could tell she knew her stuff. Example Mr Ghengis khan who ruled the biggest empire size wise on the planet ever ! is actually called Chengis khan!. ullan battar is an amazing city with over 3/4 of the population of mongolia living there the people were really nice but we were always on guard for pick pocketers( its basiclly their past time apparently.) We started our first night out going to a traditional wrestling match which was pritty good and sometimes quite errr how can you say laugh at a culture when its not our own, well if you saw they were only wearing a thong you'd laugh too, that was a really good night and got much much needed sleep too.

where we spent the majority of our time in mongoli was a traditional Ger camp quite far outside ullan battaar. It was something amazing reeeeeally warm in those things infact sometimes TOO warm. luckily few seconds outside in th freezing sortd you right out. we did a few activity's while there suchs as sledging down the hills although only lasted about and hour and a half in the cold and haveing to walk up a huuuge hill every time. A few of us decided to go a wee hike into the mountain reeally good idea the view was spectacular and a got a good top down view of the camp then just rolled down the hill on the most perfectly formed snow. We got a we tour to a big formation of a turtle which suprisingly look alot like a turtle it was alot better than it sounds got to hike up it and climb inside it, quite an adventure. Do i seem like the horse riding type well i must be crazy or something but i did it! and i thought it was easy i was even galloping i was second back even , second only to the instructor he was suprised it was my first time .

We were (lucky) to have been in mong while there new year was happening. This meant that everyone would goto each others houses and well eat really sour food like 4 days old milk and dried yougart, EVERYthing tasted the same SOUR except vodka the only drink except the milk available. Me and Aaron both agree Vodka after the train in the worst drink ever. What fun it was to be there though such a happy freindly people.

finnally me and aaron both had to sing old landsime for the new people we met in the gerr camp hahahaha, was funny but we got everyonee else singing. Too proud to be scottish couldnt turn it up but it got everyone else going. the australian song i think bet us though they had there own funny birthday song , i couldnt stop laughing. I would wear my Kilt but i think id freeze even writing this in Beijing its still very very cold.

our nights all through mongolia have consisted of early mornings and late nights and ALOT ALOT ALOT OF WALKING, i think this will be a trend until australia somehow.

well see ya next time Folks misss yaa love yaa
xx

YO YO

Hows things guys. sitting in a hostel in mongolia but ill update you on how things are going best i can.

first off all getting to moscow was a nightmare bad enough with all the visa crap you have to sort out. i was texted 45 mins before the flight and told the flight was CANCELLED luckily it only meant they moved us to a earlier one to london. well once we arrived in moscow, not to bad a flight of the whole 4 people on the plane. After we landed expecting to see a sign saying aaron and andrew or something similar, there was nothing. however these taxi drivers who were basically harrassing us to go with them we finnally agreed after we got the prices sorted out. bad idea. well we went outside with him- fair enough, we passed the taxi's then we were like eh... he took us to some black taxi, in his way of suggesting put your bags in the boot because he didnt speak any english not to mention i was thinking hey hang on this is a bit dodgy. it worked out though. we eventually arrived at our destination (the hostel) only to find that we were stuck outside as the receptionist had fallen asleep. after about an hour outside in the snow we were let in, only to find we had to wait until 2pm before we could check in and we hadnt slept in about a day so that was tough we just fell asleep on the floor basically. once we got a room it was nice we met a guy who actually spoke english i think he was turkish originally we hung around with him got some food, which was nice.

the next day was good we were rested and raring to go. we went too all the places you'd expect the kremlin went to see lenin and the underground which was all really fascinating stuff, lenin was a bit waxy and you just wanted him to pop up and go boo but sadly nothing. red square was amazing and it really was spectacular how it started reeeeally snowing when we reached it which really made it. we also met up with the rest of the brittish people who were on the same train 2 from london 2 from the midlands. there all really nice people and thank god we were going to have to be on the train with themfor 4 days straight.

the train was cramp at times but on the whole really good , and good fun. i even finished my BOOK i know wow.
first night there i was all on a complete hi went speaking to all the russians who didnt speak any english. they were really good crack. got very very very very drunk with them. as soon as we finished a shot of straight vodka they filled it up, what a shambles we must have been in. Aaron ended up spewing in our compartment ! the stewardess was not pleased , I SLEPT through it i was out COLD. however that morning was not good from the smell. the midlands people we were sharing with were not happy chaps but ack well they got over it fast. On the train we didnt drink like that again infact me and aaron i think are secretely put off straight anytthing now(well for a while anyway). The russians especially the drunk ones were extremely friendly and odd at times for instance we got the weirdest gifts.

a fish
a bottle of mushroom stalks :S
a sim card
a jigsaw missing 2 peices
a the most amount of alcohol you could shake a stick at.

on the train we did meet an albanian which was interesting he was sooo nice he was stayin in the londoner's compartment , we all took him out to eat with us in the food cart he got kicked out. when we later went back he pulled a knife out and nick the guy from london kinda wrestled it out of his hands. then he was holding him back but nick said he could tell he was playing with him because he was laughing and moving his arms like a dolls so nice got his teeth round his nose so he had to let go HILARIOUS i was passed out by this time. he eventually got escorted of by the russians (they loved us).

we eventually reached lake baikal which was really amazing the biggest lake in the world and it was frozen solid so thick people drove on it!. sooooo cold as well. i really am going to remember how much of a good time we had there we did soo much we walked for seemed like ages in the freezing to get anywhere though. we went snowboarding(cheap as chips) then went to the museum, and dog sledding which wasnt hard but really good fun. overall really amazing being in SIBERIA

ill update this more later right now its costing a bomb.!

hey guys and goolz

Sorry this has been a bit slow but iv had no chance or oppurtunity to get on a computer even this one at the moment does not have the ability to read my SD card. This means you will have to wait for my pics a bit longer, sadly.

Well we left my mum and dad at inverness bus station with the biggest bag on our shoulders bit of aprehension but its all good. got to edinburugh found my sister and her snazzy new flat and decided we should go out on the town a bit whch was good. Met all my edinburugh mates so i got to say bye to them as well , went to this rock club this which is completely different to my local skinindis club. IT ACTUALLY played alright music some of the people were a bit dodgy id say though but it was really good. one girl jumped at me screaming 'im a lesbian" looool so i talked to her for a while ! which was funny.... had a good few drams as drinks were dirt cheap.

Next day took it easy really got up later went to the cinema to watch "underworld:rise of the lycans" which i thought was alright but that maybe because its my type of film :p and had ofcourse a stuffed crust pizza meat feast from burger king.

The day we went to glasgow we got up early and met one of Aarons freinds who was really nice and took us to his uni. What he did at the uni was quite amazing he was helping design like a mini large hydron collidor like in france, which i found really interesting seeing all of it for example lazers that could burn through your hand . later that day when we were heading to the airport we recieved a text saying the flight to london had been cancelled, my heart stopped. LUCKILY we were able to transfer to an earlier flight god knows why ours was cancelled. Im sure waiting around in london airport may have been boring for most for the time we were there but i was just too excited for mosow because it was finnally happening, i remember sitting there with my over priced beer looking out the window all chufffed. Before i knew it i was off to russia, moscow !!! :D

When i have time i will update you on my russian mongol travels just unfortunately dont have time and this wont accept my memory card.

missing you all and hoping your having fun with out me :Dxxx
see ya sooon

i'v started this wee blog up to let everyone back home know how i am doing. I'll try to get this updated as much as i can. It's finally come nearly the 10th of feb leaving date then spend 2 days with my sister in edinburugh and im off with the birds and clouds to moscow.

I think me and Aaron( my fellow traveller) are all ready ......gahhh i hope so.

Russia
Mongolia
China
Honk Kong
Phillippines
Thailand
Australia
New Zealand
United States of America
Canada

well thats the plan so far ladies and gents, well except mongolia which will take up some of the russian time, dont ask me why its not there Aaron made it.

I am not nervious yet just very excited i think im prepared got my gadgets and clothes/ forgein money and the like.