May 2007

Beijing was also huge compared to what I had pictured in my mind. While in the Summer Palace we were on top of a hill looking out and the city just seemed to stretch on and on in all directions. Beijing definitely seems more upbeat than Moscow and everyone is always trying to sell you something. One thing which I found really interesting was how much history you are able to see throughout the entire city of Beijing. You'll be driving around on different streets and all of a sudden a palace or a pagoda will pop up. The city definitely seems to be moving at a fast pace and so far I have loved everything about Beijing.

Most of my preconceived notions about Russia come from Fiddler on the Roof and Chekhov. The former doesn't really apply to Moscow, other than the whole importance of tradition and history thing. First impressions of any city on a diet of sleeplessness and cold rain are bound to be at least a little unfavorable; our hotel was far from centrally located, and the metro station hard to find. I get the feeling that it isn't easy to navigate the city if you're at all removed from the hub.

Once you're in the city proper, though, things are different. Seems there's something to look at around every corner: churches with swirled roofs like chocolate kisses, statues of Lenin, monuments, government buildings. I'd heard vaguely of the Kremlin before but didn't know what it was -- interesting to think that Moscow was once just what was bounded within those red walls.

Stray dogs are abundant, store clerks often impatient with pointing and broken Russian-English hybridizations, and cars don't stop for pedestrians. You have potato, sour cream, dumpling, you make good Russian meal. I think I'm a lot better at reading Cyrillic now.

Moscow was initially a lot bigger than I expected. The architecture was amazing and all the churches almost seemed out of place with all their bright colors, like a castle picked up from disneyland and transported to Russia. I was also surprised by how nice most of the people were, whether it was the old man I met on the plane, the students who helped us out with everything or the women who ran the dining car on the train.

May 12: Meet at Delta Ticket Counter no later than 12 (noon). We will check in as a group.

Flying Delat Airlines Flight 636 to JFK – transfer to Aeroflot 0316 to Moscow SVO

May 13: Arrive Moscow SVO – transfer to Ostankino Hotel - 29, Botanicheskaya Street

May 13-15: Moscow

May 15: Depart Moscow at 23:34 on Train #10 to Irkutsk

May 19: Arrive Irkutsk, transfer to Lake Bakal Home stays

May 22: Depart Irkutsk at 08:54 on Train #20 for Beijing

May 25: Arrive Beijing at 05:20 transfer to Dongjiaominxiang Hotel
http://www.beijinghotelchina.com/dongjiaominxiang/hotel.html

May 27: Dinner with Councler Xu – 6pm – Guilin Restaurant

May 28: Dinner with Bill and Eliot Bikalas

June 2: Depart Beijing at 07:30 on Train #23 for Mongolia

June 3: Arrive UB at 13:15 transfer to apartment
Apartment No. 96-98 of your Building 19 in District 13
The apartment is behind the Hazara Restaurant and Wrestling Palace

June 4: Classes begin at National University of Mongolia

June 22: Last day of Classes at NUM, begin internships/research projects

June 29: Last day to have mail sent to you from the US
Mail to: Your Name
c/o American Center for Mongolian Studies
CPO Box 695, Ulaanbaatar-13, Mongolia

Aug 3: You MUST be in Mongolia by Friday at noon for our Farewell Reception/Meeting with Ambassador etc.

Aug 9: Depart UB at 07:45 Aeroflot #0564 to Moscow