Dear All
Does euros get the exchange rates as US dollars? I will travel along the Trans-Siberian Railway. Just wonder will the small towns accept euros.
And are only US dollar banknotes of post-2006 edition accepted? For smaller amount like those 50, 20, 10...they may usually issued before 2006.
Thank you!

Hi,

What's the journey between Yekaterinburg and Irkutsk like (or even Kazan and Irkutsk)? Is it worth seeing from the window of a train?

I am considering purchasing flights for this duration of the Trans Mongolian journey, which are a lot cheaper than the train prices and only take 4 hours. I read that many people get excited mainly at the latter stage of the Trans Mongolian journey.

I understand that this may take away from the 'trans mongolian' railway experience (missing out on a lot of Siberia), BUT IN WHAT WAY? What would I be missing? And will it give me more time to spend in more 'worthy' places if I fly? At the moment, I have:

• Irkutsk - 3 days

• Ulan Ude - 1 day

• Ulan Bator - 3 days.

Should I be staying longer at Irkutsk so I can properly visit O island? Or spend longer in Ulan Bator? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

M

Last week - after the rain season - I went by public transport from Freetown to Monrovia. It took me 2 days. Here are the details in short:
Day 1:
I started at around 9 am in the centre of Freetown. From there by TukTuk to the lorry park called "Shell" in Kissy (not far, but more than 1 hour, heavy traffic jam, 30,000 Leones). At "Shell" I saw a big bus going to Bo and further to Kenema (so there is not only the government bus early in the morning). I went by a smaller vehicle (14 passengers), that was ready for departure after about 2 hours of waiting. Driving time to Bo: about 4.5 hours, 35,000 Leones, only a few short stops, good road.
In Bo I stayed in a hotel called "Heat and Cold" (Tikonko Rd) for 120,000 Leones. The hotel has a small restaurant and bar.

Day 2:
At 6 am I was at the small Toma Elias car park (near Standard Charter Bank and post office), from where the Jeeps to the border at Gendema leave. I was the first passenger and waited for 3 hours. It was a wise decision to buy 2 seats as this trip was not easy. (1 seat 90.000 Leones). At 9 am the old Jeep was full (10 other passenger+baggage)
and left. The first 2 hours up to Potoru were nice, as the new road has been completed here. From Potoru to Zimmi a broad aisle through the forest has been completed including some short stretches of a paved road. Driving was quite smooth and took 1.5 hours incl the ferry crossing at the river Moa. In Zimmi a short stop (loading more things and passport check). From Zimmi to the border village Gendema it's still the "original"road which consists of a sequence of holes, filled with plenty of water in mid November. But the old Jeep made it! Only the hard working driver got wet - by his own sweat... In Gendema (which is quite insolated from the rest of Sierra Leone and much better connected with Liberia) you can find honest money changers and 1 or 2 basic guest houses.

The border was not at all busy. Nevertheless, it took me almost 2 hours to cross it. From the small car park, where the Jeep stoped it's a bit more than 1 km to the Mano river, where on both sides the immigration offices are. You can walk or use the service of the friendly young men with their motor bikes. In and around the immigration offices on both sides there are plenty of officers who don't have much to do. And I was the only White... Be friendly and patient! The only real problem was the health post officer of Sierra Leone. He wanted to see an up-to-date Cholera vaccination certificate. Only when I wanted to call the German embassy and only when he saw that I had its phone number he let me go.

The border village in liberia is called Bo Waterside. Right outside the immigration offices shared taxis are waiting to take passengers to Douala (not in Cameroon but in the outskirts of Monrovia). 1 seat is 5 US Dollars or 700 Liberian Dollars. The road to Douala is good, driving time minimum 1.5 hours. In my case it was 3 hours, as one of the African passengers of the taxi didn't have valid papers (there are several checkpoints on the way) and as it was already dark (slower driving with bad lights).
In Monrovia bad roads and heavy traffic. The taxi took me from Douala to downtown Monrovia - for another 10 US Dollars (I was the only one left). I paid. No resistance. No bargaining any more.
At around 9pm I was in my booking.com- accomodation ("Miss Emily's Place": save, friendly,clean, nice bathroom. They also have a dorm with 4 beds). I was the only guest.

Save travels always!

I

Hi family,
I'm considering my big lifelong dream of traveling the trans Siberian for this late August/early September. I'd love some feedback form anyone who has recently been.

Specifically i'm concerned about:
1. Traveling in Russia as an American with current political climate
2. Traveling potentially alone as a female (well traveled)
3. Traveling with someone who is African, i've heard there is a lot of racism... True?

Any and all other tips/feedback welcome.

Thank you!!

Hi everyone

I'm a New Zealand citizen living in Melbourne. I'm planning a trip through Vietnam, China, Mongolia and Russia on the Trans Siberian rail network. I’m having a bit of trouble with visas though. It seems you need to book everything in advance. This is very difficult and restrictive. I have done this before in the Middle East and I would like to avoid this if possible.

Doe anyone know of a way around this?

The website www.seat61.com has great info and a link to a UK travel agency that can help. But I need one in Australia.

Thanks in advance

Hi all,

I know there's already quite a few topics about this, but after having read through, I'm still a bit confused.

I'm a US citizen currently resident in the UK, so would be applying for a Russian visa from London.

My plan is to take the Trans-Siberian Express from Moscow through Mongolia and into China.

During my trip, I'm planning to stay a few nights each in Moscow and Irkutsk, but most nights will be spent on the train.

I'm aware that I need to get some form of invitation/voucher to get my visa, but I'm not sure how to go about doing this, since I'm planning to organise everything myself.

1. I'm planning to stay in hostels rather than hotels; would they be able to issue a voucher? I've heard that it's only high end hotels that offer vouchers, and I can't afford those.

2. What would I use for the nights I'm on the train? Would train tickets suffice, or will I need some form of voucher issued by a travel company, even if I book the tickets myself?

3. What are reputable travel companies for issuing vouchers? I was initially looking into Real Russia, but have heard bad things about their service. I've also seen www.transsiberianexpress.net and visatorussia.com, but am unsure about their reliability.

4. Any other tips for US citizens applying for a visa from the UK?

Thank you in advance!