Red Corner: Pipelines and Earthquakes = Bad News for Lake Baikal

by Neil Woodburn on

Bad news for my favorite lake.

The Russian government has approved a measure to build an oil pipeline within 800 meters of Lake Baikal in Siberia. 800 meters may seem a fair distance, but not when you consider two things: Lake Baikal is one of the cleanest lakes in the world and it is located in earthquake country. Hmm… is it just me, or do you also see a recipe for disaster here? Even the company in charge of the project admits that a damaged pipeline could dump 40,000 tons of oil into the world’s largest freshwater lake. This would be an environmental catastrophe that would spell doom for the thousands of endemic species that inhabit the lake.

Various environmental groups are challenging the measure but will probably have little impact on the government decision makers responsible for the pipeline. This is Russia, after all-though it’s starting to look a lot like the current Bush administration if you ask me.

Red Corner: Russian Salmon Fishing

by Neil Woodburn on

Finding that perfect fishing hole is every angler’s dream. Sometimes it is hidden in the woods near grandma’s house, other times it’s just outside Russia’s largest nuclear submarine port.

Russia’s Ponoi River, 130 miles east of Murmansk, has become the hottest salmon fishing destination in the world these days. Greater numbers of fisherman still head off to Alaska and Norway but the place everyone wants to go is Ponoi. It’s just that it’s not that easy to get to.

15 years ago, it was impossible. During the Cold War, the Kola Peninsula was off limits even to most Russians. Today, most of its 40,000 square miles of wilderness has been opened up, much to the delight of fisherman who salivate over the Ponoi’s annual salmon run of between 30,000 and 60,000 fish.

The lucky few who are able to dip their lures into the river’s running waters, fly in via Russian MI-8 military helicopter to the remote Ryabaga camp-a semi-luxury base camp operated by Shackleton International-and pay about $10,000 for the week-long privilege (this does not include airfare to Murmansk).

Red Corner: Rebirth of Dresden Church

by Neil Woodburn on

The beauty of what was once Dresden died two horrible deaths during the 20th century. The first came at the hands of British and American bombers who obliterated the city in the closing days of World War II. The second came from the East German Communists who nobly rebuilt sections of the city, but desecrated other parts with horrible socialist architecture.

The Communists decided to leave one particular building in ruins as a reminder of the horrors of war. The problem was that this building, the baroque masterpiece Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), had been the glorious centerpiece of a city once bursting with so much exquisite architecture it was often compared to Florence.

Shortly after German reunification, a strong push was made to rebuild this masterpiece and return it to its former glory as the icon of Dresden. It took over 15 years, but a few months ago work was finally completed and the Frauenkirche rose majestically from the ashes of World War II.

Now if we could only bomb all that socialist architecture…

Red Corner: Horseback Riding in Mongolia

by Neil Woodburn on

I’ve never been one for horseback riding, but there are certain places in this world where there is no better form of transportation than a trusty stead.

I should have taken advantage of this on my one and only trip to Mongolia. I had a three-day stopover on the Tran Siberian in Ulaanbaatar but wasn’t able to leave the city because Russia had cut off the oil supply making motorized transportation scarce and terribly expensive.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that Mongolia is a horse lover’s paradise. During the days of Genghis Khan, Mongolians were the best horsemen in the world. Today, they hold their horsemanship in equally high regard. As the car is to Los Angeles and the gondola to Venice, the horse is to Mongolia.

I finally discovered what I had missed when I recently watched Long Way Round in which actor Ewan McGregor and a pal travel by motorbike across parts of Mongolia on their way to Russia. Man, is Mongolia ever horse country!

A recent article on CNN.com captures the essence of Mongolia on horseback as journalist Richard McGill Murphy joins a western operated tour across the beautiful steppes and mountains of this wild, untouched land. And boy does it make me unhappy that I wasted my time in Mongolia loitering about its terribly unattractive capital.

Red Corner: Roughing it in Kyrgyzstan

by Neil Woodburn on

One of the most remote places I’ve ever been, where I felt I slipped back hundreds of years in time, was Kyrgyzstan. Although my trip was ten years ago, I was happy to discover in a recent article in The Times (UK) that not much has changed.

Journalist Tony Kelly ventured into this remote region on a direct flight from London and quickly left civilization behind. He headed into the Tien Shan Mountains, popular with trekkers and horseback riders, where he easily accomplished his goal of staying in a traditional yurt-a large round tent made of felt. He also visited the pride of Kyrgyzstan, Lake Issyk-Kul (which I found rather disappointing after all the hoopla buildup I had heard during my own travels through the country).

What’s most appealing about Kelly’s travels was his manner of doing so. He took advantage of the Community Based Tourism (CBT) organization to arrange home stays throughout the country for a little less than $10 a night. While you certainly can’t beat the cost of such organizations, far more rewarding is the wonderful experience gained by staying with a family, eating their food, and living their daily lives, that you simply can’t gain from a hotel stay-if in fact the Tien Shan Mountains actually had any hotels.