Monday 22 February 2016

Rendang Tok


Rendang Tok 



Bahan-bahan 

500 gram daging lembu tulang kering bulat atas tanpa lemak, didadu 
1 liter / 4 cawan santan (daripada 2 biji kelapa parut dan 1 liter ( 4 cawan air) 
55 gram (1/2 cawan kerisik) 
1 sudu besar jintan putih (halus serbuk) 
1 sudu besar jintan manis (kasar serbuk) 
garam 
gula 

Dikisar halus halus 

4 sudu besar pes cili 
2 biji bawang besar, dikupas 
6 ulas bawang merah, dikupas 
4 ulas bawang putih, dikupas 
3cm halia, dikupas 
4 batang serai, dihiris halus-halus 
2cm lengkuas, dikupas 

Cara 

1. Bubuh daging, santan dan bahan kisar di dalam kuali dan renihkan. Masak di atas api kechil sehingga daging empuk. 

2. Tambah kerisik, jintah putih/ halis dan jintan manais/ kasar. Masak sehingga kuah mula memekat. 

3. Masukkan gula dan garam dan terus masak sehingga daging menjadi agak kering.

Paru Sambal


PARU SAMBAL



Bahan-bahan:

1) 1/2 kilo Paru atau Kelempung (yang telah direbus & dipotong ikut saiz sederhana nipis)
2) 3 ulas bawang kecil (dihiris)
3) 2 ulas bawang putih (dihiris)
4) 2 biji bawang besar (1 biji utk kisar & 1 biji dipotong bulat)
5) 2 senduk nasi cili boh / cili kisar 
6) 3 sudu besar air asam jawa
7) 1 inci belacan
8) Garam & gula secukup rasa
9) Sedikit kunyit

Cara Memasak:

1) Gaulkan sedikit garam dan kunyit pada paru yang telah direbus dan dipotong nipis. Panaskan minyak dan goreng paru separa masak. Angkat dan ketepikan.
2) Kisarkan cili boh bersama bawang besar dan belacan hingga halus. 
3) Panaskan kuali & minyak dengan api sederhana. Tumiskan bawang putih & bawang merah hingga naik bau. Tambahkan bahan kisar, garam & gula. Tumis hingga cili garing.
4) Kemudian masukkan air asam jawa. Rasa jika kurang boleh tambahkan garam / gula.
5) Akhir sekali masukkan paru & bawang besar potong bulat. Kacau hingga sebati semuanya.
6) Padamkan api dan hidangkan bersama nasi panas.

Selamat Menjamu Selera ~ Pasti Terangkat.

Kue Tiaw Goreng Pedas ~ My Favourite


Menu Sarapan Pagi Malaysia 

The hotter the  better!



KUE TIAW GORENG PEDAS

500 gm kue tiaw ~ cuci bersih dan toskan
1 mangkuk taugeh
Daun kucai secukupnya ~ potong 1 inc
10 ekor udang sederhana besar ~ buang kepala 
100 gm daging batang pinang ~ hiris kecil
2 ekor sotong ~ botong bulat
1 biji tomato ~ potong baji 
2 biji telur
minyak untuk menumis

Bahan Rencah
5 ulas bawang ~ kisar
3 ulas bawang putih ~ kisar
10 tangkai cili merah ~ rendam lembut dan kisar 
3 sudu besar kicap manis
1 sudu besar sos tiram
2 sudu besar sos cili
sedikit soas ikan ~ jika suka

Telur di tambah secubit garam dan kocok
Panaskan minyak dan masukkan telur, kacau sekejap aje jangan sampai masak sangat, kemudian angkat.
Letakkan sedikit lagi minyak dan tumiskan bawang, bawang putih dan cili.
Tumis sampai garing dan harum
Kemudian masukkan daging dan masak sampai daging empuk
Kemudian masukkan sos tiram, sos cili, sos ikan dan kicap manis, jika tak nak letak garam masukkan kicap masin sekali. Tapi berhati dalam penggunaan kicap masin kerana sos tiram juga telah masin. 
Masak sebentar bagi mesra
Kemudian masukkan tomato, telur yang dah masak hancur tadi, sotong dan udang
Biar dia masak kejap baru masukkan kue tiaw
Kacau rata dan mesra semua bahan
Akhir sekali, tutup api dan masukkan taugeh dan daun kucai
Gaul sebati

Sedia di hidangkan. Nom Nom Nom

Jeruk Mangga Asam Boi


I can't sleep. So I saja2 layan resepi ni. Jom buat? Jimat dan terjamin bersih!

Apart from travelling, I loves cooking too!




Ni yang tengah hot meletop pemes sekarang tu ye...

4 biji mangga muda
20 hingga 25 biji asam boi
10 hingga 15 tangkai cili padi ~ di hiris halus ( boleh kurangkan jika tak suka terlalu pedas)
2 cawan gula
1 biji limau nipis di hiris ~ ita tambah jika guna limau kasturi lagi sedap!

Kupas dahulu mangga muda. Buang kulitnya, buang biji dan sabut tengahnya. Kemudian hiris nipis.
Ita ikut cara ibu mertua, rendam dahulu mangga dengan air kapur. Menurut kata ibu mertua ita ianya bertujuan meranggupkan buah mangga kita supaya dia tidak lembik bila telah menjadi jeruk.

Rendam dalam 20 hingga 30 minit kemudian cuci bersih dan toskan.

Masukkan gula pasir atau gula halus kemudian kacau rata.
Masukkan pula cili padi yang kita dah hiris halus tadi dan kacau rata
Akhir sekali masukkan asam boi.
Ita tambahkan limau nipis. Limau ni tak payah perah masukkan aje.. kalau guna limau kasturi lagi sedap!
Tak payah tambah air ya.. sebab nanti dari buah mengga dan gula itu sendiri yang akan menghasilkan air jeruk.
Kemudian kita masukkan dalam bekas.
Simpan dalam peti ais selama 4 jam sebelum boleh di nikmati.

........sedapnyaaa....

Tomyam Putih Ayam




Bahan-bahannya:-

Air secukupnya
1 bj Bawang besar, dipotong baji
5 bj Cili Padi, diketuk
1 inci Halia, di ketuk
1 inci Lengkuas, dipotong nipis, diketuk
2 btg Serai, diketuk
2 ulas Bawang putih, diketuk
Beberapa helai Daun limau purut
1 bj limau nipis, di ambil jus
Ayam dicincang saiz yang sesuai
1 sb sos ikan
1/2 batang Lobak merah
50 gm Cendawan tiram
1 bj Tomato
100 gm Bunga Kobis
1 btg Saleri
1/2 sb Susu Pekat manis
Garam secukup rasa

Cara-caranya:-

1. Didalam periuk, masukkan air, bahan bahan yang diketuk, bawang dan ayam.

2. Apabila sudah mendidih, masukkan daun limau purut, sos ikan dan garam secukup rasa.

3. Masukkan sayuran (kecuali tomato). Kemudian masukkan sedikit demi sedikit jus perahan limau nipis. Jangan guna semua kalau sudah cukup rasa. 

4. Masukkan susu pekat manis.

5. Apabila sayuran sudah empuk boleh la masukkan tomato. Biarkan seketika dan boleh lah padam kan api.

6. Siap untuk di hidang.

Resepi Tomyam PokTek ~ I Love Spicy Tomyam!




BAHAN BAHAN

Untuk 5 orang makan

Ketam 2 ekor
Udang 20 ekor - buang kulit dah belah tgh bahagian dlm
Sotong 5 ekor - belah 2 dah hiris pangkah sikit supaya bergulung cantik
Jagung muda
Kobis bunga
Lobak merah
Tomato
Bawang besar 3 biji - hiris
Bawang putih 3 biji - ketuk pecah
Halia 1/2 inci - ketuk pecah
Lengkuas 1/2 inci - ketuk pecah
Serai 3 batang - titik
Daun limau purut 4 helai
Asam keping 2 helai
Limau nipis
Cili padi 10 biji
Paste tomyam 4 sudu
Tomato puri 4 sudu
Daun ketumbar - untuk ditabur
Garam secukup rasa

Cara Masak Tomyam PokTek

Didihkan air di atas periuk. Masukkan paste tomyam & tomato puri. Gaul sebati dan terus masukkan bawang, halia, asam keping, lengkuas, cili pagi & serai. Terus adjust rasa ikut kemahuan sendiri- Masam/masin & pedasnya. Agak-agak puashati baru masukkan ketam, udang & sotong.

Kemudian daun limau purut, tomato, lobak merah, bunga kobis & jagung muda. Sambil2 tu rasa lagi kuah tak tambah lagi apa yg patut sampai sedap. Bila sayur pun dah masak matikan api.

Dah siap sendukkan ke mangkuk hidang dan taburkan daun ketumbar yg telah dihiris tak lupa picit sikit limau nipis utk patinya

TIPS: 

Tujuan 'siap'kan kuah dulu untuk mengelakkan bahan2 basah overcooked.

Tomato puri - untuk nampak lebih merah dan cantik serta masam

Lengkuas/daun ketumbar - Resepi orang Thai

kalau nak pekat lagi kuah ada yg letak santan/susu cair sedikit.

Selamat Mencuba....

Saturday 20 February 2016

Dammit! I Miss Being On The Road Again... Or Lake

Independent Traveller
I took my last trip almost 2 months ago ~ A week in Dubai.  Anyone who knows how much I am used to travelling will readily see that for me, this seems like an eternity..... oh..okay... I'm exaggerating.... lol....
There is a good reason for my hiatus, and I have plenty of other things to keep me busy at the moment, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t missed traveling just about every day since my last  trip.
Addicted To Travel

I miss the thrill that travel gives me.  I miss being out of my comfort zone.  When we travel, I get a real sense of accomplishment when I have to think on my feet to solve a problem, or the way that being in a new place can help you to see things in a different way.
Saving For My Travel


I miss the anticipation and anxious months of planning a trip.  Having a trip out on the horizon to look forward to becomes like an addiction, almost as much as the travel itself.  I miss spending spare moments looking in travel books for ideas and putting together itineraries that I almost never actually stick to.



The airport is always an exciting place for me, and I miss the familiar airport rituals and the incredible sense of sheer potential that I always feel when in an airport to travel somewhere.  I imagine the airport as a portal to a whole new world of new experiences. The airport is always the beginning of a new adventure, and I love knowing that infinite possibilities for adventure lie before me when we step off of the airplane.

Lastly, I miss coming home.  I miss that first night home in my own bed, and the difference in perspective that traveling gives you about the place that you live.  It makes you appreciate my space in a new way and usually gives me a renewed sense of passion and purpose in my life.  I love the feeling of returning home, refreshed and ready to take on life again.

And for now... I'm dreaming of these few places. I'm working hard to make it a reality! So ~ please pray for me.

Lake Annecy France
Lake Annecy (French: Lac d'Annecy) is a perialpine lake in Haute-Savoie in France.

It is the third largest lake in France, after the Lac du Bourget and Lac de Grand-Lieu, if the French part of Lake Geneva (which is also partly in Switzerland) is excluded. It is known as "Europe's cleanest lake" because of strict environmental regulations introduced in the 1960s. It is a popular tourist destination known for its swimming and water sports.

The lake was formed about 18,000 years ago, at the time the large alpine glaciers melted. It is fed by many small rivers from the surrounding mountains (Ire, Eau morte, Laudon, Bornette and Biolon), and from a powerful underwater source, the Boubioz, which enters at 82 m depth.

Nice France


Monaco
Squeezed into just 200 hectares (2.8 sq km), this confetti principality might be the world’s second-smallest country (the Vatican is smaller), but what it lacks in size it makes up for in attitude. Glitzy, glam and screaming hedonism, Monaco is truly beguiling.


Although a sovereign state (Monaco has its own flag and national anthem), the principality's status is unusual. It is not a member of the European Union, yet it participates in the EU customs territory (meaning no border formalities crossing from France into Monaco) and uses the euro as its currency. Citizens of Monaco (Monégasques) don’t pay taxes. The traditional Monégasque dialect is, broadly speaking, a mixture of French and Italian.


Eze France


Your jaw will drop at the gorgeous view of the Mediterranean from Eze, a charming hilltop town on the Cote d’Azur. Its beautiful cobblestone streets and hot-pink bougainvillea are a far cry from the glamour of Cannes or St-Tropez—and for travelers who could care less about celebrities and megayachts, that’s quite appealing. Shoppers will delight in the many local perfumeries and art galleries.

Cannes France
Basking in the sun of the French Riviera, Cannes sparkles with glamour and exclusivity. This legendary seaside resort has all the glitz and allure of the Côte d'Azur: private beaches, marinas filled with luxury yachts, stylish boulevards, elegant Belle Epoque hotels, and fashionable restaurants. In an enchanting setting on Golfe de la Napoule bay, Cannes is blessed with a balmy Mediterranean climate. The weather is mild year-round and perfect for sunbathing by the beach from May through October. Leafy palm trees grace the streets of Cannes, and subtropical flowers flourish throughout the city, giving visitors the impression of being in paradise. The prestigious Film Festival of Cannes has been an important event since it began in 1946. Drawing famous movie stars from around the world, this annual red-carpet gala has earned an international reputation for promoting the art of filmmaking.

Now let's fly to Amsterdam for my Tulips!





The Keukenhof theme for 2016 is “The Golden Age“, the era when Holland became rich through worldwide trade.

The highlight of the theme year is the flower bulb mosaic beside the Oranje Nassau Pavilion. This shows a Delft Blue tile on which the trade across the seas and the rich canal-side houses of Amsterdam are depicted. The mosaic covers an area of 250m2. There are 100.000 flower bulbs used; tulips, grape hyacinths (muscari) and crocuses.

The Golden Age provides the inspiration for the flower mosaic and for many of the flower shows in the Oranje Nassau Pavilion. New in 2016 are a Golden Age inspirational garden and a Delft Blue garden.

Dates Flower shows 2016

24 March - 29 March Tulip show: Oranje Nassau Pavilion
24 March - 05 April Hyacinths show: Willem-Alexander Pavilion
24 March - 28 April Flowering Shrubs show: Willem-Alexander Pavilion
24 March - 16 May Potted plants show: Willem-Alexander Pavilion
24 March - 16 May Amaryllis show: Willem-Alexander Pavilion
24 March - 16 May Bulb-on-Pot show: Willem-Alexander Pavilion
24 March - 16 May Permanent Lilies show: Willem-Alexander Pavilion
31 March - 05 April Freesia show: Oranje Nassau Pavilion
07 April - 12 April Gerbera show: Oranje Nassau Pavilion
14 April - 19 April Roses show: Oranje Nassau Pavilion
21 April - 25 April Daffodils and Special Bulbs show: Oranje Nassau Pavilion
25 April - 01 May Tulip show: Willem-Alexander Pavilion
27 April - 03 May Alstroemeria show: Oranje Nassau Pavilion
29 April - 16 May Perennials show: Willem-Alexander Pavilion
05 May - 10 May Chrysanthemum and Calla show: Oranje Nassau Pavilion
05 May - 16 May Lilies show: Willem-Alexander Pavilion
12 May - 16 May Carnation and Summer flowers show: Oranje Nassau Pavilion







The Hague
The Hague is a city on the North Sea coast of the western Netherlands. Its Gothic Binnenhof complex is the seat of the Dutch parliament, and 16th-century Noordeinde Palace is the king’s workplace. The city is also home to the U.N.’s International Court of Justice, headquartered in the Peace Palace, and the International Criminal Court.



Geneva Switzerland

Geneva is a Swiss city that lies at the southern tip of expansive Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). Surrounded by the Alps and Jura mountains, the city has views of dramatic Mont Blanc. Headquarters of Europe’s United Nations and the Red Cross, it’s a global hub for diplomacy and banking. French influence is widespread, from the language to gastronomy and bohemian districts like Carouge.


If time permit..... Interlaken





Located between two Alpine Lakes (Brienzersee and Thunersee), Interlaken is a popular base camp for outdoor sports and travel in the surrounding Bernese Oberland Alps. While Interlaken itself is not that scenic it serves as a good base to discover the neighbouring valleys, mountains and lakes, since it holds all the infrastructure and can be reached quickly from major Swiss cities by train and car.

Ahhhhh......

Next In My List ~ Gimmelwald Village in Switzerland

Gimmelwald is a small mountain village in Bernese Highlands region of Switzerland. Its location is on the western ledge of Weisse Lutschine valley just aboveStechelberg and south of Murren. It's a car-free resort, accessible only by cable car or foot.

Directions

No matter where you are coming from, you have to pass through Interlaken first. Though a relatively small town, Interlaken has two train stations--Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost. From the latter the fastest journey to Gimmelwald takes 55 minutes, and trains leave once an hour starting at 6:30am and then at 20 minutes past every hour (7:20am, 8:20am, 9:20am, etc. except 20:20) until 22:20. Round-trip ticket Interlaken Ost--Gimmelwald costs 32.00 Sfr. (26.00 Sfr. with Eurail and free with Swiss Pass). 

Fastest way, step-by-step:


1) Take the Interlaken Ost--Lauterbrunnen train. Be careful. This train has two parts. The first half goes to Lauterbrunnen. The second half goes to Grindelwald. The cars are marked. Make sure you board the correct one. You will arrive in Lauterbrunnen 20 minutes later. 





2) Take the Lauterbrunnen--Stechelberg bus. Once you get out of the train, cross the tracks and walk about 50-100 meters to your right, where you will find a bus stop. It's the only bus and Stechelberg is the end of the line, so you can't go wrong. The ride is about 12 minutes long, and you will disembark right next to the gondola station. (Note: Try to avoid the 20:20 train out of Interlaken because you will get to Lauterbrunnen when the Lauterbrunnen--Stechelberg bus is not running. There is a bus at 19:50 and 21:50, but nothing in between.) OR






2) Walk from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg. It's about an hour and a half flat walk (longer with a photo camera) to the gondola station and is well worth it, even with a full backpack on one's shoulders. If the weather is nice and the sun is still out it's a good alternative to a bus. 





3) Take the gondola to its first stop. 5 minutes ride. Welcome to Gimmelwald! (I should point out that it's possible to hike from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald, though I don't recommend doing it with your full backpack. It's a relatively steep climb up (500 feet gain in elevation), which will take you close to 1.5 hours.) 














--------- yet to be discovered --------

Sunday 14 February 2016

Trans Siberian Railway ~ My Dream Destination

2016 is a special year in the calendar as it marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Trans-Siberian line through Russia. Undoubtedly the world's greatest railway journey, the Trans-Siberian Railway runs like a steel ribbon across mysterious Russia connecting east and west from Moscow over the Urals, across the magnificent and endless steppe and alongside the shore of the world's largest freshwater lake.

Taken From Adam Travelouge

How To Do It?

Express a penchant for train travel and the next question is almost invariably, “Have you done the Trans-Siberian?” It’s the journey nearly everyone wants to do, perhaps because it’s commonly said to be the longest you can make on a single train: the longest of the three trans-Siberian routes, between Moscow and Vladivostok, covers 9,258km (6,152 miles) and takes seven days. There is a longer one, from the Ukraine to Vladivostok, but as an introduction to the immensity of the world’s largest country and its landscapes, the Trans-Siberian experience is unrivalled.


To enjoy the longest hours of daylight and the chance of fine weather, it’s best to go between May and September, though it’s cheaper during winter. The journey can be broken into sections with overnight stays in hotels, the preferred option of many travelling on the Vladivostok route, with Irkutsk for a single stop (to see the city’s churches and museums, streets of log cabins and the preserved English-built steamship Angara) and Kazan and Yekaterinburg if time allows. The upmarket option is pampered comfort in the hotel-train style of Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, which operates a variety of itineraries each year.

Routes

The principal attraction of the journey is, of course, the Russian landscape – the vast panoramas and sense of immensity so vividly captured by such artists as Isaac Levitan and Ivan Shishkin. The taiga is mesmerising. Looking out at the panorama of larch, silver fir, pine and birch induces the kind of reverie that is one of the pleasures of train travel, a random stream of thoughts and images that drifts on like the forest. In clearings, villages that could have come from a Levitan or Shishkin painting break the spell and make one wonder what life must be like in such remote fastnesses.



There are three routes:


Moscow to Vladivostok (9,258km/6,152 miles). The longest and least popular with western travellers, taking seven nights. It runs every other day, with first-class (spalny vagon), second-class (kupé) and very basic third-class (platskartny) coaches and a restaurant car.

Moscow to Beijing via Harbin, Manchuria (8,986km/5,623 miles). The older of the two routes that reach Beijing, this was completed in the 1900s and is served by one train a week taking six nights, using Russian first- and second-class coaches. Both routes to the Chinese capital require the bogies under the coaches to be changed at the Russian/Chinese and Mongolian/Chinese borders, where the track gauge changes from 1,520mm (4ft 11 5⁄6in) to 1,435 mm (4ft 8 1⁄2in).

Moscow to Beijing via Mongolia (7,621km/4,735 miles). This is considered by many to be the most interesting of the routes, yet there is only one train a week, taking six nights. Leaving Siberia, the train of Chinese coaches, with first and second class only, crosses Mongolia via the Gobi Desert to enter China.

For something really unusual, a more northerly route across Siberia from Tayshet to Sovetskaya Gavan on the Pacific coast known as the BAM (Baikal-Amur-Maestral railway) was completed in 1991, but few western travellers take this option.


Highlights


All three train routes share the same track between Moscow and Ulan Ude. The favoured places to break this section of the journey are: Kazan, to see the only surviving Tatar fortress in Russia – the huge Kremlin, which has been designated a World Heritage Site on account of the many historic buildings erected between the 16th and the 19th century within its 2km-long white walls; Yekaterinburg, to see the rather soulless church built on the site of the murder of the last Russian royal family (the city’s many pre-Soviet buildings are of greater interest); and Irkutsk, known as the “Paris of Siberia”, which has many neo-classical and wooden buildings, some of them decorated with fantastically ornate fretwork.

En route are the modestly high Ural Mountains, described by Colin Thubron as “a faint upheaval of pine-darkened slopes”. While traversing them, the train passes at kilometre post 1777 (from Moscow) a white obelisk marking the boundary between Europe and Asia. Some good pictures can be taken of the train snaking through the foothills of the Sayan Mountains to the east of Tayshet, an area of heavy logging industry, though the scenic highlight of the whole trip is probably the 180km section beside Lake Baikal. This 640km-long lake is the oldest in the world and one of the largest, its clear water populated by hundreds of species found nowhere else, and the railway winds along its cliff-lined shore.

On the Mongolian route, the empty undulating grassy steppes of the Gobi desert are the main attraction, occasionally enlivened by herds of Mongolian horses or camels and clusters of yurts.

Rolling steppes are a feature of the trans-Manchurian route, but the highlight along the way is passing through the Great Wall of China at Shanhaiguan, where the restoration work carried out on the wall is considered more sympathetic than on other stretches, where it has been too much rebuilt.


Booking


Obtaining a Russian tourist visa (valid for 30 days and available for single or double entry) is not a straightforward process, but travel agents can help or recommend a visa-support agency. Visas cannot be obtained at the border, so application must be made in advance. The necessary steps are set out at ru.vfsglobal.co.uk.

Reservations are required for all trains, so you cannot decide to hop off one and catch another without the necessary ticket. The cheapest way is to organise it yourself using a reputable specialist agent with offices in Russia, such as Real Russia (020 7100 7370; realrussia.co.uk), to make the reservations, but this can be time-consuming. Many prefer the simplicity of booking an all-inclusive package from such travel companies as:

Audley Travel (01993 838200; audleytravel.com), Railbookers (020 3327 1562; railbookers.com) or Regent Holidays (020 3553 3240;regent-holidays.co.uk).

If you want want a fully escorted tour, try one of the following:

Golden Eagle Luxury Trains (0161 928 9410;www.goldeneagleluxurytrains.com), which owns and operates a luxurious train and offers a variety of tours based on it through Russia, Mongolia and China;

Great Rail Journeys (0800 044 8844; greatrail.com), which offers escorted tours from London by Eurostar via Brussels, Berlin and Warsaw to Moscow on scheduled trains, then across Siberia by the Golden Eagle train to Vladivostok, with private en-suite sleeping cars, lounge and restaurant cars. There are stops and all-inclusive tours along the way at places such as Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Ulan Ude and Ulan Bator in Mongolia. Prices start at £10,295.


Time

Remember that trains run to Moscow time while in Russia, whatever the local time, so knowledge of the time zone you are in and a calculation are necessary when consulting the timetable.


Cost


For a one-way journey by service train to Vladivostok, allow £500 in second class and £800 for first class, including food. Both routes to China cost £600–£830 respectively, including food. Tickets are sold with or without service (meals). Fares for the Golden Eagle range from £9,895 to £21,195.


On board


On the regular public trains, bedding is supplied in first- and second-class coaches, the berths being folded into seats by day. Each sleeping-car has at least two western-style toilets and a washroom with sinks. The only public trains with showers are the Trans-Mongolian Moscow–Beijing train (train 3/4), which offers a shower hose in the small washroom shared between adjacent pairs of deluxe first-class two-berth compartments. Some Chinese coaches offer a shared shower between two first-class berths.

Food quality is generally adequate, though menus are limited, in Russia typically ham and fried eggs for breakfast, schnitzel and potatoes for lunch or dinner, with soups and salads for starters. Beer, Russian champagne, vodka, chocolate and snacks are sold at the bar. The Mongolian Railways restaurant car normally serves rice and mutton, while the Chinese dining car has a good variety of Chinese dishes.

Stops at stations allow food to be bought from platform vendors or shops; fare depends on location and season, but usually includes fruit, bread, boiled eggs, pot noodles, beer and soft drinks. Be wary of cold meats and salads and always make sure you know how long each stop is (some are no more than than five minutes) before venturing far from the coach – people have been left behind.

Each carriage has a (male) provodnik or more usually a (female) provodnitsa who cleans, maintains the samovar and puts out steps at stations, so it’s as well to keep on the right side of them, but they are renowned for their taciturnity. As a rule of thumb, employ the usual convention of tipping for good service.

The experience on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian train is very different. Cabins have a double bed, wardrobe, TV and DVD, clever storage space and underfloor heating in the en-suite shower room. There are sumptuously appointed dining- and lounge-cars with harpist and pianist, and food and wine (included in the price) are to a very high standard. Off-train excursions are arranged at cities and places of interest along the way such as Kazan for the World Heritage Site Kremlin, Yekaterinburg and Lake Baikal, you can sample a barbeque of freshly caught fish, visit a museum of wooden buildings or join a cookery class.


What to pack


Thin clothes in summer; thick and warm in winter (when temperatures can fall as low as -40°C) with scarves, gloves, warm hat and even thermal underwear if you are planning to spend any length of time outside. But the trains are warm all year round, so you’ll want lighter clothing as well. If travelling by service train, be ready to make the most of the unlimited supply of boiling water from the samovar at the end of each coach – with your mug and spoon and chocolate, coffee, tea or packet soups. J-cloths are always useful, if only to clean the window. Also useful are a money belt (worn inside), gaffer tape, ear plugs, clothes pegs, sunglasses (even in winter), sterilised wipes, a small torch, a universal bath plug and a folding umbrella. Spare camera batteries/recharger are vital in winter as cold weather quickly depletes the charge.


What to look at online


google.ru/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html – for a “virtual” trip on the Trans-Siberian. 
transsib.ru/Eng – an online encyclopedia dedicated to one topic. 
trans-siberia.com – an independent site, based on a traveller’s experiences. 
myazcomputerguy.com/everbrite/Page9.html – good advice from Ruth Imershein, an experienced and regular traveller to Russia.




Extra Info In Malay From Adam Travelogue


Apa itu Trans Siberian Railway?

Trans Siberian Railway (TSR) merupakan jaringan keretapi yang menghubungkan Moscow dengan bandar-bandar di bahagian yang jauh ke timur negara Russia. Ia juga merupakan salah satu laluan keretapi terpanjang di dunia.
Kita biasanya lebih mengenali gelaran Trans Siberian, namun sebenarnya terdapat tiga laluan atau cabang utama di sepanjang laluan Trans Siberian Railway ini iaitu:
  • Trans Siberian: Laluan keretapi yang menghubungkan Moscow dan Vladivostok sepanjang 9288km.
  • Trans Mongolia: Laluan keretapi yang menghubungkan Moscow dan Beijing melalui Ulan Bataar, Mongolia. Ia berpisah daripada laluan utama TSR di bandar Ulan-Ude.
  • Trans Manchurian: Laluan keretapi yang menghubungkan Moscow dan Beijing melalui Harbin, China. Ia berpisah daripada laluan utama TSR di bandar Chita.



Read more :

Adam Travelouge ~ Trans Siberan Railway


Useful Links for TSR

Trans Siberian Travel

Wiki Travel

Trans Siberian UK


Get Inspire! Teaser Pictures That Caught My Attention!



Kazan Russia

Situated on the River Volga, the picturesque and historic city of Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan.  Here you have the opportunity to see for yourselves its rich tapestry of history and culture.   You also can explore  the Kremlin Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within the walls of this ancient citadel you will explore its stunning mosque and picture-perfect onion-domed cathedral. You will also have time to wander through the main pedestrian area of Kazan and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the city.

Happy Reading.. Wanna Travel With Me?