[Lifestyle] A Journey of Belief in the Spirit of Extreme Cold

After leaving Novosibirsk, we headed west all the way. Looking at the sky, you can see migratory birds hiding in the woods in winter, waiting for the warm sunshine to enrich their bodies. When you are driving on the snow-covered road in Russia, you can still use your peripheral vision to feel how magnificent the rime passing by your line of sight is…

2016.12.12 Novosibirsk Highway-28 C

I am a young man born in the 90s. Since the first time I drove to Tibet with my father at the age of eight, car travel has become a part of my life. Today, I drive a pickup truck and travel all over China and Southeast Asia by earning money while traveling, becoming the first young man in the world to cross the Eurasian continent in winter. Next, I will take revenge on my mediocre life by means of traveling and traveling. So, the route I want to introduce to you today is Tyumen-Yekaterinburg-Sergei-Moscow.

On the first day, we started to walk in the direction of Tyumen, and there were constant “surprises” from the morning. The road surface is almost covered with dark ice. While driving, a car stepped on the brake 400 meters in front of me, so I tapped the brake and started downshifting. Unexpectedly, the brake floated up and almost hit the opposite side. In the police car, and then the direction began to lose control. In this case, I resolutely continued to tap the brakes and reduce gears to control the speed of the vehicle, and the direction gradually returned to normal. At the last speed of about 30 mph, I gradually parked the car in the emergency lane on the side of the road and turned on the double flashing lights, which immediately silenced the three of us, Bai Bai and Uncle Zhao, who were traveling in the RV. You must know that there are unfathomable snowdrifts on both sides of the road!

2016.12.13-2016.12.18 On the way to Tyumen – 35 C

At 15:45 local time, the sky in Russia had already turned pitch black. We headed for Tyumen, which happened to be a crossing point of the north-south line across Russia. In order to feel the scenery of the northern line, we decided to take the northern line to cross, so we chose a road in the extremely cold area of ​​the northern line. Unexpectedly, the snow fell very heavily that day, and the wipers were turned to the maximum to clear the snow on the front windshield, but it was still useless, so we drove as slowly as possible, trying to find a place suitable for parking and resting. What’s even more unfortunate is that on the way to Tyumen, our RV was stuck in the endless snow sea, and there was no smoke in this place, only the sound of the cold wind.

“I’ll go down first and put the snow chains on.” After speaking, Bai Bai took out the emergency crawler and laid it on the wheels behind him. For nearly three hours, in the outdoor at minus 37 degrees, only two snow chains were attached to the four wheels. At this moment, I feel so cold that my hands are about to freeze. We exhausted almost all our physical strength, but we still couldn’t overcome the test of the sea of ​​snow and nature in front of us. Uncle Zhao drank some wine to warm up his body, then went to sleep in the back of the RV, leaving me and Bai Bai in the car waiting for a miracle to happen.

Bai Bai proposed to get out of the car and look for nearby villages with a flashlight, but I refused decisively, because there should be nothing happening here in the desert. So the three of them decided to stay in the RV that night. Bai Bai and I started the RV by ourselves and continued to shovel snow underground by ourselves. It was later discovered that our car had driven into a snow ditch on both sides of the country road, and it was impossible for the two of us to push the car out. So the next thing we do is to keep warm in various ways, and look forward to meeting someone to help us tomorrow morning.

After waking up in the morning, the windshield and the windows of the four doors were all frozen, and the sky was bright. I started to warm up and prepare to go out and find someone to help us, even if I could borrow a big snow shovel for us. Of course, if such a situation did not happen, it would still be beautiful to look at the scenery of the ice and snow kingdom outside.

We finally saw a family. After all, this is a foreign country or the outskirts of Russia. We have heard a lot of rumors about Russia before, so we are still vigilant. (But along the way, the enthusiastic help of the Russians is the best performance among so many places I have been to) There is a Russian uncle wearing a hat in the courtyard. The uncle does not understand English, so we can only gesture to him, and he walks out Looking at the yard from a distance, he immediately understood, so he invited me and Bai Bai into the house, and a middle-aged woman walked towards me. This Russian aunt talked to me enthusiastically for a long time, and finally realized that we are going to Tyumen. She told me that this road is difficult to walk with a translation software, and said that she has never seen a Chinese RV appear here. You are so brave. , I admire your words.

The aunt poured us a cup of hot water to warm up Bai Bai and I, and then began to help us rescue the RV. In this way, it was rolled out for 500 meters, and it took 20 minutes to reverse the 500 meters. Before leaving, the Russian aunt wrote us another way to Tyumen in Russian, eh! Warm up, Tyumen, Yekaterinburg, Sergey, Moscow here we come!

2016.12.20.-2016.12.25 Tyumen-Ekaterinburg-Sergei-Moscow-25 C

On the road from Tyumen to Yekaterinburg, there are many small parks on both sides of the road. You can stop and rest when you are tired from driving, and experience the special projects of Russian winter by the way. When I was deep in the snow, the headlights shorted out. I really couldn’t do this kind of technical and exploratory work, so we found a garage. I think it must be paid. Who knew that the boss would not accept any money in order to encourage me, which once again proved the friendship between Russia and China.

“Church on Spilled Blood”, one of the largest churches in Yekaterinburg, attracts many pilgrims and tourists from all over the world. There are three well-known Churches on Spilled Blood in Russia, namely: the Church on Spilled Blood in commemoration of the murder of the little prince Dmitri in the Ugli period, the Cathedral on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg in commemoration of the murder of Alexander II and The Church of Spilled Blood commemorates the murder of Nicholas II’s family in Yekaterinburg.

Russian geographer Tatishev found that the animals and plants on both sides of the Ural Mountains were significantly different due to the influence of airflow, so he proposed to divide the Eurasian continent with the Ural Mountains as the boundary, which was generally recognized. The old Asia-Europe boundary monument was built in 1837 and is located 17 kilometers away from New Moscow Avenue in the western suburbs of Yekaterinburg. The base of the boundary monument is made of dark red marble, with gray and white marble in the middle as the dividing line, with Europe and Asia marked on both sides, and the boundary monument is a pointed metal tower.

The new Asia-Europe dividing line monument is located 42 kilometers northwest of Yekaterinburg. The base of the boundary monument is made of gray and white marble. It is divided into 5 steps, each with 6 steps. The Russian words of Asia and Europe are distributed on both sides of the base. , the pillar of the boundary monument is made of dark red marble, 25 meters high and 500 tons in weight, and the double-headed eagle logo is placed on the top, showing extraordinary bearing, solemnity and elegance. Eurasian Continental Dividing Line: The coordinate building of the Eurasian Continental Dividing Line is located in Yekaterinburg. Starting from this boundary marker, it proves that you have officially entered the European section from Asia.

Sergeyev Posad

About 40 kilometers away from Moscow, it belongs to the town of Sergeyev Posad, one of the satellite cities, where you can see the most classic Orthodox churches and handmade matryoshka dolls. When wandering in the street, you will see an old man sitting in a certain store, playing Soviet classical music without saying a word, slowly carving the nesting dolls he made with a handmade knife. If you have the opportunity, you can come and experience this very laid-back town.

Christmas Eve in Moscow

The streets of Moscow are more lively in winter, because when the Orthodox New Year and Christmas are approaching, shops and restaurants will start discounts. The Red Square, which is usually only a scenic spot, will also hold a Christmas market at this time. People living around Moscow and locals will bring their handicrafts and costumes to the Red Square to set up stalls. There will also be large-scale amusement facilities and food for sale. Everyone enjoys playing here. The government has set up an outdoor skating rink on the square, and all people can participate for free. This makes the usually solemn Red Square more intimate.

When you go to Moscow during Christmas Eve, you can fully experience the joy of the local people for the arrival of the New Year. At night, there will be large-scale performances and various food trucks next to the Krem Palace. The singer on the stage will breathe out and sing modern music. You can sip a cup of hot tea or coffee, and dance to the music while following the carnival of the whole people under the stage. The crowd was as young as 3 years old and as old as 65 years old. Even if the outdoor temperature was tens of degrees below zero, the enthusiasm of the Russian people for the New Year could not be stopped.

Christmas market

“An ant” flea market is the largest and oldest flea market in Russia, from military uniforms to old-fashioned cameras, typewriters, and all kinds of old things that show the former Soviet Union. You can reserve more time to find some favorite little things, which is of special significance for travel, because behind every old object, you will find the most local culture. Finding something with a sense of time is always more affectionate than coming to Moscow to buy a box of chocolates.

Of course, the advantages and disadvantages are opposite. Traveling through the Eurasian continent in the off-season, you can experience the real customs, enjoy Siberia’s “human ice and fire sauna”, step on the purest ice of Lake Baikal, and you can see that it belongs to Russia. This is a view of what the land really looks like.

This is a journey of faith in the spirit of extreme cold. I don’t wish you happiness, I only wish you tears and laughter, and love freedom.

Finally, if you choose to go on this road in winter, I can tell you responsibly that you are happy and unforgettable.