Greetings from Buriatia!

We are currently in Ulan-Ude. We had no sickness at all and have actually really been enjoying our trip!! We are just at our friend's house so I can pop on here for a minute. We had our language tests this morning so we can now just relax and enjoy visiting with our friends.
We leave on Friday for Ulan-bataar and then will stay in Mongolia for a couple of days. I gotta go but thanks for thinking of us- we are so glad for our health and smooth, safe travels! It feels colder here even though it is only -28? We figured it out- there isn't any wind in Kyzyl maybe so that is why it feels colder here. Anyway- gotta go... I'll write again sometime....

Our adventure begins...

We are just waiting for our driver to come... and yes- we are all HEALTHY!!! Yay! I've given dramamine to the kids just in case the long bumpy drive to Abakan is too much for them. After the beautiful drive through the Sayan mountains etc. we will catch the train and then another train and then we will relax in Ulan-Ude for a few days before taking the last train to Ulan-bataar. I said relax in Ulan-Ude but in fact part of the visit will include language evaluations which is not exactly relaxing but after that is done we will enjoy being with our friends there. I will probably be able to post from Ulan-Ude. Thanks for thinking about us!

No new incidents yet with Huddy... David managed to find bananas! but Huddy won't eat them. He won't eat rice or the applesauce or even tea and toast. He likes all those foods normally but he would not eat them today.... funny. kinda. But we were firm and only gave him crackers and water and so far it hasn't bothered his little tummy. Maybe this time we are done:)

I spoke too soon again. Huddy is not better:( He had 37 hours where he was better....and then he had problems out both ends. Pretty discouraging. He spent awhile lying down next to his train this morning but now he is sitting on the couch watching his favorite movie- The Pacifier. Vin Diesel is Huddy's Hero :). Not many 2 year olds would like a Vin Diesel doll but Huddy sure would... If you ever see one.....

Hard not to think about the worst possible outcomes. What if Hudson gets sick all over us in the taxi on the 7? hour drive to Abakan and then we spend the whole train ride to Ulan-Ude stinky. ewww. What if David or I get sick again?

David is just out trying to find a more comfortable way to get to Abakan- maybe there is someone with a leather seated SUV or something. Won't be nice for the driver if we do get sick.

We will stick to the BRAT diet and see if that helps. We will have to check out baby food because they don't have any bananas lately and they never have applesauce. David made some applesauce but huddy won't eat it- too country style maybe:) There is always rice available though so that is good.

42 hours left till we leave.... please keep us in your thoughts...

Better and Ready!

Yay! Huddy is better- though I thought that was the case before didn't I... But it has been 28 hours since anything has come out the wrong way so I think that he is done. He has been eating normally and is back to his normal self. I kinda miss how cuddly he was the past week...but I'd rather him healthy and on the grumpy side for sure.
We have our mongolian visas, train tickets and hotels booked so we are all set. And David went today to "sign us out" as I call it from Kyzyl. When we return we will have to "sign back in". The only thing we still have to do is find a way to get to Abakan. I guess we will just be taking a taxi- we had hoped to find a more comfortable and cheaper vehicle but that is ok. We still have a couple of days- maybe something will turn up.
I am just working with Emma on her English schoolwork to get her a little ahead so that we don't have to bring her work with her. She can have a bit of a holiday though she is always colouring or reading- it would be torture for Emma to have to go two weeks without books. She just showed me a funny picture she drew right now (well funny to me). It is a policemen taking a man away because he didn't have his passport with him. Emma probably draws different things than kids at home do...

Getting ready...

David went to the mongolian embassy (pictured above) to finish up all our paperwork. Because the kids all have their own passports we had to buy 5 visas...ouch:) Though we chose the cheapest route in and out of the country, it still isn't very cheap. But we must do it so we don't have to think about it and worry about it.

Huddy is still sick. Not sure what it could be. We all got it from him and got over it but he still has it and he has it so much worse than we did. 4 days left- hope he is better by then. We won't be able to go with the 2 outfits each plan if he is going to keep this up...

We've started packing. We found some Dramamine at the pharmacy and disenfectant wipes for the bathrooms along the way. There isn't any food on the train but they do have tea and hot water available. We've got a bunch of instant soups to make so that is a start. Haven't quite figured out what to make them in yet but we'll figure out something..

Besides all the hard stuff that it will involve, I am looking forward to our trip. I've barely been out of the apartment at all in the last few weeks so going to another country will be a great change of pace for me:) I am excited to watch out the windows of the taxis and trains and see new things. I hope it is a beautiful clear day as we drive through the beautiful mountains on the way to Abakan. Maybe Emma will get to see the Sleeping Beauty mountain that David hopes to climb someday.

Cold and Sick

It was something contagious:) Huddy passed it on to me, then Emma and now David has it too. None of us have had it quite as bad as Hudson (we've only had the runs) but it still hasn't been pleasant. Josiah may have had a minor case of it when Huddy had it. So we may be done...

I'm hoping this means we will be healthy on the train:) We leave for Mongolia in 5 days...

It was down to -43 C in the night! I am hoping it gets down to -50C at some point. Once it is this cold it might as well be really cold! Though I guess -40's is pretty cold:) Kyzyl really has extreme weather -40 in the winter and +40 in the summer. Not many places can claim that! Canada has those temps once in a while but not for weeks at a time like Kyzyl. The temperature doesn't fluctuate from day to day like it does in Calgary. Once it is -40 it stays there for a while.

Not much fun wandering around town in these temps- David seems to get the errands done very quickly lately:) I just thought I should put in some picture- feels strange not to- so I just took one of the cold prison out our kitchen window.

Back with his train set....

Hudson is reunited with his train set after his two rough days of lying on the floor. He LOVES trains. He even drew one all by himself today! Huddy hasn't been "sick" for almost 24 hours now so I think that part of it is over. His cheeks are very warm/red at times and he has the runs so it could all just be teething...though usually that doesn't involve what he just went through...

Josiah had a rough night coughing but other than that we are all healthy and I am feeling much more relaxed:)

It didn't quite get to the predicted -44C today but it sure is cold. Our 2 extra heaters are running on high to keep up with the chill. 7 more days till we leave for Mongolia- I think it will be warmer there...gotta check. Must be:)

Still not feeling so good...

We thought Huddy was over it because he ate a lot at breakfast and a lot a lunch and apparently an orange too:) Yucky. He just wants to stay on the floor- not sure why. maybe he likes the cold? We all take turns sitting on the floor with him, rubbing his legs and talking to him or playing with him. He is pretty sweet and lovable when he is sick.


Josiah seems a little funny too- very picky about food lately. He doesn't like the taste of anything- even chocolate! I keep thinking he must have something like Hepatitis. He has cloudy/dark urine and pale poo at times. Not eating much. Frequent cough. I would love to take him in for a good check-up. We tested him for Hepatitis last time his urine was darker and they said that he didn't have it. I could just be worrying too much- whenever I get researching health things we all end up having something horribly wrong with us:) He did get vaccinated against it at home so he shouldn't have it...He is still active and happy which is comforting.


We haven't been sick much at all lately, maybe because the kids have been out of school and have been sheltered in the apartment. It is so dirty here in Kyzyl. As usual, there is a gigantic pile of barf on the stairs outside our door- you see piles of it everywhere. People spit everywhere. And go to the bathroom everywhere. There are sick wild dogs everywhere. Needles, Razorblades and all sorts of things lying on the ground. Everything coated in burnt coal. I take comfort in thinking that most of the sicknesses/germs are frozen in -40C weather. I'm not sure I'm right about that but it is nice to think that way:)


I am glad that David can be home to help me- I'm fine with the messes of sickness and the physical caring of the children- but the ability to smile/laugh about it and help them feel better and enjoy the day and not worry about it is not my forte. But everytime I get a little better at it:) I know getting sick is a normal thing so I am learning to act more normal when it happens. And it makes me thankful that this doesn't happen too often- some people deal with sickness everyday...

I just read one forcast that says tomorrow will be -44C! That is -47.2 F!
We are now in those few temperatures where I don't really need to say the Celsius part because it is almost the same in Fahrenheit! Many days it has been -40 which is the same in C and F... neat.

Back to normal... Huddy had a horrible few hours yesterday but even before bedtime he had gotten up from his sitting position on the floor (with the bucket in front of him for his frequent upsets) and started running around and playing like crazy. He slept 12 hours and now he had a big breakfast so I'm sure he is recovered. The picture of him is from when he was still really sick- kids seem to look fine and are able to enjoy things even when really sick...

I guess I should explain his pink sock:) He burned his ankle/leg badly on the heater the other day... They have turned up the heat in the city (heated by water pipes). He discovered how hot they were... Emma's socks cover the whole bandage to keep it clean.

Josiah was the one that we thought was going to be sick as he basically didn't want to eat for a few days but so far only Huddy has been sick...we'll see. Josiah ate a lot this morning too so that is a good sign.

No Interview today...

Well...we won't be "famous" as Emma says this week. Right before the reporter and photographer were to come over, Hudson got violently sick. It is not pleasant- poor huddy buddy. Now we are all in the living room watching Never Ending Story with breaks to take care of Hudson. Hope we all don't get whatever it is he has...
We called the newspaper and suggested they come another time. Unfortunately the reporter is leaving tomorrow for a vacation so we won't be interviewed and photographed until February. I guess the article wasn't going to be published until then anyway.
Hard day for the kids as this morning they had to be tested for AIDS- we were quite suprised that they hardly even cried at all- they cried more at home the other day when we told them they would be getting needles... The nurse must have done a good job.
They were just tested for AIDS this past summer when we were in Finland. This is one thing we will have to do a lot less of if we can get the temporary residency. We have seen big lineups outside the passport building lately..it is in the building beside ours. Hopefully all the people aren't applying for temporary residency as there won't be any left for us when we get all our papers:(
At least the house is nice and clean now:)
Super cold today... taxi driver said it was -38C but it feels worse than that to me. It is plenty warm enough inside though for which we are very thankful!

Phew!!

David just called to tell me I can stop cleaning and putting things away in places they don't really belong. He had called 20 minutes before saying that the reporter from the newspaper was heading over to the office to interview and photograph him...he thought the reporter would probably want to come meet us too so we were getting ourselves and the house ready just in case.
Huddy had an explosion in his bed and as a result the house didn't smell too good. (Hudson still doesn't want to wear diapers but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have one on him...) Not the best timing as of course the kids room is cleared out and dust is everywhere from taking down the wallpaper and scraping down the concrete walls...
Anyway- The house is looking pretty good already but she isn't going to come here until tomorrow afternoon. Now I'll have too much time to worry about what to wear and what kind of baking to serve etc. I know it doesn't really matter...it will be a small black and white photo and they won't really care about the shelves being dusted I'm sure...but I can't help it:)
David said his interview went great...what a language test! He had to explain why we were here, what we are doing and what we plan on doing and why we would do all that etc. all in russian of course and all while being photographed and being asked to turn or look in a certain direction for the camera. Glad it wasn't me!!! Though I'm sure I'll have to talk when she comes tomorrow...yikes.

The wallpaper in the kids room was really starting to fall off- some on its own and some with the help of a little boy named Huddy.

I love having the old wallpaper down- partly because it wasn't so pretty but mostly because of all the cockroaches that fall out from behind it- feels so much better getting rid of those!!! At least if we get cockroaches now we will be able to see them and deal with them instead of always wondering what might be behind that wallpaper:)

It was Christmas here yesterday but there was no sign of it. We kept our tree up until the holidays were officially over so it came down today. Tomorrow is the first day back at school so Emma has her clothes laid out for the morning. I'll just have the boys to help me work on their room tomorrow...

We got another little package from my mom today- perfect timing because David had come home with a chicken to roast and then we opened the package and discovered the perfect addition...Swiss Chalet dipping sauce!!! Thanks for the treat out mom:)

Tomorrow is the day we had hoped to be lining up first thing in the morning at the Passport Office but unfortunately it seems it will be a while yet until we get our police checks back from Canada.... too bad because it is first come first served on the limited number of temporary visas they give out. Though there sure aren't many foreigners here so hopefully there will still be plenty left when we are ready to apply....

Josiah is 4!

Today was Josiah's 4th birthday! We had a great time eating cake, opening Josiah's presents, painting with his new paints, watching his new superman cartoon and then a special treat- talking to Vanya on the phone! Now our kids ages are so even- 2, 4 and 6. Sounds a lot different than the 2, 3 and 6 that is has been. Though Huddy will turn 3 in a few weeks...

Our Next Trip

We've watched the movie MONGOL (not in theatres yet in the west but is available for home purchase here:) and now we are going to see Mongolia for ourselves! We need to leave Russia by January 29th- don't worry, not for good:) We just need to go out of the country and back in for visa purposes. A simple crossing the border and back... technically.

You can see on the map that we (in Kyzyl) are just hours north of Mongolia. Our friend Aidash volunteered to drive us all down there and back and we could even stay with some family that he has down there. We were so excited about doing that little trip....BUT...problem is that the border down there doesn't let foreigners through- only russians and mongolians can use that border crossing. The only 2 places where we can enter Mongolia are far from us. So the green is what we had hoped to be doing but instead the yellow route is our lot.

Travel is not easy in Tuva as there is really only one good road and a few flights and no train... What we will have to do instead of the one day trip is first- hire someone to drive us to Abakan (they have taxis etc. that make the 5-6hr bumpy loud trip). Then we will take the train to Irkutsk (12 hours) and then we will take another train to Ulan-Ude (another 8 hours) and then we have to decide between a 12 hour trip by bus or a 18-27 hour train ride down to Ulan-bataar.

This is one trip I am not excited to take...as much as I love travelling and seeing exciting remote places like Mongolia- all I can think about is the train rides... we've done it a few times already so the thrill is gone... the coupe is always way too hot or way too cold and all that shaking usually gets things moving down low and with the dirty bathrooms- it is not enjoyable to say the least. And what do you do with three little ones with no power or kitchen for 3 days stuck in a space the size of a walk-in closet. But, we must so we will and I will try to only think about the good things:)

I have always wanted to go to Mongolia. In fact, while we were in still in school and deciding where to go, I did a little project on Mongolia because it sounded like somewhere I'd like to live. We didn't end up there but we are sure in a similar place. The pictures I've seen of Mongolia look just like Tuva- the clothing, hats and yurts and buddhist temples. They even have the same wrestling outfits! There are Tuvans that live there- not sure what language we will be using there as after Mongolian some speak Russian, English and there are even some who speak Tuvan. We might just have the perfect mix of their languages:)

We will leave on our journey January 20th and should be back a week or two later. We looked into flying to Moscow and heading to Estonia or Finland again but the cost heading that direction is way out of our league. So was our hopes of going somewhere warm like Dubai... So Mongolia wins!

The real deciding factor is that they have peanut butter in Mongolia:)

Just some pics of the kids from the last week. Josiah will soon be 4! And Huddy will soon be 3! Hudson has made a New Year's Resolution to not use diapers. He makes a big fuss if you try to put one on him- says "me no baby" But at the same time he isn't really good at going on the potty so no diapers on him means lots of laundry for mommy:)

We went to Era and Aidash's house tonight- was good to get out as we haven't had a lot to do lately. We are glad they live close because it was a cold walk, minus 38C today! Era made us chicken liver, carrot and pickle stir-fry kind of stuff. I liked it a lot. The chicken pieces looked like they wouldn't be yummy- they resembled mussels or claws or something but they sure tasted good. After the blood sausage and stomach lining we had last time at their house this stuff tasted sooooo good. I am starting to like pickles in cooking a lot. They put pickles in soups and in many salads and main dishes. They also gave us a Tuvan/Russian dictionary which will be very useful. Emma was talking away in Russian to their son, good to see how she has progressed in the last few months. She is going to be teaching me Russian soon:)

С НОВЫМ ГОДОМ! Happy New Year!

Can you see the prisoners?- they were in their windows for hours watching the fireworks. There weren't as many private fireworks as in Moscow though they still did go off until 4am. We were glad we could see the bigger ones that were going off downtown from our place- unfortunately the prisoners were on the wrong side to see the city ones. There were about 5 groups/families setting ones off from our yard. The guy that liked to just hold them scared me a little, thought I was going to get a picture of an arm getting blown off...but all went ok for him:)