![\"Entrance](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.shonak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image-3.jpeg?resize=720%2C480\")
Entrance to Gorky Park<\/p><\/div>\n
Moscow is one of the greenest cities in the world. Gorky Park is the largest open space, drawing parallels with Central Park with it’s various walking trails, fountains and lakes. Beside the park is a pier to board a cruise along the Moskova river. My memory of this trip is our encounter with the most horrendously violent thunderstorm and monsoon I can recall, with the captain was screaming at me to stop taking pictures and take refuge inside.<\/p>\n
Stalin’s relics<\/b><\/h3>\n
Red Square is the site of a historic market and now a large open space at the foot of the Kremlin and St. Basil’s cathedral. There’s not much happening on the square itself but it’s the gateway to other attractions. The most famous of course being the iconic Kremlin fortress, with its commanding red-bricked facade. The presidential palace is off limits but the cathedrals are easily accessible for admiring the intricate artwork within. Moscow Free Tours <\/a>give a complementary two hour tour of the key tourist sites, which is well worth it.<\/p>\n St. Basil’s Cathedral<\/p><\/div>\n The Moscow Metro might just eclipse London as the best network I’ve come across. Along with various skyscrapers, many of the beautifully crafted stations were built on orders by Stalin in the 1950s to build a perception of grandeur amongst Muscovites. They’re akin to cathedrals with their gorgeous mosaics, sculptures and marble furnishings. There’s no compromise on service; the trains run like clockwork every two minutes. It’s also incredibly cheap at 50 rubles (60p) per journey to and from any station on the network. Navigating the Metro is easy too. I found it intriguing that the announcer’s voice on each train or platform is either male when going into the city (calling the passenger to work) or female when leaving (calling the passenger home for dinner).<\/p>\n Moscow Metro Station<\/p><\/div>\n Here’s something you don’t forget in a hurry. An overweight and nude Russian guy beating you with some birch branches in a sauna for 20 minutes.<\/p>\n The cool-off pool at Sanduny<\/p><\/div>\n It’s called Banya, and it’s a traditional massage therapy in Russian culture to help improve circulation, detox and cleanse skin. The idea is to alternate between hot and cold environments and lash yourself (or get lashed by someone willing) all over with branches. It’s tough to endure for more than a few minutes as it encourages perspiration, so I left feeling dehydrated but refreshed prior to my Trans-Siberian voyage. I visited Sanduny<\/a>. It’s a little pricey but\u00a0located in an authentic environment which made it all the more memorable. Banya is a quintessentially Russian experience which I’d recommend to anybody.<\/p>\n Ironically my perception of the typical Russian personality is opposite to the one I pictured of Americans earlier in the year. Russians don’t wear emotion on their faces, so\u00a0it can be relatively difficult to gauge whether one is happy, upset, or angry. Russians also are economical with words, not buttering up facts and opinions. Once overcoming the hurdle of getting a conversation going, they would tend to be quite pleasant and humorous to chat with. Having said that, a successful attempt to make a sober Russian laugh (as opposed to a wry smile) is a skill worthy of adding to a CV.<\/p>\n Unfortunately I did suffer from some racially discriminatory remarks and behaviour in Moscow. I won’t go into the details, but it’s fair to say I wasn’t anticipating to stick out like a sore thumb. During my time outside of Red Square, I could have counted the number of darker skinned people on two hands, and those of Indian origin only on one. Many older locals would stare at me endlessly, which became somewhat unnerving.<\/p>\n Moscow was a culture shock that I wasn’t expecting. The apparent lack of international diversity outside of former USSR states was the most surprising revelation. However, some unfortunate experiences didn’t deter me from continuing my journey remote regions of Russia. For every person I had a negative encounter with, countless others made it incredibly memorable.<\/p>\n My time in the city ended at Yaroslavsky station. Here I boarded the 00:35 Trans Siberian train to Vladivostok, the longest rail route in the world. My pen is at the ready as I prepare to cross this adventure off my bucket list.<\/p>\n -S<\/p>\n![\"St.](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.shonak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image.jpeg?resize=720%2C480\")
![\"image\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.shonak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image-1.jpeg?resize=720%2C540\")
Banya<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.shonak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image-2.jpeg?resize=720%2C540\")
Local company<\/b><\/h3>\n
Undeterred<\/b><\/h3>\n