Sorry for the Group Email

We visit one of the most populous cities in the world and see whether it’s ready for the Olympics. Plus, we buy the world’s worst map. See whether we resorted to desperately eating stray animals by clicking here.

Ulan Batar is impossible to spell. Written in Mongolian it’s barely legible to foreign idiots like me, and the rest of the time you spend trying to decide where the double vowels go. Ulaan Baatar is one variation. Ulaan Bataar is another. There are more as well, and none of them give you a really [...]

LOCATION: Good. It’s about ten minutes’ walk from Lake Baikal, albeit at the top of a treacherously slippery hill. It’s about the same distance from the nearest shop, and an irredeemably tacky souvenir market.
INTERNET: No. There doesn’t seem to be any internet access in Listvyanka at all. To get online you’ll need to go to [...]

Massages don’t get more relaxing than when they involve 40-degree heat, two tree branches, and a large Russian to hit you with them. Read on to see how many bones we broke.

Less relaxing afternoon activity, more death-defying white-knuckle ride at the mercy of a pack of dogs that just might change their minds and savage you at any moment. Read on to find out if we needed to trouble our insurance agency. Not that it would have helped.

It’s not all military-industrial complexes and brown ladas, you know. Lake Baikal is outstandingly beautiful; read on to see why it was worth the time on the train.

Why take the plane when you can spend four days in abject misery and discomfort, buffeted at every turn by drunk Russian soliders and drinking vodka? Read on to see whether you should tear up your frequent-flier number.

Looking for somewhere cheap and extremely cheerful to stay in Moscow? Godzillas might be weirdly-named, but you can watch Sky TV. It’s the little things…

Where do you go in Moscow if you’re looking for truly Soviet masterpieces? The sculpture park is only slightly off the beaten track, but if you can avoid being savaged by the guard dogs history nerds (hi) are in for a treat.

There are some glaring omissions, but what could you expect from a Muscovite contemporary history museum? A note my father will enjoy: I set an alarm off here.