Last Full Day in Y Kat

Today was mostly rainy and a sort of catch up sweep of the things I didm't do yesterday. Firstly, I went to DHL to send a little (0.6kg) parcel home. Cost, wait for it, 7000 Rubles, thats over $200, I early fell over backwards. Needless to say, I did not go with that option, but instead found the post office and sent it by airmail with Post, 700 Rubles, One tenth the price. and that included a packing box. One thing I have noticed here in Russia is they do not mark or sign places well. There is usually no sign on many doors, or if there is it is small and only in Russian. For example, when I went to the post office, I went to what looked like a main counter/service area. After a brief point and mumble to communicate I wanted to send a parcel to Australia, it was sort of indicated that I should go back out the door and turn right to another door. When I went out the front door, there was nothing but a lane to the right and some heavy steel doors with nothing on them, I opened one of the doors only to find another heavy steel door and still no signage. I decide as there was nothing else, I would try opening an inner door. It was then that I found the "parcels" office.

At some point in my wanderings, I managed to find the Russian Diplomatic corp offices and took some photos of there vehicles in the car park, the green ones.  Only joking, the Russians would not be like that.

I then went off to explore the Metro system, 23 Rubles (70c) any one way journey. So I got off to a few stations and did not leave the system. Each station seemed to by different, which I think is a common thing in Russia, so took some snaps (note for some that one Station is called Dynamo) for others that don't get the reference, let it pass. The end station was something like the Kosmonaut Precinct, but I did no go topside to check it out. I think it was just high rise buildings.

I  ended up at the Geological station.

From here made my way to the other geological museum, yes this city has two geology museums. I think todays version was the better, it was cheaper, much better lit, had some very pretty gem stones and it had meteorites, lots of them. Plus some pictures of the meteorite that came to these parts last year. Even better, just as I was about to leave the, the guard indicated he would show me the special room, which was a locked and double iron barred room full of the real good stuff, including Gold, Platinum, amethysts and other big precious stones. It even had a black light to make some of the mineral colours really brighten up. No taking samples home though, a pity really, they had some good stuff.

Back to hostel at the end of the day to cook some dinner and get a good nights sleep before the long train trip to Moscow. This trip seems to be going very quickly. Finally in the hostel just as I am leaving, a guy from Melbourne and a girl from Germany turn up and there is english being spoken. Before that the only people that seemed to be here were Russian longer term tenants  and they were like ghosts. In a country where so little english is heard, the hostels are a great place to meet other travellers and swap stories and get advice.

Look out Moscow, here we come