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Across Kazakhstan by rail

theguardian.com

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Re: Across Kazakhstan by rail

#81

Post by jcims »

Ansil849 wrote: post #79
jcims wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's another solo youtube traveler with nearly the same vibe. In both cases I think part of the issue is that they are too connected to the camera and not to the people around them, so they just seem disinterested. It bums me out because I'm looking at doing quite a bit of solo traveling in the next few years and would like to capture some of it for my family and friends, but if I come across anyway like this it's…

I do a fair amount of travelling (both solo and group) myself, and I just very rarely take videos. I stick with photos.

I've switched from photos to taking short clip type videos just to pull in some of the sounds and ambiance. It just helps me reconnect to the experience later.

Re: Across Kazakhstan by rail

#82

Post by Ansil849 »

NackerHughes wrote: post #22
pachico wrote: post #20

You don't have to go to these remote places to feel the vintage-discomfort of old, smelly and unpunctual trains! Just visit Italy, where even diesel trains and optional time-tables will make your journey through art exceptional! I still remember those 2 (some times 4) daily train trips from Modena to Bologna to get to the university (yes, this is in a developed and rich region of Italy) where you had to sit in the fl…

No air conditioning? The horror!!! It amuses me to no end how Americans seem to equate lack of air conditioning, something the human race has survived perfectly well without for tens of thousands of years, to unsanitary conditions in a third-world country or some sort of dystopian post-apocalyptic nightmare.

Does it likewise amuse you when Europeans freak out if they are not allowed to smoke or if there is no designated smoking area in the vicinity?

Re: Across Kazakhstan by rail

#83

Post by Zababa »

deanclatworthy wrote: post #21

All the sentimental comments here around travelling by train make me wonder if Europe is just not good at this. I did the interrail about eight years ago and some of the worst nights sleep were had on the cramped bunk cabins. Arguments over air conditioning (too cold low down, too hot up top), people staying up late when you want to sleep, bad hygiene etc. Even the night trains to the north of Finland which are seen…

I love taking the train in France, as long as at least 80% of the wagon I'm in is empty. It's a very nice experience when you're almost alone, or with a few friends, but when filled with people it's horrible.

Re: Across Kazakhstan by rail

#84

Post by jerrre »

iso1210 wrote: post #69
willyt wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Paris-Bordeaux is about 400 miles takes 2hrs, is regularly available off-peak for ~€30 booked a few hours in advance and the 2nd class seat is a spacious as a first class seat on a UK train. UK trains are slow and absurdly expensive for what you get.

Well HS2 is a belated attempt to start building a high speed, high capacity network, about 30 years later than France, and look at the trouble that brings. There is no public appetite in the UK for more rail capacity, or for faster services, so the only way to control numbers and prevent people from being (mostly) left behind is to increase costs on the busiest services. This is fortunate too, the UK does not want to…

Isn't "Rail subsidies per passenger km (in euro-cents)" a bit of a strange metric? If the UK would half the amount of passengers, this metric would double, but it would definitely not be an improvement I'd say?

Re: Across Kazakhstan by rail

#85

Post by jakub_g »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #71
jakub_g wrote: post #36

Semi-related: I've been to Uzbekistan before pandemic with friends. It was very fun. Country is modernizing fast but has some remnants of the old era, which make a fun mix. Very nice people; at the same time, the controls on rail stations are airport-like, with x-raying people and the baggage, triple checking the tickets etc (but it seems mostly pro-forma). What was surprising is that they have very modern high-speed…

> What was surprising is that they have very modern high-speed trains, and super new train stations (most of them built just a few years ago). Is this from the country being fairly rich and having money to invest, or is this part of China's massive infrastructure project?

The country opened up a few years ago once the long-term president died and was replaced by a more progressive one. There was a moderate amount of western investment since - modernizing rail, telecom infra etc.

Also as mentioned by another commenter: Uzbekistan is more wealthy than other countries of the region; it's a major exported of things like gas, cotton, silk.

Re: Across Kazakhstan by rail

#86

Post by baybal2 »

jakub_g wrote: post #85
Cthulhu_ wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What was surprising is that they have very modern high-speed trains, and super new train stations (most of them built just a few years ago). Is this from the country being fairly rich and having money to invest, or is this part of China's massive infrastructure project?

The country opened up a few years ago once the long-term president died and was replaced by a more progressive one. There was a moderate amount of western investment since - modernizing rail, telecom infra etc. Also as mentioned by another commenter: Uzbekistan is more wealthy than other countries of the region; it's a major exported of things like gas, cotton, silk.

> Uzbekistan is more wealthy than other countries of the region;

Absolutely not. Uzbekistan was the Central Asian version of North Korea.

The poverty was universal, and extreme.

And yes, a change from a braindead Kim Il Sung wannabe who boiled people alive to a plain idiot plutocrat could be considered a "change" to be welcomed.

Kazakhstan is by far the wealthiest Central Asian nation.

Re: Across Kazakhstan by rail

#87

Post by pachico »

Ansil849 wrote: post #82
NackerHughes wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No air conditioning? The horror!!! It amuses me to no end how Americans seem to equate lack of air conditioning, something the human race has survived perfectly well without for tens of thousands of years, to unsanitary conditions in a third-world country or some sort of dystopian post-apocalyptic nightmare.

Does it likewise amuse you when Europeans freak out if they are not allowed to smoke or if there is no designated smoking area in the vicinity?

I must say Europe, or at least part of it, got much better about this :)

Re: Across Kazakhstan by rail

#88

Post by jakub_g »

baybal2 wrote: post #86
jakub_g wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The country opened up a few years ago once the long-term president died and was replaced by a more progressive one. There was a moderate amount of western investment since - modernizing rail, telecom infra etc. Also as mentioned by another commenter: Uzbekistan is more wealthy than other countries of the region; it's a major exported of things like gas, cotton, silk.

> Uzbekistan is more wealthy than other countries of the region; Absolutely not. Uzbekistan was the Central Asian version of North Korea. The poverty was universal, and extreme. And yes, a change from a braindead Kim Il Sung wannabe who boiled people alive to a plain idiot plutocrat could be considered a "change" to be welcomed. Kazakhstan is by far the wealthiest Central Asian nation.

I didn't say it's more wealthy than KZ. I was comparing to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan. (Not an expert but it seems to me UZ is well ahead those)

Re: Across Kazakhstan by rail

#89

Post by jstarfish »

NackerHughes wrote: post #22
pachico wrote: post #20

You don't have to go to these remote places to feel the vintage-discomfort of old, smelly and unpunctual trains! Just visit Italy, where even diesel trains and optional time-tables will make your journey through art exceptional! I still remember those 2 (some times 4) daily train trips from Modena to Bologna to get to the university (yes, this is in a developed and rich region of Italy) where you had to sit in the fl…

No air conditioning? The horror!!! It amuses me to no end how Americans seem to equate lack of air conditioning, something the human race has survived perfectly well without for tens of thousands of years, to unsanitary conditions in a third-world country or some sort of dystopian post-apocalyptic nightmare.

COVID and global warming are both proving how medieval these conditions are.

Re: Across Kazakhstan by rail

#90

Post by jstarfish »

dncornholio wrote: post #76
themodelplumber wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's interesting about bald, it's a neat channel. I used to be one of a group of people who other people thought were spies. I was living abroad at the time. At first this aspect was extremely irritating. Some locals would point at me and say "spy". But the more I thought about it, the more I met people like me who I thought would make terrific spies, and the more I met local friends who I thought I could probably…

Aren't spies a bit of a thing of the past? The times that we need to be physically present for information are long, long past no? What has a spy acting as a tourist to gain?

Tourists make terrible spies. They attract too much attention; operating in an environment where everyone already thinks you're a spy is not what "hiding in plain sight" means.

Espionage is still very much alive. Physical presence maintains trust that can later be exploited (most of us would call it "grooming").

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