Deeper into Russia

The event of the year in travel guides to Russia, the publication of the enormous new Lonely Planet (Russian Life, April 1996), would seem to have concluded the era of the country’s discovery by pioneering travelers. But if the latest batch of independent guides appearing this year is anything to go by, this process is only just beginning. The new crop is more specialized and each has unique and valuable information, albeit for narrower audiences.

The most substantial of them is Athol Yates’ Russia by Rail, with Belarus and Ukraine (Globe Pequot Press, 1996, $18.95). Considering the size of Russia’s rail network and its importance well beyond the limits of pure transportation, this is definitely a subject that deserves such a sizeable tome. In fact, the scope of this guide will make it indispensable both for hard-core railroad enthusiasts and for those who use rail travel simply as a means to getting somewhere. It is professionally done, with good illustrations, maps (though for some reason not of the biggest cities), asides and detailed descriptions of routes. It does have some irritating flaws, though: sometimes illogical ordering (the Golden Ring chapter appears after Northern Russia, and the BAM sectiom comes before that on the main Trans-Siberian); very perfunctory coverage of major cities (the only Moscow sights mentioned are the metro and its museum); and a slight tendency to oversimplify. Note also that it has an emphasis on places of scientific and technical interest, and those interested in more conventional sightseeing will probably need to supplement it.

Yates’ Siberian BAM Railway Guide (Trailblazer Publications UK 1995) is an expanded version of the BAM chapter in the previous guide. The world’s bleakest railway line, the Baikal-Amur Main line, appears to be in fashion now, and this guide should quench the thirst of anyone who happens to crave it.

But of course people don’t come for the BAM alone, so for other parts of the Trans-Siberian we recommend Robert Strauss and Tamsin Turnbull’s Trans-Siberian Guide (Hunter Publishing, 1996, $17.95). Now in its fourth edition, this excellent guide combines necessary information, with tales from past travelers, to make a very readable whole, essential for marathon train travelers dependent on books to stave off bouts of boredom.

One more new Siberia-related guide is geared to the adventure traveler. Arthur D. Pedersen and Susan E. Oliver’s The Lake Baikal Guidebook (Ecologically Sustainable Development, 1996, $10), funded as part of USAID’s Baikal Ecotourism project, is honest, ecologically oriented and genuinely concerned about the environmental tragedy going on in the area. It also has intricate detail on walking, rafting, skiing and even birdwatching tours with full, suggested itineraries and safety advice, and substantial lists of independent guides, homestays and interpreters in each town. However, mistakes often show through, i.e. in the authors’ firm belief that a trolleybus is really a suburban electric train, to the tendency to print full transportation timetables that threaten to be out of date within a matter of months. As well, the illustrations and maps could be a great deal more exacting. Hardly bedtime reading, but still very good for practical use.

Jim Haynes’ Russia: People to People (Zephyr Press, 1996) digs deeper into Russia in another direction altogether — human contact. Following similar books on several Eastern European countries, it aims to ‘help transform tourists into travelers’ with entries on over 1,000 Russians, many in remote towns and villages, willing to meet, communicate with and occasionally accommodate foreigners. It was published some years later than intended, so many of the entries (who were then students) will have moved on to different things. However, evidence suggests that most welcome a break from the rigors of jobs and family life to meet visitors from afar. For those without friends or family in Russia, then, this book is potentially a vital link with ordinary people all over Russia.