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Last year we had a trip of a lifetime
now it’s your turn……….
TAL Scuba brings you another great holiday and trip of a
lifetime, come and experience a whole new world, so many new experiences and so
many new things to see – truly a trip of a lifetime………..Here is a little
of what happened in March 2006.
We Departed from London and fly to Moscow, after flying all
over Europe looking for an airport that was not snow bound. We arrived in Moscow
to a snowstorm; Red Square was covered in snow.. But fantastic, we spent the day
site seeing and then
Then at midnight we catch the trans-Siberian Railway for
nights FIRST CLASS to Chupa.....
The train was so hard to describe, 2 big burly Russian
ladies (Guards) were the attendants on our carriage looking after about 8-10
people, Choice of 2 and 4 birth compartments which were clean, warm and great,
food together with Vodka, beer or wine were included…..We slept a fair bit and
watched the landscape unfold, so much snow, so many trees, such wonderful views,
stopping ever now and then at a station, time to put on those coats and go and
explore the station, buy dried fish, bread from the local peasants who appear
out of the snow from nowhere, just has to be seen…then back on the train and
off to the next station…
The transfer through the snow to ICE Camp was fun, like off
roading in a freezer van, keeping the cold out……
Ice camp was like a ski lodge covered in snow and ice, So
quite, so peaceful, so different, accommodation was clean, friendly, with maid
service, food was great but and very different at times, lots of choice, plenty
of it and included in the price together with free drinks, Coke, water, tea,
coffee excluding booze, for which there was an honesty bar, just sign for it and
help yourself to beer and Vodka. Free Cakes, biscuits and more were always on
tap.
Then out onto the ice on our skidoos and off on to the ice,
cut a whole ( Minor ) and jump in, with your tender holding on to the rope. We had
heated little wooden huts towed out to our dive sites to change in, then in we
go, all training was supplied and included including the PADI ICE Diving
speciality.
Lunch on the ice or in the crew hut then in for a second dive, plenty of time
between dives to admire the view and walk on the ice. Words do not cover it, you
have to see it and experience it to understand, the Russian instructors speak
English and are very helpful and always they’re to help. We used normal
Oceanic dive kit the same as we use in the UK but with better gloves and 2
hoods. Minus 2 Deg. in the water and minus 20-30 on shore, but it does not feel
cold, honest, well not that cold....
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