Dear James,
I'm so excited about the plans for your visit! I will take care of my classes, so don't hasitate about my studies, I am ready to dedicate at least a month to show you around the most interesting places of Russia. I think early September is a good time for you to start your journey from here, Khabarovsk. I think a nice trip should last for about a month, so we will look into September-October time. The weather will vary in Moscow and Khabarovsk, of course, but it won't be a huge contrast and shouldn't be a problem for you to adjust. I have a lot of ideas and plans already!
We will start from Khabarovsk. You'll stay in the hotel at night, the rest of the time you'll be busy with sites, we'll visit 2 different schools I have in mind, my university ( a meeting with student and another one with teachers) and many other things. I think you should stay here for about a week and then visit a much smaller town near here ( one night by train) called Amursk - the place where I was born. My mother has her own half -private linguistic school there, it's an unusual school which is well known in the Far East of Russia. You'll find it interesting. It's a much friendlier town, where everyone knows everyone else, tipical small town situation, half of the town are friends, another half are relatives. We'll find some construction there for you to see, I hope we'll find some friends who will take us fishing on the Amur river (it's the fishing season in fall, salmon is passing this part of the Amur river)...
Then we could go to Vladivostok, the port city, just for a couple of days to see the seeside and to see the most westernized city of the Far East, perhaps. Vladivostok is one night ride by train from Khabarovsk. If you want to see a little bit of the North, there is an interesting place I have heard a lot about but never got a chance to visit, becuase the only way to get there is on an airplane , the name of the town is Petropavlovsk- Kamchatski. Around there, there're warm gazers ( you know those things that spray from upderneath the ground) and there're beautiful mountaines covered with snow, places to ski, they say the nature is beautiful. I'll have to find out about this option more and see any friends still live there to give some advice and help. Tell me if you're interested and we'll work that out.
As for the real Russian countryside, the best place to go is to my grandmother's old village in Siberia, near Krasnoyarsk. It's a traditional, typical, very small village with old fashioned houses, no shower in the house, caws, hourses and all the ancient heritage you can think of. I have stay there for a summer month 2 years ago, me and my mother went my train ( which was a 3 day ride from Khabarovsk on the Trans Siberian), it remains almost the same as I remember it from childhood and my momm remembers it from long ago. The countryside people live a totally different life, of course... On our way to the village(which is more in the center of Siberia) we have to stop earlier ( in the Eastern Siberia), on Lake Baikal. It is the deepest menmade lake in the world, and gorgeous too. The city on Baikal we can stop in is Irkutsk.
Then we can either fly, or continue the long journey on the Trans Siberian to Moscow and St. Pete. You choose the transportation. And that is a totally different story and a different world. Lot's and lot's of places to see, things to do. My mother's good friends there made my last one -day stay in Moscow unforgetable and worth a whole week of experience. After Moscow you will be exhausted in a good way and will be ready to come back to Texas land, me- back to Khabarovsk. Mayby you'll decide to stay there,see more of Europe for yourself.
That's my rightaway plans. Tell me what you love and what you don't!
Your live Russian guide.